FN Herstal Five Seven?

[k_kunes]

I have been thinking about buying an FN 5-7 for a long time now. The first deterrent was the sticker price but now after the Ft. Hood shooting, where this gun was used, I don't know if i could own one now. The "cop killer" nickname doesn't help either. I appreciate the advice in advance.

[39flathead]

I really don't know what you are asking so I'll just offer my opinion and maybe it'll help you out.

As for the gun being used by the nut-job at Ft Hood, big deal, plenty of guns are used in crimes everyday and some get a "name", others don't. Either way, people still buy them for legal purposes.
Using your logic, nobody in their right mind would want a K98 Mauser because of their connection with the atrocities committed by the Nazi's.
The Ft Hood connection would be of no concern to me, the nut could have used any number of weapons.

I haven't heard of them being called a cop killer and I try to stay in the loop as far a political correctness goes in regards to firearms. Again, even if they are, big deal, any gun could be called a cop killer.

As far as the gun itself goes, they are hellishly accurate IMO, I can nail 6inch steel at 100 yds all day with the one my buddy owns.
Ammo is not expensive, @ around $21 per 50, that is right in line with many handgun calibers.
The only drawback is reloading, cases are still a bit scarce and I think RCBS is the only company making dies.

The Five Seven is a good shooting firearm with little recoil, not really my cup 'o tea, but if you want one who cares what the neighbors think.

I hope my babbling has helped you in some way, if not, just disregard my rambling...

[Seventy4Blazer]

They are great pistols, fun to shoot and accurate. the cop killer name isnt used as much since the ammo that gave it that name is no longer legal in the US. the standard load is still a potent little round though.

the PD's that have been using them have been keeping track of how many exit's they have had. something like 8% of the shots actualy exit the body, the rest stay in the body and do more damage.

i would love to own one, but the cost is a killer to me. i will however eb building an AR-57 because i think it would be fun to have.

[mrnyman]

Now is not a good time to buy one, wait a while, untill they back down to about $900, right now they are going for about $1200.

Yes its awesome gun that shoots a awesome little round, verty accurate and flat shooting too. Perfect camping/hiking gun, 20 rounds in the mage and 2 spares and youre set for a camping trip.

If you do buy one make sure you get the little FN coupon offering 200 rounds free from FN , FN will honor it even if you buy the gun used just fillout the coupon and mail it in with a copy of your receipt.

[SCBaldr]

As far as the cop killer reputation goes, its not really true. High pressure 5.7 hard nose ammo fired out of a P90's 10.4" barrel is moving fast enough to defeat body armor. However, an FN 5-7's barrel is 4.75" long. Even if you were able to get HP 5.7x28 hard nose ammo, it would likely never develop the velocity necessary to punch through body armor. As someone else already pointed out, you cannot get this sepcialized ammo in the US.

Loads that you can get for this pistol are both light shooting and very accurate and will do more than enough damage to take out most soft targets.

[Andrew17019]

On the "cop killer" argument, plenty of US Soldiers have been killed by the AK-47 and variants, but that doesn't seem to deter anyone from buying WASR-10s here in the states. Personal preference, yes, but it's the shooter, not the gun, who makes the difference. I would like to get my hands on an STG-44 but I don't condone Nazism in any way....it's apples and oranges.

[brownman]

I say " dont believe the hype ". Who cares what some idiot did with the gun or, some bad names people like to call it. now as far as the firearm itself is concerned I, am very intrigued. I have never personally even seen one to be honest, just info from internet forums. And everyone says they are accurate as hell and reliable to match. As far as " The ability of a cartridge to KNOCK down an assailent "- (thanks Larry Potterfield) I'm not to sure. I personally would bet my life on it others, say its nothing more than a real fast .22 . So anyhow, maybe do a little more research, ballistics tests, likes/dislikes of owners and see what you come up with before buying. If I had a 'G' to drop I would get one. Half decent thread about it over at THR, kinda gets a little argueee towards the end though, check it out. Good luck.

[bandit82ta]

I've not heard it referred to as a "cop killer". I've only heard they are accurate and great shooters.

Seriously.... you could hype anything. I bet if you looked at statistics you would find more deaths per a suv. (Chevy/Ford/GMC/etc). Those multi ton machines probably kill more people and officers in a year then the FN's by far.

[VinF88]

I have a good time with mine at the range.

Like everyone else said, its just sensationalism and peoples way of rationalizing why he used the gun. Its no different than any other pistol in that respect, IMO.

Personally i think if you have the $ go for it. Its a fun to shoot, accurate, and appealing gun to those around you.

Depending on where you live, i would be willing to let you try it at a range close to me if you want.

[mrnyman]

Guys if you want to know what this gun can do forget the hype and try to google up the video footage of the Peruvian Parliament building hostage rescue of a few years ago by Peruvian special forces , the video is out there i saw it for myself, stop the speculating and see the facts for yourself, then see if you can find the autopsy pictures of the dead kidnappers and look at the pictures yourself.

And yes the 5.7 Pistol using the AP ammo will shoot clear through a level 3 vest, a gunshop owner friend of mine took a vest in his back range at his shop and shot it with a 5.7 pistol to his amazement it went right through.

The AP ammo is illegal for "civilians" but i bet the 40 M195 is no slouch either.

I like the Gun not because of its AP potential but because its a great Pistol with a great trigger and lightweight and shoot almost as flat as a laser.