Why it matters: Garand Thumb is revisiting the 5.7x28mm after its host said the channel's earlier lethality test looked at the cartridge the wrong way. With different ammunition, the new test comes out in the cartridge's favor, but the results varied widely from one load to the next.
Garand Thumb's latest video, "Is the FN 5.7 Really As Deadly As They Say?", fires five 5.7x28mm loads and one 9mm control into blocks of clear synthetic gel and records each shot on a Phantom TMX 7510 high-speed camera. The host is joined by a returning guest, Jordan, who supplied the FN Five-seveN pistol used for most of the shots and one of the loads on the table.
The host presents the video as a revision of the channel's own earlier work. Looking back on a previous 5.7 lethality video, he says "the way I looked at it was incorrect," and says this test uses "better rounds that are more vetted." He adds that the earlier video gave too little weight to the cartridge's ability to penetrate armor, which he says he "overlooked a little bit."
Clear Ballistics gel test setup and the 12-inch benchmark
The gel comes from Clear Ballistics. The host tells viewers it is "not a one to one of human tissue" and says its value is in showing relative performance, with a 9mm hollow point fired as a reference. Throughout the video he treats about 12 inches of penetration as the minimum, describing it as roughly what a bullet needs to reach vital structures in the body. Velocities were taken on a Garmin chronograph before each gel shot.
Each load was fired into gel once on camera, except the subsonic load, which was fired twice.
FN 5.7x28 blue tip, black tip and SS192 results
FN's blue tip, which the host describes as a V-Max-type bullet, chronographed at about 1,720 feet per second. In gel, he reports roughly 14 inches of penetration, with the bullet yawing and fragmenting and petals breaking away inside the block. He calls the result "very rifle-like" and says he did not expect it.
The black tip, which the video describes as an armor-piercing round that will defeat Level IIIA body armor, ran 1,981 to 1,991 feet per second. The host reports about 12 inches of penetration and says the bullet destabilized and yawed soon after entering the gel.
The SS192, a 28-grain hollow point, was the fastest load of the day at 2,089 feet per second and the shallowest of the FN loads at about 8 inches. The host says it tumbled immediately and released its energy early, and that he would not choose it at that depth. The panel says they would take the blue or black tip instead, and suggests home defense or varmint use as possible fits for the SS192.
Hornady Critical Defense and the R&R R57SD subsonic
“The fastest load in the test was also the shallowest of the FN loads, and the slowest never came near the 12-inch line the hosts set for themselves.”
Avery Lindqvist, The ReticleHornady Critical Defense, a 40-grain load with a plugged hollow point, chronographed at 1,803 to 1,815 feet per second against Hornady's listed 1,810. The host reports about 14 inches of penetration with good expansion and petals and copper fragments throughout the block. He says it showed less of the yaw seen with the FN loads and calls it "much more pistol-like" but "very good pistol performance."
The last 5.7 load was Jordan's: R&R Weapon Systems' R57SD, a 57-grain subsonic expanding hollow point. Fired first from a suppressed pistol, it measured between 996 and 1,068 feet per second, and the host reports about 4 inches of penetration with the bullet turned sideways. A second shot from an unsuppressed Five-seveN reached about 6 inches. The hosts compare that with an expected depth of 10 to 14 inches and say the load fell well short. The host notes that the box labels it a universal subsonic for the FN 5.7, so the pistol was not a mismatch, and calls the result "very poor performance." The Reticle did not find a published specification for the R57SD and has not seen a response from R&R Weapon Systems.
9mm Speer Gold Dot comparison and the channel's verdict
The 9mm control, a Speer Gold Dot hollow point, reached about 14 inches, and the host describes a good temporary cavity and typical performance for the load. He says the blue tip exceeded it and that the black tip was superior "in certain ways," pointing to its yaw in gel and its ability to defeat some armor. He also cites the Five-seveN's 20-round magazine and light recoil.
His conclusion: "with the correct rounds, the FN 5.7 5.7 by 28 is an excellent caliber." Jordan says the right choice depends on what the shooter wants the cartridge to do. The host recommends Hornady Critical Defense over the subsonic for anyone worried about over-penetration, then closes by telling viewers to train with and carry whatever gun they own.
The video carries sponsor segments for Primary Arms, G-Code and Bravo Company USA. The host states that all ammunition was provided by Last Shot Arizona.
For context
- Garand Thumb's earlier test, "We Test How Deadly the Legendary 5.7x28 Is," aired in January 2024 with a different set of loads.
- The FBI handgun protocol treats 12 to 18 inches of penetration in calibrated 10 percent ordnance gelatin as the target; Hornady has reported a 9mm bullet going about 31 percent deeper in clear synthetic gel than in FBI-calibrated gelatin.
- An ATF letter records FNH USA telling the agency that SS192 was no longer being imported for commercial sale in the U.S.
- FN developed the 5.7x28mm in response to a NATO call for a personal defense weapon cartridge, and NATO has since standardized it under STANAG 4509.
