The newest products continue to debut as manufacturers compete for market share - 2004 New Products - Shooting Industry, Jan, 2004 by Russ Thurman

FNH USA's FN Five Seven IOM (Individual Officers Model) is now available to sworn law enforcement officers for duty use only. The Five Seven 5.7X28 polymer pistol features a single-action/internal-hammer delayed blow back design with a hard-chromed, hammer-forged barrel. The Five Seven IOM comes complete with an integrated accessory rail for light/lasers and two 10-round magazines.

5.7 x 28 System Imprortant Info (Official FN - Outdated)

Important information about availability of ALL 5.7 x 28mm weapon systems and ammunition BATF regulations: All components of this system are tightly regulated by BATF. The P90 (NFA, Class III weapon) can only be sold and registered to a law enforcement agency. The Five-seveN pistol is slightly different. The first sale, which requires the pistol to be legally imported into the US, requires the same procedure as the P90. A BATF Form 6 is needed which the chief or the second in command must sign. The pistol can then be removed from the Custom Bonded Warehouse and shipped to the agency. The ammunition is controlled in much the same manner, an approved BATF Form 6 is required then the ammunition can be shipped direct to the agency. The 5.7x28mm weapon system is comprised of three components: the 5.7x28mm ammunition, the P90 Submachine gun, and the Five-seveN handguns. The 5.7x28mm SS190 ammunition has been designed to bridge the gap between the 9mm ammunition and the 5.56 x 45mm. The 9mm FMJ round will not penetrate modern body armor and the 5.56mm, being a front line type combat ammunition, is far too potent to address close combat situation or urban warfare. The SS190 due to its unique design with two inserts, the tip of the ogive has a steel penetrator followed by an aluminum core heavier than the forward tip, will cause the bullet to tumble in soft body tissue after 2 inches of penetration. The SS190 virtually eliminates the risk of over penetration This terminal ballistic behavior will cause large wound cavity and quick incapacitation. The SS190 will perforate 48 layers of Kevlar up to 200 meters when fired from the P90 and achieve the same result up to 50 meters with the FsN handgun. The 5.7 ammunition has only 60% of the recoil impulse of a 9mm. There are four types of ammunition: the duty SS190 (0.41c/round), the tracer L191 (0.69c), the subsonic Sb193 (0.44c) and the training round T194 (0.29c). The ammunition is available from a CBW stateside (Belgium production) or made by Winchester Olin and stored here at FN Manufacturing. The muzzle velocity of the SS190 is 2,346fps when fired from the P90 and 2,133fps with the FsN. The weapons system components are the P90 Submachine Gun, the Five-seveN Double Action and the FsN Tactical. P90: Light (6.6lbs w/ 50 rounds of ammunition), compact, easy to fire, both semi and full automatic, reliable and effective. Available in a standard model $1,250.00(suggested LE Price) or with integrated laser $1850.00(suggested LE Price). A complete line of accessories is available such as silencer, sling, rails etc. The weapon can be configured in many variations. Five-seveN Pistol: Light (1.64lbs w/ 20 rounds of ammunition), simple, reliable and highly effective. Available in a Double Action models (about 12.00lbs trigger pull) or Single Action Tactical (about 5.00lbs trigger pull). The FsN DAO sells for $585.00(suggested LE Price) while the Tactical sells for $650.00(suggested LE Price). Available with night sight and modular tactical light and laser, at additional cost. Various manufacturers offer holster such as DeSantis, Gould&Goodrich, London Bridge Trading Co., Blackhawk Eagle etc. this for both tactical and duty in leather or webbing. A list of the departments using the 5.7 WS is available upon request. Your department can request T&E weapon(s) with ammunition or ask us to provide an on site presentation and demonstration of our weapons.

Page Last Updated: 12/03/03

5.7 x 28mm System FAQ (Official FN)

	The following is a summary of the frequently asked questions from customers. Five-seveN Q: How much recoil does the pistol produces? A: 1.7 kgm/s or 55% of a 9mm. The recoil of the FsN is slightly less than the P90 Q: What is the trigger pull in lbs? A: The tactical is 4.85lbs - 5.5 lbs, the dao is 9 -12 Q: Are the sights adjustable? A: Yes, in windage by moving the rear sight Q: Can we get night sights? A: Yes, tritium rear sight are red, front sight is green to get a better contrast Q: Can a person with small hands easily handle and shoot the Five-seveN? A: Yes, the gun was designed with the human factor taken in consideration Q: What is the noise level? A: Less than 130dbA Q: What type of safeties are on the pistol and safety features? A: The dao has a firing pin safety with the heavier trigger pull, the tactical has a positive safety as it blocks the trigger Q: What type of accuracy can be expected? A: The guns are fired in the factory in Belgium and must meet a figure of merit, measurement of the vertical and horizontal spread, of a group of 6 rounds fired at a distance of 20 meters (21.84yd). The group can not exceed 200mm or (7.87in) Q: How durable is the gun? A: 20000 rounds life for the main components: barrel, frame and slide Q: What process is used to produce the rifling? A: Rotary forging also known as swaging or cold forming Q: Have any type of adverse condition testing been performed on the pistol? A: Drop tests have been performed according to NATO STANAG standards and much more Q: Is the pistol easy to strip down and clean? A: Yes, some little information and training are required due to its unique design Q: What is the muzzle jump like? A: This of course will vary according to the wrist strength of the shooter, again the recoil is only 55% of a 9mm. Q: Is there any jamming or feeding problem with the pistol? A: No, the cartridges are in line with the chamber, there is no feed ramp on the barrel only a main taper angle. The magazine has two rows of 10 ammunition like rifle magazine, this is more reliable than conventional 9mm pistol Q: If the pistol needs service, to whom do we send it? A: FN offers armorer training, weapons can always be send to us for repair. Q: Does the pistol has a non glare finish? A: Yes, it is matt black technical polymer Q: How is the muzzle flash? A: The muzzle flash is bigger than 9mm Q: How strong is the action? A: 49,000 psi is the maximum working pressure, the pistol is tested at proof pressure of 63,000psi P90 SMG Q: How durable is the gun? A: The gun is very durable we submitted it to the NATO type testing. Q: What type of accuracy can be expected from a P90? A: The accuracy requirement for the P90 is 9 out of 10 rounds with a figure of merit not exceeding 7.87in at 50 meters Q: How strong is the action? A: Very strong since it is a bull pup. Q: Is the P90 easy to strip down and clean? A: Yes, it only has 5 major components and can disassembled in 5 seconds. The design is fool proof. Q: How weather/ corrosion resistant is the gun? A: The frame is made of high impact polymer, the barrel support is quality aluminum with hard anodize, the barrel, breech block, flash hider are made of steel and are manganese phosphate, the barrel bore is hard chrome plated, the other components are polymer, stainless pins and springs Q: What type of safety's and safety features are on the gun? A: The gun fires only from a closed breech, there is a selector that prevents the trigger from being manipulated while on safety there is a drop safety feature that blocks the secondary sear from being disengaged when dropped on the muzzle and there is an automatic sear that will prevent the hammer from falling since it will reengage when the weapon is dropped on the butt. The gun fires from a closed breech Q: What is the survivability of the P90? A: It is very durable as we submitted it to the same tests required by NATO Q: Are there any jamming or feeding problems with the gun? A: No, again due to the design the feeding is extremely reliable Q: What type of accessories are available? A: The gun is ready for all accessories such as tactical light, case collector, suppressor, laser pointer, tactical sling, and many sights with the addition of a Picatinny rail for the standard model. Q: Can the weapon be supplied in a semi automatic version only? A: Yes Q: What type of sights are on the gun? A: The standard model has a solid glass of 14mm in diameter with aiming marks, circle and a cross hair that illuminates in low light condition with a tritium cell. There are also iron sight on both sides of the primary sight. The Triple Rail model has no sight so any day or night sights can be mounted, the interface is a Picatinny rail Q: What is the muzzle velocity? A: 2345 f/sec 5.78x28mm ammunition Q: Will the 5.7mm round penetrate the target? A: Yes, it will penetrate 48 layers of Kevlar at 200 meters with the P90 and at 50 meters with the handgun Q: What type of bullets are offered and how are they constructed? A: There are four types: the SS190 ball round or duty, the T194 hollow point, the tracer and the subsonic. We are developing a blank, a frangible, a monoblock and a sabot round. The construction of the SS190 is very unique as it has two cores, first a steel then an aluminum wrapped in a steel jacket. The hollow point round does not have the forward steel insert. The tracer has ignition material, tracer media and the steel penetrator. The Sb193 is a 55 grains FMJBT. Q: What is the effective range of the SS190 duty round? A: 200 meters Q: Who makes the ammunition? A: FN and Olin Winchester Q: What type of knock down power is the 5.7 round capable of? A: The SS190 transfers nearly all its energy to the target on impact, even at close range. The bullet will tumble after approximately 2 inches of travel in soft body tissues causing large wound cavity and quick incapacitation. Q: What is the stopping power of the 5.7x28mm? A: The SS190 has about the same muzzle energy as the 9mm Q: What are the energy/ number? A: 320flbs at muzzle, 297flbs/ 50meters, 227flbs/ 100m, 126flbs/ 200m, 74flbs/ 300m, 58flbs/ 400m Q: What department are using the 5.7 system? A: The list is available upon request.
	Disclaimer - This information is provided to answer common questions about some of our products and are for reference purposes only. This information offers no warranty of any kind and is subject to change without notice..

Page Last Updated: 12/03/03

Five seveN Tactical (Official FN)

Five-seveN Tactical Pistol

This version of the Five-seveN pistol has been designed to meet the needs of Law Enforcement special units.

For officers on tactical teams, close protection details, and other such duties, the Tactical has many advantages.

It holds 20 rounds of the highly effective 5.7 mm cartridge used in the P90 SMG. This round provides the accuracy, the penetration of soft body armor and incapacitation needed to stop determined and well equipped criminals.

• The short, light trigger pull allows fast and accurate shooting.

• The shrouded hammer will not catch on equipment and is protected from impacts.

• The firing pin safety avoids accidental firing, while the manual safety can be used to block the trigger.

The Five-seveN Tactical, in the hands of a skilled shooter, when only the best is good enough.

Benefits

• Polymer frame and slide cover: ergonomic, incredibly light and easily maintained

• 20-round magazine: large firing autonomy

• Fires 5.7 mm round: the FMJ SS190 penetrates Class IIIA body armor

• Firing pin safety: only fires when the trigger is intentionally pulled

• Low recoil: the weapon can be quickly realigned

• Integrated accessory rail: easy mount for light and laser

• Short, light trigger pull: for fast and accurate shooting

• Manual slide stop: for quicker reloading

Tecnical Data

Five-seveN Tactical Pistol
Caliber:	5.7 x 28 mm
Trigger mechanism:	single action
Operating principle:	delayed blowback
Magazine capacity:	20 rounds
Length of weapon:	208 mm (8.2 in)
Length of barrel:	122.5 mm (4.82 in)
Weight:
-with empty magazine:	630 g (1.36 lb)
-with loaded magazine:	756 g (1.64 lb)
SS190 ammunition
Type:	Ball
Ammunition length:	40.5 mm (1.6 in)
Ammunition weight:	6 g (93 grains)
Projectile weight:	2.02 g (31 grains)
Muzzle velocity:	650 m/s (2,133 ft/s)

Suggested Price

(Law Enforcement agencies only- 5.7 x 28 caliber weapons are not available to the general public)

Five-seveN Tactical:	$650 Available Mid 2001
Five-seveN Tactical N.S.:	$780 Available Mid 2001

Page Last Updated: 12/03/03

Five seveN (Official FN)

Five-seveN Pistol

Advantages

The Five seveN Pistol is the companion weapon to the P90 sub-machine gun. The Five seveN is an easily concealable double action pistol with a larger, 20-round magazine capacity. A maximum use has been made of composite materials in the frame and slide to result in an extremely light weight, 1.7 pound, design. The 5.7x28mm ammunition has the capability of penetrating body armor at extended ranges. This new ammunition features a lead-free projectile to eliminate environmental concerns. NATO STANAG classification for the ammunition is currently underway.

Technical Data

Length:	8.2 inches
Height:	5.4 inches
Weight
Empty:	1.4 pounds
Loaded:	1.7 pounds
Magazine Capacity:	20 rounds
Penetrate PASGT vest:	300 meters
Penetrate PASGT helmet:	240 meters
Penetrate CRISAT vest:	100 meters

Suggested Price
(Law Enforcement agencies only- 5.7 x 28 caliber weapons are not available to the general public)

Five-seveN D.A.:	$585 Available!
Five-seveN D.A.N.S:	$702 Available Mid 2001

Page Last Updated: 12/03/03

5.7 x28mm Ammunition (Official FN)

It is a sad commentary on the time we live but the criminal element, which police are facing today, is more and more determined and resourceful. They could be classified as professionals who carefully choose their targets, weapons, and protection, which as the Bank of America and other recent incidents prove often include personal body armor.

This is the reason why FN Herstal developed the 5.7 x 28 mm ammunition for the P90 submachine gun and the Five-seveN pistol.

The round will consistently penetrate 48 layers of Kevlar where all known 9 mm, .40 cal. and .45 cal. bullets will just bounce off. The light weight, high velocity bullet will tumble on impact, ensuring reliable incapacitation without over-penetration.

Low recoil impulses makes follow-up shots quick and accurate because we know that in spite of all the hype written about new wonder bullets in the industry bullet placement is the single most important factor in ending a lethal confrontation.

Technical Data

	SS190 (Ball)	L191 (Tracer)	Sb193(subsonic)	T194(training)
Cartridge length:	1.59 in. - 40.5 mm	1.59 in. - 40.5 mm	1.59 in. - 40.5 mm	1.59 in. - 40.5 mm
Cartridge weight:	93 grains - 6 grams	93 grains - 6 grams	118 grains - 7.6 grams	88 grains - 5.75 grams
Projectile weight:	31 grains - 2.02 grams	31 grains - 2.02 grams	55 grains - 3.6 grams	27 grains - 1.75 grams
Recoil impulse:	1.95 kgm/s	1.95 kgm/s	1.3 kgm/s
Chamber Pressure:	345 Mpa max piezo	345 Mpa max piezo	345 Mpa max piezo
Accuracy with P90 10-round group (H+L) at 50 meters:	5.9 in. - 15 cm	7.9 in. - 20 cm	7.9 in. - 20 cm
Muzzle velocity:
- with P90	2346 fps - 715 m/s	2346 fps - 715 m/s	984 fps - 300 m/s	705 m/s
-with Five seveN	2132 fps - 650 m/s	2132 fps - 650 m/s	-	640 m/s
Effective range with P90:	200 meters	200 meters	50 meters
Minimum penetration Class IIIA body armor:	200 meters	200 meters	50 meters

Suggested Price

(Law Enforcement agencies only- 5.7 x 28 caliber weapons are not available to the general public)

Price per unit in thousands
SS190:	$0.41
Sb193 Subsonic:	$0.45
L191 Tracer:	$0.71
T194 Training Round:	$0.29

Page Last Updated: 12/03/03

P90 (Official FN)

P90

5.7mm SUB-MACHINE GUN

Technical Data:

Operation: Overall Length: Width: Height with Optical Sight:	Blowback mechanism firing from closed breech 19.7 in. 2.2 in. 8.3 in.
Weight with Loaded Magazine:	6.6 lbs.
Magazine Capacity:	50 rds
Firing Modes:	Single shot, full automatic
Cyclic Rate of Fire:	900 rpm
Maximum Effective Range:	200m

SS190 Ammunition:

Caliber:	5.7mm
Weight:	93 grains
Projectile Weight:	31 grains
Recoil Impulse:	0.44 lb/s
Muzzle Velocity:	2,346 fps
Perforation at 200m: Body Armor Kevlar	>48 plies of Kevlar PASGT helmet
Accuracy with P90	(7.9 in.) (10 shots)

Suggested Price:
(Law Enforcement agencies only- 5.7 x 28 caliber weapons are not available to the general public)

P90STD:	$1,250
P90STD Auto:	$1,350

Page last updated on: 03-07-2001

Experiences with the FN P90 by Sandy Wall

	Experiences with the FN P90
By Sandy Wall The Houston, TX, Police Department was the first American law enforcement agency to deploy with the FN P90 submachine gun on its SWAT team. We received five P90s into our inventory in 1999 along with several thousand 5.7mm rounds of ammunition. After a short period of in-house testing and training, the P90s became operational within our entry team elements. The P90 has been utilized primarily at the point man positions where its CQB features are best utilized. The first time I saw a P90, I couldn’t help but notice how unique and interesting it looked. It was fun to shoot and no one could argue about the innovations the engineers at Fabrique National in Belgium had featured on this weapon. The fact remained, however, that the 5.7x28mm cartridge was unproven. We had all the energy data and gelatin shots, but had no documentation on what the round would do on a real human body. It may sound morbid, but in the tactical world the proof is in the real deal. That missing element was always in the back of our minds. Well, the jury is now in. Houston SWAT was involved with the first and only lethal engagement with the weapon to date. I first wrote an article on the P90 for the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association (TTPOA) Command Magazine. Then, as well as now, I carried a P90 as my primary weapon. I have shot thousands of 5.7mm rounds in training and continue to deploy with the weapon on every SWAT situation and high-risk warrant I respond to. I concede that the P90 is not all things to all people. However, for what I do, as a SWAT officer in a major city, it’s a great weapon. Its CQB features are many, so I will just touch on the high points. The weapon system, including both the P90 submachine gun and the FiveseveN pistol, is built around the SS190 5.7x28mm cartridge. One of the unique features about this system is that the cartridge can be fired from an assault rifle or a handgun. The SS190 version of the 5.7mm cartridge uses a 31-grain, steel jacketed, steel tipped, aluminum core bullet. It is capable of 2350fps and it can defeat level IIIA body armor at 200 meters. The bullet contains no lead for environments that prohibit toxins. The round is not cheap but as the weapon becomes more popular here in the United States, the cost should come down. Winchester will soon assemble the 5.7mm round from imported FN components and also plans to make a hollowpoint round. The 5.7mm round has 379 ft-lbs of energy, compared to 1300 ft-lbs for the 5.56mm NATO. The recoil from the 5.7mm round is much less than even the 9mm. The SS190 ball is not only flat shooting, but also capable of penetrating car doors and auto-glass with minimum ricochet potential. In contrast, the bullet is designed to stay intact and start a controlled tumble once it penetrates a soft medium, thus reducing any over-penetration worries. The SS190 ball penetrates between 11 and 13.5 inches of gelatin, compared to between 17 and 22 inches of penetration for the M855 dual-core 5.56mm NATO round. Upon impact with soft targets, the 5.7mm ball tumbles one time, base over point. This transfers energy and limits over-penetration. The 5.7mm ball produces a wound cavity about the size and shape of the best 9mm 115 grain JHP +P+, except the peak occurs at a deeper penetration. In the one shooting we had with the P90, the bullet performed well. In fact, the bullet performed exactly as it was designed. The autopsy provided detailed information about the wound cavity and travel of the bullets. None of the 5.7mm rounds fragmented and as far as we can tell, none exited either. The shooting itself was a violent confrontation with many rounds exchanged between the suspect and the react team. The suspect was hit multiple times with both 5.56mm and 5.7mm rounds. The P90 works from a simple blow-back bolt in a bullpup design. It is as easy to break down and clean as any gun you will ever shoot. I have been amazed at how little residue I find even after hundreds of rounds. I find less residue than in most weapons fired only 50 rounds. The simplicity of the action provides almost no chance of malfunctions. We literally tried to make one of ours malfunction by refusing to clean it. After several thousand rounds we couldn’t stand it anymore, broke down and cleaned it anyway. To this day, after thousands of rounds down range, I have yet to experience a malfunction with my P90. The ergonomic design provides comfort and speed on target but does not compromise accuracy. It can hold a respectable group at 100 yards and the recoil is about one third of an M4, and even less than a 9mm MP5. Recoil management and time back on target is easy. It has a two-stage trigger in full-auto mode that allows the shooter to fire single or full-auto fire with just trigger manipulation— no more accidentally going full-auto because you did not realize where your selector was positioned. With the P90 the shooter has to commit a conscious effort to pull through the semi-auto stage to the full auto mode. Every feature of the weapon can be operated equally from the right or left hand position. Spent casings eject straight down, which makes my partners on the firing line happy. No more doing the hot-brass-down-my-shirt dance. FN even has a slick little pouch that neatly attaches to the eject port. It will catch about a hundred casings before you have to dump it. The 50 round magazine almost eliminates the need to carry extra ammo. The magazine is translucent, which allows the shooter to know how many rounds remain with just a glance, even while you operate the weapon because the magazine sits right on top of the weapon just below the shooter’s cheek well. The P90 comes with a two or three rail option for after market accessories and an optional built in laser. One of the drawbacks of the weapon is poor iron sights and I don’t really care for the optional factory optics. We popped them off and went with EOTech Holo sights. Normally, I’m not big on lasers, but in this case I use my built-in laser as a good back up to my holo sights should it malfunction. When I talk to operators from other agencies about weapons, I now seldom have to explain what weapon I’m talking about when I mention the P90 as my primary. Obviously the folks at FN are getting the message out and the weapon is now familiar. If you operate in an environment like the one I operate in, you can’t go wrong with a P90 slung at the low-ready. Sandy Wall is the past president of the TTPOA.

US Marine Corps P90 fact sheet

The purpose of the P90 Submachine Gun initiative
is to examine a possible replacement for the
current Marine Corps sidearm weapon.

Background: The P90 Submachine Gun is
being examined as a potential replacement for the
aging 9mm Beretta pistol. The Beretta’s lack of
range, penetration and ammunition capacity are
problems that have been identified by operating
forces. The P90 initiative seeks to remedy these
problems by providing the warfighter with a compact,
lightweight alternative that possesses the
firepower operational forces are seeking.
...

AFJI on GemTech's suppressors for the 5.7x28 WS

http://www.afji.com/AFJI/Mags/2002/August/shootout_5.html

Suppressors from Gemtech are found on a wide variety of military and law-enforcement pistols, rifles, and assault weapons in the US and abroad. The firm's SP-90, designed for FN Herstal's 5.7x28mm-firing P-90 assault weapon, is available directly from FN Manufacturing, Inc., the Belgian company's US subsidiary. An S-FN57, for the company's FiveseveN pistol, will be available soon.

LoadAmmo.Com Topic of the Month - Sabots

Topic of the Month

Topic of the Month: March 2002
Shooting Sabots

The sabot has been around a very long time. In fact, the word sabot, pronounced say-bo, was introduced into the English language around 1607 and literally means "wooden shoe." A sabot is a sleeve (shoe) that partially envelops a projectile or bullet and positions the bullet in the barrel to prevent the escape of gases, around the bullet, when the cartridge is fired. The bullet diameter is smaller than the barrel diameter to allow room for the sabot. When the sabot is fired from the gun, the high speed of the sabot creates a large air drag on the surface of the sabot, causing the fingers on the front of the sabot, to open outward, developing an even greater drag on the sabot. The high drag pulls the sabot quickly away from the bullet, allowing the bullet to continue downrange to the target. The lightweight sabot quickly loses velocity and falls to the ground somewhere downrange while the bullet continues on to the target.

...

fnp90

fnp90

FN Herstal USA, Inc.
There is one new player in the game and that is the firm of FN Herstal, doing business in the USA as FN Herstal USA, Inc. If this name sounds familiar, it’s because this company has been building the Browning designed High Power since its inception in 1935. FNH has spent the last three years surveying the U.S. law enforcement market and is now ready to deliver its new P90 Bullpup design submachine pistol, as well as a new handgun, the Five-Seven Pistol, with a capacity of 20 rounds. Both are chambered for a new cartridge as well – the 5.7 x 28mm round.
As to the efficacy of the new cartridge, FNH officials point out that, in the SMG, the bullet penetrates 48 layers (!!) of Kevlar® at 100 meters. (The ammunition is restricted to law enforcement sales only.) FN also has double-action-only, full-size and compact versions of the High Power, now only offered in 9mm. The FNH police shotgun is a pump action 12-gauge with a three inch chamber, blade front and open elevation adjustable rear sight, synthetic furniture and a parkerized type finish. FNH has also gone into the law enforcement training business, allying themselves with Crucible, a training corporation with an 88 acre facility in Northen Virginia.

P90 Triple Rail (Official FN)

P90 Triple Rail

The P90 TR has three Picatinny rails.

The full length top rail will take a wide variety of optical sights. The sights can be positioned to give the correct eye relief, and can be removed and reassembled without loss of zero.

The use of a rail to mount the sight also allows a day sight to be rapidly replaced by a night sight. The two side rails will take accessories such as tactical lights and external lasers.

The user can fit and accessory on each side, or one accessory on the side that is most convenient.

The P90 TR gives maximum flexibility of weapon configuration, and a wide choice of sights and accessories.

Benefits:

• Allows mounting of most modern sights

• Allows use of sights already in service with many units

• Allows rapid change of sight without loss of zero

• Allows use of modern tactical lights and lasers

• Allows user to configure his or her weapon to mission requirements

Technical Data:

Operating principle:	Blowback mechanism firing from closed breach
Overall length:	19.7 in (500 mm)
Width:	2.2 in (55 mm)
Height:	7.1 in (180 mm)
Weight with empty magazine:	5.7 lb. (2.580 kg)
Magazine capacity:	50 rounds
Firing modes:	Single shot, full automatic
Cyclic rate of fire	900 rpm
Maximum effective range:	200 m

Suggested Price:
(Law Enforcement agencies only- 5.7 x 28 caliber weapons are not available to the general public)

P90TR:	$1,250
P90TR w/ Visible Laser:	$1,350
P90TR STD:	$1,250

Page last updated on: 07/03/2001

P90 Sound Suppressor (Official FN)

P90 Sound Suppressor

The 5.7 subsonic round (Sb193) and sound suppressor make a very effective combination for those special applications. Unlike most other companies, we developed the weapon, suppressor and ammunition at the same time to ensure the operator gets an optimized system in function, noise reduction (-30dbA) and accuracy.

Technical Data:

Construction:	Steel and aluminum
Weight:	0.88 lb (400 g)
Length:	7.9 in (200 mm)
Diameter:	1.6 in (40 mm)
Sound suppression:	30 dbA drop (between Ball and Sb193 + silencer)

Page last updated on: 06/26/2001

Fackler letter to the NRA regarding FN's 5.7mm (Negative Opinion)

...reprint this letter (American Rifleman, Jan 2000, p. 4) from Dr. Marvin Fackler:

"The article 'FN's FiveseveN System (No.v/Dec. 1999 p.40) seriously misrepresents the wounding capacity of the 31-gr. P90 bullet. Claiming it "produces a wound cavity that is similar to that of the 5.56 mm NATO ammunition is an absurd exaggeration. The 31-gr. P90 bullet has only half the weight of the M16A2 bullet - and its velocity is about 1000 f.p.s. less. (The reference was intended to convey that it is an FMJ design, not that it has equal energy and wounding characteristics to the 5.56x45 mm cartridge. - The Eds).

The amount of tissue disruption propduced by the P90 bullet is less than one-third of that produced by a well-designed expanding 9x19mm handgun bullet. And the P90 produces a temporary cavity of only about 8cm diameter - smaller than that of an expanding 9mm handgun bullet. Most of the P90's bullet's wounding potential is wasted in producing a temporary cavity that is too small to be a reliable wounding mechanism. The P90 bullet doesn't even come close to matching the wounding capacity of a well-designed, expanding 9mm handgun bullet.

The light recoil of the P90 should hardly come as a surprise: The momentum and kinetic energy of its bullets are only about half that of the .22 Hornet bullet. The P90 bullet's wounding potential is about equal to that of the .22 WMR bullet. The laws of physics cannot be denied - minimal recoil is inconsistent with maximal tissue disruption.

For the military, where any wound is often all that is required to cause an enemy soldier to leave the battlefield, perhaps this tiny P90 bullet is OK. Law enforcement officers are often faced with armed violent criminals at close range. In that scenario, a bullet capable of disrupting a significant amount of tissue is needed: One must incapacitate a criminal, a minor wound will not suffice. By no stretch of the imagination is the P90 bullet adequate for that task.

References for further reading in the Wound Ballistics Review are: Vol. 3, No. 3, 1998 (pp. 36-37) 'Corrections on the Wound Ballistics of the current FN P90 bullet'; Vol. 3, No. 1, 1997 (pp. 44-45) "more on the bizarre FN P90'; and Vol. 1., No. 1, 1991 (p. 46) 'Description of the first generation P90.' These may be obtained from the IWBA by calling (310) 640-6065, or its website at www.IWBA.com.

Marvin L. Fackler, MD, FACS,
President, Int'l Wound Ballistics Ass'n.

Guns Magazine - Fn P-90 by Charles E. Petty

Light, fast and deadly, FN's high-tech subgun is the first firearm designed to take on the environment of the 21st century.

Before we begin our feature on FN's high-tech P-90 submachinegun, let us be crystal clear: None of the products being shown are available to civilians or even individual police officers. They may only be purchased by legitimate law enforcement entities. The BATF has ruled that the 5.7x28mm cartridge is "non-sporting" and cannot be sold outside of law enforcement agencies.

In addition to the already common restrictions on machine guns, the companion piece -- the Five-seveN pistol -- is only available with a 20-round magazine, so it cannot he sold on the civilian market. Those are the facts of life. No matter how cool it is, neither you nor I can privately own a P-90.

Now for a little history. FN began development of a new weapon system about 10 years ago with the idea of providing weapons for the 21st century battlefield. The most significant change in infantry combat was the prediction that individual soldiers would be protected by body armor and bullet-resistant helmets.

While the average foot soldier is armed with an assault rifle firing the 5.56 NATO cartridge, support troops who are customarily armed with 9mm handguns or submachineguns firing the NATO cartridge would be at a serious disadvantage and possibly unable to neutralize a threat wearing protective clothing.

It's not difficult to see a direct parallel between the military and modern police situations. Law enforcement confronts suspects wearing body armor with increasing regularity.

Most rifle cartridges, such as the 5.56 NATO (.223) will handily defeat body armor, but they also present a potential hazard of over-penetration. FN's system is based upon a new cartridge, the 5.7x28mm, which is specifically designed for tissue penetration in the range of 10", to 12".

The 5.7x28mm bullet becomes unstable as it penetrates tissue, but still possesses enough power to defeat soft armor up to level IIIA. The bullet can accomplish this because of its unusual two-part core.

The forward third of the bullet's core is steel and the back segment is aluminum. It is covered by a copper plated steel jacket. Weight is 31 grains. The shift of the center of gravity forward contributes to the instability. The rifling twist of 1:9 is more than adequate to stabilize the bullet at the nominal velocity of about 2,300 fps.

In A Class By Itself

The P-90 looks very different from any other gun. It took a moment to identify what each thing was and what it did. This is especially true of the stock, since it places the weak hand only inches away from the muzzle. The ergonomic shape of the stock serves to make it very easy to hold correctly, though, and you never really notice how close your fingers are to the muzzle.

The design of the stock is highly ergonomic and totally ambidextrous, so it doesn't take long at all to become intimately familiar with the gun. Controls are few but conveniently located.

The safety/fire selector is located at the rear of the trigger guard where your trigger finger can easily push it while moving toward the trigger. There are three positions: safe, single, and full auto.

The trigger pull is almost two-stage. A short pull will deliver a single shot, even on full auto; pull it a little further to rock and roll. With only a little experience I found it easy to fire three- or four- shot bursts on demand.

The P-90 is only about 20" long, yet it has a 9.8" barrel. This is possible due to the bullpup construction which places the operating mechanism behind your hands.

The P-90's breech is actually just below your cheek, but the magazine effectively blocks any gas or gunk from reaching you. Unlike many blowback weapons there is absolutely no gas or unburned powder to smack you in the face.

The empties are ejected straight down. Gravity is our friend. The case falls free of its own weight and even though it's odd to feel brass bouncing off your shoes or belt buckle, it's nice not to have it bouncing off your nose. A bare midriff would definitely be a bad idea.

Tiny And Terrible

We were able to compare the penetration of the 5.7x28mm round when fired into bare, 10 percent gelatin, the same gelatin covered by FBI standard "heavy clothing and gelatin protected by a test panel of level IIA soft body armor.

The bottleneck cartridge case is tiny. There really is nothing in the American cartridge library that is comparable. The rim diameter is only 0.305" and even though it carries a full .224" diameter bullet, it is dwarfed by the better-known .223 cartridge.

The 5.7x28mm case is highly efficient. A powder charge of 6.5 grs, using a very small-grained ball powder propels the 31 gr. bullet at a measured 2,329 fps from the P-90's 9.8" barrel.

At this time FN is the sole source of ammunition, but an agreement has been reached between FN and Winchester to load the cartridge in this country. Sources report that initial production will be done using components supplied by FN but that Winchester is expected to conduct additional research with an eye toward further development.

The small size of the case makes it possible to get lots of them in a magazine, but the P-90 magazine deserves compliments for more than just its 50 rounds. When you see it, the first thing that may seem odd is that the rounds lie transversely to the bore and feed down. This is contrary to almost everything we're used to, but accounts for much of the gun's reliability and ease of operation.

The heart of the magazine is the follower which actually works like a turntable. As you load the rounds, the follower turns them 90 degrees so they lie at right angles to the bore. The magazine is a very simple mechanism with three molded parts and the spring, yet it is easy to load and completely reliable.

You would think putting 50 rounds in any magazine would become a chore somewhere along the way. Not so with this one. It takes little more effort to load the 50th round than it does the first.

Serious Fun

Shooting the P-90 is both impressive and fun. It is surely a serious weapon, but it's hard to shoot it without a grin. Over the course of two separate sessions I fired hundreds of rounds through the gun without a malfunction and witnessed a lengthy session where a large group of people shot two P-90s. Once more, I saw no stoppages.

Even though the P-90 shoots at a rapid 900 rounds per minute (it takes 3.3 seconds to fire a full 50 round magazine) it is imminently controllable. Some of this is due to the mechanics and design, but even more to the nature of the cartridge.

A fully loaded gun weighs just 6.6 lbs. and generates 0.5 ft/lb. of free recoil energy. By comparison, a 9mm weapon of the same weight would produce about 2.5 ft./lbs. Now neither of these recoil levels are punishing -- or even worrisome -- but it certainly would seem to confirm the ease of shooting I experienced. Accuracy is not a problem in any case.

A full 50-round burst was easily kept inside 8" at about 20 yards. At 50 yards, single head shots on an IPSC target were no problem, and at 100 yards five-shot groups were inside 6". I bet the little cartridge will shoot a lot better than that, but the sights on the P-90 are simply not designed for precision shooting.

The sights are more than accurate enough for the gun's primary mission; the reflex sight's engraved reticle -- a circle with posts at the bottom and either side -- is easy to see and fast to acquire. It is illuminated by a tritium element for night or low light shooting. An optional Picatinny rail is available in place of the reflex sight and there is also a model with an integral laser.

Mechanically, the P-90 is simplicity personified. It is a straight blowback design with a bolt that rides on a pair of steel rods. It is guided very securely within the frame, which is another reason for the gun's high degree of reliability.

Field stripping couldn't be easier. With the magazine removed you'll see a large metal button; push it and the top section slides forward. The bolt assembly will fall out in your hand and it's done.

The top half contains the barrel and sight. Cleaning is easy. The trigger mechanism is located behind the buttplate and can be removed for cleaning if desired, although it is not part of routine field stripping.

One observation was that the little gun is remarkably clean even after hundreds of rounds. Obviously some of this is due to the ammo, but it is also a credit to the design that does not require very much lubrication to run well. Much of the crud that builds up in automatic weapons is due to too much lubrication. The P-40's combination of steel and polymer parts just doesn't need a lot of oil.

New Age Gun

As we enter the 21st century, the face of law enforcement weaponry is bound to change. I can't begin to predict whether the 5.7x28mm round is going to be the answer to a cop's prayer, but I do know that it is time to seriously examine the options which are made available by today's technology.

The P-90 and its companion pistol, the Five-seveN, offer some potential advantages for law enforcement. The P-90 could easily replace a heavier weapon in the armory of special units and it's not too much of a reach to think of street cops armed with the Five-seveN.

It will take a real shift in attitude for something like this to become widely popular. After all, the last 25 years have been devoted to developing hollowpoint bullets that expand reliably and we'd have to abandon that in favor of a bullet that doesn't expand at all. We'd also have to accept that less penetration may be better than more.

So the news of this story is that a challenge to conventional wisdom is out there. Both the cartridge and the guns that shoot it are very interesting and make good sense in both theory and testing. This deserves careful evaluation by the professional law enforcement community.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group

FN Five-seveN - American Handgunner, Jan, 2000 by Charles E. Petty

Is this the shape of handguns to come?

A radically new pistol/cartridge combination graces the cover of this first issue of American Handgunner in the 21st century. The gun was developed as part of a military weapons system and is also available to law enforcement. For reasons that will become obvious, neither the gun nor the ammunition will ever be sold to civilians or even to individual officers.

Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Herstal, Belgium is a major supplier of military weapons and has contracts to manufacture M - 16 rifles and M249 and M240 belt-fed machineguns, in 5.56mm and 7.62mm respectively, for the U.S. government. These are made in their plant in Columbia. S.C.

About 10 years ago FN began a project to develop weapons and ammunition for the battlefield of the next century. There were a lot of issues to address, but foremost of these was the fact that troops would, routinely, be wearing some form of soft body armor. FN's intent was to develop a small arms weapons system for use by support troops whose duties might not permit them to carry more conventional weapons, but would still allow them to successfully engage the enemy with a small, convenient weapon that would defeat soft armor and Kevlar helmets.

The answer came in the form of a compact submachinegun, the P-90, and a pistol, the Five-seveN. Both of these weapons systems were developed to fire a new cartridge, the 5.7x28mm.

The 5.7mm is a departure from conventional ammunition thinking. It uses a 31 gr. FMJ bullet at velocities of about 2,300 fps from the 9.5" barrel of the P-90. It is specifically designed to penetrate soft body armor up to level IIIA without the potential for excessive penetration that may exist with the more common .223 rifles.

"The 5.7x28mm bridges the gap between conventional handgun cartridges fired in submachineguns and the .223," said Bill Forson of FN. The cartridge is really what makes the whole thing different and potentially very valuable to law enforcement.

Everyone saw a dramatic example of the use of body armor by badguys not too long ago in the infamous North Hollywood bank robbery sent live to living rooms around the country thanks to satellite TV. Experts think that such incidents will increase in the future.

The 5.7mm cartridge specifically defeats up to level IIIA body armor-- but not trauma plates-- without the excessive soft tissue penetration sometimes seen with the .223. It does this by virtue of the bullet design. It is meant to be unstable, and it is.

The instability seriously limits penetration in soft tissue and even though it is a full metal jacket bullet, penetration rarely exceeds 12", even after the bullet has penetrated barrier materials.

With conventional hollowpoint ammo, expansion is relied upon to reduce penetration, but if the hollowpoint is plugged by barrier materials, such as clothing, penetration may be more than is desirable-- sometimes a lot more. The 5.7mm's bullet is not so influenced.

The little 31 gr. projectile has a steel jacket and a two-piece core. The forward third of the core is steel and the balance is aluminum. The forward center of gravity, due to the heavier core element at the front, does not seem to harm accuracy.

We were able to do side-by side comparisons of the P-90 and Five-seveN by shooting both into 10 percent ballistic gelatin, first bare and then covered with the FBI standard for heavy clothing-- a t-shirt, flannel shirt, and down-filled denim jacket. We then "protected" the gelatin block with a test panel of level IIA soft body armor. The results were very interesting.

The first round fired into bare gelatin from the P-90 penetrated the entire 12" block, bounced off a piece of plywood behind the gelatin and was recovered on the ground a few feet in front of the target.

Examination of the gelatin blocks and recovered bullets was informative. The bullets, other than rifling marks, looked completely unharmed, but you could see clearly in the gelatin how they tumbled and left a permanent cavity that was every bit as large as that created by many conventional hollowpoint handgun bullets.

The entire philosophy of the 5.7x28mm cartridge is controversial. The very idea of a .22 Anything for police is anathema for some. Critics argue its puny bullet weight can't be relied upon to stop a determined assailant. Even adherents point out that the little high velocity cartridge doesn't always penetrate enough. However, the truth is that there is no single "right answer" to the penetration question.

There surely are applications, such as a jam packed crack house, where the Five-seveN's lack of penetration would be an advantage. Instead of having to worry about a round over-penetrating and injuring an officer or bystander, all you'd have to worry about would be hitting the target in the first place.

Nifty Construction

The construction of the Five-seveN pistol is pretty nifty. The slide is made of a stamping of chrome moly steel, with a machined steel breechblock segment, and covered with a polymer shroud. At first it looks as if the slide is polymer, but that is simply a protective cover.

The barrel is also chrome moly steel. It is a two-piece design with a very interesting set of features. When you first look, it's obvious that the 4.9" long rifled barrel segment has two diameters. The main body is 0.61" OD which is reduced to 0.39" to fit into a sleeve that serves as a locking block.

But the really interesting thing is how the FN engineers managed the recoil spring. The aft end goes inside the locking block sleeve which serves to contain the back end of the recoil spring. The front end is contained within a tapered bushing that mates with a corresponding taper in the slide.

With the slide retracted it appears as if there is a small bushing, but that actually is a spring snap-ring that holds the spring captive. When you field strip the pistol, the entire barrel assembly comes out as one piece.

The frame has some pretty clever engineering too. Unlike many polymer frames that have steel rails molded on, this one has a rear assembly that contains a pair of rails along with parts of the trigger mechanism. The forward portion of the frame (the dust cover) has an integral rail that engages a slot cut in the slide.

This form of connection eliminates the need for a second set of slide rails in the frame, but would seem to be even more stable. Everywhere you look on the pistol is evidence of advanced engineering and thoughtful design.

The operating mechanism is described as "delayed blowback." With most blowback designs, the barrel is permanently affixed to the frame, but the Five-seveN has a slot that permits the barrel to move rearward with the slide about 0.1". A part of the locking block in the frame is spring loaded and bears upon the back of the barrel. The spring tension also provides some delay.

The trigger is double-action only and is among the worst I've ever seen. It isn't overly heavy, at 10 lbs., but it is abysmally long and creepy so that it feels a lot worse than it is. Actually, I'm sure that this is a deliberate design feature. FN informs me that a single-action trigger module will be available, but it was not designed to please gunwriters or target shooters, but to be safe in a combat environment.

Terminal Ballistics

The thought may have occurred to you that the cartridge is not proven on the street. When the .40 S&W was first announced, the naysayers used the very fact that it was new to condemn it out of hand. In so doing they were a bit shortsighted for nothing can be "proven on the street" until it's out on the street.

The Five-seveN surely may fail, but nobody really knows until it's tried. We rely on theory and laboratory testing since it isn't socially acceptable to do the kind of field testing that provides gut piles worth of information.

We were, however, able to test the Five-seveN by shooting into bare gelatin, gelatin covered with the FBI's standard "heavy clothing" and finally covered with IIA soft body armor.

For someone accustomed to full metal jacket bullets zipping through several feet of gelatin, the 5.7x28 was an eye-opener. We first fired at bare 10 percent gelatin and I fully expected the bullet to penetrate the entire length of the 12" block. It did not. Instead the bullet came to rest 7.75" into the block, but it had tracked upward about 2.5" from the point of entry. The permanent wound cavity was 2.75" in diameter.

When FBI standard heavy clothing (t-shirt, flannel shirt, down filled denim jacket) was put in front of the block, penetration was 9" in a straight line, but the permanent cavity was exactly the same.

The final test put a panel of threat level IIA kevlar in front of the block. This time penetration was 6", but there was no measurable difference in the permanent wound cavity.

There will be some who wonder if this is enough penetration. This is a real good question and one for which there is no "right" answer. The FBI insists on a minimum of 12" penetration. When you talk about customary handgun velocities, penetration is needed to get adequate tissue damage, however, the 5.7's velocity levels are into the rifle category where hydrostatic force becomes a significant part of the wounding process.

During Handgunner's testing the pistol functioned flawlessly, but the really remarkable aspect was the near absence of recoil. The tiny cartridge is very efficient, but even though the pistol is light, recoil is little more than a .22 rimfire in the same weight gun.

Recoil is the enemy for the average law enforcement officer. The Five-seveN delivered 1.8 ft./lbs. of free recoil energy from a pistol that only weighs 22 ozs. (with empty magazine). A full ammo load of 21 rounds raises that to 26.5 ozs. and cuts recoil to 1.4 ft./lbs.

Accuracy Testing

In spite of the difficult trigger pull it was possible to shoot 25 yard groups that averaged 2.1" for five, five-shot groups. The combination of light recoil and good accuracy make the Five-seveN a very handy gun to have around.

It's too bad that the cartridge isn't publically available, but it has been ruled to he "non-sporting" by ATF and can only be sold to agencies, just like the guns.

This is a shame. The 5.7mm has tremendous potential in guns like the Contender for real accuracy in the hunting field or target range.

At this time there is only one source of ammunition, but an agreement has been signed between FN and Winchester for the American ammo giant to load the 5.7x28. FN reports that initial loadings will be done using components supplied by FN, but that Winchester may make the cartridge at a later date.

It doesn't take much imagination to see this cartridge changing the direction of law enforcement weaponry in the new millennium. The Five-seveN might well serve as standard issue for officers in a crowded urban setting and the P-90 could be used by special teams and thus retain commonality of ammunition.

P-90 Five-seveN
Velocity 2,328 fps 1,971 fps
Bare Gelatin 12"+ 7.75"
FBI Heavy Clothing 9.25" 9.0"
IIA Kevlar 9.75" 6.0"

COPYRIGHT 2000 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group

FN P90: Versatile Optics by Al Paulson

FN P90: Versatile Optics

by Al Paulson

The optical sight is made from a solid piece of glass so there's no risk of nitrogen leaking and subsequent fogging in the field. It has two complementary reticle patterns for differing lighting conditions. A day reticle, which is projected into the sight from the front, features a circular reticle which provides very rapid target acquisition throughout the effective range of the weapon. The reticle has several markings which complement each other. A very large circular reticle provides fast target acquisition at panic-close range, while a much smaller circle is optimized for target acquisition at 100 meters but works very well at closer ranges. A tiny dot inside the smallest circle can be used for maximum finesse; this dot lies 3.7 inches (94 mm) above the center of the bore. A low-light reticle, which is illuminated by a replaceable tritium cell, is projected into the optical sight from the rear. It is normally invisible in bright daylight conditions unless the sight is shaded by the brim of a large hat. A horizontal reticle runs across the center of the field from one side to the other, and a vertical reticle runs from the bottom of the field to the small circle. These lines form three legs of a traditional crosshair reticle, which can be quite useful inside dark buildings or during low-light operations outside. In those relatively rare lighting conditions where both the day and night reticles are visible, the sight picture is still uncluttered enough to provide rapid target acquisition.

first published in the November 1998 edition of Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement

On The Edge - With the New FN P90 5.7x28mm by Al Paulson

On The Edge

With the New FN P90 5.7x28mm
by Al Paulson

Military organizations have struggled for generations with two frequently overlapping problems: (1) how to arm troops whose primary mission is something other than the use of small arms; and (2) how to arm troops who need compact firepower for conducting special operations. A remarkable array of pistols, submachind guns and carbines have been fielded over the years in an, attempt to give people such as vehicle drivers, operators of crew-served weapons, support personnel and special operators a weapon with the optimum mix of compact size, hit probability, sustained firepower and terminal ballistics. Recent decades have also seen a similar quest in law enforcement to provide superior sidearms and auxiliary weapons for officers facing a changing tactical environment. The result is that sidearms, submachine guns and carbines developed for the aforementioned special military needs have become widely used tools within law enforcement. One of the most provocative attempts to solve the common requirements of both the military and law enforcement is the select-fire P90 Personal Defense Weapon designed and manufactured by Fabrique National Herstal SA of Belgium. Russian PSM It's interesting that one aspect of the changing tactical environment faced by both the military and law enforcement is that an armed opponent may be wearing body armor. In the late 1970s, the former Soviet Union was the first major power to develop a new class of pistol cartridge, the 5.45x18mm PMT, which was designed to penetrate standard body armor with ease, with the ancillary benefits of improving hit probability and minimizing recoil. Developed by Aleksandr Bochkin in 1979, the bottle-necked cartridge appears to be a scaled-down version of the 5.45x39mm rifle round adopted by the Soviets in 1974 for the AK-74 assault rifle. The Soviets developed a new pistol for the new 5.45x18mm round called the Pistolet Samozaryadniy Malogabaritniy, the "Miniature Semiautomatic Pistol" or PSM for short. Designed by Tikkon Lashnev, Anatoliy Simarin and Lev Kulikov, the PSM superficially resembles a Walther PP pistol and will penetrate up to 55 layers of kevlar at realistic engagement distances. With a steel core projectile weighing 2.4-2.6 grams (37-41 grains, which is less than half the weight of the 9x18mm Makarov round it replaced), a muzzle velocity of 315 mps (1,033 fps) and a powder charge of 0.15 gram (2.3 grains), the 5.45x18mm PMT cartridge also provides a relatively flat trajectory and modest recoil. These qualities improve hit probability when troops of average skill use the PSM as a defensive weapon. NATO Request Some NATO planners subsequently became concerned about the issue of body armor on the battlefield and decided that the 9x19mm cartridge was now obsolete, since it wouldn't penetrate the body armor they imagined would become standard equipment for infantry troops. These NATO planners informally approached the small-arms industry about the possibility of developing a new class of cartridge to replace the 9x19mm NATO round for personal defense. Only two companies were willing to invest the substantial R&D funds on such a speculative venture; Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and Giat of France began the development of new bottle-neck cartridges in the mid-1980s. Gun/Cartridge Details The two companies took somewhat different approaches. Giat concentrated on developing a new cartridge resembling a .30 Luger round necked down to .22 caliber, which they called the 5.7x22mm. Fabrique Nationale not only developed a larger round, the 5.7x28mm, but FN also developed a series of innovative weapons around the new cartridge: a select-fire bullpup weapon with a 50-round horizontal magazine on top of the receiver and an extremely accurate, lightweight (19 ounce), high capacity (20 round) pistol called the Five-Seven. FN publicly announced they were developing a personal defense weapon in 1989 which was scheduled for production 1990. Ironically, however, the P90 was not named for the year of its initial production, but rather for FN's "Project 9.0" which spawned it. When Giat became the parent company of Fabrique Nationale, Giat abandoned the 5.7x22mm project in favor of FN's more advanced project for several reasons. (1) FN's 5.7x28mm cartridge met all of the NATO requirements. And (2) Giat didn't have a weapon designed for its cartridge, but FN had already developed the P90 for its new cartridge. The first public demonstration of the Five-seveN pistol subsequently took place in 1995, and an improved variant went into production in May 1998. The external ballistics provided by FN's 5.7x28mm cartridge are vastly superior to the performance provided by the Russian 5.45x18mm PMT cartridge. As of this writing, the P90 has been adopted by more than a dozen countries in limited numbers. With an overall length of just 19.7 inches (.50.0 cm), the P90 is considerably shorter than the 9x19mm H&K MP5 submachine gun or the 5.56x45mm Colt M4 carbine. The P90 weighs 5.9 pounds (2.5 kg) with an empty magazine and 6.6 pounds (3.0 kg) with a fully loaded 50-round magazine, which is similar to the weight of an MP5 with a 30-round magazine. The P90 is just 8.25 inches (21.0 cm) high with a magazine fitted to the weapon. The P90 features an optical reflex sight (with no magnification), and a three-position rotary selector beneath the trigger with positions marked "S" for Safe, "1" for semiautomatic and "A" for Automatic. When set on A, the selector provides a two-stage trigger similar to the Steyr AUG. Pull the trigger back a little for semiautomatic fire and pull the trigger fully to the rear for full-auto fire. A cyclic rate of 900 rpm enables the operator to obtain two- or three-shot bursts. Shot dispersion remains remarkably tight, thanks in part to the fact that the 5.7x28mm cartridge has about one-third of the recoil impulse produced by the 5.56x45mm round used in the M16 family of weapons. Apparent recoil and shot dispersion are also mitigated by twin operating (recoil) springs and guide rods which, like the trigger, are reminiscent of the Steyr AUG. Sal Fanelli of FN Manufacturing Inc. puts on a particularly impressive demonstration, where he shoots a 50-round burst of tracers into the center of mass in a Milpark target at 50 meters (55 yards). His tightest 50-round burst to date measured 9.5 inches (24 cm). Three rounds are available for the P90 at this time. The standard ball round, called the SS190, features an overall length of 1.6 inches (40.5 mm), a projectile weight of 31.0 grains (2.02 grams) and a muzzle velocity of 2,345 fps (715 mps). The SS190 projectile features steel core in front of an aluminum core toward the base. The bullet penetrates about 10 inches (26 cm) of 10 percent ballistic gelatin, according to testing conducted at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy in September 1997. The SS190 round will also penetrate 48 layers of Kevlar, the typical "Flak jacket" (including CRISAT protection, which is a combination of titanium and Kevlar) worn by infantry to protect them from shrapnel produced by exploding devices, or a standard PASGT (U.S. Kevlar) helmet at 150 meters (164 yards), which is the effective range of the P90 Personal Defense Weapon. The weapon will still defeat Level 3 body armor at 200 meters (219 yards). The "maximum effective range" using the NATO definition (the maximum range where a weapon's projectile will still deliver 85 joules on target) is 400 meters (437 yards). Thus, according to NATO standards, the P90 is theoretically able to deliver a lethal wound on a protected target at 200m and an unprotected target at 400m if the round hits a vital area. Personally, I would not be enthusiastic about engaging targets beyond 150m with the standard SS190 round. The subsonic SB193 round used for this testing features a lead core boattail bullet with a projectile weight of 55.0 grains (3.58 grams) and a muzzle velocity of 998 fps (304 mps) as measured by a P.A.C.T MKIV timer/chronograph with MKV skyscreens set 24.0 inches apart and the start screen 8.0 feet from the muzzle (P.A.C.T, Dept. GW/LE, P.O. Box 531525, Grand Prairie, TX 75053; 214-641-0049). A new subsonic round featuring a 77-grain (5.0 gram) projectile moving at the same velocity as the older subsonic round is about to go into production, but no further details were available at press time. A tracer round designated the L191 is also available. The SS190 round weighs about half as much as a 9x19mm or 5.56x45mm round, so carrying a given amount of extra ammunition would be less burdensome for personnel already concerned with impedimenta. Conversely, special operators could carry twice as much ammunition for the same weight. P90 Operation Despite the fact that the P90 Personal Defense Weapon fires a bottle-necked cartridge, which looks something like a downsized .22 Hornet, the weapon fires using an unusual method of operation that might be described as a cross between the short recoil and simple Bergmann-Bayard straight blowback principles. Upon firing, the 10.35-inch (26.3 cm) barrel and bolt recoil rearward for about 0.030 of an inch (0.76 mm), enabling the pressure in the barrel to drop to a safe level. When the barrel (which features a 1 in 9 inch rate of twist) stops its rearward travel, the bolt continues rearward in straight blowback fashion. FN Herstal SA seems to have developed a unique flavor of delayed blowback operation. Unlike the typical submachine gun, however, the P90 fires from the closed bolt to maximize semiautomatic accuracy. Recoil is brisk but very smooth, and cycling is reliable thanks in part to an anti-bounce weight in the bolt, which is operated by one of the main operating (recoil) springs. Polymers are extensively used throughout the P90 to reduce both the weight and the cost of the weapon. The human engineering of the weapon is outstanding and ambidextrous. A variety of features enhance the ambidextrous qualities of the P90. Both sides of the weapon feature a charging handle, auxiliary fixed sights and a magazine release. The manual selector below the trigger can be operated from either side of the trigger. The stock and grips are symmetrical. And the weapon ejects downward, so lefties don't need to worry about hot brass in the face. One of the most interesting features of the P90, which helps make the weapon so compact, is the polycarbonate 50-round magazine that locks in place between the charging handles and the optical sight. The magazine features a follower with rollers and a constant-force spring that make loading a 50-round magazine easy instead of the usual thumb-busting exercise in frustration. But the most noteworthy aspect of the magazine design is that loading one cartridge forces the rounds under it to eventually rotate 90 degrees to the right so they can slide into a double stack of cartridges in the magazine body. This rotation occurs in stepwise fashion. The first round in the magazine sits in the magazine's feed lips at the 0 degree position (where it will be aligned with the chamber when the magazine is fitted to the weapon). Inserting a second cartridge forces the cartridge under it to rotate to 82 or 83 degrees from the bore angle. Adding another cartridge to the magazine pushes the original round to the 87 degree position. Adding a fourth cartridge forces the original Cartridge to the 90 degree position in the main body of the magazine. Thus, the cartridges go through a four-step process to become fully aligned in a double stack within the magazine. Versatile Optics The optical sight is made from a solid piece of glass so there's no risk of nitrogen leaking and subsequent fogging in the field. It has two complementary reticle patterns for differing lighting conditions. A day reticle, which is projected into the sight from the front, features a circular reticle which I particularly like since it provides very rapid target acquisition throughout the effective range of the weapon. The reticle has several markings which complement each other. A very large circular reticle provides fast target acquisition at panic-close range, while a much smaller circle is optimized for target acquisition at 100 meters but works very well at closer ranges. A tiny dot inside the smallest circle can be used for maximum finesse; this dot lies 3.7 inches (94 mm) above the center of the bore. A low-light reticle, which is illuminated by a replaceable tritium cell, is projected into the optical sight from the rear. It is normally invisible in bright daylight conditions unless the sight is shaded by the brim of a large hat. A horizontal reticle runs across the center of the field from one side to the other, and a vertical reticle runs from the bottom of the field to the small circle. These lines form three legs of a traditional crosshair reticle, which can be quite useful inside dark buildings or during low-light operations outside. In those relatively rare lighting conditions where both the day and night reticles are visible, the sight picture is still uncluttered enough to provide rapid target acquisition. This is a very well-engineered optical sight. I wish it were available for the 5.56x45mm M4A1 carbine as well. Controls/Safeties The manual selector is positive and quiet, but not as instinctive or fast as the selector on an MP5 submachine gun or M16-type weapon. Other safety features include a safety sear that holds the hammer until the bolt (which FN calls the breech block assembly) has fully closed behind the chamber, and an inertial safety that locks the sear if the weapon is dropped (solving a problem that caused substantial casualties during World War II). Unlike most submachine guns, the P90 is a very safe weapon to handle in the rough and tumble real world. The P90 also has a very high resistance to cook-offs following prolonged full-auto fire. Most end-users fielding this weapon carry a maximum ammunition load of 400 rounds, and the P90 demonstrated no cook-off problems when 400 rounds were dumped as rapidly as possible downrange. A final curiosity is that the design and materials of the P90 also make the weapon very easy to clean, a process that only takes about four minutes. This appeals to military SpecOps personnel, who tend to have a special affection for weapons that require a minimum of maintenance and, therefore, don't cut into their "Miller Time." In the next issue we'll conduct a detailed test and evaluation of the P90's performance. We'll also discuss the dramatic operational (i.e., combat) debut of the P90 and implications of that experience for the law-enforcement community. FN will be marketing the P90 and silencer to both military and law enforcement through their subsidiary FN Manufacturing, Inc. located in Columbia, SC. Products are expected to be available in quantity in late 1998 or early 1999...

first published in the November 1998 edition of Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement

Trends in Small Arms and Light Weapons Development: Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Dimensions

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Trends in Small Arms and
Light Weapons Development:
Non-Proliferation and Arms
Control Dimensions
Major (Ret’d) David DeClerq
International Security Research and Outreach Program
Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament Division
October 1999
...