Anyone have an AR57??

[partsed]

You know how it is when you get to thinking about something and the voice inside your head says "I wonder if anyone has made an AR platform rifle in 5.7x28??" So searching on the good old Internet (that Al Gore claims to have created) I find that there is an AR57 rifle as it is called. It looks pretty cool and functions differently than a normal AR rifle and I wondered if any of you had one and what you impression is of it.

TIA

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[Kruel J]

I'd actually be interested as well. I find the 5.7x28 a strange but intriguing attempt at centerfire rifle power from a pistol and seeing an AR style rifle makes sense!

 

[The Heretic]

I looked at one several times at gun shows. I've read about them. They seem nice. You can also get them as a "pistol".

I have a PS90 and despite the looks, the ergos are not as bad as I thought they would be.

I thought about getting a Five Seven, but the grip is too large for good ergos, even with my large hands, and the ballistics from the much shorter barrel are poor IMO.

 

[U8395279]

An AR57 is quieter than shooting an AR15, and it has virtually zero recoil. And you can get 50 round mags.

But the ammo is far more expensive and harder to find, and its ballistics are significantly inferior. The magazines are expensive and hard to find too. I think that those are the reasons why it has not become popular.

 

[bolus]

I have one. I just purchased an upper. Fully loaded rifle with just BUIS is just over 6 pounds which I think that with the 50 rounds is what it has for an advantage.

recoil does feel like a 22. I disagree with Lance about the magazines. AR57 have their own branded mags that are easy to find and I've never paid over $20 for them. The FN ones are more expensive of course because elves in Belgium make them I think. There are some $10 range ones but they suck.

Here is my stepson being a goofball with the exaggerated C clamp grip and using a doggie turd bag to catch the brass that gets ejected out the mag well

 

[partsed]

People say that you can modify an aluminum mag and have the brass drop in it, but at the rate and amount of brass it expels, I like the evil plastic bag or one could possibly modify a drawstring bag to just cinch up around the mag well.

 

[wired]

The 5.7x28 ballistics are meaningless if you are using them for what they were designed for and that is shooting pop cans. Its a toy. Not everything has to be a useful tool. They do work well for cleaning the lead out of a .22 silencer.

I had an upper for my SBR's and ran a thousand or so rounds through one. Worked well with the cheap ( $12 a box if you are a savvy shopper ) American eagle ammo. I loaded a few hundred subs and it cycled fine as well with subsonic 55 grain. Make sure you use the supplied buffer if you buy the upper assy to use on your lower. . First time I tok mine out I did a full mag dump in oh, about 3 seconds because I forgot to change the buffer. It didnt like that.

A hollowed out mag works just fine as a brass catcher.

 

[bolus]

People say that you can modify an aluminum mag and have the brass drop in it, but at the rate and amount of brass it expels, I like the evil plastic bag or one could possibly modify a drawstring bag to just cinch up around the mag well.

I have one of these but I forget it every time I got to the range

https://www.amazon.com/Caldwell-122...0_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ENTAZZEMDAKHN5TQSGKB

 

[wired]

Dont feel bad. They melt.

 

[partsed]

Time to fashion a 1 gallon can to the bottom of the mag well
Gives a new meaning to a bucket of shells!!

 

[The Heretic]

But the ammo is far more expensive and harder to find, and its ballistics are significantly inferior. The magazines are expensive and hard to find too. I think that those are the reasons why it has not become popular.

1) Ammo is 30 cents per round for Federal 40 gr. FMJ and 36 cents per round for JSP (ballistic tip) 40 gr FN when PSA has it on sale, which is every couple of weeks. That is quite comparable to 5.56x45 or 5.45x39 ammo of the same type. Not hard to find at all. You can order thousands of rounds, maybe tens of thousands of rounds. I order 500 at a time.

Ballistics are indeed inferior compared to 5.56, that is a given, but compare it to 5.56 from a 16" barrel (from the PS90), not a longer barrel, and keep in mind that the length and weight of the PS90 is significantly lighter than that of the AR (assuming comparing the PS90 to the AR, not the AR57 to an AR16).

2) The mags are not expensive or hard to come by. Either 30 or 50 round mags are $25 each. The 10 and 30 round mags can be easily modified to be 50 round mags with a hacksaw and file, or a cutoff tool and a grinder.

I used to believe those tropes too until I did my own research and stopped believing people in forums repeating what they heard on another forum.

 

[Medic!]

I have a PS-90 already. And a OA-93 with a 6-1/2'' barrel.
So no need for an AR57.

The OA-93 will shoot a 55 grain 5.56 at 2225 FPS. And is shorter in overall length.
So for a small penalty in weight for it's ammo vs the 5.7's. It's handier. And harder hitting.

The 40GR 197 round dose something like 1900FPS from the PS90.

 

[partsed]

I have a PS-90 already. And a OA-93 with a 6-1/2'' barrel.
So no need for an AR57.

The OA-93 will shoot a 55 grain 5.56 at 2225 FPS. And is shorter in overall length.
So for a small penalty in weight for it's ammo vs the 5.7's. It's handier. And harder hitting.

The 40GR 197 round dose something like 1900FPS from the PS90.

Show off!!!

 

[partsed]

Heretic or Medic, does someone made a mag loader other than the two that are attached to your arms??

 

[The Heretic]

I have a PS-90 already. And a OA-93 with a 6-1/2'' barrel.
So no need for an AR57.

The OA-93 will shoot a 55 grain 5.56 at 2225 FPS. And is shorter in overall length.
So for a small penalty in weight for it's ammo vs the 5.7's. It's handier. And harder hitting.

No buffer tube?

2300 fps 40 gr. from the PS90
2400 fps 55 gr from the AR pistol

Most AR pistols have a buffer tube which makes them comparable in length to the PS90.

I have not heard anybody call AR pistols in 5.56 a "toy" or inadequate, or a .22 magnum, but when you cut that barrel down it loses a lot of velocity - almost 1000 fps in some cases. The 7.62x39 does better in short barrels.

I am a fan of bullpups, and I got the PS90 for a family member who has problems with 7.62x39 due to health problems involving muscle control and other issues. Then I kind of found I liked it, especially the fact that I can take the rifle apart in a few seconds, put it in a large laptop case lass than 20" square, and put it back together quickly if I need it. I am thinking that if the S*** really hit the fan, I would prefer the PS90 over a Glock (although I would prefer both) in my GHB.

Eventually I may get the barrel cut down and an integral suppressor fitted such that it is still not an SBR (with suppressor, barrel still 18" long for an OAL of 26"). I would still prefer something in 7.62x39, but for the purpose the rifle is designed for - a PDW for someone who isn't a "front line" fighter, something better than a sidearm, compact and light, I think it does that job well.

I could see it as a rifle to carry inside a vehicle or on a bicycle/motorcycle, or while working on the property - out cutting firewood or gathering veggies from the garden. With 50 rds to start off with, and maybe two more mags on my person, it would hopefully give me time to get inside my house and take cover when I would have more powerful rifles.

 

[The Heretic]

Heretic or Medic, does someone made a mag loader other than the two that are attached to your arms??

Not that I know of.

But once you get the hang of it, the mag isn't hard to load.

 

[partsed]

Oak Gove Guns in Eugene had an AR57 complete upper for sale today at the show in Albany for $675.00
I did what my dad always told me when I was a little kid--look but don't touch, if I did it might have followed me home..

 

[mjbskwim]

I have one. I just purchased an upper. Fully loaded rifle with just BUIS is just over 6 pounds which I think that with the 50 rounds is what it has for an advantage.

recoil does feel like a 22. I disagree with Lance about the magazines. AR57 have their own branded mags that are easy to find and I've never paid over $20 for them. The FN ones are more expensive of course because elves in Belgium make them I think. There are some $10 range ones but they suck.

Here is my stepson being a goofball with the exaggerated C clamp grip and using a doggie turd bag to catch the brass that gets ejected out the mag well

View attachment 312875

Is that Quasymoto in that pic or a Magpul wannabee instructor?

 

[U8395279]

I used to believe those tropes too until I did my own research and stopped believing people in forums repeating what they heard on another forum.

You assume WWWAAAYYY, WWWAAAYYY too much here, as I seriously considered buying the PS90 some years ago. But after looking at availability and cost for ammo and mags, and comparing the ballistics, I just could not justify why I should own one, if I also owned an AR15.

When would I want to use a PS90 or AR57, over an AR15? I could not come up with such a scenario in my mind. Both test data and real world shooting data on the 57 cartridge is lacking. Certainly it is a world of difference when compared to what we know about the abilities of the 5.56mm. That cartridge has been studied to death.

I'm not the type of person to swallow whole what I hear others say on online forums. And I find it to be rather rude of you to imply that of me, together with your little icon of rolling eyes. So much of the advice and info that I see being shared in numerous forums of different types is junk, in my opinion. It is often purely subjective in nature, without any real facts.

Now I admit that I did my looking into this a few years ago, so perhaps some things have changed and improved since then, and my comments are now outdated. Maybe it is easier to find the ammo and 50 round mags now. But when I looked for them, they were not at all easy to locate. Especially the 50 round mags. And truly, that is really the only significant advantage that I can see that the 57 has, is that it is quite practical and ergonomic to have a 50 round mag with such a little cartridge.

So I was initially interested and a bit enamoured of the 57 cartridge when I first looked into it. But the more I looked, and thought about what role it would serve, I just could not come up with enough in the way of any logical reasons to buy one.

Sometimes people look into a gun, and simply decide that the gun is not for them.

If others like yourself are happy with the 57, that is fine with me.

But it is not my personal cup of tea, for the many reasons that I have stated.
.

 

[The Heretic]

As I said, the ballistics suffer compared to the 556 from a 16 to 20 inch barrel, but when compared to an AR pistol, which is about the same size as the PS90, then not near as much. Do some research into how much velocity is lost in 556 when shot from an 8 to 12 inch barrel, quite a bit.

The cost/availability of ammo and mags - those I stand by. Despite some people selling privately for inflated prices, I can today and have in the past, ordered ballistic tip ammo for 36 cents a round in quantities of 500+ and could have ordered quite a bit more. I got two mags with my PS90 and a coupon for three more from FN, which eventually came in the mail. There are mags out there to buy, but that is 250 rounds, more than a battle load to carry.

As I said, the reason I bought the rifle was for a family member who has health problems who can't handle intermediate/full power full sized rifles. I would personally prefer an AK over the PS90, but as something I would carry in my rig for a get home weapon I wouldn't shun it. For me, it isn't an either/or choice, I can have both.