P90

I got this little toy, a P90 (technically, it is a PS90).  Shown next to my AK-103 clone for size comparison.  The wife has claimed it as "hers" :)  Being left-eye dominant, I've added a red dot sight with "tall" rings to the side rail so she can shoot it easier.

Vid of the wife shooting is on my Skydrive videos section

There's not really much to these.  They are LIGHT!!!  Extremely portable, even with the 16" barrel.  My wife loves it!  They are bullpup design.  Yes, you can actually fire it single-handed "just like in the movies" and keep it on target.

Since they are such a popular item right now, they are able to be accessorized ad nauseum, and there is a plethora of information.   Accessories for practically any application can be found for these fun little toys! 

There is also a sad group of sycophantic P90 and 5.7 caliber elitists who are convinced God Almighty Himself uses the P90 to Smite the Wicked!  If you encounter these folk, be sure to take their statements about the P90 with a grain of salt, or at least keep your tongue in your cheek.  :)

5.7x28 Cartridge

The small little 5.7x28 next to a 7.62x39, .223, and .40SW for comparison.  It is a standard .223 bullet (.224 if you like to be technical) and a down-sized case.  A ".223 Short" if you will.  The 5.7x28 is in use in one other FN offering, the Five-Seven pistol.  It normally carries 20 rounds and is a lightweight and easily-wielded pistol.

Unfortunately, there is a considerable amount of FUD about the capabilities of the small little round.  It was designed for one thing -  to penetrate armor.  It does this.  However it reportedly does NOT have enough mass to maintain the energy to blow people across rooms as you see in Hollywood.  There are reports that it does little to stop a target. 

Most combat evidence is from one of the first combat employments of the P90 during the Peruvian embassy hostage situation from ca. 1997.  Reports from the field indicated the targets had to be "sprayed" for an effective put-down.  Reportedly, the suppressed P90 was carried by point men in the rescue of the Japanese embassy in Lima, Peru. It was used successfully to pierce the body armor and kill the leader of the Tupac Amaru terrorists.  The knock-down power may have been limited if they used a subsonic load, but that information is not available.

A few reference links about the incident.  More information will be posted here as it is collected:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_embassy_hostage_crisis

http://www.livinginperu.com/blogs/features/234

There are reports that the cartridge has enough energy to take down deer-sized game.  Obviously it is extremely effective on smaller targets such as varmints and possibly even coyote-sized game.  If there was more information about the exact type of ammunition used in the embassy situation, a better comparison of the wound potential could be established.  Unfortunately there just isn't that much Real-World data to gauge its effectiveness against human targets. 

It is a cut-down 5.56x45 rounds and in fact uses the lighter .224 bullets in 30-40 grains (military 5.56 loads use either 55 grain or 62 grains).  All we can definitively say is that, as a replacement to the 9mm, it achieves its goal as a Personal Defense Weapon platform.  It was never intended to be a Main Battle Rifle, which it is not.  Anything else is

An interesting prototype upper for the AR platform that utilizes the P90 magazine was built but never brought past the prototype stage.  Now there is an upper in production.  Info I have collected about the uppers can be found here

Reloading

There isn't much reloading information as of yet (Summer 2007) but the manufacturer's published reloading data will be linked when it arrives.  I would STRONGLY recommend "home-brew" reloading formulas published on various forums.  There are reports that at least one person has actually BLOWN APART their Five-Seven pistols using "home brew" reloading formulas they downloaded and followed.  Seriously... there may be more, but there has only ever been one unfortunate soul that confessed to it!  :) 

I can not stress enough that OFFICIAL RELOADING MANUFACTURERS DATA should be the only source that is consulted for reloading purposes.  Just because some "expert" said they can get X velocity out of Y load doesn't make that load safe or recommended!  Obviously, reload-induced failures would not be a warranty item.  Considering the location of the bullpup to your body when firing, I would not feel comfortable "testing" an "expert's" concoction!  "Buyer Beware"...

RELOADING UPDATE:

Accurate Arms and Ramshot have published reloading data! 

Ramshot is purportedly the supplier to FN.

I believe this is the same data from both companies - perhaps they are affiliates?  The documents appear to contain part of the same data. 

http://www.accuratepowder.com/loaddata_caliber_new.htm

http://www.ramshot.com/powders/

The magazine "conversion" due to the fact that FN ships a factory 50-rounder as a 30- or 10-round mag with a shim for those states that do not allow full magazine capacity. 

You can cut this shim down since just the end is necessary.  It takes probably 5 minutes to disassemble, cut the shim, and reassemble.  I used a dremel but you could use a hacksaw. 

Slings.  There are about a bazillion different slings.  This is a standard "single-point" that I will probably get or build as I did with my G36 sling.  You can even get the "StarGate" carry harnesses.  Seriously.  And they actually look like a good carry harness, considering.

Aftermarket Front Sling Mount:

Brass catcher.  Since I plan to reload, I'm going to be needing one of these.  I plan to fabricate one from some material I have... can't justify the exorbitant expense of aftermarket brass catchers.

My "budget" rail project.  The wife can't find the factory sight due to her left-eye dominance.  I mounted a red dot so she can hopefully enjoy shooting instead of hunting for the sight picture.  The rail is a generic rail I got with a Tapco part, perhaps the FAL scope rail.  Simply cut to shape and drilled for the flush-mount screws. 

Update: this works!  The rail is extremely sturdy and "simply works".  The wife is happy :)  These pics are before I painted the cut end...

Additional Slings and Magazine Pouches