So,I just picked up a PSA Rock 5.2” threaded barrel. I’m thinking about including it in my EDC rotation. I’ve watched YouTube videos until my head hurts and still haven’t decided on which ammo to carry. The Gold Dot seems to consistently penetrate to around 14-15” but only expands a small bit. Am I chasing my tail looking for suitable carry ammo ?

TIA

@PursuitSS
@Buffman_LT1

Take this list with the caveat that you need to ensure functionality in your gun. If you value accuracy at range, these loads MAY not benefit you. By accuracy I would be talking 4-5" at 50-100 yards, possibly less. In my testing though, the ROCK has always producing better groups then the FN, SW, Ruger counterparts.

I firmly believe given the velocity parameters of 5.7, we need a LONG bullet to give us tumbling. That means the bullet will need to be a copper solid.  The Top 4 provide those all while getting to 12"+ penetration. As the list moves down, we start using expansion as a means of terminal ballistics and you end up more with pistol like wounding. The Gold Dot scores lows because of it's lack of velocity, and the redesigned round expands less than the original.

Vanguard Outfitters Black Dragon Fang /Vampire Fang
Elite Ammo T6B (this scores lower because of accuracy issues from pistols)
Elite Ammo Dev 2.0/3.0
Elite Ammo S4
RR Weapon Systems R37X
Elite Protector 1 (or any 40gr ballistic tip at 1900 fps+)
SS190 (limited penetration)
Hornady Black Vmax
AAC Vmax
Vanguard Outfitters GPM
Speer Gold Dot
SS198LF (limited penetration)

Or thereabouts in that order.

Holy crap !  Thanks

I saw this at my local neighborhood Scheels today when looking for America’s Cartridge, 6.5 Creedmoor.

Is this real military 5.7 rare or common?

It's commonly available 27/28gr OTM aluminum core ammo. It's the same as Ss195LF but 75-100 fps faster.  Not rare anymore. About 40-60$/box

SS198LF is the best readily available, somewhat affordable SD ammo for the 5.7 at this time.  

Most other mass produced ammo is dumbed down and often less accurate. The super expen$ive exotic ammo out there can be nearly impossible to buy and there have been some spotty reports about accuracy/POI and apparently quality control from the small vendors who make it.  I look forward to them perfecting and mass producing their hotrod ammo more in the future so I can eventually be convinced to buy some, as some of them are closer to the ultimate potential of the caliber, but don't quite have it all together.    

Differing POI can be a significant issue with 5.7, so better to find a few loads in the weight range you like and stick with that.  For me, that's SS195 and 198 until someone does better.

Can you pull the 40 grn bullets from the cheap stuff, put 35 grn varmint bullets in w/ a sufficiently hot load of powder to get to 12" in gel w/o wrecking pistols?

The 35gr Varmint bullets really lack bullet construction for preferred SD/PP loads.

You're still better off with AAC's Vmax and Hornady's Black version to ensure proper penetration depths. There's some new methodology to measure the actual wound track volume of tumbling rounds like SS198LF, but the company who's supposed to do that testing hasn't completed that phase yet.

Personally The 5.7 Rocks have shown the best accuracy amongst the 5.7 handguns. I still need to go out and test the Ruger, but the M&P's accuracy with any of the loads I tested was the worst of the bunch.  VG's load is not impossible to buy, it's literally in stock right now, and is constantly stocked.  I'd preface all that with reliability, and proper function is priority #1.