Range report: First time out with new FsN MkII and PS90

Discuss the FN Five-seveN line of pistols and accessories.

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AvatarOfWar
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Range report: First time out with new FsN MkII and PS90

Post by AvatarOfWar » 27 Jan 2017, 06:53

After getting most of the ammo and all of the accessories in, I finally got a chance to break-in and test the new FsN Mk II and PS90 last night. I bought both NiB about a month ago, and - with the help of some back-and-forth / advice from Buffman - ordered all of the accessories and ammo I wanted to test out. In all, I picked up 5 new 50rd magazines, converted the factory 30rd to 50 using the CMMG replacement plate, mounted the AimPoint T-1 micro, Bravo Concealment OWB holster, Alien Gear Tuck 3.0 IWB holster, ordered a Pelican case that I seriously failed at cutting foam in and then gave up , picked up a weapon light and sling - and of course the obligatory ammo. In all, last night I shot through 650 rd total in the following breakdown:
  • 300rds SS198LF - 200 through the PS90, 100 through the FsN
    300rds American Eagle 40gr - 200 through the PS90, 100 through the FsN
    50rds of R&R Weapon System R37.X - all 50 through the FsN
Image



Save for the first magazine through the PS90, which had 3 failures all due to the American Eagle ammo (all with a non-trivial amount of bullet setback!), it ran flawlessly. The groups at 25y were ~2in and it was amazing to shoot. This is easily my favorite rifle now; it's accurate, low recoil, high capacity, lightweight, and looks fantastic. A real joy to shoot and own.

The FsN experienced only 3 FTF's and ALL were [disappointingly] from the R37.X ammo. It shot up the American Eagle and SS198LF without drama, but on 3 occasions in 50 rounds, the R37.X ammo would "stick" half-way in the magazine, as though hung up on the rim, and fail to chamber. Very disappointing, as the cost was non-trivial for that ammo, it's ballistic performance was exceptional in Buffman's videos, and I have 100 more of the stuff that I'll likely not carry now. I will say this: you can tell it's loaded hot - it has a lot more blast / noise than SS198LF or AE 40gr.

I have ordered ~ $500 worth of EA's T6B, which I'm really excited to try out, but that hasn't arrived yet.

For the sake of reference, I also brought along my Sig Sauer P229 Legion in .357Sig and P226 Mk 25 in 9mm - after shooting all of the 5.7 up I switch to those. It's odd to say, but 9mm just "feels slow" after shooting 5.7. Both 357 Sig and 9mm have more recoil, but less bark - particularly compared to the R37.X. The .357 Sig was close in report, but not quite as sharp. Another quick observation while I'm thinking about it: that barrel on the PS90 gets super hot; steam rolling off of it after 100rds - natures way of saying "do not touch." It seems to get hotter after 50rds than my AR after 200rds!

I'll report back after I've tested out the EA T6B - really looking forward to that as I anticipate making it my carry ammo

CPTKILLER
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Re: Range report: First time out with new FsN MkII and PS90

Post by CPTKILLER » 27 Jan 2017, 08:09

Nice setup. Keep on keeping on with these.

Buffman
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Re: Range report: First time out with new FsN MkII and PS90

Post by Buffman » 27 Jan 2017, 08:45

can you snap a pic of where the bullet hangs on the R37X when it chambers?

AvatarOfWar
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Re: Range report: First time out with new FsN MkII and PS90

Post by AvatarOfWar » 27 Jan 2017, 10:56

Buffman wrote:can you snap a pic of where the bullet hangs on the R37X when it chambers?
Yes, I have 100 more rounds of R37.X and will bring it to the range on my next visit. I will be prepared to catch it and will share it up.

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blueorison
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Re: Range report: First time out with new FsN MkII and PS90

Post by blueorison » 27 Jan 2017, 16:52

Fantastic job and great writeup! Good to hear that you got solid advice from one of our own.

Good job, Buffman, for being an ambassador of the hobby.
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity.
The shooter will always matter more than the gear ever will.
Stop relying on others to do the work for you.
Shoot more, worry less.

PursuitSS
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Re: Range report: First time out with new FsN MkII and PS90

Post by PursuitSS » 28 Jan 2017, 15:27

O.K., that's it!

I going to order an Elite Ammunition chamber gauge and check EVERY round of ammo that I'm going to carry before loading it into the magazines.

Way too many reports of issues with 5.7 ammo.

AvatarOfWar
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Re: Range report: First time out with new FsN MkII and PS90

Post by AvatarOfWar » 28 Jan 2017, 15:36

PursuitSS wrote:O.K., that's it!

I going to order an Elite Ammunition chamber gauge and check EVERY round of ammo that I'm going to carry before loading it into the magazines.

Way too many reports of issues with 5.7 ammo.
Hard to know if OAL is the problem; Buffman had several issues with older EA T6B in a recent video which he attributed to the coating on the brass rather than a dimensional problem. Any ammunition can have issues; the most practical solution seems to be to fire a lot [relative term, I know] of the ammunition through the firearm and same magazines you will carry so that you can have probabilistic comfort. Key issues with EA and RRWS, as I see it, is price and availability. Both are well over $2 per round, and with EA it takes many months to receive the product. These facts make them impractical to reliably test at a meaningful scale.

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