Smith & Wesson M&P 5.7

So What’s It Good For?

That’s a great question. The 5.7x28mm offers some pretty unconventional ballistics compared to more traditional centerfire pistol rounds. When properly stoked it really does produce unrivalled penetration. While some might denigrate the round’s stopping power, I suspect they have never been chased by somebody wielding 23 of them. The trim nature of the chassis does make the gun easy to conceal. I packed it underneath my scrubs at work for a couple weeks and can attest it is no more onerous than any other service-size concealed carry firearm. The svelte lateral dimensions actually make it more comfortable than most.

The 5.7x28mm round has been in common use long enough some folks have actually been shot with it. On 22 April 1997, 140 Peruvian commandos executed Operation Chavín de Huántar to end a protracted 126-day siege of the Japanese embassy in Lima, Peru. The Peruvian special operators killed all 14 Tupac Amaru terrorists for the loss of one hostage and two of their own. They successfully rescued 24 hostages. Many of the Peruvian assaulters were armed with sound-suppressed FN P90s. Three of the terrorists, all of whom were wearing Level IIIA vests, were neutralized immediately with 5.7x28mm fire from P90 weapons. Two were instantly incapacitated with a single round, while the third caught three.

As always, shot placement is everything, but the Smith and Wesson M&P 5.7 brings some unique capabilities to the table. In a world of bland sameness at your local gun emporium, the M&P 5.7 features radically advanced engineering and long gun-grade magazine capacity. It is also accurate and fun to run. Additionally, with an MSRP of $699, the M&P 5.7 is within financial reach of us normal folk.

The M&P 5.7 rides the line between handgun portability and rifle performance. So, if your sense of ballistic bigotry will allow you to embrace downrange diversity, the genre-bending M&P 5.7 puts proper power in your pocket. None of this actually means anything, of course, but substance holds little sway in the American cultural conversation these days. Regardless, the M&P 5.7 really is the revolutionary defensive pistol identifying as something altogether different.

Smith-Wesson.com