Tag Archives: 5.7×28

Checking out the KelTec SUB2000 in 5.7

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KelTec recently added a 5.7x28mm chambering to its popular third-generation SUB2000 carbine line, and we have the full review.

Introduced in 2001 with a host of different common magazine well choices, the SUB2000’s biggest claim to fame is that it folds neatly in half for storage.

Evolving into a second and currently third generation since then, the pistol-caliber carbine had previously been offered in 9mm or .40 S&W, with KelTec adding 5.7 to the catalog late last year, followed by 10mm Auto more recently.

The 5.7 SUB2000 uses common 20 and 30-round FN Five-seveN pattern magazines. It can also accept aftermarket mags such as ProMag’s 55-round drum. Running from a blowback action, standard features include lots of integrated M-LOK and Picatinny rails for accessories and optics. It is also threaded (1/2×28 TPI) for easy suppressor use.

The KelTec SUB2000 Gen 3 Carbine in 5.7 is 30.45 inches when fully extended and ready to go. We added the 2 MOA Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic on a QRP2 mount. Weight, so equipped, is just 4.86 pounds.

Folded, the SUB2000 Gen 3 runs just 16.15 inches in overall length and can be deployed in seconds.

We had issues with FTEs early in testing on the factory-supplied magazine. This problem abated the more we shot the gun, and with the use of FN-made mags. The second half of the test proved it to be more reliable. Lightweight, in most configurations, the gun remained under 6 pounds even when loaded and sporting a light, suppressor, and optic. It is simple and intuitive to use, functional and deploys rapidly.

For the rest of the review, head on over to my column at Guns.com.

Ruger in the 10mm Carbine Game?

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Further fleshing out its line of pistol caliber blowback-action LC Carbines that accept common handgun magazines, Ruger has gone 10mm.

The company introduced its current fourth-generation centerfire PCC platform in 2022 as a rifle variant of the Ruger 57 pistol in 5.7×28, then added a .45 ACP companion earlier this year at SHOT Show. Now, the news has come that the LC Carbine will be offered in the resurgent 10mm Auto chambering. Best yet, it accepts standard Glock-pattern double-stack 10mm magazines – even legacy 3rd Gen models.

Shown with a flush 15+1 and with a 30-round extended

The bad news is that the Ruger LC Carbine in 10mm has an MSRP of $1,049, which, while just $40 more than its .45 and 5.7mm brothers in the same family, is still kind of spendy for a PCC.

Still, there aren’t a lot of 10mm carbines out there, with the Ruger falling squarely between the $400-ish Hi-Point 1095 and the super Gucci $1,400 KRISS CRB – which probably gives the new offering a wide open market for those who wish to run the “centimeter” in a full-length barrel.

That 5.7, tho

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So, the FN 5.7x28mm PDW round, which is pushing 30 years young, almost died out by about 2018, with only one small maker (California’s Excel) making pistols outside of FN.

Then the Ruger 57 pistol (and companion carbine), Diamondback DBX, CMMG Banshee MK57, PSA Rock, and Masterpiece MPA57 hit the market just in the past three years, joined by the third generation of FN’s own pistol. Added to this, AAC (PSA’s brand) along with Federal and Speer have started loading ammo for it, while Fiocchi is expanded its own offerings, adding to the availability and likely dropping the price in the coming days.

Well, now, Smith & Wesson has entered the fray with a $699 pistol gas-operated hammer-fired pistol that feels better than just about any of the above.

The 22+1 capacity (not a misprint) M&P 5.7.

I handled it at SHOT Show, and the handgun has a light and crisp feel to it with the felt recoil akin to a .22 Magnum.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Ruger Enters 5.7mm Carbine Race

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Ruger this week expanded its 5.7mm offerings by introducing a lightweight carbine to complement the already popular 57 series pistols.

The new Ruger LC Carbine in 5.7x28mm is compact, with a threaded 16.25-inch nitride-treated steel barrel and a side-folding adjustable stock keeping it short. Weight, at 5.9 pounds out of the box, is kept low via an aluminum alloy hard-coat Anodized receiver and synthetic furniture. Logically, it uses the same 20+1 capacity steel magazines and ergonomic controls as the Ruger 57 pistol.

The company says that using typical 40-grain 5.7 loads, “this high-performing carbine’s felt recoil is comparable to a .22 LR.”

The reversible folding stock, with adjustable length of pull, is compatible with both AR-pattern and Picatinny rail-mounted aftermarket accessory stocks. Speaking of Picatinny, note the full-length top rail and adjustable flip-up sights.

More in my column at Guns.com

Neptuns Dunklen Söhnen, with blasters by FN

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The Austrian Army this week released a behind-the-scenes look at a little-known frogman unit in the landlocked country, complete with a cameo by FN.

In terms of size, it is thought that the country only maintains about 50 such divers for use in rivers and lakes in the Alpine country. While Austria hasn’t had a coastline since 1918, the nation does have 40 large lakes including Lake Constance on its Western border with Switzerland and Germany, as well as the immense Danube River system which runs through the country. With that, Austria’s combat swimmers (Kampfschwimmers) are highly trained, with its members taking three years to earn their badge.

Besides their Glock 17 pistols– Austria was the first country to adopt the now-iconic handgun as the P80– and Steyr AUG (StG 77) bullpup rifles, the Kampfschwimmer also field the FN P90 in 5.7 NATO.

Austria’s commandos adopted the P90 about 15 years ago, replacing the Steyr MPi 69 sub-gun as a close-in weapon, and augmenting the B&T TMP.

More in my column at Guns.com.

SHOT Hints the 5.7mm Trend may de here to Stay

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Building on a spate of recent new firearm releases chambered for the once-exotic FN 5.7 round, the aisles at SHOT Show this month seemed to reinforce that the caliber is here to stay.

While the 5.7×28 was originally just designed for FN’s PDW program– which led to the P90/PS90 and the Five-seveN series pistol– the now-NATO standardized cartridge caught a boost from Ruger in late 2019 with the Ruger 57 pistol followed soon after at SHOT Show 2020 by the prototype Diamondback DBX large-format pistol. Since then, KelTec has brought its P50 pistol to market, the CMMG Mk57 has appeared, and the DBX has started to appear on dealer’s shelves. In the meantime, FN updated the Five-seveN with new features and colors.

With Vista’s ammo brands (Federal, Speer, etc.) pumping out new 5.7 rounds as fast as they can to keep up with the trend, even more 5.7-chambered guns are inbound.

More in my column at Guns.com.

5.7 NATO for Self Defense?

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Designed by FN as a caliber replacement for 9mm pistols and submachine guns in the 1980s, the 5.7x28mm was only recently adopted as a NATO standard. But is it any good?

While I’ll save the history of the cartridge for another day, the 5.7 was first marketed by FN in the early 1990s in its P90/S PDW/carbine and Five-seveN pistol. Since then, those guns have been adopted with military and police forces in more than 40 countries and sold widely on the commercial market. This undoubtedly led to its recent NATO standardization— along with its competitor, the Heckler & Koch -developed 4.6x30mm.

However, as the only gun available for the 4.6 NATO is the HK MP7, which is unobtainable on the U.S. consumer market, the 5.7 NATO is the default PDW player today.

The thing is, ammo selection can be everything.

More in my column at Guns.com. 

Meet 5.7 NATO

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Designed in the late 1980s for use in Personal Defense Weapons, or PDWs, the 5.7×28 round was first marketed by FN in the early 1990s in its P90 PDW/P90S carbine and Five-seveN pistol. Since then, those guns have been adopted with military and police forces in more than 40 countries as well as sold extensively on the commercial market.

Now, some three decades after it was introduced, the Western defense alliance recognized the caliber under standardization agreement (STANAG) 4509, which integrates it into the AEP-97– NATO’s Multi-Caliber Manual Of Proof and Inspection.

More in my column at Guns.com.

For those who have invested in 5.7, KelTec has Just the Thing

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Confirming rumors and leaks, KelTec on Tuesday announced the new P50, a 50-round 5.7x28mm pistol, is inbound for 2021.

Using horizontally-oriented FN P90 mags secured under a top cover, the 3.2-pound large-format pistol runs 15 inches overall with a threaded 9.6-inch barrel. The gun is distinctive, with a look that recalls the futuristic polymer guns of the 1980s. 

Expect this thing to be in every sci-fi feature for the next 30 years…

More in my column at Guns.com.

Someone May Have a Viable 50-round 5.7 Pistol

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Following up on a resurgence in popularity for 5.7-caliber platforms with Ruger announcing the 57 pistol and Diamondback releasing the DBX large-format handgun, coupled with the new normal of parity in street prices between 5.7×28 and 9mm Luger ammo, and it looks like FN’s once very niche caliber is gaining new popularity.

Of course, FN launched the round in the early 1990s as PDW fodder for a subgun (the P90) and companion pistol (the FiveSeven). On the consumer market, the 50-shot P90 was unobtainium unless you went with a semi-auto-only carbine format (the PS90) while the pistol has sold modestly over the past couple of decades.

Now, it looks like someone has finally figured a way to give the public a gun built around the innovative FN P90 mag, but in a handgun size.

oof

More in my column over at Guns.com.