The 5.7×28mm Reality Check
A 2025 Intervention or: "Seriously Chummer, You Really Want to Do This?"
Look, I get it. You saw John Wick 3. You played Counter-Strike. You read about NATO PDWs and armor-piercing capabilities. The 5.7×28mm sounds cool as hell on paper. But before you drop $400-1,900 on a gun plus $2+ per round for ammo, let me be that friend who talks you down from buying a timeshare.
The Promise vs. The Reality
What the marketing tells you:
- Elite NATO cartridge used by special forces
- Armor-defeating capability
- Flat trajectory and minimal recoil
- High capacity in a pistol platform
- The cutting edge of defensive technology
What you actually get:
- Neutered civilian loads that perform like expensive .22 WMR
- A gun the size of a duty pistol but harder to conceal
- Ammo that costs 6-8x more than 9mm for similar terminal performance
- A conversation piece that's impractical for most real-world use
Let's Do Some Math, Shall We?
Training budget reality check:
- 5.7×28mm practice: 500 rounds = $1,000+
- 9mm practice: 500 rounds = $150-200
- Difference: $800+ that could buy you actual training classes
The "armor-piercing" myth: The SS190 and SS193 rounds that made 5.7×28mm famous? You can't buy them as a civilian. What you get are basically hot .22s in fancy packaging. It's like buying a decommissioned F-16 without the engines and pretending you're in the Air Force.
Size Matters (And Not How You Think)
Every 5.7×28mm pistol is basically a full-size service gun:
- Ruger 5.7: 8.65" long, 25 oz
- FN Five-seveN: 8.2" long, 21 oz
- Your Glock 19: 7.36" long, 21 oz with better ammo availability
So you're getting a gun that's longer than a Glock 19 but shoots rounds with less proven stopping power. Make it make sense.
The AIWB Reality Check
Appendix carry with a 5.7? Sure, if you enjoy:
- Printing like a billboard under anything short of a winter coat
- The grip digging into your gut when you sit
- Explaining to people why your "concealed" gun is obviously visible
Meanwhile, someone with a P365 is actually armed while you left your Five-seveN at home because it's "not a t-shirt day."
The Training Paradox
Here's the cruel irony: The people most likely to buy 5.7×28mm guns are the ones who need the most training. But at $2+ per round, you'll either:
A) Go broke practicing, or
B) Never practice enough to justify owning a defensive firearm
While you're shooting 50 rounds of 5.7 for $100, your buddy with the boring Glock just put 300 rounds downrange for the same money. Guess who's actually improving their skills?
"But Muh Ballistics!"
Civilian 5.7×28mm from a pistol:
- 40gr bullet at ~1,700 fps
- ~256 ft-lbs of energy
9mm +P Gold Dot:
- 124gr bullet at ~1,200 fps
- ~396 ft-lbs of energy
But wait, velocity matters too!
Sure, the 5.7 is faster. Know what else is fast? Missing your target because you couldn't afford enough practice ammo to get good with your exotic gun.
The Ego Tax
Let's be honest about what you're really buying:
- 10% actual defensive capability
- 90% "I'm not like other gun owners" signaling
You're paying a premium to be different, not better. It's the tactical equivalent of buying a $300 artisanal axe when a $30 hardware store axe chops wood just as well.
What You Should Actually Do
If you want low recoil and high capacity:
- Get a Glock 17/19 with 9mm
- Practice until you can put 10 rounds in a 3" circle at 10 yards
- Carry it every day
If you want something exotic and fun:
- Buy the 5.7 as a range toy
- Don't pretend it's a practical defensive choice
- Accept that it's expensive entertainment, not a tool
If you want to be a better shooter:
- Take that $800 ammo price difference and spend it on training
- A skilled shooter with a "boring" gun beats a gear collector every time
The Bottom Line
The 5.7×28mm is the tactical world's equivalent of a lifted truck with truck nuts - loud, expensive, impractical, and mostly about image. It's trying to solve problems you don't have while creating new problems you didn't know existed.
In 2025, when quality 9mm defensive guns are under $400 and proven JHP ammo is readily available, choosing 5.7×28mm for serious defensive use is like insisting on a flip phone because it's "more unique."
The hard truth: If you can't explain why you need 5.7×28mm without mentioning video games, movies, or "because it's cool," you probably don't need it.
The harder truth: The money you'll save buying practical gear and ammo could fund years of actual training that would make you infinitely more capable than any exotic caliber ever could.
So... You Still Want That Five-seveN?
Fine. I can't stop you. But do me a favor:
- Buy it as a toy, not a tool
- Don't carry it as your primary defensive gun
- Don't lecture people about "superior ballistics"
- When you eventually sell it to buy something practical, remember this conversation
The 5.7×28mm: proving that sometimes the juice just isn't worth the squeeze.
"But what about when society collapses and I need to punch through body armor?"
Chummer, if society collapses, you'll be trading those $2 rounds for canned beans. Meanwhile, the guy with 1,000 rounds of 5.56 m855 will be eating well.