5.7 x 28 mm

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5.7 x 28 mm
Cartridge 5.7 × 28 mm caliber
general information
caliber 5.7 x 28 mm
Sleeve shape Bottle neck cartridge, rimless
Dimensions
Sleeve neck ⌀ 6.38 mm
Floor ⌀ 5.70 mm
Cartridge bottom ⌀ 7.80 mm
Sleeve length 28.90 mm
Cartridge length 40.50 mm
Weights
Bullet weight 2.1 g
Technical specifications
Speed ​​v 0 716 m / s
Max. Gas pressure 3450 bar
Bullet energy E 0 538 J.
Lists on the subject

The 5,7 × 28 mm cartridge is an ammunition for handguns developed by the Belgian FN Herstal SA . This ammunition, which was developed around 1985, meets the new tactical requirements of the military and police and is intended to combine the advantages of pistol and rifle ammunition at distances of less than 200 m. Above all, these are low recoil, high magazine capacity, high penetration power against protective vests and low risk to the environment.

history

Basics for development

Penetration capacity of the 5.7 × 28 mm compared to the 9 × 19 mm
PDW FN P90, including a 50-round magazine

The basis of the development was the knowledge that the 9 × 19 mm ammunition used in pistols and submachine guns can not penetrate most splinter protection vests and light protection vests. Simple submachine guns that fire close are also too imprecise at realistic combat distances of up to 200 m. At the same time, rifles for cartridges 5.56 × 45 mm are too unwieldy for military personnel such as drivers or gun operators because of their length and weight.

The 5,45 × 18 mm PMT cartridge was developed in the Soviet Union as early as 1979 . This pistol cartridge looked like a reduced version of the ammunition 5.45 × 39 mm developed for the AK-74 . It had decisive advantages over the previously used 9 × 18 mm Makarow . Your bullet was able to penetrate 55 layers of Kevlar.

Western military users wanted a range of 150 m with a high probability of being hit by bursts of fire as well as a penetration capability of Kevlar - splinter protection vests and light protection vests made of titanium-Kevlar composite ( Crisat vests ). The projectiles should have a flat trajectory and a high man-stopping effect . At the same time, they should not penetrate the enemy, in order to endanger bystanders as little as possible and not to damage facilities. For the associated weapons, among other things, a constant readiness for carrying and rapid readiness for use in the event of a slight handicap of the weapon carrier during other activities as well as a low weight and a continuous fire facility were required.

As a result of informal inquiries to the industry, FN and the French Giat (now Nexter ) invested in the development of new ammunition that would exceed the penetration capacity of the 9 × 19 mm. While Giat only developed a new cartridge in the format 5.7 × 22 mm, FN also designed the new cartridge 5.7 × 28 mm and the matching submachine gun FN P90 . The weapon is also called " personal defense weapon " (Personal Defense Weapon) called because they adhere to the requirements of the 1986 by the United States Army Infantry School in Fort Benning published document " Smalls Arms System 2000 oriented," one (as OPDW Objective Personal Defense Weapon).

A first obstacle to the introduction of the new weapon and ammunition was the logistical supply . Additional ammunition would still have been required for pistols. The presentation of the Five-SeveN pistol in the summer of 1996 made it possible - at least in theory - to exchange all pistols and submachine guns for weapons with a caliber of 5.7 × 28 mm.

The ammunition is manufactured by Winchester-Olin (USA) and Fiocchi (Italy), among others, but it is sold under the “FN” label. Another producer is the British UTM Ltd. as a manufacturer of training ammunition.

The story development

Property rights

In 1989, FN filed a patent application with the US authorities for a high-performance projectile for small arms, which was granted there as US5012743A on May 7, 1991, in Europe in 1993 as EP0373140B1 and as CN1026261C in China in 1994. Priority application was BE8801362 dated December 5, 1988 (20 years patent term from priority date).

"Projectile with low recoil and increased penetration, consisting mainly of at least two parts, in particular a hollow jacket (2) made of a hard material and a core (3) made of a rigid material with a lower density than the jacket, characterized in that the The ratios of the lengths of the projectile components are as follows: [...] "

- German translation of EP patent EP0373140B1

Energy & impulse

Size comparison between the 5.7 × 28 mm and the 5.56 × 45 mm.

The effect of a projectile depends on how much kinetic energy can be transferred to the target in the shortest possible time. The kinetic energy is calculated using the formula

With
: Projectile mass
: remaining bullet velocity shortly before impact

and should therefore be as large as possible. The recoil, physically more precise the impulse , has a negative effect on the precision and the ability to deliver targeted bursts of fire. It has different effects depending on the weight of the weapon, the type of breech and the energy used in the weapon for the reloading process. The recoil can even negatively affect the Sagittarius psyche if they develop fear of it.

The recoil impulse is calculated approximately according to the formula

With
: Muzzle velocity of the projectile,
: Projectile mass and
: Powder mass (English batch )

and should be as small as possible. It can be seen here that the recoil is directly proportional to the mass and the speed, whereas the kinetic energy is dependent on the mass and the square of the speed. This shows that a high kinetic energy ( ) is not compatible with a low recoil impulse ( ). But because the speed is squared with the kinetic energy, but only proportionally with the momentum, a strategy is to swap weight for speed with the same momentum in order to give more energy to a smaller projectile with the same recoil.

Using the example of FN ammunition, this is solved by a rather elongated projectile shape (ratio of length to diameter approx. 3–6), which tapers to a point at the front and therefore has aerodynamic advantages. The air resistance is thus reduced and little energy is lost in the course of the ballistic curve, which allows a lower muzzle velocity and thus also a smaller powder charge for the same target effect. In addition, the projectile is made up of two parts: a hard shell with a higher density (e.g. copper or steel) and a core that is filled with a lighter material (e.g. high-strength plastic). In contrast to a full jacketed bullet , it is lighter, ie the recoil is lower, since the powder charge can also be smaller when the acceleration effect is required.

Target ballistics

With the new floor, these contradictions should be minimized. At the same time, the bullet should not deform or disintegrate when it hits a soft target. In addition to the bullet material and a corresponding shift in the center of gravity compared to conventional bullets with a lead core, the basis for this is the overall geometry of the bullet with a ratio of caliber to length between 3 and 6. At the same time, the bullet becomes unstable in a soft medium and overturns. However, due to its high speed, it retains a high penetration depth.

Performance values

The bullet of the 9 × 19 mm cartridge penetrates a 30 cm thick block of ballistic gelatin and only transfers about 70% of its energy to the target medium. This means a low holding force ( man- stopping effect ) and at the same time a hazard for people and objects behind the target. The bullet of the cartridge 5.7 × 28 mm emits its energy completely on 25 cm to 30 cm. From the P90 at 200 m with around 230 joules, it has only two thirds of the energy of the 9 mm bullet. At 800 m, around 90 joules from a 9 mm bullet can still be fatal. The energy of the 5.7 mm bullet had reduced to 44 joules by then.

One of the advantages of the new ammunition is that, at 19.2 Nm / s, it is only half the recoil of the 5.56 × 45 mm (39 Nm / s) and only two thirds of the recoil of the 9 × 19 mm (approx Nm / s), so it is much easier to handle. According to press reports, the low recoil should make it possible to shoot the P90 with one hand in continuous fire mode. Shooting with the FN Five-seveN pistol should also feel similar to shooting with a small-caliber weapon.

Another advantage is the very flat flight path. At a distance of 200 m, the projectile only falls 16 cm. A 9 mm bullet falls more than 50 cm at this distance. The shooter therefore has to make fewer corrections to the target optics.

Loads

SS90

The SS90 is a cartridge from the development phase of ammunition based on the above-mentioned US patent. A very light solid jacketed bullet with a polymer core was used, weighing only 1.5 g (23 grain). The development was stopped in 1994 when it became clear that the ammunition with the SS190 bullet was not only more precise and more powerful than protective vests, but was also better suited for the Five-SeveN pistols due to the shorter design (bullet length and insertion depth).

Maximum dimensions of 5.7 × 28 mm according to CIP

SS190

The SS190 ammunition with FMJ (FMJ, English full metal jacket ) is referred to as armor piercing (AP, German "armor-piercing") and has been developed to penetrate to body armor. The bullet of the SS190 has an aluminum core, in front of which there is a steel penetrator. The structure is almost identical to the SS109-FMJ ammunition for rifles in caliber 5.56 × 45 mm, in which only a different material is used for the core. Under the steel jacket of the bullet, behind a small cavity, there is a 55  Brinell steel core. Behind this, in turn, there is a light piece of aluminum that fills the bullet jacket. As a result, the focus is shifted compared to other storey constructions. As a result, the pointed shape also penetrates Kevlar armor and vehicle parts. Ricochets on walls and floors are avoided, as the bullet penetrates the material at a shallow angle even when it hits and releases its energy here. In soft targets, the projectile often becomes unstable and overturns due to the shifted center of gravity. As a result, a lot of energy is released and a penetration - at the expense of a larger wound canal - is avoided.

According to FN Herstal, the bullet penetrates light protective vests , but not class III protective vests , which also no longer penetrate ammunition with a caliber of 5.56 × 45 mm. In gelatine blocks, the bullet reaches a penetration depth of 250 mm to 330 mm. The forensic laboratory of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy tested the ammunition in various test arrangements, including clothing and protective clothing of class II. The penetration depth averaged 264 mm in a wound cavity with a diameter of up to 91 mm. Tests by Gary K. Roberts showed penetration depths averaging 300 mm. This depth of penetration has been criticized by critics, as the FBI requires a minimum depth of 300 mm in 10% ballistic gelatin . However, this FBI requirement does not take into account the overall higher energy output of the projectile compared to other projectile constructions.

Trajectory curve of various loads

A variation of this ammunition is the L191 tracer ammunition. Chemicals on the floor of the projectile create a tracer that can be seen around 200 m away. The ballistic data is almost identical to that of the SS190 ammunition, so you can load them mixed up. L191 ammunition is marked with a red tip.

SB193 subsonic ammunition

The subsonic ammunition has a 3.6 g (55 grains) bullet of the type Sierra Game King FMJBT ( Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail ), which is also used for the hunt for robbery and similar small animals. Since the ammunition does not generate a sonic boom, it is quieter in combination with a silencer. This offers the shooter tactical advantages, since it is difficult to locate both inside buildings and in open terrain.

SS195LF

The SS192 cartridge was originally offered as a hollow- point ammunition. However, a discussion arose as to whether it was able to penetrate protective vests and should therefore be forbidden as armor piercing (German “armor piercing”). The ATF determined for the successor variant SS195LF that it is not armor-piercing ammunition and that it is not able to penetrate class IIa light armor.

One advantage of the SS195LF cartridge is that it is environmentally friendly. In contrast, the original ammunition had a 1.8 g lead hollow point bullet with an aluminum core. Called LF ( Lead Free ), the new, 1.77 g (28 grains) bullet with a copper jacket does not differ in appearance from its predecessor. A distinction can only be made on the primer. These are silver-colored for the lead-free ammunition .

The T194 Training variant with a green bullet tip is also no longer in production. Their production stopped in 2002.

Civil ammunition variants: SS195LF, SS196SR, SS197SR (from left to right)

SS197SR

Fiocchi produces ammunition, known as Sporting Round (SR), primarily for civil applications. It has a 2.6 g (40 grains) Hornady V-Max bullet with a polycarbonate tip, the tip of which is colored blue. The forerunner was the SS196SR with a red tip. An important difference between the SS196SR and SS197SR cartridges is the slightly larger charge of the new ammunition, which results in a higher muzzle velocity. The sport cartridges were developed because the SS192 cartridge was said to be able to penetrate protective vests. This has not been proven officially. However, in order to anticipate a possible ban on ammunition on the civil market, the SS196SR was developed, which has a heavier, and therefore also slower, projectile. This ensured that this ammunition could not penetrate protective vests even under unfavorable conditions. The exact opposite path was taken with the development of the SS198 cartridge.

SS198

The SS198 is ammunition of the type SS195LF with a heavier charge, i.e. higher muzzle velocity and penetration power in relation to protective vests. It is only sold by FN Herstal to the military and police authorities.

Man-Marker Round (MMR)

The British company Ultimate Training Munitions manufactures sub-caliber cartridges for combat exercises under the name “Man Marker Round: UTM MMR / 5.56mm”. The cartridge case is made of aluminum. This contains two primers and no other propellant charge. The first primer is used to ignite the cartridge and trigger the bolt return, i.e. the reloading process. The second primer drives the 0.45 g projectile out of the barrel. This is a non-toxic substance based on wax that releases color to the point of impact when hit. The bullet does not burst like in a paintball game, but can also - like with an ink pen - show grazing shots. Before the shot is fired, the bullet is protected by a white plastic cover.

The muzzle velocity is about 102 m / s, the muzzle energy 2.3 joules. Due to the low projectile energy, the hit spread at 10 m is already 50 mm, and the effective range is specified as 30 m.

Others

For exercise and training purposes, there are both blank cartridges and so-called dummies , which have neither projectiles nor propellant charges and on which weapon handling can be practiced safely.

Overview table

SS190 L191 SS192 SB193 SS195LF SS196SR SS197SR SS198LF
Bullet weight 2.1 g 2.1 g 1.8 g 3.6 g 1.8 g 2.6 g 2.6 g 1.7 g
v 0 (P90) 716 m / s 716 m / s 701 m / s 305 m / s 701 m / s 549 m / s 549 m / s -
E 0 (P90) 538 joules 538 joules 447 joules 163 joules 447 joules 393 joules 461 joules -
Bullet type FMJ "AP" FMJ tracer JHP FMJBT JHP V-Max V-Max JHP
effective combat distance 200 m 200 m 200 m 100 m 200 m 150 m 150 m 200 m
Color code without or black red or red / black bronze-colored ZH white / gray silver ZH red blue green
Selling restrictions on the part of the manufacturer Police / military Police / military Prod. Police / military without Prod. without Police / military
Values ​​for the submachine gun FN P90. For Five-SeveN pistols, the values ​​are lower due to the shorter barrel.
FMJ = full metal jacket bullet, JHP = hollow point bullet, ZH = primer, V-Max = bullet type made by Hornady
v 0 = speed at the muzzle, E 0 = energy of the projectile at the muzzle, prod. set. = Production stopped

Arms and use

The SS190, as the standard ammunition for the military and police, was developed for events on the modern battlefield , where soldiers wear protective vests and pistols and submachine guns are ineffective. The weapons that are set up for this ammunition include a weapon family also developed by FN, which consists of the Five-seveN pistol , the FN P90 PDW and the FN PS90 carbine . The Ruger-57 has also been around since 2019 . There is an interchangeable system for the M16 / AR-15 carabiners under the designation AR-57 . The P90's 50-round magazine - also on the top of the weapon - can be used here. The empty tubes are ejected through the unneeded magazine well. ST Kinetics is developing a combination of PDW and 40mm multiple grenade launcher.

Five-SeveN pistol surrounded by cartridges 5.7 × 28 mm

Various law enforcement agencies in the United States use 5.7 × 28 mm guns. In this context, its man-stopping effect, which has been described as insufficient on several occasions, has been discussed several times. Special units of the Belgian and Dutch armed forces also use this ammunition. A total of 5.7 mm weapons are said to have been sold to police units and the military in around 20 states.

When the hostages were liberated from the Japanese embassy in Lima in 1997 , ammunition with a caliber of 5.7 × 28 mm was used. It was then that the first teams with FN P90s, equipped with silencers and laser aiming point projectors, entered. The result of the action was the liberation of the remaining 72 hostages and the death of the 14 hostage-takers of the Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru .

Legal situation

While those types of ammunition that are not designed to penetrate protective vests can be legally acquired in many countries, the Federal Republic of Germany with the law amending the Weapons Act and other regulations (WaffGuaÄndG) of March 26, 2008 generally has all modern multi-shot handguns for declared prohibited which are set up for center fire ammunition in calibers less than 6.3 mm. This means that it is no longer possible for German sport shooters and hunters to acquire handguns for this ammunition.

Similar developments

4.6 × 30 mm , 5.7 × 28 mm, .30 carbines in comparison

In addition to the 5.7 × 28 mm cartridge, there are other projects around the world aiming at small, light and highly penetrating ammunition as a replacement for existing types of ammunition. This includes the .224 BOZ conceived by Bill Alexander and fully developed by Civil Defense Supply (CDS). As a modification of the case of the 10 mm Auto cartridge , it uses a 5.56 mm caliber with a cartridge length of 32.5 mm. The dimensions of the cartridge can therefore be used in many existing weapons.

The .224 VOB was developed by the Czech Petr Voboril for the Swiss company Martin Tuma Engineering (MTE). The basis was the 7,62 × 25 mm Tokarev cartridge . Similar to the .224 BOZ, the cartridge is almost a millimeter thinner, which allows a larger magazine capacity. A bullet weighing around 3 g should achieve a muzzle energy of over 750 joules.

The 4.6 × 30 mm developed by Heckler & Koch is still based on considerations from the time of the G11 , when a caseless cartridge in caliber 4.73 × 33 mm with a 2.7 g bullet was to be produced. The 5.7 × 28 mm cartridge is slightly more powerful than the 4.6 × 30 mm cartridge, but loses more energy due to the cross-sectional load. Both cartridges penetrate 1.6 mm of titanium sheet and 20 layers of Kevlar at a distance of 100 m , but the 4.6 × 30 mm still has a residual energy of 115 joules, the 5.7 × 28 mm about 65 joules.

criticism

In connection with the 5,7 × 28 mm cartridge, but also PDW ammunition in general, two points are repeatedly discussed controversially. These are the compatibility with Article 23 of the Hague Land Warfare Regulations and the man-stopping effect in police operations.

Article 23 of the Hague Land Warfare Regulations states in its currently valid version that ammunition should not cause "unnecessary suffering". The patent specification for the bullet of the SS90 cartridge takes up the original version of the text and emphasizes that the bullet does not deform or disintegrate in the human body. In formal legal terms it thus corresponds to the Hague Land Warfare Regulations. The criticism of the ammunition is based on the fact that the bullets of the cartridge 5.7 × 28 mm roll over in soft media. This creates a much larger wound channel than with full jacketed cartridges with lead cores that are common in military service, which usually penetrate a body in a straight line. The wounds are therefore similar in size as if it were deformation ammunition. Opponents of handguns argue: "This fact shows that those involved in the project are very well aware of their responsibility under international law, while ignoring the resulting ethical and moral boundaries."

However, the SS90 cartridge designed for rollover in soft targets is not manufactured. The successor model, the SS190 cartridge, has the same structure as the SS109 cartridge (Belgian version of the 5.56 × 45 mm NATO cartridge). As early as the late 1960s, however, there were also allegations with bullets of this type that the bullets tended to become unstable in soft targets.

With the use of ammunition in the United States of America, a discussion arose there as to whether the man-stopping effect was sufficient. The FBI's regulations require a minimum penetration depth in ballistic gelatin of 30 cm. As a rule, the ammunition does not achieve this value, but the percentage of energy output is higher than with, for example, full-jacket bullets in caliber 9 × 19 mm. A final study on this is not yet known.

literature

  • Charles E. Petty: FN Five-seveN . In: American Handgunner . January 2000.
  • Charles E. Petty: FN P-90 . In: Guns magazine . January 2000.

Web links

Commons : 5.7x28 mm  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. CIP data sheet for the 5.7 x 28 mm cartridge , accessed on April 1, 2018.
  2. a b Al Paulson: On The Edge With the New FN P90 5.7x28mm , Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement, November 1988, on URL: Remtek P90 ( memento of January 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on August 3, 2008
  3. David Th. Schiller: Future music . In: visor . 10/1996, p. 40.
  4. a b 5.7 × 28 mm cartridge . Jane's Ammunition Handbook 2008–2009, Chapter: 5.7 × 28 mm cartridge.
  5. US 5012743: High-performance projectile . Patent granted May 7, 1991.
  6. EP 0373140: high-performance projectile . May 12, 1993.
  7. Werner Reb: "Mucken prevents a good meeting" The five deadly sins of shotgun shooting . ( Memento from August 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: Schweizer Jäger , Schießtechnik. 2014/08
  8. a b David Th. Schiller: Future music . In: visor . 10/1996, p. 42.
  9. Stefan Perey, Jens Tigges: Well equipped. In: caliber . 6/2000, p. 33.
  10. ^ Gary K. Roberts: 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. In: AFTE Journal . 1998 (30), Edition 2 (spring), pp. 326–329.
  11. 5.7 × 28 mm ( Memento from February 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) . The Armory, accessed May 31, 2009.
  12. Man-Marker Round (MMR) Technical Data Sheet and recommended guidelines for use . ( Memento of November 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Ultimate Training Munitions, accessed April 2, 2008.
  13. ^ Ruger-57 ™. In: ruger.com. Retrieved February 12, 2020 .
  14. David Crane: AR Five Seven (AR-57): 50-Shot 5.7x28mm AR-15 Carbine . ( Memento from September 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: Defense Review . August 13, 2008, accessed August 12, 2015.
  15. ^ Roxana Tiron: Singapore Company Toys With Concepts of the Future . ( December 9, 2008 memento in Internet Archive ) National Defense Magazine (National Defense Industrial Association), June 2004, accessed December 13, 2008.
  16. Visor Special: Special Forces . Vogt-Schild Germany, April 2002, p. 69.
  17. Manfred Kersten, Hamza Malalla a. A .: Generation X . In: visor . 1/2000, p. 25.
  18. Law amending the Weapons Act and other provisions (WaffGuaÄndG) G. v. March 26, 2008 ( Federal Law Gazette I p. 426 ); Valid from April 1, 2008
  19. a b c Manfred Kersten, Hamza Malalla u. A .: Generation X . In: visor . 1/2000, p. 29.
  20. a b c Fabian Sieber, André Maertens: Munitions: The underestimated danger. New developments in small arms cross ethical boundaries. November 2006.
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on July 4, 2009 .