5.7mm Goes Mainstream with the Ruger-57 Pistol – Shot Show 2020

in Authors, Jordan Michaels, SHOT Show 2020, SHOT Show Archives
5.7mm Goes Mainstream with the Ruger-57 Pistol – Shot Show 2020

Click HERE to learn more about the new Ruger-57.

When Ruger announced its new Ruger-57 handgun late last year, the firearms industry took notice. The 5.7x28mm cartridge isn’t really what you’d call “mainstream.” But Ruger’s decision to jump into the 5.7mm game has sparked a renewed interest in the little bottleneck, and we stopped by their booth at Shot SHOW 2020 to see it for ourselves.

Paul Pluff, Ruger’s Public Relations Manager, explained that the company wanted to release a handgun chambered in 5.7mm because they saw its potential for self-defense and, as he put it, “this gun is just fun to shoot.”

That latter point is definitely true. The 5.7mm cartridge naturally produces very little recoil, and the thin grip and low bore axis help users control what little recoil it does produce. The grip is nicely textured, and the beavertail provides lots of space to maintain contact with the handgun.

The hammer-fired, double-action-only trigger is smooth, crisp, and consistent, which lets users throw lots of lead downrange in a timely fashion. But the included 20-round metal magazine also means you aren’t constantly reloading, and the 5-inch, alloy steel barrel ensures you’ll hit what you’re aiming at.

The handgun comes with a set of durable sights, and the rear is adjustable for both windage and elevation. For those users who’ve jumped onto the red-dot wagon, the Ruger-57 also comes with plates that adapt to Vortex and Burris red dots.

5.7mm Goes Mainstream with the Ruger-57 Pistol – Shot Show 2020
5.7mm Goes Mainstream with the Ruger-57 Pistol – Shot Show 2020
5.7mm Goes Mainstream with the Ruger-57 Pistol – Shot Show 2020
5.7mm Goes Mainstream with the Ruger-57 Pistol – Shot Show 2020

SEE ALSO: Diamondback’s New 5.7mm Pistol Is the 5.7mm You’ve Been Waiting For – SHOT Show 2020

The 5.7×28 cartridge was developed in the early ’90s by FN Herstal as a possible replacement for NATO’s 9x19mm Parabellum. While NATO didn’t adopt the cartridge, the FN Five-seveN has seen increasing popularity in the civilian marketplace. CMMG also released a pistol chambered in 5.7mm in 2018, and Diamondback announced their 5.7mm pistol at this year’s SHOT Show.

MSRP for the Ruger-57 is $799, but Pluff noted that they’re going for $650 on the street.

Click HERE to learn more about the new Ruger-57.

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About the author: Jordan Michaels has been reviewing firearm-related products for over six years and enjoying them for much longer. With family in Canada, he’s seen first hand how quickly the right to self-defense can be stripped from law-abiding citizens. He escaped that statist paradise at a young age, married a sixth-generation Texan, and currently lives in Tyler. Got a hot tip? Send him an email at [email protected].

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  • Darrin Jordan January 28, 2020, 8:17 pm

    I was lucky enough to get a Ruger 57 before anyone else in my area but have only had the opportunity to shoot it once and it was nice ammo price was the kicker.

  • Ej harbet January 25, 2020, 3:29 pm

    I will try one knowing full well i should just buy one! I see uses for it and ill just hope for the ammo to come down so i can shoot it more. It looks way cooler than the fiveseven not that im a fn hater. I am a ruger lover once they got that statist loving founder out of the way and started making cool guns.

  • Willie-O January 25, 2020, 7:49 am

    A business associate has the pistol and carbine by FN – he’s an attorney, so he can afford both the expensive hardware and ammo. That aside, he is an avid shooter, trains constantly and is extremely knowledgeable. He loves the caliber based on his real world range testing – yep, has his own outdoor range too. Now that a reasonably priced handgun is about to be available, I’ll own one. I’d look for Ruger to make the 5.7 available in their carbine line as well in the near future, provided the handgun does as well as I expect it to. I too love the tried and true .22WSM, but for lack of a more technical comparison and with all due respect, this is like a.22mag on steroids.

  • Don January 22, 2020, 7:38 pm

    Could I see just one pic of the pistol with the action closed?

  • idestetrugers January 22, 2020, 11:16 am

    What a load of crap. No doubt ruger got paid a pretty penny by FN to chamber for this ugly step child of a cartridge. RIA probably didn’t have the money or the inclination to pay whatever bribe ruger was demanding.
    The 22 TCM is a superior cartridge in nearly every way and isn’t a bastard sized case. I have experience with both and will take the TCM, hands down EVERY time! It can very readily be made from 223 brass if necessary but at the price of the ammo and/or components that would only be in extreme instances. If you don’t have 5.7 brass you are SOL. Plus, unless there has been a change since it’s introduction, the coating on the case is a huge pita until it is fully removed.
    An acquaintance has an FN and now that the coating has been removed so he can reload them, he periodically has to spray the inside of his magazines with silicone spray so the rounds will feed reliably. Wouldn’t give you a nickel for either the ruger or the FN unless I knew I could sell it right quick for a dime.

  • JR January 22, 2020, 10:20 am

    Fondled it yesterday on the show floor. To drop a mag you need to shift your grip over 1”. Fortunately you will need to reload less with all that ammo aboard.

  • Thomas Adderley January 22, 2020, 6:49 am

    Sounds like a decent weapon but from my experience with the FN 57 the price of ammo takes some of that fun down a notch

  • The SGM January 22, 2020, 6:46 am

    Does sound like a fun pistol but the fun will subside once you start buying the high priced ammo

  • Tom January 22, 2020, 6:01 am

    I’ll say it first. The safety or slide release lever seems awkwardly placed and designed. No comment on it in the review. BTW…we know what it means but $650 “on the street ” doesn’t sound good

    • Zupglick January 22, 2020, 7:49 am

      That’s a lot cheaper than the FN! There are other cartridge manufactures out there coming online, so the ammo price should start to decrease.

      • Jeff Thomas January 22, 2020, 8:56 am

        X2 Zupglick. FNs on sale are 1k. If you were even remotely interested that price would keep you from committing. I like the odds of the Ruger 57 doing well.

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