Has anybody got any experince with these? I would like to get one.
I have both the European and US version. I like them The ammo isn't any more expensive than any other ammo. A box of 50 rounds run $17. A box of 20 to 50 rounds of 9mm JHP (Fed Hydro shock, Rem Ranger, CorBon)etc. runs how much?
You can get both HP and ballistic tip rounds for about the same price. The gun with 20 rounds is LIGHT. The whole gun and mag weigh about as much as a loaded sig .45 mag.
The gun has no kick at all. The nice thing is the PS90 (rifle) uses the same cartridge in a 50 round mag!
I think it is a great gun to keep around. Ammo is light, effective and the down side is the ammo isn't available all over the place. If you aren't careful you will get screwed on the price of ammo.
Hmm. When I bought a box of Blazer .380 at academy it was $11. How is it that .9mm is cheaper?Locally from Academy I've found 9mm Blazer Aluminum for $7.99, WWB 9mm ~$8-8.50 and you can usually get a box of 50 run of the mill JHP's from Winchester for ~$13-15 I believe. The Corbon PowRBall I like so much is usually around $19-22 I think. Ammo supply isn't too much of a big deal considering you can easily order the stuff off the internet, though in a bind going to the range at the last second it could be a bit hard to find. I'm pretty sure Cabela's always has some in stock though.
I have considered buying one of these, but I can't seem to come up with any logical response to tell my wife when she asks why I need it.
Dr Gary K Robeerts:
Other than being able to perforate soft body armor, the 5.7 x 28 mm used in the FN P90, as well as the 4.6 x 30 mm fired from the HK MP7 cause wounds less incapacitating than those made by 9 mm FMJ fired from a pistol. I have personally fired the 5.7 x 28 mm FN P-90; velocity, penetration, and tissue destruction is like a .17 Hornet--far less than seen with a good 5.56 mm OTM or barrier blind JSP from 10-16” barrel carbines. Good .45 ACP 230 gr JHP’s like the Ranger Talon or HST crush more tissue and penetrate further than the 5.7 x 28 mm. Use of the 5.7 x 28 mm is a good way to ensure mission failure.
This is not new knowledge, as several papers warned of the incredibly poor terminal performance of projectiles fired by the FN P90:
--Dahlstrom D, Powley K, and Gordon C: “Wound Profile of the FN Cartridge (SS 190) Fired from the FN P90 Submachine Gun". Wound Ballistic Review. 4(3):21-26; Spring 2000.
--Fackler M: "Errors & Omissions", Wound Ballistic Review. 1(1):46; Winter 1991.
--Fackler M: "More on the Bizarre Fabrique National P-90", Wound Ballistic Review. 3(1):44-45; 1997.
--FBI Academy Firearms Training Unit. FBI Handgun Ammunition Tests 1989-1995. Quantico, U.S. Department of Justice--Federal Bureau of Investigation.
--Hayes C: “Personal Defense Weapons—Answer in Search of a Question”, Wound Ballistic Review. 5(1):30-36; Spring 2001.
--Roberts G: “Preliminary Evaluation of the Terminal Performance of the 5.7 x 28 mm 23 Grain FMJ Bullet Fired by the New FN P-90 , Using 10% Ordnance Gelatin as a Tissue Simulant”, AFTE Journal. 30(2):326-329, Spring 1998.
The early 5.7 x 28 mm 23 gr FMJ bullet fired by the FN P-90 had insufficient penetration for law enforcement and military use. The current 31 gr SS-190 FMJ bullet has nearly adequate penetration, but the wound resulting from this projectile has a relatively small permanent crush cavity, as well as an insignificant temporary stretch cavity. Although the 5.7 x 28 mm penetrates soft body armor, wounding potential is at best like a .22 LR or .22 Magnum. Even 9mm NATO FMJ makes a larger wound--and we are all aware of the awe inspiring incapacitation potential of M882 ball from the M9......
It is all basic physics and physiology. Look at the surface areas in contact with tissue for 9 mm FMJ and JHP compared to 5.7 mm. When both are point forward, the 9 mm FMJ crushes more tissue than the 5.7 mm; for the short time that the 5.7 mm is at FULL yaw, it crushes a bit more tissue than the 9 mm FMJ. At no time does the 5.7 mm crush more tissue than the expanded 9 mm JHP--even when the 5.7 mm FMJ is at full yaw, an expanded 9 mm JHP crushes more tissue. The relatively small temporary cavities produced by both the 9 mm and 5.7 mm projectiles are not likely to cause significant injury to the majority of elastic structures of the body. As with any penetrating projectile, if either a 9 mm or 5.7 mm bullet is ideally placed to cause significant damage to the CNS or major cardiovascular organs, a fatal result is likely.
Timmy:
”The 5.7 pistol as a carry gun is a mistake for all the reasons Doc stated. There are far more effective weapons and ammunition combinations out there. The only factor that comes close to equalizing the P90 (not the 5.7 pistol) is it's full auto capability: 900 rpm of very controllable fire. Even this advantage is limited to close-in, CQB type engagements. I can put more rounds on target faster with the P90 than with my M4 in close contact engagements. Unfortunately you may HAVE to put more rounds in the threat due to the lack of damage the projectile causes. We have been using 30 P90's for five years now. There have been three BG's shot with them. We will not be buying more...Using SS190 and a suppressor will lead to cracks in the frame around the barrel support lock (takedown button). This is a result of the increase in back pressure....But then between me and the guy sitting next to me right now we have only been in a couple of gunfights with them so take what I say with a grain of salt...for those still interested in listening to real world experience with the P90 and SS190 ammo. The round is far less effective than 5.56 and many other widely used defensive loads. You want to wrap your life around the 5.7/P90 system knock yourself out. I am not trying to be a dick to you but my agency has more operation experience with the system then ANY and our verdict is it is far less effective than advertised.”