UPDATE: FNH Gun Blew Up In Owner’s Hand Because He Used Reloaded Ammo
A gun exploded in a customer’s hands and the manufacturer doesn’t seem to care, according to a graphic post by f3rr37 in the FivesevenForums. He wrote, “On the 2nd round I realigned my sights, slowly pulled the trigger, and all hell broke loose. I saw bits and pieces of the top of the slide cover blow. My first reaction was, “Oh crap what just happened.” My second reaction was, how are my hands?” F3rr37 sough medical attention and two days later contacted Five-seveN customer support. After a series of followup calls, Five-seveN said they were sending out a pre-paid packing slip for the gun and would inspect it, destroy it, and give f3rr37 a “deep discount” on a new gun. A month later, none of these promises have materialized. F3rr37 thinks the problem with the gun is that it fired “out of battery,” and that the problem with Five-seveN is that they just wish he would go away. Which is odd, considering that they are supposed to have a great reputation for being customer friendly. F3rr37 pledges, “Until they make this right, I will never buy another FN product again and will continue to share my experience with what happens when a FiveseveN fires out-of-battery.”
FN FiveseveN Warning [FivesevenForum]
UPDATE: F3rr37 reports that Five-seveN has contacted him and promises they’re sending a pre-paid packing slip and will be sending him a new handgun free of charge.
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FN also produces the M-16 family under license in Canada (as thr C7 and its shorter cousin the c8). They are essentially in between the M-16A1 and A2 – basicall all of the A2 improvements except the full auto of the A1 (ie lieu of burst).
I read a few pages from that FN forum, am I not understanding something here? This guy says that the gun’s hammer will drop if the bullet is not completely in the battery. Kind of like a bolt not completely closing. But this guy is only able to duplicate the situation by pulling back the slide and “slowly creeping the slide forward”? Is slowly manipulating the slide forward representative of real world use?
It sounds like the round didn’t completely cycle into the chamber, maybe the brass was expanded? On one hand I can see the case for blaming the victim for using reloads. But on the other hand the gun should have had some kind of failsafe for not firing unless the round was completely seated. In Glocks there’s a firing pin block that won’t be disengaged unless the trigger is pulled and the slide is completely forward. Maybe a five-seven owner can elaborate?
All you handload critics, please reread the original post. No where in
it does he say he was using handloads. He doesn’t reference ammo type AT
ALL. You surely can screw up a handload, it’s also possible to get bad
factory ammo; doesn’t happen very often but it can happen. All the
“experts” who can analyze what happened and why by looking at the photo
shouldn’t be wasting time on this, they should be making millions
working for product liability lawyers as expert witnesses.
@xtc46: Incorrect.
If firearms were regulated exactly as much as automobiles, I would be able to buy a machinegun on ebay, have it shipped to me as freight, and use it legally on my own property without ever filling out a government form.
I would be able to carry my machinegun in public if I passed a simple test on local state firearms laws, and demonstrated a little proficiency at the range.
Are you sure you want firearms regulated like automobiles?
@ShalakaFeardie:
What was this then?
FTA: On Saturday, April 12, 2008, at 1528HRS I was out target shooting and testing some ammunition that I had reloaded. Before anyone says, “It was a reload, he probably double charged it!” let me say this:
I did not double charge this load, everything was well within specifications.
I had loaded 200 rounds of the following:
Bullet: Hornady 55grain FMJ BT
Case: Once (a couple might have been twice) fired 5.7x28mm brass
Primer: Winchester Small Rifle
Powder: Ramshot TrueBlue 5.0grains
Case Length: 1.128in + or – .002in
OAL: 1.580in + or – .003in
Yep, Marsneedsrabbits, it looks like a handload. You KaBoom your pistol on a handload and the manufacturer ain’t responsible.
I handload myself … some of my firearm have spendy ammo requirements.
I ain’t going to go cry to the manufacturer if one of my loads blows up in my face.
@ValentineCastor:
Naw, you could easily get the IOM back in 2003 and even then you regularly saw the Tactical model for sale used from dealers who had purchased them as samples. Nothing restricts their ability to sell those guns to the public. Either way, his is an IOM which was readily available. I would know, I bought 2 but now carry a USG.
@Simply_J:
I would be happy to elaborate. He demonstrates where he claims the 5.7 will fire when the slide is out of battery. He demonstrates this on a 5.7 USG (not the model that exploded), which I know for a fact do not do that because I tested it myself. 5.7 USG will not fire out of battery, and neither will my IOM (the kind that exploded). they do have a disconnect that prevents out of battery firing.
His test, if he is correct (which I doubt), simulates real world conditions in two ways: 1. whenever you chamber a round there is a chance it does not seat properly. should you need to fire your gun it will fire out of battery and explode in your face, like it did with him. 2. God forbid you should need to use your 5.7 against another human being. If you did need to in a self-defense situation, close quarters combat would sometimes require pressing the barrel of a 5.7 against an attacker’s body. If the guy is correct the shot will explode in his face, rendering the gun useless despite the fact that the assailant has not been neutralized, getting you killed.
That said, I think he is wrong about out of battery firing in general, and therefore I think the problem here is his poorly made reloads. These explosions are almost always reloaded ammo’s fault.
Another little factoid to consider I see at my local range often that contributes to out of battery misfires. Gun nuts (the REAL nuts not just those that own and like firearms) will try to unload a magazine as fast as they can. Many times the next round will not seat properly and BOOM explosion. I am alos a member of a local gun club and we have banned quick firing for this reason and that the shots are not properly aimed and dangerous to anyone around.
@hypochondriac:
> My excuse is I live in NY so can someone explain what an
out-of-battery malfunction is.
And out of battery malfunction is one that occurs when the slide/breech
and barrel are not securely locked together. The gun in question is
what’s known as a short recoil tilt barrel design. When the slide is
fully forward the barrel is locked to the slide by an ledge on the
barrel near the front of the chamber holding the cartridge. When the gun
fires, the barrel and slide recoil together for a short distance still
locked together. This keeps the chamber sealed until the high pressure
has mostly bled out the front (muzzle) of the barrel. As the slide
continues to recoil, the barrel is cammed down and unlocks from the
slide. Now that pressure is at a safe level, the slide continues
rearward, extracting and ejecting the fired case. The slide then moves
back forward picking up another cartridge from the magazine and pushing
it into the chamber. As the cartridge is pushed fully into the chamber,
the barrel is now pushed forward, cams upward, and is locked once again
to the slide. Theoretically, the gun cannot fire until the slide and
barrel have locked together. But if, somehow, they are NOT locked
together i.e, not in battery, there is nothing to prevent the high
pressure gases (about 40,000psi for the cartridge in question) from
blowing out the relatively weak brass case head and wreaking havoc with
anything in the immediate vicinity of the breech. Usually in a handgun
the damage is limited to blowing the magazine out the bottom, perhaps
bending and/or bulging the slide, maybe bending frame rails. The amount
of damage done to that FiveSevenN is relatively greater than usual.
Firearms engineers and designers go to great lengths to prevent
out-of-battery malfunctions. Cams, links, levers, etc. are used so that
the trigger/firing mechanism is disabled unless and until the gun is
fully locked in battery. Most often when an out-of-battery malfunction
occurs it’s the result of a “slam fire” where the gun fires as the
cartridge is seated: this is usually because the gun is way too dirty
and fouling has caused the firing pin to stick or jam in place causing
it to hit the cartridge as the cartridge is loaded. But in the case
here, if it was truly an out-of-battery issue, the gun fired when the
trigger was pulled, something that should not have happened if it was
out of battery. That would indicated a manufacturing error or prior
damage to the gun disabling the built-in safety mechanisms designed to
prevent that.
The above is probably a lot more information than you wanted to know but
I hope it cleared up your question.
@ViperBorg:
Kimber 1911 FTW for me.
im too lazy to read the OP in its entirety…
don’t forget that if a primer is not seated correctly in a reload, it doesn’t matter what functions the gun has to prevent out of battery firing.
I’m with the “reloading failure” crowd on this one. Examining my spent 5.7
brass as fired from a PS 90 I can see stress cracks in many cases. Reloading
can be very safe, but I think this cartridge runs too close to the edge in
blowback weapons and destroys the brass as it is fired. In a bolt gun or
locked breach weapon it ought to do just fine.
And what’s with the ammo cost complaints? I can routinely get a
box of 50 rounds for $20 or at most $23 bucks, compared to most other
“premium” cartridges it’s a bargain! Compare to the price of 30 carbine
Winchester hollow points for instance at $40 per box of 50, or any premium
handgun self defense load at about $1 per shot.
Thomas Smith
Some people call the midwest the heartland, I prefer to think of it as the
liver or kidneys.
Not too interesting or romantic, and easy to ignore until they stop working.
@FalinKaploofah:
You know I do not think it has a drop barrel. Mine does not incline at all. Isn’t it delayed blowback with an inertia disconnect for slide/barrel assembly?
There are fewer anti-gunners in this thread than I thought there would be.
He needs to get the opinions of some master-gunsmiths with no connection to FN before he gives up on the idea of a lawsuit. If the neck of the case was in fact blown straight, then it probably did fire out of battery. But only someone with a hell of a lot of experience could state that with certainty.
How is this any better than a airbag going off in your face for no reason? Fiveseven should be liable for their defective gun (this should not have happened under any circumstances).
I would be seeking a settlement or at least pressing charges under endangerment or reckless endangerment.
As some of you have seen a little video made by one of his buddies that is trying to make a living on reloading.
Only 1 huge problem with this the 5.7 is a delayed back system, the round, barrel and breach will move to the rear .152 and if you look at the calibers they are reading around .135 meaning it is still in battery.
The one that reloaded this has made so many mistakes and refuses to accept responsibility or for that fact to seriously consider his own errors.
Reloading any round is not to be taken lightly, but this one is not one to mess with.
Some of his reloading problems
1. Used a Powder that has no load data for that round.
2. Used a boat tail bullet and it is published not to
3. Used a hand held press to resize by Lee which is not rigid enough to securely set back the shoulder case by .05
4. Reloaded when the manufacture recommends against it.
5. Used a heaver bullet then there is load published data for, which will increase pressures ! hmmm !
Are you seeing a pattern here?
He ignores published warnings.
He should consider himself lucky and move on and thankfully that it was not family or a friend he was showing off for and them being harmed.
Following is my letter to FNH, please update this article to reflect
recent changes.
Thank You,
-Jake
To Whom This May Concern,
I am writing this letter in request of Tommy Thacker per our
conversation on this date at 7:38PM Pacific Standard Time, requesting
“nothing but the facts†of the incident that happened on April 12, 2008,
while I was out target shooting my FNH FiveseveN IOM pistol.
On Saturday, April 12, 2008, at 1528HRS I was out target shooting and
testing some ammunition that I had reloaded.
I had loaded 200 rounds of the following:
Bullet: Hornady 55grain FMJ BT
Case: Once (a couple might have been twice) fired 5.7x28mm brass
Primer: Winchester Small Rifle
Powder: Ramshot TrueBlue 5.0grains
Case Length: 1.128in + or – .002in
OAL: 1.580in + or – .003in
I load every single round by hand using a Lee hand press, RCBS 5-0-5
Scale, RCBS calipers, RCBS seating die, etc… Each round is placed in
front of me with plenty of lighting while I am measuring powder, then
after all powder is measured and placed in the cases I inspect the case
for powder, as even 1.0grains more or less is quite easy to see, then
placed in the hand press, topped off with a bullet, and then the bullet
is seated. If the powder was double charged it would fill up into the
base of the case’s neck. Like I said, cases are inspected for overcharges.
Back to the accident. I had fired 66 rounds all reloads of various
bullets (Hornady 40grain VMAX, pulled 28grain HP from SS195LF, Hornady
55grain FMJ). My 2nd 20round magazine I fired 5 rounds of 40VMAX I had
some failure-to-eject (these were loaded with HS-6, I’ve had problems
with that powder causing FTE), then tossed the magazine so I could pull
those bullets and reload them with Ramshot TrueBlue. After that I fired
20 rounds off the 28grain bullets, all of which functioned flawlessly
with Ramshot TrueBlue powder. The next magazine of 20 rounds was the
55grain FMJ with the load data above. The first magazine fired
flawlessly, I even noted in my reloading book that it I might want to
try loading to 5.1grains and see how they functioned. The 2nd magazine
is when I ran into the malfunction, the first round fired like the
previous 20, the it happened.
On the 2nd round I realigned my sights, slowly pulled the trigger and
the gun literally exploded in my hands. I saw bits and pieces of the top
of the slide cover blow. My first reaction was, “Oh crap what just
happened.” My second reaction was, how are my hands, I released my grip
with my left hand (off-hand) and blood was trailing down my palm
dripping off my hand. I could see 2 sources of the blood flow, one on my
thumb and the other the web of my hand. I tossed down my FiveseveN into
the grass in front of me and inspected my right hand. My right hand
faired much better than my left, a small spot on the tip of my thumb.
I immediately pulled my cellphone out of my pocket and called my wife
who had just arrived at my father’s residence where I was at, I was
~1/2mi from the house. I told her to tell my dad to get out here, my gun
just exploded, he quickly arrived and assessed my injuries. We went back
to the house, cleaned my hand up a bit, bandaged it up, and went to the
hospital ~40minutes away with my wife and mother-in-law.
Spent about 2 hours at the hospital getting 1 stitch in the web of my
hand and 2 xrays. The xrays revealed a chunk of brass in the middle of
my hand between my index and middle finger, and two very small peices
between my index finger knuckle and the web of my hand. I have gone to a
surgeon to see about getting the large piece of brass removed from my
hand but he cautioned against it as it would cause more damage taking it
out than leaving it in, as it is embedded into the muscle in my hand a
probably isn’t going to go anywhere so there isn’t any worry about it
moving around and slicing tendons and such.
I initially lost feeling in over 50% of my index finger and my thumb
felt like it had been hit by a hammer and had numbness for about a week.
I have gained some feeling back in my finger and am at ~35% complete
numbness now.
My FN FiveseveN IOM is a complete loss, the magazine is still inside the
grip, the remaining 18 rounds were forced out of the bottom of the magazine.
After looking over my FiveseveN I came to the conclusion that it had
fired out-of-battery. There is 0 damage to the chamber and barrel that I
can see. From what I can figure the round fired (out-of-battery) and the
case was able to hold the pressure enough to allow the bullet to clear
the barrel and the case wall gave way in the rear because it wasn’t
being supported by the chamber. The expanding case broke off at the neck
while being extracted and as you can see from the photos above the whole
back end of the case gave way. One chunk of brass is embedded into the
right side of the grip, I almost had a matching chunk of brass in my
right hand, but the grip stopped it.
After talking with a few friends and showing them my new paper weight
they came to the same conclusion. Ryan from Elite Ammunition
(www.eliteammunition.com, Custom 5.7x28mm Ammunition, both reloaded and
virgin brass loads) also concluded that the cause was from it firing
out-of-battery. He also stated that he has observed that with the
FiveseveN the hammer will drop at up to 1/4inch out-of-battery.
I contacted Robert Ailes the Customer Support Manager at FN,
703-288-3500 ext 122, roberta@fnhusa.com, on the 14th of April and told
him my situation. He told me that he would talk to his boss about it and
contact me the next day. Also told me that since I was shooting reloads
that the warranty on my gun is void.
Next day, no phone call, so I called after hours and left a message for
him to please return my call and gave him my cellphone number. So around
noon on the 16th he called me and told me that “someone” would be
contacting me soon. I asked when they might be contacting me and he said
he did not know, but they would be in touch. I also asked how much it
would be to just get it fixed/replaced and he said he didn’t know, I
would have to talk to the person who will contact me. I was expecting a
call from FN’s legal team…
April 28th… I called and left a message for him, asking him what the
situatino was and when/if someone was going to contact me. At this point
I pretty much felt as if they were just waiting for me to go away so
they wouldn’t have to deal with the situation.
April 29th… Rober Ailes returned my call and said the best they could
do for me was send me a pre-paid packing slip that would be here by
Thursday (May 1st) to ship the gun to them so it could be looked at,
held for 30 days, then destroyed. I asked if I could get it back after
they looked at it, and he said no and that it would be destoryed. He
also offered me a “deep discount” on a new gun, but gave no details as
to how much it would be.
I’ve been in contact with Tommy Thacker over the past few days via
fivesevenforum.net, voicemail, and our conversation tonight. I never
once wanted to blame FN for my problem, however after reviewing my
original post, what I posted and what I really meant didn’t not come out
to be the same, for that I apologize profusely for. When I talked to
Tommy I told him 2 or 3 times what my intent was with my post and he
told me that that is what he got from my post. My post was out of
frustration in the abundance of broken promises that I had received. I
wanted to see if someone else could get more information than I could
from FNH, because from the half dozen telephone calls that were made and
received I had been told numerous things and they never happened. I
never asked for anything from FNH, I just wanted to know if someone
would want to take a look at what happen to help me understand further
what caused this problem.
I will post this response to FNH on fivesevenforum and other places I
posted. I will also do my best to contact any other places that my
incident has been posted to.
I thank you for your time and sorry for any inconveniences that I have
caused Robert Ailes, Tommy Thacker, and anyone else at FNH. I tried
making clear in my post that all I posted was my observation and nothing
more. It seems that this was blown out of proportion and beyond the
control of the forum, myself, and FNH.
========
End of Letter
========
I talked with Tommy tonight, he said FNH wanted to take care of the
problem, send me a new gun w/no questions asked. All they asked is that
I send them a letter of nothing but the “facts” and they will send me a
pre-paid slip to return the gun and they will inspect it and replace by
gun for me at no cost.
I want to publicly thank everyone here, and everyone at FNH for their
time and effort that was put into this. A lot has happened in the past
few days and this has blown way out of proportion.
If anyone got from my original post that I was putting the blame on FN,
my intentions were not such. Tommy even acknowledged that he did not
feel that from my original post.
They are investigating and doing their own testing to see if an OOB fire
is possible given all the variables of the situation.
I will try and update everyone as things happen.
Again, thank you all,
-Jake
buy a plastic gun…smart.
sure am glad i own my Springfield XD9, the gun that out glocks the glock.
Technical point:
The pistol did not blow up, the ammunition blew up. It was a faulty or mis-loaded round of ammunition that caused his injuries and he should be blaming the company that produced the rounds.
@fuchikoma:
yes there is a semi auto carbine version of the P90
@ValentineCastor:
in canada the 5.7 is a banned weapon last time i checked but i have seen both the pistol and the semi-auto carbine version of the p90 available in the states
i would imagine that the reloading dies would be astronomical in cost considering that the round is not all that common compared to the .40 or .45 or other ammunition commonly used
@Ash78: “Hmmmm. I always question the time frames, just as the attorneys do in trial.
Ash78 sough medical attention and called Five-seveN customer support from the ER to bitch them out and demand a settlement”
Your reading comprehension is lacking. He got shrapnel embedded in his hand, he didn’t lose a limb. He was probably in and out in the same afternoon.
I Feel I’m somewhat of a expert on reloading. Reloading for any “bottleneck
case” in a semi auto brings numerous dangers. I have reloaded for
competition 10,000′s rounds for AR – M1A. You need to know exactly what your
doing. There are numerous Kabooms reasons. In my opinion this was not an
“out of battery or slam fire”. I own a 5and 7 and I will not reload for it
Period!!!! The pressure for this handgun equal rifles. Where a 308 in a bolt
gun can go to 60000 lbs but an M1A should not be loaded over 50000. There is
so much the posters don’t understand. This case is extremely sensitive to
many factors. The 223 is too but not like this little round. I remember 223
rounds I made up for 600 & 1000 yds. at Perry, in March, but blew primers in
85 degree plus August. This guy was using a 55 gr bullet – way to heavy. It
may have been jammed in rifleing ( the ogive or profile of bullet was not
proper for the leade of the chamber)increasing pressures dramatically. The
5& 7 is designed to have the shoulder set back an amazing .05 not like most
bottle necks of .006 t0 .004!!! He did not have gauges to measure this. I
set my match rounds back .004 giving .001 brass spring back. But I have
“cast my chambers” and have all my chamber measurements down to .0000! There
are many more things an amateur could miss. Reloading for a “bottleneck high
pressure round is not for idiots” I have read all the threads on 5 & 7
forums most do not understand reloading for what is basically a high
pressure rifle round. I understand this, and I will not reload this tiny
case that gives absolutely no quarter for error. If you want more info
e-mail me. Lots of wrong stuff in this thread you can buy an AR pistol….
Reloading for a rifle you can get away with a lot
I see this has not been updated so I will with this post from FNH after inspecting the gun.
As you can read and see Jake created the KB.
It was not out of battery when it fired and was duplicated with a double charge of powder, which he still replies in his forum he still does not think he did.
Experience comes with time, not just because you think you are.
quote..
Warning
DANGER CAUSED BY RELOADED AMMUNITION!
Subject: Five-seveN serial # 386102425
Date: 6-9-2008
The following conclusions are results from FNH USA’s evaluation of the Five-seveN serial # 386102425 sent in to our service facility after a failure using reloaded ammunition.
Upon examination of this pistol we were able to determine that it did not fire “out of battery” and the catastrophic failure exhibited in this example was clearly caused by excessive cartridge pressure generated by reloaded ammunition.
Our examination showed that the shoulder of the case was separated from the rest of the cartridge and it was left in place inside the chamber. The position of this piece of brass shows that the handgun was in full battery when the reloaded cartridge was fire and the excessive pressure occurred. Another indicator that confirmed our findings is the primer extruded back into the firing pin hole and a portion of the case head was stuck to the breech face. This was caused by brass flow back into the leaded chamber indicator hole.
Additionally there was serious damage to the slide assembly which is clear evidence of excessive pressure. The lower edge of the breech face was peeled away and the slide itself was deformed from the excessive pressure. The pressure that caused this damage exceeded OEM ammunition standards.
The FN ballistics laboratory was able to duplicate the catastrophic failure almost identically with 2x the load data provided by the consumer. In this test the shoulder of the cartridge was left in the chamber at the same position as #386102425, the slide was damaged in the exact same way as #386102425, and the cartridge case head seperated in the same manner with the brass flowing into the loaded chamber indicator hole.
The design of the Five-seveN pistol, being a recoil operated delayed blow back system, has key parameters that prevent an “out of battery” firing.
Our established testing data indicates the firing pin will not strike the primer of a cartridge after .1180 inch. of rearward slide travel. With the slide moved rearward .1540 – .1545 inch. (true out of battery limit), it is impossible for the firing pin to strike the primer, at this point the trigger lever does not actuate the lever of the firing pin safety. It was also noted in our examination that the firing pin safety was still fully functional on Five-seveN #386102425.
It is FNH USA’s finding that the catastrophic failure of Five-seveN #38610xxxx was due completely to excessive pressure caused by the reloaded ammunition and was not the result of an “out of battery” firing.
Please be aware that the owner’s manual for the Five-SeveN handgun clearly states on page 4 that FN Herstal declines any responsibility and invalidates any guarantee and liability claims for incidental or consequential damages (injuries, loss of property, commercial loss, lost of earnings and profits, …) resulting in whole ore partly from the use of reloaded ammunition.
If you have lost or misplaced your owners manual please contact our customer service department at 703-288-3500 x122 for a replacement.
Tommy Thacker
Product Manager
FNH USA, LLC.
end of quote ..
Here are the results from the Manufacture after inspecting and duplicating the accident.
quote—–
Warning
DANGER CAUSED BY RELOADED AMMUNITION!
Subject: Five-seveN serial # 386102425
Date: 6-9-2008
The following conclusions are results from FNH USA’s evaluation of the Five-seveN serial # 386102425 sent in to our service facility after a failure using reloaded ammunition.
Upon examination of this pistol we were able to determine that it did not fire “out of battery” and the catastrophic failure exhibited in this example was clearly caused by excessive cartridge pressure generated by reloaded ammunition.
Our examination showed that the shoulder of the case was separated from the rest of the cartridge and it was left in place inside the chamber. The position of this piece of brass shows that the handgun was in full battery when the reloaded cartridge was fire and the excessive pressure occurred. Another indicator that confirmed our findings is the primer extruded back into the firing pin hole and a portion of the case head was stuck to the breech face. This was caused by brass flow back into the leaded chamber indicator hole.
Additionally there was serious damage to the slide assembly which is clear evidence of excessive pressure. The lower edge of the breech face was peeled away and the slide itself was deformed from the excessive pressure. The pressure that caused this damage exceeded OEM ammunition standards.
The FN ballistics laboratory was able to duplicate the catastrophic failure almost identically with 2x the load data provided by the consumer. In this test the shoulder of the cartridge was left in the chamber at the same position as #386102425, the slide was damaged in the exact same way as #386102425, and the cartridge case head seperated in the same manner with the brass flowing into the loaded chamber indicator hole.
The design of the Five-seveN pistol, being a recoil operated delayed blow back system, has key parameters that prevent an “out of battery” firing.
Our established testing data indicates the firing pin will not strike the primer of a cartridge after .1180 inch. of rearward slide travel. With the slide moved rearward .1540 – .1545 inch. (true out of battery limit), it is impossible for the firing pin to strike the primer, at this point the trigger lever does not actuate the lever of the firing pin safety. It was also noted in our examination that the firing pin safety was still fully functional on Five-seveN #386102425.
It is FNH USA’s finding that the catastrophic failure of Five-seveN #38610xxxx was due completely to excessive pressure caused by the reloaded ammunition and was not the result of an “out of battery” firing.
Please be aware that the owner’s manual for the Five-SeveN handgun clearly states on page 4 that FN Herstal declines any responsibility and invalidates any guarantee and liability claims for incidental or consequential damages (injuries, loss of property, commercial loss, lost of earnings and profits, …) resulting in whole ore partly from the use of reloaded ammunition.
If you have lost or misplaced your owners manual please contact our customer service department at 703-288-3500 x122 for a replacement.
Tommy Thacker
Product Manager
FNH USA, LLC.
end of quote——-
“It’s nice to see that guns are starting to kill the people who are using them, rather than the bystanders.”
“The vast majority of people mentally cant handle shooting another person”
To reply to the quotes: I can kill anyone if it is them or the safety of my family. Second, we are talking about law abiding people target shooting not convicts killing good people. To wish harm on anyone that is just enjoying themselves legally is obsurd and offensive.
These quotes from this discussion are ridiculous and the people making them are idiots.
I have the 5.7 and it is the best pistol I have ever owned. Keep it clean and shoot factory ammo and you will be fine.
It appears the Owner exceeded the recommend MAP for reloading the 5.7x28mm. A 55gr bullet is too heavy for the gun given the chamber pressures. Several reloading sites state you should never chamber anything heavier than the a 40gr bullet with 6.3gr of powder in the pistol.