FN 5.7 or a 5.45 which to buy ?

[pony_express1973 183]

I'm looking at a new range toy and I've decided to go with either the FN5.7 pistol or a 5.45 saiga now eventually I

will own both but I'm looking for feed back on either one of thses since these are two calibers I have yet to shoot. I have a 5.56 AR and a 7.62 Saiga so any input on a 5.7 or 5.45 will be helpful.

Edited April 18, 2012 by pony_express1973

[dayofruin 425]

The FN 5.7 pistol handles a shoots very nicely. I don't own one but have shot one. 20 round mags and 10 round extensions are a cool aspect of the gun. 5.45 is super cheap and feels about like a 5.56. Again, don't own one but I have shot one recently.The cost of the pistol alone would get you the rifle and a lot of ammo/mags for it.

[TheMantis 11]

Get the 5.45 x 39 and convert it. Get atleast 4000 rounds of ammo. Then look back and realize that you could have had a single pistol or all that for the same price.

 

 

P.S. A pistol is only used to fight your way back to the rifle you shoudn't have left behind in the first place.

[XD45 7,124]

A pistol is nice to have if you don't have a gun.

[preparehandbook 326]

5.45, absolutely.

[armalite_ar50 86]

I'd probably go 5.7 but then I've got a five five seven suppressor, so I'm alittle bias on that.

[Arik 565]

I'd go with the 5.45. Cheeeeeep ammo!

 

I had the 5.7 when they first came out. There was nothing bad about it just wasnt for me. Also why spend that much on a range toy? If you want something hi capacity and in a small cal get the Keltec PMR 22mag. Think they're about $400 and ammo is cheaper

[kodaline 178]

Big difference between that cartridge and a 22 mag.

[gregomega 929]

I agree with posts 2-5

[Salmonking 149]

Expensive ammo vs cheap ammo.

 

Expensive gun vs cheap gun.

 

If you want a pistol, get a pistol and vice versa, however, the better buy (at the moment) is the 5.45x39. The FN is roughly $1,000. Why not spend that money on your rifle, conversion parts, and a crap-load of surplus ammo before it stops being surplus?

[joebanda1213 59]

Joined the 5.45 game a year ago and havnt looked back. Over 3,000 rounds through my SGL 31. Its the only way I can afford to shoot this much in less than a year.

[Fallschirmjager667 729]

BOTH!

[pony_express1973 183]

BOTH!

 

I plan on getting both my question is which one to buy now and which one to put off By the time I buy the 5.45 and convert it It will not be a big diffrence in price(maybe just a few hundred bucks), I found the FN for around $900 new and a plain jane siaga 5.45 for almost 500 plus shipping add a scope new stock and quad rail and trigger group it will be close enough in price to not be a factor. the question is will one start to go up in priced thats the one I want to buy now?

Edited April 18, 2012 by pony_express1973

[mgconnor13 206]

If your looking for a carry gun I would go with something other then the 57

If your looking for another range toy I'd go with the rifle and a boat load of ammo.

5.7x28 ammo and parts aren't nearly prolific as they are for 9mm, 40, 45 or other major pistol calibers.

5.45 is wide spread, cheap and you know the platform and parts are widely available.

[preparehandbook 326]

Big difference between that cartridge and a 22 mag.

 

Yeah, $400

[termite 463]

I've got all three, the 5.7 pistol, the PS90, and the 5.45. The pistol, SSSSHHHHIIIIITTTT. check out the balistics of the round and the rounds that are out there, other than factory. I have been accused of shooting FA at the pistol range, when shooting my 5.7 pistol. The rounds are not that exspensive, when you consider it's a 50 round box, boxer primed and reloadable, is the 5.45 reloadable, NO, and most are corrosize. The 5.7 pistol, in a holster, you almost don't know it's there, it's that light. My PS90, I have machined an adapter for the barrel that allows me to use my can on it, and there is a company that will rework the 5.7 barrel to use a can.

If you want something to carry, that will put a hole in someone, doesn't weight a lot, and with the proper ammo will really make someone have a bad day, look deeper into the 5.7. I've started playing with reloading them with, I think it's the 218 BEE round, HP, and some 45 grain flat point rounds. The 5.7 round is touchy about reloading in the pistol, but there is some load data out there

[gunfun 3,931]

Stockpile 5.45 ammo while it is cheap. Do you already have a pistol and a rifle? If not get whichever you don't have. My cousin has both, and I got to play with the fancy target model 5.7. It was nice, and a very cool pistol. I liked the capacity, lightness, balistics, and the ammo can be had for reasonable prices. I was too used to my own pistol and for no good reason was not shooting very well with the 5.7 though. I think I like the idea of the gun more than the gun itself.

 

If I had them both though, I would probably end up shooting the 5.45 more. It shoots nice, is cheap, good balistics and it just feels right. This is an easy gun to shoot fast and accurately at intermediate ranges. Very tempting for me to buy if I had moneys.

[kodaline 178]

Seriously, the people that still think it's a 22 mag should look at some tables.

[Arik 565]

What I can say is that I did have a ND with my 5.7 pistol with a hp round. I was standing at one end of the room and the bullet hit the wall furthest away from me and entered the next room. Pretty big hole for a small bullet. What happened was that it hit the wooden beam in the wall, ripped a hole on the other side and sent debris to the furthest wall of that room. I ended up finding small oblong hole under the window of the second room where the bullet fragment entered but didnt have the energy to penetrate the siding. Thank god cause the next stop was a neighbor's house.

 

So basically it went through drywall, the wooden beam inside, the next drywall and left a quarter size hole and then some fragments into the furthest wall. I dont know about knockdown power but it sure did its job expanding.

[pyzik 597]

The 5.7 is a sweet little pistol. I would love to have one but can't justify that kind of spending on a single pistol any time soon.

 

But, if some one offered to give me either a 5.7 pistol or a 5.45 w/ammo I think I would go 5.7,but that's me.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Pyzik

[shades_of_grey 1,092]

Imo, you don't get much more boutique and limited than 5.7, (in a modern cartridge). It's only truly impressive when firing ammo that isn't generally available to civilians.

 

My bro's got a FiveseveN pistol that he used to brag on. Our last time out at the range, my G20/SF shut him up, (FN 5.7 40gr @ 2130fps = ~403 ft lbs of muzzle energy, vs. full-power 10mm 180gr @ 1300fps = ~675.5 ft lbs of muzzle energy).

 

Recoil is obviously a lot lighter with the 5.7.. but in terms of power, it's nothing special. Of the two choices you listed, I'd recommend a quality 5.45x39, (e.g. the SGL31).

 

Of course, if you want a more interesting pistol in an incredibly capable caliber, you could pick up a 10mm Glock pistol, (20 or 29), several magazines, new night sights, and several hundred rounds of Underwood Ammo's 10mm, (by far the best deal in full-power 10mm available), for less than just the 5.7 pistol would cost ya. Something to think about.

 

Now if you're European military/police and need a sidearm to carry along with your P-90, (the purpose for which FN designed it), that's a different story.

[preparehandbook 326]

"(FN 5.7 40gr @ 2130fps = ~403 ft lbs of muzzle energy, vs. full-power 10mm 180gr @ 1300fps = ~675.5 ft lbs of muzzle energy)."

 

my co-worker recently chrono'd his "FN 5.7 40gr @ 2000ish FPS" load that he paid $.75 a round for and it clocked 1400fps.

 

He then borrowed my chrony for a weekend and tested all his 5.7 loads. None got close to the listed velocity, on average they were 200fps slower than advertised. The worst got 1260fps.

 

He said he was either going to start handloading or sell the gun. I hope he chooses handloading because I like shooting it. I personally am planning to bu the Kel-tec PMR 30 because I'm a cheap bastard.

[pony_express1973 183]

Stockpile 5.45 ammo while it is cheap. Do you already have a pistol and a rifle? If not get whichever you don't have. My cousin has both, and I got to play with the fancy target model 5.7. It was nice, and a very cool pistol. I liked the capacity, lightness, balistics, and the ammo can be had for reasonable prices. I was too used to my own pistol and for no good reason was not shooting very well with the 5.7 though. I think I like the idea of the gun more than the gun itself.

 

If I had them both though, I would probably end up shooting the 5.45 more. It shoots nice, is cheap, good balistics and it just feels right. This is an easy gun to shoot fast and accurately at intermediate ranges. Very tempting for me to buy if I had moneys.

 

I have a AR 5.56 a saige 7.62 x 39 and I have 5 handguns of all calibers from 9 to 45 to 357 just two name a few thats why I was thinking 5.7 it like nothing I have already still unsure..... damn thses choices

 

"(FN 5.7 40gr @ 2130fps = ~403 ft lbs of muzzle energy, vs. full-power 10mm 180gr @ 1300fps = ~675.5 ft lbs of muzzle energy)."

 

my co-worker recently chrono'd his "FN 5.7 40gr @ 2000ish FPS" load that he paid $.75 a round for and it clocked 1400fps.

 

He then borrowed my chrony for a weekend and tested all his 5.7 loads. None got close to the listed velocity, on average they were 200fps slower than advertised. The worst got 1260fps.

 

He said he was either going to start handloading or sell the gun. I hope he chooses handloading because I like shooting it. I personally am planning to bu the Kel-tec PMR 30 because I'm a cheap bastard.

 

If he sells it I'll take it off his hands

[shades_of_grey 1,092]

"(FN 5.7 40gr @ 2130fps = ~403 ft lbs of muzzle energy, vs. full-power 10mm 180gr @ 1300fps = ~675.5 ft lbs of muzzle energy)."

 

my co-worker recently chrono'd his "FN 5.7 40gr @ 2000ish FPS" load that he paid $.75 a round for and it clocked 1400fps.

 

He then borrowed my chrony for a weekend and tested all his 5.7 loads. None got close to the listed velocity, on average they were 200fps slower than advertised. The worst got 1260fps...

 

Wow, that's just fuckin pathetic. There are manufacturers out there that similarly exaggerate the velocity of their 10mm ammo *cough*DoubleTap*cough*, but Underwood ain't one of em, (this ammo's claimed velocity is 1300fps)...

 

 

Of course, with the 5.7, your ammo choices are more limited, (and more expensive).

[storm6490 2,768]

5.45

[termite 463]

Evidently someone only knows about the 2 factory loads for ammo that we are "allowed" to own for the 5.7. There are some loads posted out there that are just plain scarey, but I personally like to play with sub sonic rounds.

[shades_of_grey 1,092]

Evidently someone only knows about the 2 factory loads for ammo that we are "allowed" to own for the 5.7...

 

You're probably referring to me. I admit that you're right. I don't see any other options for 5.7 in bulk online without reloading.

 

...There are some loads posted out there that are just plain scarey...

 

Would you mind tossing me an appropriate link? I can't imagine that any of em top 700 ft lbs of muzzle energy, as my 10mm carry ammo does.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO_Xbnqg9MU

 

Just look at that wound cavity!

 

...but I personally like to play with sub sonic rounds.

 

Sub-sonic in 5.7?

Edited April 19, 2012 by post-apocalyptic

[preparehandbook 326]

Evidently someone only knows about the 2 factory loads for ammo that we are "allowed" to own for the 5.7. There are some loads posted out there that are just plain scarey, but I personally like to play with sub sonic rounds.

 

This one?

 

Evidently someone only knows about the 2 factory loads for ammo that we are "allowed" to own for the 5.7...

 

You're probably referring to me. I admit that you're right. I don't see any other options for 5.7 in bulk online without reloading.

 

...There are some loads posted out there that are just plain scarey...

 

Would you mind tossing me an appropriate link? I can't imagine that any of em top 700 ft lbs of muzzle energy, as my 10mm carry ammo does.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO_Xbnqg9MU

 

Just look at that wound cavity!

 

...but I personally like to play with sub sonic rounds.

 

Sub-sonic in 5.7?

 

700 ft pounds?

 

I don't find the stories of 5.7 that hits 400 ft pounds credible.

 

What I see is a lot of loads that claim to get high velocity (maybe they do out of a 16" barrel AR57) but in the real world they get mid 200 ft pound ballistics.

[thebuns1 4,323]

id rather have a heavier bullet.