Does anybody reload FN 5.7?

[David Sinko]

I have a chance to buy a FN 5.7 pistol for a good price. Naturally I will need to reload for it. Frankly I've never been a fan of bottleneck pistol cartridges and this will be new territory for me. How frustrating an experience is it? What range of bullet weights is feasible? I'd be interested in the light polymer tip blowup bullets and some kind of Barnes X, whatever is light enough to function properly and hopefully expand. Any thoughts will be appreciated.

Dave Sinko

 

[snw19_357]

It can be very frustrating. Had one long ago, before there was published data, and blew it apart.

The lighter bullet the better for expansion but you could even use up to 55gr for subsonic plinkers.
One of my favorites were Speer 33gr Hornet TNT HPs but they're so short you get little neck tension. Berger makes some nice 30gr HPs but they don't vaporize Prairie Dogs nearly as well.

One important thing to remember that the laquer on the cases is an important part of the delay in the delayed blowback operation so don't tumble diry cases in dry media to clean them. Ask me how I found out.

 

[Rule3]

I was going to buy the handgun. I did a lot of research on the cartridge and reloading it as that was the only way I would buy the gun.

It can be done but is extremely finicky. The brass can only stand a few reloads, it has a special coating which will come off if clean by regular means, very high pressure, lots of angles to the shoulder neck area. Just seemed to me to be not worth the effort nor potential danger.

There is a whole forum about it so maybe check there, I decided not worth the cost or effort (to me). I have shot them and it is a cool round to shoot.

 

[m657]

re: "Just seemed to me to be not worth the effort nor potential danger."

I was led to abandoning my own interest for the same reasons mentioned above.

Neat idea, way too much cost/effort given ammo issues.

 

[jag22]

When I first read your question I knew exactly what I was going to say, but everyone else beat me to it. You just don't want to do it, really bad idea.

 

[David Sinko]

My friend let me try out the pistol before buying it. It has been NIB for the last seven years. Range day was not good. Almost all of the red tip and hollowpoint factory loaded ammo failed to cycle the action. Obviously there's a major problem here. After investigating the matter further I have learned that FN made some of these with rough chambers that caused all kinds of extraction and ejection problems. Kind of like the S&W 940, I guess. It will be going back to the factory. I'll have to wait and see if it works after we get it back. I can say with certainty that handloads are not the problem in this instance!

Dave Sinko

 

[roughedgekid]

I load the 5.7 and the only problem I have is collapsing the neck when resizing or seating the bullet. Other than that you have to have a small hole funnel so you dont scatter the powder trying to get it in the small short case. I wait till I have a bunch so I only have to do it every six months. I load over fifty callibers and its the hardest by far.