It's pretty well documented in some circles that they've gone to 11.5" ARs for familiarity/commonality and better ammo choices.
Sidearms & Scatterguns OFFICIAL: Ruger released a 5.7x28mm pistol. IT IS AVAILABLE.
- Thread starter Blue Sky Country
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It's pretty well documented in some circles that they've gone to 11.5" ARs for familiarity/commonality and better ammo choices.
I'm glad there's another to keep it alive.
I'm STILL considering, after 20 years or so, if I want to adopt this caliber. I've heard you can't produce good reloads though and that's been the main drawback for me.
I'd do the Five Seven, P90 SBR and an SBR'd AR57.
I'm STILL considering, after 20 years or so, if I want to adopt this caliber. I've heard you can't produce good reloads though and that's been the main drawback for me.
I'd do the Five Seven, P90 SBR and an SBR'd AR57.
I’ve kicked this caliber around for a while as well. Could never do it though. after looking at the, the FN products aren’t worth 1/5th the asking price. I came close to picking up a used AR57 upper but decided it would end up costing too much to shorten the barrel for an SBR. Hopefully Ruger will breath some life into the cartridge but they need better loaded ammo.
The main reason why I had never owned anything chambered in 5.7x28, much less adopted it as my main defensive carry, is due to:
A: Long term supply logistics,
AND
B: The quality of "commercially produced" ammunition.
First off, the popularity of the 5.7 cartridge had never really blown up like the others. I think it would be safe to assume that had it not been for the Stargate television series and it's fan base, the cartridge might not even have become available here in the States. If I were to work in a gun store right now, I bet that one whole week can pass without anyone asking for a box of 5.7x28... And herein is the problem for long term reliability. In an SHTF scenario, resupply would be an astronomical task, as this ammo is not something you can just expect to find on dead enemy combatants.
On the second note, FNH seems to have adopted an even more politically correct approach to it's civilian sales than the US laws regulating ammunition. The 5.7 is technically a rifle cartridge, and aside from not allowing commercial sales of penetrator tipped ammunition, velocity is not a regulating factor in commercial rifle rounds. Yet, the SS197SR, which currently is the only commercial loading available, is underpowered and anemic. You can handload the round but before you carve out a chunk of your wallet for all of the components necessary to support this load, consider the A section of this post. Is this something you plan to rely upon for long term survival, defense, and food procurement? My personal answer is "no".
Case body has essentially no taper, shoulder blowing forward an obscene amount, and coatings on the case are what allow it to function reliably.
Not a big deal if buying ammo, but from what I've heard/read you get maybe 2 reloads out of a case if you're lucky before they stop working, split, etc...
Not a big deal if buying ammo, but from what I've heard/read you get maybe 2 reloads out of a case if you're lucky before they stop working, split, etc...
I heard a lot of weird stuff about reloading this cartridge too. My dad bought both the pistol and rifle when they were new. I played with them and could hold surprisingly well at 100 yards w the pistol. The rifle is a joy to shoot. He carries a 357 and I carry a 45 and the dies that I bought him about 13 years ago are probably still in the box.
Yes, it's a total pain in the ass to reload
There is a coating on the brass and there lays the problem.
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- Nov 3, 2010
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I reload it quite a bit. If you pay attention and take your time, it’s not that crazy. Of course it’s not for a delayed blowback setup so the coating means shit to me.
What does a delayed blowback need out of a load? Can it not be as hot as a rifle?
- Nov 3, 2010
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There is a lacquer coating on all 5.7 rounds that aid in slowing the extraction down to help with pressure issues. It is extremely important in the auto/semi-auto guns. They are labeled as delayed blowback because the lacquer helps delay extraction. That and only that part of the round is a pain in the ass. If you reload for PS90 or FiveSeven pistol you have to wash the cases in something like simple green and water. You can’t tumble them or the coating will wear off. As far as what that means for a load is that it is really pressure sensitive and small changes like .1-.2 grains can mean the difference between good and catastrophic in the FN platforms. Both of those platforms are extremely hard on brass and the shoulder is pushed forward a good amount. When you try to resize they have the tendencies to break at the neck and due to the coating you can’t anneal them. I tried to anneal one and it just turns black and super sticky.
- Nov 3, 2010
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Sounds worse than it really is. I have played with it and it can be very accurate from a 16 inch barrel with 40g A or Z max.
Have you tried the reloads in a pistol? If I know they will work I would buy the Ruger 57.
I reloaded a ton for the FN Five-seveN. It sucks because of the brass. Shoulder movement is significant. I ripped a few cases at the shoulder resizing them. I had 3 brass failures leaving everything from the shoulder forward still stuck in the chamber. This was after 2-3 reloads.
Never had problems with factory ammo.
Never had problems with factory ammo.
- Nov 3, 2010
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Sold my fiveSeven a few years ago so I have never tried in one. If I had one I would shoot it no concerns other than it destroying my brass honestly. @srt-4_uk is correct though, I lose most of my brass in the resizing stage and the necks rip off on the expander. I have switched to imperial case wax for those and those only and it has cut my losses significantly
When I messed around with it, I quickly learned that the coating was very temperamental and key to the successful functioning of my pistol.
It was after I ruined a couple hundred cases, did I take the time to figure out why I was having trouble.
Pro Tip- don't try to recreate the lacquer coating as that turned out a non-starter as well.
For those of you who have a Sportsman's Warehouse, the Ruger 57 is now listed on their website for $649.99. Says "Temporarily Sold Out".
- Nov 3, 2010
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I don’t worry about the coating for my purpose. I played around with it when I first started reloading but never did more than burn a few cases. I tumble mine in crushed walnut now just like everything else I load.
I haven't had to buy any ammo in years.
I got a really good deal from SG one time and bought up a good bit of the red box FN stuff.
I also stocked up on American Eagle, I think I have around 6,000 rounds.
Another reason I have so much ammo is I actually forgot about having the pistol until this thread and another came along.
I got a really good deal from SG one time and bought up a good bit of the red box FN stuff.
I also stocked up on American Eagle, I think I have around 6,000 rounds.
Another reason I have so much ammo is I actually forgot about having the pistol until this thread and another came along.
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