CCA JOURNAL

FN 5.7 Gel Test: Is 5.7×28 Worth It for Carry or Home Defense?

CCA Team

Last updated: October 30, 2026

Short answer: Yes, 5.7×28 can work for home defense, as long as you pick the load carefully. In Garand Thumb’s latest gel test, Hornady Critical Defense went about 14 inches with good expansion, right with a 9mm Gold Dot. Two other 5.7 loads went 8 inches or less. For carry, the pistols are big. For most buyers, the Ruger-57 makes more sense than the pricier FN Five-seveN (The Reticle).

Folks have been arguing about the 5.7 since FN brought it over, and Garand Thumb just poured gas on it again. His new video, “Is the FN 5.7 Really As Deadly As They Say?”, put five 5.7×28 loads and a 9mm control into gel. The host also said his channel’s earlier 5.7 test looked at the cartridge the wrong way. We’re working from The Reticle’s write-up of the video for the numbers below, then getting into what we’d actually buy: which loads, which pistol, and whether a 5.7 belongs on your belt or in your nightstand.

FDE and black FN Five-seveN MRD pistols with red dots and a weapon light, propped on a range bench covered in 5.7x28mm cartridges and magazines, with steel targets behind — A pair of Five-seveN MRDs, one FDE and one black, on a bench full of 5.7×28. Photo: FN America.

What the Garand Thumb gel test showed

Here’s the whole video from Garand Thumb, so you can watch the gel do its thing for yourself.

The best 5.7 loads did about as well as a 9mm Gold Dot, and the worst ones weren’t close. Per The Reticle, the test used Clear Ballistics synthetic gel, a Phantom high-speed camera and a chronograph, with a guest’s FN Five-seveN doing most of the shooting. The host treated roughly 12 inches of penetration as the minimum and said himself that the gel is “not a one to one of human tissue.”

Load (as described in the video)	Velocity	Penetration	What happened	Our listing
FN blue tip (V-Max type)	About 1,720 fps	About 14 in.	Yawed and fragmented; the host called it “very rifle-like”	FN SS197SR (blue tip V-Max)
FN black tip (described as AP)	1,981 to 1,991 fps	About 12 in.	Yawed soon after entering the gel	Not something we sell
FN SS192 28-gr hollow point	2,089 fps	About 8 in.	Tumbled right away; the host wouldn’t pick it	Not imported for commercial sale, per ATF
Hornady Critical Defense 40-gr	1,803 to 1,815 fps	About 14 in.	Good expansion; “much more pistol-like”	Hornady Critical Defense
R&R R57SD 57-gr subsonic	996 to 1,068 fps (suppressed)	About 4 in. suppressed, 6 in. unsuppressed	“Very poor performance”	None
9mm Speer Gold Dot (control)	Not reported	About 14 in.	Typical Gold Dot performance	Handgun ammo

Numbers as reported by The Reticle from the Garand Thumb video, published October 27, 2026. One shot per load, two for the subsonic. Load names are how the video described them.

His bottom line was “with the correct rounds” the 5.7 is “an excellent caliber,” and he pointed folks worried about over-penetration toward Critical Defense over the subsonic. We’d agree with the first half of that. “The correct rounds” is doing a lot of work in that sentence.

A single 5.7x28mm cartridge standing on a range bench with more loose rounds and two Five-seveN pistols blurred in the background — The 5.7×28 itself. It’s a little bottlenecked round that looks like somebody shrank a rifle cartridge. Photo: FN America.

Read the numbers with a grain of salt

This was one shot per load into clear synthetic gel, so take it as a quick look, not a lab report. The FBI’s handgun protocol uses calibrated 10% ordnance gelatin and runs six tests, including wallboard and auto glass (Hornady LE). A 2019 comparison published by Hornady’s law enforcement side shot six 9mm duty loads into both and found they went about 35% deeper in bare clear gel and expanded about 8% less on average (Hornady). That test was 9mm, not 5.7, but it’s a good reason not to treat 14 inches in clear gel like 14 inches in FBI gel.

The results line up with other testing we trust, though. Lucky Gunner shot 5.7 through the FBI four-layer heavy clothing barrier and found only SS197 V-Max from a FiveSeven pistol “just barely” met the 12-inch line in its first round of tests. Speer Gold Dot from the FiveSeven averaged 15 inches and expanded to about .31 inches. Lucky Gunner’s summary was that 5.7 Gold Dot or V-Max from a pistol performs about like non-expanding 9mm or .380.

Which 5.7 loads we’d use for defense

From a pistol, we’d start with Hornady Critical Defense 40-grain FTX or Speer Gold Dot 40-grain. They’re the two loads with the best showing in the tests above, and both are 40-grain bullets built to expand.

Hornady Critical Defense 5.7x28mm 40 grain FTX cartridge, side view on white, showing the red polymer plug in the hollow point — Hornady Critical Defense 5.7×28, 40-grain FTX. That little red plug is what keeps the hollow point from clogging. Photo: Hornady.

Hornady lists Critical Defense at 1,810 fps and 291 ft-lb from a 4.8-inch test barrel, the same length as the Five-seveN’s (Hornady). The chronograph numbers in the video landed right on top of that. Gold Dot is the one Lucky Gunner liked out of the FiveSeven, but there’s a catch we’ll come back to with carbines.

The V-Max loads, like Hornady Black 40-grain V-Max and FN SS197SR, did better than we’d have guessed in Garand Thumb’s test. Lucky Gunner’s results with SS197 were more middling. They’re fine range and varmint ammo and fine for the house in a pinch. If we’re picking one box for the nightstand, it’s Critical Defense or Gold Dot.

Hornady Black 5.7x28mm 40 grain V-Max cartridge, side view on white, showing the pointed red polymer tip — Hornady Black 5.7×28 with the 40-grain V-Max, the same bullet ATF described in FN’s SS196 sporting load. Photo: Hornady.

For practice, lighter loads like FN SS195LF, the FN Defense 30-grain JHP and Fiocchi 40-grain keep the pistol fed, and we carry more in our handgun ammunition. Just don’t assume a practice load acts like a defensive one in gel. Every 5.7 load in that test behaved a little differently, and the subsonic and SS192 show how far off a load can get.

Pistol barrel or carbine barrel changes things

Velocity is the 5.7’s whole trick, and too much of it can hurt you. Lucky Gunner found that from 10-inch and 16-inch barrels, Gold Dot expanded too fast and stopped short of 10 inches, the same thing they’d seen with V-Max (Lucky Gunner). So the load that works in your Five-seveN may not be the one for your PS90 or LC Carbine. If you run a 5.7 carbine for the house, look for gel results from that barrel length before you trust a load.

Is 5.7×28 armor piercing?

Not the commercial ammo most folks buy. In a January 20, 2005 open letter, ATF classified FN’s SS196 sporting load, a 40-grain Hornady V-Max, as not armor piercing. The same letter lists FN’s SS190 and SB193 as armor piercing and SS192 and SS195 as not. It also says FNH USA told ATF that SS192 was no longer imported for commercial sale (ATF open letter).

Federal law defines armor piercing handgun ammunition by what the projectile is made of and how heavy its jacket is (18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(B)). It generally bars making or importing it, and bars manufacturers and importers from selling it, outside government, export and authorized testing uses (18 U.S.C. 922(a)(7) and (8)). The black tip in Garand Thumb’s video was described as armor piercing. We don’t sell it, and we don’t know exactly what was in that box, so we’re not going to guess at it.

The part that matters for home defense is what Guns & Ammo pointed out: the common commercial 35- to 40-grain loads tend to fragment when they hit plywood or drywall, and 5.7 isn’t good at punching through barriers. That’s a point in its favor in an apartment. Any round can still go through a wall, so know what’s behind your target.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check your state and local law, or ask an attorney.

FN Five-seveN vs Ruger-57

For most people, we’d buy the Ruger. Both are full-size, 20-round, 5.7 pistols with internal hammers, but there’s close to a thousand dollars between their sticker prices. Here’s how they stack up on paper.

	FN Five-seveN MRD	Ruger-57 (model 16401)
Maker’s price	$1,509 MSRP	$549 suggested retail
Capacity	10 or 20 rounds	20+1
Barrel	4.8 in., cold hammer-forged	4.94 in., alloy steel, black nitride
Overall length	8.2 in.	8.65 in.
Weight	25.2 oz. (no magazine)	24.5 oz.
Height / width	5.6 in. / 1.35 in.	5.60 in. / 1.20 in. (slide)
Twist	1:9 in. RH	1:9 in. RH
Action	Delayed blowback, single action only, internal hammer	Secure Action, internal hammer, bladed trigger safety
Trigger pull	4.4 to 7.87 lb.; FN says it breaks at about 6.2 lb.	Not listed by Ruger
Manual safety	Safety selector on the frame	1911-style ambidextrous
Sights	Photo-luminescent front, adjustable rear	Fiber optic front, adjustable rear
Optics	Slide cut for most red dots	Drilled and tapped; adapter plate sold separately
Slide	Machined steel with polymer cover	Through-hardened billet steel
Magazines included	Two polymer	Two steel

Specs from FN America and Ruger’s model 16401 spec sheet, checked October 30, 2026. Prices are the makers’ MSRP and suggested retail, not our prices.

The FN Five-seveN MRD

The FN Five-seveN MRD is the original, and it feels like it. FN lists it at 25.2 ounces without a magazine, with a 4.8-inch cold hammer-forged barrel and a single-action-only trigger that FN says breaks around 6.2 pounds (FN). The MRD version came out with a slide cut for most red dots, adjustable iron sights that co-witness with most dots, and stippling on the frame. Spare 20-round Five-seveN magazines are polymer.

FDE FN Five-seveN MRD pistol lying in a pile of spent brass, showing the frame-mounted safety selector and Five-seveN cal 5.7x28 slide marking — The Five-seveN MRD’s safety selector sits right above the trigger. Photo: FN America.

What you’re paying for is the name, the track record and a gun that was built around this cartridge from day one. FN’s MSRP is $1,509. Nobody buys a Five-seveN by accident, and nobody’s ever been talked into one by a budget spreadsheet either.

FDE FN Five-seveN MRD with a red dot sight on the slide and a SureFire weapon light on the accessory rail — A Five-seveN MRD set up the way a lot of folks run one for the house: a dot on the slide and a light on the rail. Photo: FN America.

The Ruger-57

The Ruger-57 is the one we’d point most folks to. Ruger’s suggested retail is $549, and the spec sheet packs in a lot for that money: a through-hardened steel slide, a fiber optic front sight, a Picatinny rail, a reversible magazine release and a 1911-style ambidextrous manual safety. It ships with two steel magazines, and spare 20-round Ruger-57 magazines are steel too (Ruger). There’s also a 10-round version and the Ruger-57 Pro.

Ruger-57 pistol model 16401 in black, right side view on a white background, showing the steel slide with lightening cuts and fiber optic front sight — The Ruger-57, model 16401. Photo: Ruger.

The slide is drilled and tapped for a red dot, but you need an adapter plate to mount one. We carry the Ruger-57 optic adapter plate and the plate cut for Docter, Meopta and EOTech footprints. If you’re wondering whether Ruger’s keeping it around, Ruger’s site now calls it the “Ruger-5.7,” and Ruger’s spokesperson listed it among the lines carrying on into 2027, as we covered in our post on Ruger’s 2026 lineup cuts. Ruger also says it isn’t available in California or Massachusetts (Ruger).

Close-up of the Ruger-57 slide showing the green fiber optic front sight, the adjustable rear sight and the 5.7x28 barrel marking — The Ruger’s fiber optic front and adjustable rear sights. Photo: Ruger.

Close-up of the rear of the Ruger-57 showing the 1911-style manual safety lever, slide release and rear slide serrations — The 1911-style manual safety on the Ruger-57. It’s ambidextrous. Photo: Ruger.

Which one we’d buy

If money’s no object and you want the gun that started it all, buy the Five-seveN. You’ll like it. If you want to find out whether 5.7 is for you, or you want a house gun that costs about a third of the FN’s MSRP, buy the Ruger-57. Either way, spend some of what you saved on a few boxes of the defensive load you’ll actually keep in it, and run them through the gun before you trust them.

Is a 5.7 pistol good for concealed carry?

It’s doable, but it isn’t what these guns are best at. The Five-seveN MRD is 8.2 inches long, 5.6 inches tall and 1.35 inches wide. The Ruger-57 is 8.65 inches long and 5.60 inches tall (FN, Ruger). Those are full-size duty pistol numbers.

The light recoil and 20-round magazines are real advantages, and some folks do carry them. If you’re one of them, you’ll want a quality holster and a belt built for the weight. We carry the Galco Fletch, which fits the Five-seveN USG and Mk2 and the Ruger-57 per our listing, and the DeSantis Cazzuto for the Ruger-57, plus plenty of concealed carry holsters. Check the listing for fit before you order, since holster fit for the newer MRD isn’t something we’d assume.

Is a 5.7 pistol good for home defense?

This is where we think a 5.7 makes the most sense. You get 20 rounds, recoil that FN calls “minimal,” room for a light and a dot, and, with the right load, gel results in the same range as a good 9mm. The Guns & Ammo point about commercial loads fragmenting on drywall is a plus inside a house too (Guns & Ammo).

Shooter aiming an FDE FN Five-seveN MRD with a red dot sight, photographed from just in front of the slide — A Five-seveN MRD with a dot. FN cut the slide to take most red dots without a gunsmith. Photo: FN America.

Put a light on it. Put a dot on it if you shoot one well; our post on which red dot fits my pistol walks through footprints and plates, and we carry red dots to match. Then pick Critical Defense or Gold Dot, buy enough to practice with, and keep the practice ammo and the nightstand ammo separate so nobody grabs the wrong box.

Other 5.7 guns we carry

The FN and the Ruger aren’t the only game in town anymore. The Smith & Wesson M&P 5.7 comes with a 5-inch threaded barrel and 22-round magazines, per our listing. The Kel-Tec PR-57 and the Tisas PX-5.7 are two more 5.7 pistols worth a look, and we list more in our semi-auto handguns.

On the carbine side, we list the Ruger LC Carbine, the S&W M&P FPC in 5.7, the Kel-Tec SUB2000 in 5.7 and FN’s own FN PS90. A carbine and a pistol that share magazines is a handy pair; the Ruger-57 and LC Carbine both take Ruger’s 5.7 magazines, per our listing. Just remember the barrel-length catch from earlier when you pick ammo for the long gun.

Suppressing a 5.7

The 5.7 is a pleasant round to run with a can. Stealth Additive Works rates its Shiv 9mm can for 5.7×28, and rates its Katan and Keren rimfire cans for 5.7×28 too, with the Keren rated for semi-auto 5.7 (Shiv, Katan, Keren). You’ll need a threaded barrel or the right adapter for your gun first. our Stealth Additive Works rundown covers those cans, and our guide on how to buy a suppressor now covers the buying side. The rest is in our suppressor catalog.

Buying a 5.7 from us

Handguns ship to your local FFL, and you’ll do the paperwork and background check there. Our FFL transfers page explains how that works, and check our state shipping restrictions before you order. If the 5.7 is going under a tree this year, our post on buying a gun as a gift covers how to do that the legal way.

When you’re ready, start with our semi-auto handguns and handgun ammunition.

FAQ

Is 5.7×28 good for self defense?

It can be, with the right load. In Garand Thumb’s latest gel test, Hornady Critical Defense went about 14 inches with good expansion, close to a 9mm Gold Dot. Two other loads came up short, so ammo choice matters more than usual. Clear gel isn’t the FBI’s calibrated gelatin, so read those numbers as a rough comparison (The Reticle).

Is 5.7×28 better than 9mm?

Not flat better, just different. The 5.7 gives you less recoil and 20-round magazines in a full-size pistol. 9mm gives you heavier bullets, more ways to carry it and cheaper practice. In the gel test, the best 5.7 loads landed in the same 14-inch range as the 9mm Gold Dot, but the weaker 5.7 loads fell well short (The Reticle).

What is the best 5.7×28 ammo for self defense?

From a pistol, we’d start with Hornady Critical Defense or Speer Gold Dot 40-grain. Critical Defense went about 14 inches with expansion in Garand Thumb’s test. Lucky Gunner got 15 inches and about .31-inch expansion from Gold Dot out of a Five-seveN. From a carbine, test your load first, because Gold Dot expanded too fast from longer barrels (Lucky Gunner).

Is 5.7×28 ammo armor piercing?

The commercial 5.7 most folks buy is not. ATF’s January 2005 letter classified FN’s SS196 sporting load as not armor piercing and lists SS190 as armor piercing. Federal law limits who can make, import and sell armor piercing handgun ammo. The “black tip” in Garand Thumb’s video was described as AP, and we don’t sell it (ATF, 18 U.S.C. 922).

Should I buy the Ruger-57 or the FN Five-seveN?

For most people, we’d point you to the Ruger-57. Ruger’s suggested retail is $549, against FN’s $1,509 MSRP for the Five-seveN MRD, and the Ruger gives you a steel slide, a fiber optic front sight and an ambidextrous manual safety. The FN is the original, built around the cartridge from day one, with an optics cut right on the slide (Ruger, FN).

Can you conceal carry a 5.7 pistol?

You can, but neither gun was built for it. The Five-seveN MRD is 8.2 inches long and 5.6 inches tall, and the Ruger-57 is 8.65 inches long and 5.60 inches tall. That’s full-size duty pistol territory. Folks who carry one usually go outside the waistband or with a good IWB holster and a sturdy belt (FN, Ruger).

Sources

Change log

October 30, 2026: First published.

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