Why are there not more handguns that use the FN 5.7×28mm round?

[skyscraper]

I love my five seven. Recoil is next to nothing so keeping follow up shots on target is no problem at all.

[Steve1968LS2]

Have you noticed how the cartridge is really long?

One huge handled, expensive 5.7*28 seems to be enough to cover the demand.

Fits my hand just fine.. I guess if you have dainty hands it would be a problem

But seriously, it's a great shooting pistol and I can hold (in a free state) 20-30 rounds in a lightweight package.

In CA the handgun is nearly pointless since I would rather have 10 rounds of .45 than then 5.7

[Steve1968LS2]

At first I was going to say...because the ammo is ridiculously priced, but I see you can get 50 rounds for $22 so ... about the price you'd pay for .45 if you didn't shop carefully.

I get 50 rounds for $18ish all the time..

Bought 2000 rnds at the gun show for just over $600..

:insert shrug here:

[jchen76@gmail.com]

Ammunition cost isn't so bad, it's the lack thereof of makers. Elite Ammunition comes to mind but they are small compared to FN. If Federal, Winchester, SB etc. started to produce loads, you'd see Glock, Kel-Tec, maybe Sig get in the picture of producing a pistol. Maybe a 1911 style frame using 5.7. That would be sweet.

[Target19]

Big reason is that the merits of the 5.7 round are lessened in pistol length.
You are also limited in ammo types you can buy.
Most of the ammo for sale is weak and is only good for plinking.

[Steve1968LS2]

Big reason is that the merits of the 5.7 round are lessened in pistol length.
You are also limited in ammo types you can buy.
Most of the ammo for sale is weak and is only good for plinking.

lol...

ok, yea..

[skyscraper]

Fits my hand just fine.. I guess if you have dainty hands it would be a problem

But seriously, it's a great shooting pistol and I can hold (in a free state) 20-30 rounds in a lightweight package.

In CA the handgun is nearly pointless since I would rather have 10 rounds of .45 than then 5.7

So you would need more than 10 rounds in a defense situation? I always hear that argument, but who gets into gunfights needing 20 rounds?

[Peter W Bush]

I think it is brilliant. The cross-sectional density of the projectile is superior to conventional pistol bullets. Great penetration, overall the 5.7 actually does something other pistol cartridges do not without having to go wild-cat or single-shot T/C Contender in order to chamber a rifle-like profile bullet into a pistol.

The .357 SIG, .45 GAP, etc were cartridges looking for a problem to solve.

Please don't compare the .357 Sig to the .45 GAP. 45 GAP is a pointless cartridge.

The Virginia State Police has reported that attacking dogs have been stopped dead in their tracks by a single shot, whereas the former 147 grain 9 mm duty rounds would require multiple shots to incapacitate the animals.[8] Proponents of the hydrostatic shock theory contend that the energy available in the .357 SIG is sufficient for imparting hydrostatic shock with well-designed bullets.[9][10][11] Users have commented, "We're really impressed with the stopping power of the .357 SIG round."[2]

The bottleneck shape of the .357 SIG cartridge makes feeding problems almost non-existent.[12] This is because the bullet is channeled through the larger chamber before being seated entirely as the slide goes into full battery. Flat point bullets are seldom used with other autoloader platforms because of feeding problems; however, such bullets are commonly seen in the .357 SIG chambering and are quite reliable, as are hollow-point bullets.

The "Accurate Powder" reloading manuals claims that it is "without a doubt the most ballistically consistent handgun cartridge we have ever worked with."[5]

.357 Sig basically brings the .357 magnum 24 grain load to a semi auto.

[skyscraper]

Big reason is that the merits of the 5.7 round are lessened in pistol length.
You are also limited in ammo types you can buy.
Most of the ammo for sale is weak and is only good for plinking.

The bad information in this thread is strong today

[Freq18Hz]

Didnt the op explicitly say he did not want to debate the merits of the caliber...?

...


Freq

[kemikalembalance]

It was designed to be a personal defense round. To penetrate body armor but not tear through the person wearing it. Dont wanna start an argument, but terrorists are trying to kill important people and they are wearing armor and such. From what ive read, and i may be wrong, (dont think the internet is ever wrong though), the round was developed to be low recoil, high velocity, body armor buster. the round is designed to punch through the armor into the body cavity and stay in the body. 9mm, 40, 45, 10mm and even sig would be stopped by the plates, possibly allowing the assailant to complete there task. With the low recoil/high rpm that the 57 allows, you can put more rounds on target allowing a penetrating shot to stop them. The only intension for the round is to punch through heavy body armor, why develop more platforms for something that only has one role.

[meaty-btz]

umm, th 5.7 round was not designed for pistols but for the P90, it was modified slightly to cross the platforms and to improve it.

At its core it is a carbine round. That is a big plus. It isn't just a body armor buster. It has features that make it ideal for close in environments: low ricochet chance, low barrier penetration (like most small rifle rounds), in armor piercing it can punch through armor, it tends to tumble once it enters the target. It is a bullet with a rifle profile (superior in all ways to a pistol bullet). It does not travel as far as a 9mm or even a .45 as far as lethal range. It is purely for use in close in combat situations. These characteristics make it ideal for use in a bullpup carbine like the P90 and in a full sized tactical pistol like the FN5.7. Honestly show me a pistol round that matches all those features without going single shot, let alone something with 20 rounds capacity standard in a pistol and you have me sold. The more I read about this round the more sense it makes rather than less. I have always liked the 357 SIG for its efforts and its good ballistics but it was a round you could argue about and be fair in arguing its practicality vs x,y,z round of choice. The 5.7mm is something completely different. The closest you are going to come to the 5.7mm in a "pistol" (I will use the term loosely) is with the various 5.56mm AR Pistols people tote about. So comparing the 5.7 to 9mm it is like apples to oranges 5.7mm vs 5.56 in a pistol setup would be a fair comparison. Even then it wouldn't be fair because the 5.56 is a dedicated rifle round and the so called pistol you are using is in fact just a very very short carbine. The 5.7 is something of a different animal with a different goal. I like its goal. Will I like it when I get my hands on one to play with? WHO KNOWS! Should be fun.

[starsnuffer]

Please don't compare the .357 Sig to the .45 GAP. 45 GAP is a pointless cartridge.



.357 Sig basically brings the .357 magnum 24 grain load to a semi auto.

Um, I was under the impression that the .357 sig was just a 9mm bullet in a .40 case. It doesn't have anywhere near the performance of a .357mag. The two are alike in name only.

-W

[starsnuffer]

umm, th 5.7 round was not designed for pistols but for the P90, it was modified slightly to cross the platforms and to improve it.

At its core it is a carbine round. That is a big plus. It isn't just a body armor buster. It has features that make it ideal for close in environments: low ricochet chance, low barrier penetration (like most small rifle rounds), in armor piercing it can punch through armor, it tends to tumble once it enters the target. It is a bullet with a rifle profile (superior in all ways to a pistol bullet). It does not travel as far as a 9mm or even a .45 as far as lethal range. It is purely for use in close in combat situations. These characteristics make it ideal for use in a bullpup carbine like the P90 and in a full sized tactical pistol like the FN5.7. Honestly show me a pistol round that matches all those features without going single shot, let alone something with 20 rounds capacity standard in a pistol and you have me sold. The more I read about this round the more sense it makes rather than less. I have always liked the 357 SIG for its efforts and its good ballistics but it was a round you could argue about and be fair in arguing its practicality vs x,y,z round of choice. The 5.7mm is something completely different. The closest you are going to come to the 5.7mm in a "pistol" (I will use the term loosely) is with the various 5.56mm AR Pistols people tote about. So comparing the 5.7 to 9mm it is like apples to oranges 5.7mm vs 5.56 in a pistol setup would be a fair comparison. Even then it wouldn't be fair because the 5.56 is a dedicated rifle round and the so called pistol you are using is in fact just a very very short carbine. The 5.7 is something of a different animal with a different goal. I like its goal. Will I like it when I get my hands on one to play with? WHO KNOWS! Should be fun.

[Steve1968LS2]

So you would need more than 10 rounds in a defense situation? I always hear that argument, but who gets into gunfights needing 20 rounds?

If there were 11 guys..

My point is that if you're limited to 10, might as well run 10 more powerful rounds. It's sort of like how my PS90 is pointless in CA... outside CA, not so much

I don't know why that's a tough concept