Tokyo Marui - Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal 'Five-seveN' (5-7)
Having owned one of these for 8 months or so, I thought I'd give a review.
I have been asked many times on both forums and by players at game sites about this pistol.
Here we go...
Appearance, Finish and Feel
If you are looking for something that is different and breaks the trend, then this is definitely a forerunner! It's design is sleek, lightweight and a nice alternative to the common Glock/Sig/M9/1911's.
Possibly the only flaw in this gun is that it is true to the real thing and is made up of plastics. Most of the weight of the gun comes from the hefty magazine, which when absent, makes the gun very light. The finish is nice and it doesn't look tacky and at first glance, it appears to be made from the same materials as any metal gbb pistol. Some like the heft and bulk from a fully metal sidearm, in which case the 5-7 will disappoint. Despite this, with the mag inserted, it has a nice weight to it and it is easy to maneuver.
Functionality and Ergonomics
FN Herstal went for ambidextrous versatility when designing this gun, which shows in its operation. The safety is the switch above the trigger, which is perfectly placed for those who have good trigger discipline. It is easy to flick using the trigger finger, yet is secure and sturdy enough not to accidentally switch from safe to firing mode. It features on both sides, so is lefty friendly. The slide release, however, is only featured on the left, which can be accessed using the right handed thumb. Unfortunately, lefties will struggle here whereas righties won't be phased as it is located directly above the thumb. The gun can, however, be power stroked with a full mag so it can be overlooked. The mag release only features on the left hand side, which makes left handed mag releases awkward as they are used with the thumb.
It's worth noting that if you use both hands to hold the gun, there won't be much of an issue anyway, but, say for example dual wielding or using only the left hand as the right is holding something else, a quick slide release would be awkward.
To summarise, if you are a lefty, you may have to get used to mag changes and releasing the slide, however for right handed users, the Gun is quite literally perfectly ergonomic and user friendly.
Shooting, Accuracy and Range
Recoil on the 5-7 is great. It is crisp and pretty loud for a plastic pistol. Puts a smile on your face! I can't give a completely accurate measurement however I know for a fact that the 5-7 can hit targets over 50 metres away but effective range is closer 40 metres. I have seen my 5-7 out-range aeg's when it has had the hop set perfectly. While on the subject of hop, I adjusted mine once when it was bought and it has remained in the same position since. No issues with hop moving around and it has the magical TM hop system so you know you've got something reliable.
Gas consumption and Magazine reliability
With a full charge of gas, I have fired over 40 shots on several occasions.
Having owned 6 mags, I have only ever had one leak and it was sorted within 2 minutes simply be adding some lube to the top seal. No issue since and to be fair it was due to me venting the gas at the end of each game before I became as clued up on gbb's.
Having played in January this year during the early, low temperature mornings, the 5-7 has never vented gas, froze up or had any other issue at all. It has consistently hit between 270 and 280 fps (max chrono reading ever was 286 on a hot day during cqb) using Abbey Gas. I have used WE Green gas once or twice and the power does increase but not more than 10 or so fps.
Other notes:
The Blackhawk retention holster is brilliant. It holds the pistol snugly and enables a quick draw. Easy to manipulate and very ergonomic. Highly recommended.
Final Summary
I have used this gun as a primary at cqb and have even bought another so I can run two as primary's.
Pro's:
Consistent hop
Great range
Sturdy, heavy, gas efficient mags
Tacrail for accessories
Ergonomic and comfortable
Solid fps
Nice crisp blowback
After market upgrades available
Something different
Con's:
Plastic materials may put off some
Not fully ambidextrous (might be awkward in parts for lefties)
Not the cheapest of pistols at £130 ish
Big magazines might not fit in standard pistol mag pouches
TL;DR - Love it so much I bought another! 9/10
Having owned one of these for 8 months or so, I thought I'd give a review.
I have been asked many times on both forums and by players at game sites about this pistol.
Here we go...
Appearance, Finish and Feel
If you are looking for something that is different and breaks the trend, then this is definitely a forerunner! It's design is sleek, lightweight and a nice alternative to the common Glock/Sig/M9/1911's.
Possibly the only flaw in this gun is that it is true to the real thing and is made up of plastics. Most of the weight of the gun comes from the hefty magazine, which when absent, makes the gun very light. The finish is nice and it doesn't look tacky and at first glance, it appears to be made from the same materials as any metal gbb pistol. Some like the heft and bulk from a fully metal sidearm, in which case the 5-7 will disappoint. Despite this, with the mag inserted, it has a nice weight to it and it is easy to maneuver.
Functionality and Ergonomics
FN Herstal went for ambidextrous versatility when designing this gun, which shows in its operation. The safety is the switch above the trigger, which is perfectly placed for those who have good trigger discipline. It is easy to flick using the trigger finger, yet is secure and sturdy enough not to accidentally switch from safe to firing mode. It features on both sides, so is lefty friendly. The slide release, however, is only featured on the left, which can be accessed using the right handed thumb. Unfortunately, lefties will struggle here whereas righties won't be phased as it is located directly above the thumb. The gun can, however, be power stroked with a full mag so it can be overlooked. The mag release only features on the left hand side, which makes left handed mag releases awkward as they are used with the thumb.
It's worth noting that if you use both hands to hold the gun, there won't be much of an issue anyway, but, say for example dual wielding or using only the left hand as the right is holding something else, a quick slide release would be awkward.
To summarise, if you are a lefty, you may have to get used to mag changes and releasing the slide, however for right handed users, the Gun is quite literally perfectly ergonomic and user friendly.
Shooting, Accuracy and Range
Recoil on the 5-7 is great. It is crisp and pretty loud for a plastic pistol. Puts a smile on your face! I can't give a completely accurate measurement however I know for a fact that the 5-7 can hit targets over 50 metres away but effective range is closer 40 metres. I have seen my 5-7 out-range aeg's when it has had the hop set perfectly. While on the subject of hop, I adjusted mine once when it was bought and it has remained in the same position since. No issues with hop moving around and it has the magical TM hop system so you know you've got something reliable.
Gas consumption and Magazine reliability
With a full charge of gas, I have fired over 40 shots on several occasions.
Having owned 6 mags, I have only ever had one leak and it was sorted within 2 minutes simply be adding some lube to the top seal. No issue since and to be fair it was due to me venting the gas at the end of each game before I became as clued up on gbb's.
Having played in January this year during the early, low temperature mornings, the 5-7 has never vented gas, froze up or had any other issue at all. It has consistently hit between 270 and 280 fps (max chrono reading ever was 286 on a hot day during cqb) using Abbey Gas. I have used WE Green gas once or twice and the power does increase but not more than 10 or so fps.
Other notes:
The Blackhawk retention holster is brilliant. It holds the pistol snugly and enables a quick draw. Easy to manipulate and very ergonomic. Highly recommended.
Final Summary
I have used this gun as a primary at cqb and have even bought another so I can run two as primary's.
Pro's:
Consistent hop
Great range
Sturdy, heavy, gas efficient mags
Tacrail for accessories
Ergonomic and comfortable
Solid fps
Nice crisp blowback
After market upgrades available
Something different
Con's:
Plastic materials may put off some
Not fully ambidextrous (might be awkward in parts for lefties)
Not the cheapest of pistols at £130 ish
Big magazines might not fit in standard pistol mag pouches
TL;DR - Love it so much I bought another! 9/10
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