I have a Five-seveN pistol, have had it since 2005 or 2006.....
Would I carry it on a bug-out? I highly doubt it, but I sure wouldn't leave it behind...
Would I use it defensively? Only if I had to.
---Pros/Cons---
Pros:
It's a damn good little pea-shooter! The round has the speed needed to be lethal. In fact, I made up some homemade "ballistics gel" and shot it with the Five-seveN. What I saw was astonishing! This crap enters with such speed that it causes what I describe as "sonic splits..." Basically, the supersonic speed of the bullet causes it to rip **** up, causing what I saw was a dinner plate-sized split originating about in the middle of the block along the bullet's path... That sort of damage from a single round at about 25yds is DEFINITELY lethal to something say 125lbs and above (deer, cougar, etc).
It holds 20 in the mag, and there is little to no recoil; the only felt recoil I experience is the steel slide causing an imbalance once the mag starts running dry (no counter-weight underneath)...
The only restriction on the speed of effective fire is how fast your trigger finger can move back and forth.
It's probably the easiest pistol to field strip and clean; pull slide back, push take-down button back, pull slide forward, remove barrel from slide. Literally that easy, and putting it back together is just obverse! Put barrel back in slide, put slide on frame, ****, done.
It also has a manual trigger block lever-style safety right above the trigger! GREAT usable safety! SO much better than the hammer-block safeties of most pistols, as the 5-7's safety is worked by your trigger finger and not your thumb. I like this safety the best out of all handgun safeties I've used. It also has a magazine disconnect safety, which means you can charge a round, drop the mag, and then toss it to your assailant who CANNOT use it against you!! (WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT! NEVER rely on a mechanical safety!! Always assure intellectual safety is engaged prior to dealing with firearms)....
Cons:
Ammo is expensive as hell, at about 50 cents per trigger squeeze. A box of ammo is 25 bucks for 50, maybe more atm, haven't bought any in a while. In the pistol, that's 2.5 mags (20-20-10), and in the P90, that's one whole mag (50).
Ammo is also rare. Being a "wild cat" cartridge, don't expect to find it at Wal-Mart.
Firearms themselves (P90/Five-seveN/AR57) are quite expensive. You can get two or three good 9mm's for the price of the Five-seveN, and ammo is MUCH more affordable/available.
It's a pea shooter... Yes, it's definitely a lethal round, but in a defensive situation, One or two 5.7's if not in the heart or head, are probably not gonna stop your attacker... It'll hurt like hell, but they will still be alive for quite some time before finally succumbing to hemorrhage/trauma/shock. This allows them to stab/bite/shoot/set off IED or whatever before they die.
----
For SHTF, I'd suggest a more standard caliber: 9mm is probably the cheapest very effective round, and it comes in a plethora of different weapons! Glock, S&W XD, a few 1911-style weapons, Browning Hi-Power (less-classy sister of the 1911), Beretta M9/92F, PF9, LC9, really there are a stupid amount of 9mm handguns out there.
Me, I wouldn't be caught dead with anything less than my 1911. I've tried on a few handguns, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that the full-size 1911 is the handgun for me. It fits my hand the best, it naturally aims the best, and it's got MORE than enough power and size to stop pretty much anything short of a large black bear! Though, I would also have my Kel-Tec PF9 in my back pocket. Here's why...
The PF9 is cheap as hell, effective, and accurate enough to save your life. No, it's not gonna win any contests of accuracy, but it's one of the best pocket 9mm's you could ask for!!! Rugged enough to survive if you do (i.e. nothing that won't kill you will stop this thing), accurate enough to keep you from dying, cheap enough to be a good popper you toss in a survival kit (and small enough to take up very little room). Best of all, you can get a belt clip for it, and wear it IWB without a holster. VERY easily concealable for even the smallest of people (for you small-framed females, this is a GREAT weapon).
I love the PF9, but I wouldn't count on it alone in SHTF. Hence the .45....
As for rifles:
Don't go with 5.7x28mm as a main rifle caliber. That's silly. Yeah, it's probably most similar to a .22mag, but .22mag is FAR cheaper and MUCH more abundant! You'll run into .22mag before you run across any 5.7....
If you got the .223 AR, stick with the .223 AR. That's actually a really good choice; much better than 5.7...
Also, stop watching Top Shot. The show's shooting competitions are just plain ridiculous already.... When's the last time you had to shoot a moving 8" target at 1500m with a 9mm pistol from inside the middle of a shark tank with a tactical buttplug installed!?
- CK
