FiveSeven goes Boom! Possible design flaw.

[GrandPaBob]

That is ugly with a capital U-G-L-Y !! I hope I NEVER see a gun with holes like that.

[rufusdog]

I sure would not send the gun back to them, I would however show it to my lawyer before filing a huge lawsuit against them. What a bunch of jerks to deal with..FN should be sued. I might not think that way if they weren't trying to hide everything. Reloads have nothing to do with a crap gun that fires out of battery....

[chupacabrachus]

Originally Posted by rufusdog

...Reloads have nothing to do with a crap gun that fires out of battery....

I'm not so sure about that. Somewhere the gun probably has "refer to owners manual" stamped on it.
Whether it voids warranty or not doesn't really matter... it probably flat out says "do not use reloaded or re-manufactured ammunition".

They're probably covered. Not saying he doesn't have a case here, since the gun still blew up and caused him injury, but I imagine FN covered themselves with something to that tune in their manual. IF it happened with factory ammunition, he'd definitely have something. But it didn't.

[Tripledigitride]

The word "reload" would have never been part of the conversation if this would have happened to me.

[shipwreck]

Well, some folks way smarter than me have done some a few tests at the FN Forum. Some claims that just because the hammer drops, the gun gun is still not firing out of battery. The firing pin block supposedly doesn't deactivate unless the slide is completely closed.

U'd have to read the threads there for a more detailed analysis.

[Kaboom]

eh, lefties, maybee he'll come back from the "dark side" now and join the rest of the world in the "right" lolj/k.
Wow the middle of the gun just disintegrated, I never liked that gun or that round so I guess it's not something to worry about for me, but sheesh!

[Wild Rice]

I am surprised that nobody has suggested that he limp wristed it.

But seriously, there are a few factors worth considering. Normally the chambering action keeps the primer below the firing pin hole until the gun is in battery. However, the 5.7 round has a large primer diameter to casing diameter ratio, so it is possible the primer was nicked by the firing pin before going into full battery.

One must also consider the polymer frame and grip. Manufactures are always trying to make polymer frames and grips thinner and more compact, which can make them more likely to explode in the hand. A steel frame/grip would have channeled the explosion downward and more safely thru the magazine well. I don't know enough about the timing of that model's disconnector and firing pin safety, but it could be an internal design flaw and/or broken/gummed up part.

The leading factor is reloading. This is a small, but very high pressure round and reloading is a very bad idea. As the victim admits, this casing could have been fired up to three times. Another possibility is a slam fire from a poorly seated primer. Double powder loading is hard to exclude after the fact. A factory round should not wedge part way in the chamber (out of battery); with reloaded cases, it is a distinct possibility. At a local gun show I saw a display of an exploded revolver with the caption: "This is what can happen with improper reloads".

I wish I had a nickle for everytime I read a post about a malfunction or misfeed with reloaded ammo. Ain't worth it in my book.

I feel badly that this shooter was injured. By reloading he was most likely disregarding the warnings in the owner's manual, but with a decent lawyer he could win a big settlement. That will drive up the price of guns for all of us. Of course, manufactures should design guns to be safe, but I wonder how much of each $100 we spend on guns goes towards owners who disregard safety (and their lawyers).

[Plinkomatic]

Wow, interesting thread, particularly considering the source- an FN board with lots of high-count members posting consistent dissatisfaction with FN service, not to mention the entire OOB firing design flaw, which is nothing short of terrifying.
For comparison, the times I have to reach Springfield, Ruger, Rock Island and Remington have been met with extremely high quality customer relations.. Superb in fact, for all four.
Not that it is fiscally feasible, but I kinda liked the idea of the FN FiveSeven but no more for sure, scratched off the dream list.

[LUVMYSIGP225]

Originally Posted by propellerhead

Wow! I wonder what other guns will fire out of battery.

I have seen something similar with an EAA Witness 10mm.

[ScottyT]

Bummer, I can't access their forums from work, I will have to check it out when I get home. I was seriously considering a Five Seven as my next handgun, my buddy has one and I really like it. If it is the fault of the gun and not the reloads, could it be merely a one in a million flaw type of thing, or is it a problem with the actual design of the gun?