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Page Handguns » FN
Posted: 5/12/2017 2:25:07 PM EDT
As you may notice from my other posts on this forum I shoot Five seveN pistols quite a bit. On my weekly visit to the range I usually bring my Five seveN range gun, a USG that has a few thousand rounds through it. It is an adjustable sight model and I have it sighted in for my practice load the 40gr SS197.

When I just owned one Five seveN pistol (I currently own three), a MKII FDE with adjustable sights, it was clear to me it was sighted in at the factory with 27gr SS195. It was dead on with SS195. When I shot the less expensive SS197 40gr I found it hit between 3" to 4" low. It would take me 16 clicks of elevation adjustment to go between the two loads. I hated that because it was my carry gun and I didn't want to fool around with the sight adjustment every week because my carry load at the time was SS198, which is the same bullet as SS195 but loaded to 150fps hotter. However, they shoot to the same exact point of aim at pistol distances. So I would practice with the more expensive SS195 and leave the sight alone. That got very costly, so I decide to just by another Five seveN and sight it in for the cheaper SS197 40gr and practice solely with that gun and run a few rounds of SS195/198 through my carry gun a few times a year.

Over the last couple of years every time I would post that the 40gr SS197 shoots 4" lower 27gr SS195/198 everyone would scoff and say that is not possible. Well I have thousand of rounds through my Five seveNs and PS90. Probably somewhere around 20,000 rounds downrange. I shoot my 5.7x28 chambered guns pretty well, and practice a lot with them.

I have been meaning to do an actual test of the two rounds out of the same gun to show the difference. But every time I remembered I was at the range and only had SS197 with me. But today I remembered to bring a box of SS198 and my original Five seveN, a MKII FDE sighted in from the factory for SS195/198. I sent the target 10 yards downrange and I loaded 6 rounds of 27gr SS198 in the mag and 6 rounds of 40gr SS197. Both groups were shot Offhand at 10 yards. Here are the results, while clearly NOT 4" in every case, it is NOT far off. Realistically a good 3" difference in POI.



All MKII Five seveNs come from the factory with adjustable sights. The older USG model was available with both adjustable sights and fixed sights from the factory. They didn't make a ton of fixed sight models. My carry gun has the fixed night sights from the factory which I shoot quite well with and love for carry.

If you have a Five seveN be aware of the huge difference of Point of Impact between the different loads. There is some very serious elevation adjustment that needs to be done between the lighter and heavy loads for the Five seveN. For those of you who have been telling me there is no noticeable difference in POI between the two rounds have some practicing to do.

I now carry Elite Ammo T6B with a 32gr copper projectile. It is loaded hotter than SS198 and hit 1" higher than SS195/198. Since my carry gun has fixed sights I practice shooting 1" higher with it.
Link Posted: 5/13/2017 1:44:50 PM EDT
[#1]
That why years ago I set my sights between the points of impact and called good enough and have left the sights alone since.  But I had the 4" differential at 25 yards.
Link Posted: 5/13/2017 4:18:57 PM EDT
[#2]
Link Posted: 5/14/2017 8:10:34 AM EDT
[#3]
It's definitely a big difference. At 50 yds with the PS90 you'll flat out miss a 8" round steel hanger when sighted in with 198. Don't have enough rounds thru the pistol yet, but I did notice a POI difference on the first range trip with it.
Link Posted: 6/8/2017 12:32:36 PM EDT
[#4]
Can someone advise what a good training cheap round is that has a good defensive round that has matching POI?

Looking to pick one of these up but I don't want to have to deal with different sight pictures.
Link Posted: 6/8/2017 1:43:33 PM EDT
[#5]
Link Posted: 6/8/2017 2:41:26 PM EDT
[#6]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


That's one of the few down sides to the FN FiveseveN.

The only two really cheap choices are...

FN SS197 (Blue Tip)
Federal American Eagle

Both of which are loaded by Fiocchi in Ozark, MO using FN supplied brass. Both rounds are great for practice AND malfunction drills!!!!

The reason that both rounds I listed above shoot so low is they are loaded so lightly, even if they were reliable (they aren't), they aren't hot enough for serious use.

There are NUMEROUS loads that are great for serious use...

FN SS198 (Green Tip) - loaded in Belgium by FN
Elite Ammunition S4M, or T6b
I personally carry Elite S4M which Buffman has chronographed at over 2,400 fps out of the FiveseveN pistol.


And several others. It wouldn't hurt to check out the YouTube videos posted by Buffman of 5.7X28 loads. He has performed extensive testing of various loads.
View Quote
Thank you for the info!  So the current factory sights allow for enough adjustment to compensate for all the available loads?  

I was hoping to have a practice load that would match the duty type stuff, but there are worse problems to have.  I suppose thats why sights are adjustable, and can easily be marked.

Thanks again for the info.
Link Posted: 6/8/2017 5:05:52 PM EDT
[#7]
I shot both the 197 and 198 ammo yesterday from my Five-seveN and I achieved the same results as OP. I sighted mine for the 198 as that will be the carry ammo until I buy some other load from Elite or so.
Link Posted: 6/9/2017 10:42:44 AM EDT
[#8]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I shot both the 197 and 198 ammo yesterday from my Five-seveN and I achieved the same results as OP. I sighted mine for the 198 as that will be the carry ammo until I buy some other load from Elite or so.
View Quote
EA T6B hits about 1" higher than SS198.

Link Posted: 8/1/2017 9:58:11 PM EDT
[#9]
Shot my 5.7 pistol for the first time today with ss197sr, ss198lf, and American eagle.

In the 5.7 pistol, I had to bottom out my rear sight to get POI with ss198lf (redbox/Greentown) but the ss197sr and AE pretty much had the same POI but the sight needed raised significantly.

However...  ALL THREE had roughly the same POI in my Ps90 at about 25 yards.  Is it possible that the ss197sr and AE get "up to speed" in the longer barrel? Do they use a slower powder while the ss198lf (redbox) is designed for pistols?
Link Posted: 8/2/2017 10:26:41 AM EDT
[#10]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Shot my 5.7 pistol for the first time today with ss197sr, ss198lf, and American eagle.

In the 5.7 pistol, I had to bottom out my rear sight to get POI with ss198lf (redbox/Greentown) but the ss197sr and AE pretty much had the same POI but the sight needed raised significantly.

However...  ALL THREE had roughly the same POI in my Ps90 at about 25 yards. Is it possible that the ss197sr and AE get "up to speed" in the longer barrel? Do they use a slower powder while the ss198lf (redbox) is designed for pistols?
View Quote
Go on youtube. There are lots of chronograph tests that compare the different 5.7 loads through the pistol and rifle. But I find the POI at 25 yards with my PS90 SBR (10.3" barrel) is different with the 40gr rounds and SS198. Not quite as pronounced as with the pistol, but close.
Link Posted: 12/10/2017 12:05:01 PM EDT
[#11]
I just bought my first FiveseveN from a seller here recently, and love it. The different POI business is annoying, although I can't really complain much, since I have never even found any light/fast stuff to shoot yet.  Also, as I understand it, FN intends you to cover the target with the front sight post and use the dot as an aiming point.  Is that correct?   If I want to hit the end of a beer can, I cover half of it with the tip of the sight, while the top half of the can is visible.  The bullet goes dead center into the end of the can.  I don't want to completely hide the can and try to put the dot where I think I remember the target being.

Also, I didn't want the rear sight jacked up off of the slide so I could shoot the blue tip ammo.  I just milled the front sight down to about a .4" height, drilled another hole and dobbed white enamel in it.  It shoots dead on now with the sight picture I am accustomed to, and the rear sight is all the way down on the slide. (maybe 1-2 clicks up)

The downside is this precludes me from using the light ammo, since I have no down adjustment left.  If it ever becomes widely available and cheap, I will have to re-install a new factory front sight.

Page Handguns » FN
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