5.7×28 cartridge is really gaining some traction guys, it was originally developed to replace the 9 millimeter for NATO, it’s an interesting story in history I recommend reading about it and doing some research before you decide on getting a 5.7, just so you know that you’re getting what you’re wanting.
With that said many have already made that decision, they want the 5.7. You can go with a pistol or a rifle, either way though the options are limited, but they’re getting better.
When I saw Panzer Arms AR57 upper that I could put on my AR Lower I had to try it. Let’s see what Panzer Arms AR57 is all about and how it performs. This is all the different types of ammo that we’re going to run through in this review :
Fiocchi 5.7×28 35 grain
Fiocchi 5.7×28 40 grain
Fiocchi5.7×28 62 grain Subsonic
FHN USA 5.7×28 40 grain
Speer Gold Dot 5.7×28 40 grain
Federal American Eagle 5.7×28 40 grain
Welcome to Beyond Seclusion where I only give you my honest opinion and it is what it is. Panzer Arms is a company out of Turkey, they’re not real big company and they’re best known for their 12 gauge shotguns, they’ve got sort of a an AR style shotgun, and then they’ve got a Bullpup, I see them all the time on sale, they seem to be pretty popular, I honestly don’t know anything about them. As far as I can see this is really their first gun outside of a shotgun. The market is certainly open for 5.7, especially one that will go on an AR lower, let’s just take a quick look at the specs and tech:
Panzer Arms AR57
- 16” Barrel wit Rt hand 1:8 FN twist, 18” with muzzle brake
- Bolt is 8620 alloy
- ½ x 28 thread pitch
- Total length is 24 9/16”
- NO GASS SYSTEM, KISS
- Spend rounds drop out mag well
- Uses AR57 50 rd mags ( same as for P90, PS90 )
- 13 slot Picatinny over receiver, 3-slot upper and lower forward rails
- Receiver is Aircraft Grade 7075 aluminum rated for 83000 PSI strength
- Comes in at 3 lbs 7 oz with empty mag
This is Panzer Arms AR57 ultra light tactical, the 5.7×28 complete, 16-inch upper, this is what came in just a simple box, there was no paperwork or anything, so we have a buffer tube, pretty clearly labeled “warning must install buffer” so I’m guessing we need to do that. This is the magazine that came with it, the sort of the classic FN type magazine, the 50-round loads from the top, and then this is the upper, so what we have here is a little lever that allows us to put the mag on, and then here is the charging handle, be careful with this if you get one because this just slides right out. One thing is it has UP, because it’ll slide in either way, but I’ve already had that fall out once.
The cartridges are going to go down here and then they’re supposedly going to kick out the mag well. We’ve got lots of real estate for the M-LOK, we’ve got the Picatinny rail here, we’ve got a quick detach here, we’ve got Picatinny 1913 up here, and then same back here. To put the mag on we’ll just load that up, it goes in back here, and just like that. It is an interesting design that’s for sure, I’m dying to try it out, we’re going to get it zeroed here at my 50 yards range using the Cyelee C2 red dot, I’m working on a review on that, and also going to test some Fiocchi ammo that I got and I’m also reviewing. I want to season the barrel, get it zeroed, have some fun on some steel, and then come back and test accuracy using six different kinds of ammo that I have. Let’s get her on!
I’m getting the AR57 zeroed with the Cyelee red dot. One thing that I really like is, especially if you’re into reloading, it dumps all of your ammo right out to mag well in a nice little pile, let me show you the sight picture here, see how well we can get you to see what I’m seeing. I’ve got to say I am super, super impressed with this Cyelee, that red dot is about is crisp, clean ,distinct edges as you can get and for a what’s classified as a budget optic, that’s awesome.
I just ran through, I’m seasoning the barrel, I think I’ve gone through maybe 20 rounds. Let’s go check out the group, you’re gonna be really impressed with the 3 MOA dot. I gotta say I’m super impressed, I’m getting this sighted in with the Cyelee on the AR57, my first shot was over here, dialed, dialed, dialed, did a group, and then I went up and that was the last five, and I’m not sure, I think that was the one after the seasoning the barrel, so that was the first one, and then the last four. I’m super happy with that, guys, you really can’t ask for a whole lot more with a 3 MOA Dot, that rocks.
We got it zeroed using the Federal, what I want to do now is start banging on some steel and having some fun here at 100 yards, 50 yards is kind of a no-brainer, and I want to test kind of some different ammo. I’m going to use the FN on here, I’m going to do 10 rounds of each of the different ammo at 100, we’ll maybe play a little bit at 200 while we don’t have some wind, and then as we’re doing that we’re going to season the barrel, and then when we’re done playing on the steel, then I’m going to come back, I’m going to put up a target and then we will test the accuracy on every single one of these types of ammo that we’re using to find out what it likes the best, hopefully we won’t have any issues.
It doesn’t have a last round bolt hold open so it’s always just good to check and make sure that it is empty. We did not have any problem with the FN, I can’t remember if I’d read that somebody was having problems with FN, we will come back to the FN when we’re doing the accuracy.
The next one I want to try is the Fiocchi, this is the 35 grain. The next one is Fiocchi’s 40 grain. The last one of the Fiocchi, this is the Subsonic, so I’m guessing it’s going to be going a lot slower, we may not be on target here at 100, I’ll probably start aiming maybe a little high, but right now we’re just checking for functionality, we’ll kind of mess more with the ammo when we’re testing accuracy.
Nice, and I really didn’t have to aim too high, I just aimed at the head on the IDPA.
This is what I’m seeing as we’re doing the groups, that 3 MOA dot, I cannot tell you how impressed I am with that, how crisp, clean, and distinct the margins are, but my targets were a little smaller than I thought and it completely obscures them, so basically I take the 3-inch red dot and try to completely cover the target, keep that in mind.
All the groups, I love how the brass all just piles there at the bottom, you got to take a look at these groups. I’m super happy with that, I’m gonna be honest, considering we’ve got a 3 MOA Dot at 50 yards with basically a 3 MOA target. So, this is the first one, this is a Federal, that’s really good, you get rid of the couple flyers there, cold barrel, then we have the FN, that’s pretty solid group. There’s the Speer Gold Dot, I like that one, this would be my choice for hunting or self-defense just because of the bonded soft tip or hollow point and I just like the Speer Gold Dot for that, and then we move down to the Fiocchi and we’ve got the 35 grain, and that’s solid. Wow, that’s the 40 grain, I’m gonna call that a winner, and then the Subsonic, which doesn’t surprise me, but that’s still a really solid group. What I want to do is I think I’m gonna go with this, I’m gonna put a scope on it because I really want to see how small can we get it, and to me that’s the clear winner.
I’m working on a review here for Primary Arms, a new SLX Nova 1-6, anyway we just got some 10 shot groups with this, you got to check this out. Nice, okay that was that Subsonic, since we missed I used this target, that’s 10 shot, guys, you take away that one flyer, man, it didn’t get much better, that’s using a 1-6 power scope, I am super, super happy with that.
We don’t have long before the wind kicks up, it’s eight o’clock in the morning, and the minute that sun comes up, that wind starts going, I want to reach out to 200, 100 was obviously way easy, I could do that standing. Let’s see how far we can go with this. I am using the Fiocchi, the grain, we got the best groups with that, let’s see what we can do here.
There you go, guys, I’m really not sure what else we can do with this, reaching out to 200 and 300, and the groups, and the ammo, it is what it is. I wanted to show you here real quick is we put several hundred rounds through this, in this bolt, we got a little carbon there, but it’s clean, guys. The way it’s designed with the blowback, they had said that on the website, and proof is in the pudding, it really is clean running. There you have it, guys, it is what it is, you decide what you think, Panzer Arms AR57. I hope you enjoyed the review, found it helpful, if so, help support the channel, be sure to hit that subscribe button, this really does help the most, be sure to like and comment.
Until next time, happy shooting, remember educate our young people to shooting and gun safety, and each and every time that we’re on the range these days, all eyes are on us, so it’s important we’re ambassadors for the Second Amendment, so we need to be good ambassadors, be a safe and responsible gun owner.
