FN PS90 - any good?

[EHJ]

I'm all in on 5.7
The handgun and bullpup and enough rounds of flavors to shoot out both barrels... And then the ammo-pocolypse happened. So I can see that as a huge deterrent for new adopters. I have the 3rd gen Ringsight and couldn't be happier. (No longer imported...) If EliteAmmunition gets back up and running - he does wonders with his reload/spent cartridge swap deal. Only reload I'll trust. As for the shellac on the cases - its there to keep them from sticking in the chambers after firing... Pressures that high on a pencil thin necked cartridge would otherwise stick like a b*t*h without the help...
The barrels are tough. Short PS90's are sexy. I'm also a lefty with rifles so that was a big consideration for me as well.

Edit: If you do keep your spent casings, treat them well and they can be reloaded by someone who knows the eccentricities... Don't clean or tumble them! The shellac coating is usually good for another round or 2. 5.7 loaders only gently wash them in simple green, etc. to keep the integrity of the coating.

 

[The Heretic]

I had a PS90, only complaint was the trigger. Someone developed a modification that did help but not enough for me.

As far as 5.7x28 goes, I liked the round so I ended up with a 10" AR57 upper on an AR15 SBR'd lower, not a 'pup but very compact.

Tried the first gen Tavor, mine was surprisingly inaccurate so it went away.

Ended up with a Steyr Aug which I still have and will never sell, runs real good and shoots just fine.

IIRC there are several people developing triggers for the PS90 - Or have developed - that are improvements. One is an aluminum trigger (Man Kave). Just like many other rifles.

One of the good things about the PS90 is that it is popular and that there is some aftermarket support out there for it.

 

[The Heretic]

One of the things some people have noticed is that the Federal AE FMJ ammo is not reliable?

The problems I have noticed is that the projectile gets crooked in the neck of the case and causes jams. Good for teaching clearing drills and I do not rely on FMJ ammo for defense, it is practice ammo and only used for defense if I don't have any expanding ammo.

 

[The Heretic]

As far as 5.7x28 goes, I liked the round so I ended up with a 10" AR57 upper on an AR15 SBR'd lower, not a 'pup but very compact.

I wish CMMG made an upper that would take the PS90 mag instead of the FiveSeven mag.

 

[JohnFay]

Fantastic little bullpup, hamstrung by cartridge availability/exclusivity! I understand more manufactures are starting to produce munitions for this, but it's S-L-O-W in coming! Keep in mind, this is a very nich type firearm, and as long as you stay with it's narrow field of intent, it's hard to find an equal! They re damn fun to shoot, and surprisingly accurate!

What he said! Also you need to be carful when selecting an optic. The mounting position is way up high on this gun, and you end up with a limited range of where the optic will be accurate. For example. I have mine set up with a holographic site and at 100 yards it is near perfect. At 25? Not so much!

 

[The Heretic]

What he said! Also you need to be carful when selecting an optic. The mounting position is way up high on this gun, and you end up with a limited range of where the optic will be accurate. For example. I have mine set up with a holographic site and at 100 yards it is near perfect. At 25? Not so much!

It depends on the generation of the rifle and there are mounts that mitigate the issue for some rifles.

Scope Mounts

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PS90 Ultra Low Optics Mounts

The FN PS90 is a very unique and interesting carbine with many wonderful attributes. Unfortunately, the original factory ring sight leaves a lot to be desired. Picatinney rails are available for se…

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The ring sight, if you can get one and it fits, helps.

Lasers are also an issue - I haven't tried changing the laser point of aim, but mounted on the side rail of my triple rail rifle, the laser shows a good 4-5" to one side or the other. Not sure yet if there is enough elevation to fix that (the laser/light is mounted horizontally, so I would need to use the elevation adjustment).

 

[jnynetwk]

If you can find them in stock, you can get magazines for the PS90 at gunmagwarehouse for $12. I bought some a few years ago and today I'm regretting not buying more. https://gunmagwarehouse.com/kci-p90-ps90-5-7x28mm-50-round-magazine.html

I think the worst thing about the PS90 is how long it takes you to load the 50 round magazine. But it is really fun to empty!

 

[The Heretic]

Personally, I won't touch KCI or SGM mags made in Korea - they got a bad reputation.

Maybe they have improved, maybe not, but I won't buy them.

 

[Member 34319]

It's one of those firearms I always wanted one, but never bought one.

This, always this. Wanted one solely for playing Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 growing up as a kid. Never got one mostly due to caliber being expensive. Maybe one day....

 

[Dorian LeClair]

Small arms solutions does a excellent in depth look at the fn ps90. Highly recommend watch on youtube. He had issues with American eagle ammo.

 

[The Heretic]

Small arms solutions does a excellent in depth look at the fn ps90. Highly recommend watch on youtube. He had issues with American eagle ammo.

Most people do. My experience has been that the projectile comes loose in the case mouth. Makes for good practice clearing a malfunction. I read somewhere that Federal doesn't actually make the AE 5.7 ammo, that it is Fiocchi?

As for his review, he starts off with the flawed assumption that 5.7x28 == .22 WMR re ballistics, which is not true.

 

[Dorian LeClair]

Most people do. My experience has been that the projectile comes loose in the case mouth. Makes for good practice clearing a malfunction. I read somewhere that Federal doesn't actually make the AE 5.7 ammo, that it is Fiocchi?

As for his review, he starts off with the flawed assumption that 5.7x28 == .22 WMR re ballistics, which is not true.

Military arms channel does a comparison between 5.7×28 and .22wmr. There is not a big difference. 5.7×28 just slightly better ballistics.

 

[The Heretic]

KT PMR30 - 40 gr WMR - 1230 fps

Five Seven - 5.7x28

FNH SS195 LF	27.5 gr​	2040​	​
FNH SS197 SR	40 gr​	1749​	​

The 5.7x28 does better than the .22 WMR in shorter barrels, and a bit better in longer barrels:

	PS90 - 16" barrel	CMR30 - 16" barrel
Length, deployed​	26.2″​	30.6″​
Length, collapsed​	26.2″​	22.7″​
Weight, empty​	6.3lbs​	3.8lbs​
Magazine Capacity​	50​	30​
Ambidextrous controls?​	Yes​	Yes​
Ejection direction​	Down​	Right​
Accuracy (with magnified sights)​	1.5MOA​	1.5MOA​
Ammunition cost, per round​	45c to 60c​	32c to 50c​
Muzzle velocity, with 40gr bullets​	2100fps​	1950fps​

FN PS90 vs. Kel-Tec CMR30 - AllOutdoor.com

FN PS90 has long been the most popular PDW derivative in the US, in part because most of its competitors are unavailable except as awkward stockless “pistols.” This summer, Kel-Tec CMR 30, a 22WMR autoloader, finally became available for sale. In military use, rimfire arms had gone out of...

www.alloutdoor.com

 

[EHJ]

Military arms channel does a comparison between 5.7×28 and .22wmr. There is not a big difference. 5.7×28 just slightly better ballistics.

Take 2 milk jugs filled with water...
Shoot them both, one with a .22 WMR - the other a 5.7.
The differences in results are amazing - even with similar coefficients.
Ballistics is one thing, real-life kinetics is another.

 

[CountryGent]

One word of caution since it was referenced; the CMR30 we had was a steaming pile of goat plop that produced multiple malfunctions every magazine. Two trips back to the factory and it still wouldn't work with any ammo or any magazine. I'll never buy another Kel-Tec again. YMMV.

 

[Camelfilter]

KT PMR30 - 40 gr WMR - 1230 fps

Five Seven - 5.7x28

​

FNH SS195 LF	27.5 gr​	2040​	​
FNH SS197 SR	40 gr​	1749​	​

The 5.7x28 does better than the .22 WMR in shorter barrels, and a bit better in longer barrels:

	PS90 - 16" barrel	CMR30 - 16" barrel
Length, deployed​	26.2″​	30.6″​
Length, collapsed​	26.2″​	22.7″​
Weight, empty​	6.3lbs​	3.8lbs​
Magazine Capacity​	50​	30​
Ambidextrous controls?​	Yes​	Yes​
Ejection direction​	Down​	Right​
Accuracy (with magnified sights)​	1.5MOA​	1.5MOA​
Ammunition cost, per round​	45c to 60c​	32c to 50c​
Muzzle velocity, with 40gr bullets​	2100fps​	1950fps​

FN PS90 vs. Kel-Tec CMR30 - AllOutdoor.com

FN PS90 has long been the most popular PDW derivative in the US, in part because most of its competitors are unavailable except as awkward stockless “pistols.” This summer, Kel-Tec CMR 30, a 22WMR autoloader, finally became available for sale. In military use, rimfire arms had gone out of...

www.alloutdoor.com

Take 2 milk jugs filled with water...
Shoot them both, one with a .22 WMR - the other a 5.7.
The differences in results are amazing - even with similar coefficients.
Ballistics is one thing, real-life kinetics is another.

There are likely more reliability issues with WMR as compared with 5.7 as well.

Can't confirm first hand, mind, as we have no WMR firearms. However just considering feed & failure to fire. Sure, reputable branded WMR would likely be far more reliable strike/ignition wise, however they are what they are.

Have never had a failure to fire in any 5.7/PS90, and the only feed issues we've experienced were with AE.

 

[The Heretic]

 

[bikemutt]

One word of caution since it was referenced; the CMR30 we had was a steaming pile of goat plop that produced multiple malfunctions every magazine. Two trips back to the factory and it still wouldn't work with any ammo or any magazine. I'll never buy another Kel-Tec again. YMMV.

That sucks, my PMR30 and CMR30 run like Swiss watches. I did have a KelTec RFB that was a joke, after 2 trips back to the factory, I threw in the towel.

 

[clanhanson]

I had a PS90, only complaint was the trigger. Someone developed a modification that did help but not enough for me.

As far as 5.7x28 goes, I liked the round so I ended up with a 10" AR57 upper on an AR15 SBR'd lower, not a 'pup but very compact.

Tried the first gen Tavor, mine was surprisingly inaccurate so it went away.

Ended up with a Steyr Aug which I still have and will never sell, runs real good and shoots just fine.

Hello fellow AUG enthusiast. When AR owners complain about a 7 pound trigger, I just laugh and enjoy my 9.7 pound AUG trigger with its awesome break. Heck, I like the PS90 trigger. My LWRC AR has a heavy trigger and it's the bee's knees.

 

[CountryGent]

Today's Forgotten Weapons video may be of interest.