When FN unveiled their ultra-futuristic FiveseveN pistol and P90 submachine gun chambered in 5.7mm, it made huge waves in the firearms industry.
This company had taken the principle behind the prolific 5.56mm, and incorporated it in to a pistol round. Which is to say, a light-weight, high-velocity cartridge with minimal recoil and laser-like trajectory.
But despite promising early NATO tests suggesting the PDW cartridge might see widespread adoption, it never really caught on. In fact, for roughly a decade, the only major manufacturer to produce firearms in the caliber, was its creator - FN.
But something interesting happened. A few days ago, the normally caliber conservative company, Ruger, announced a new handgun design chambered in the caliber. Then, the Speer ammunition company in turn unveiled they were working on producing Gold Dot defensive 5.7mm ammo. But the 5.7mm mania doesn’t stop there, because just a few moments ago, CMMG unveiled their latest pistol caliber carbine: a 5.7mm Banshee.
Unveiled back in 2018, the Banshee series of rifles and pistols from CMMG forego the straight blowback design used by most pistol caliber carbines in favor of a radial-delayed system.
The result, is a carbine with as little recoil as an MP5, but without the sky high price tag. More importantly, this new Banshee marks the first time a shoulder-fired weapon chambered in 5.7mm operates via locked breech. Should be very interesting.
Plus, unlike previous 5.7mm firearms from CMMG, these new models feed from a special 40-round magazine that fits standard AR-15 STANAG-pattern magazine wells. Very clever, now shooters can use their existing lowers instead of buying a proprietary one.
See the press release details below.
It seems the rumors of the 5.7mm’s demise were greatly exaggerated. In fact, it seems with the release of two new 5.7mm caliber firearms and a new company beginning production of ammo, that we may be in the midst of a resurgence of the PDW caliber. Which in turn follows another resurgent trend in the military and civilian circles - the submachine gun. Visit www.cmmginc.com for more information including pricing and availability.
