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FN 5.7×28mm

Handgun cartridge manufactured by FN Herstal

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 19, 2026
Entity authorityQ238461
Source-derived summary

The FN 5.7×28mm (designated as the 5.7×28 by the C.I.P. and 5.7×28mm NATO) is a small-caliber, high-velocity, smokeless-powder, rebated, non-tapered, bottleneck, centerfire cartridge designed for pistols and personal defense weapons (PDW) uses, manufactured by FN Herstal. It is similar in length to the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (.22 WMR) and .22 Hornet. Unlike many new cartridges, it has no parent case; the complete package was developed from scratch by FN.

The 5.7×28mm was developed in conjunction with the FN P90 PDW and later the FN Five-seven pistol in response to NATO requests as a replacement for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. In 2002 and 2003, NATO conducted a series of tests to find a replacement. The tests compared the relative merits of the 5.7×28mm cartridge and the 4.6×30mm cartridge, which was created by Heckler & Koch as a competitor to the 5.7×28mm. The NATO group subsequently recommended the 5.7×28mm cartridge, citing superior performance in testing, but the German delegation objected and the standardization process was halted until 2021 when it was officially adopted as a NATO standard Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4509.

By 2006, FN's 5.7×28mm firearms — the P90 PDW and Five-seven pistol — were in service with military and police forces in over 40 nations throughout the world. In the United States, 5.7×28mm firearms are currently used by numerous law enforcement agencies, including the United States Secret Service.

In addition to being used in the FN P90 and FN Five-seven firearms, the 5.7×28mm cartridge has subsequently been used in a number of other weapons, such as the AR-57 and FN PS90 carbines. Excel Arms has developed four firearms chambered in 5.7×28mm, MasterPiece Arms offers three different firearms in 5.7×28mm., and CMMG offers several of its AR-Style Banshee firearms in 5.7x28.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “FN 5.7×28mm” as handgun cartridge manufactured by FN Herstal. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around 28mm, Handgun and cartridge.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2002, 2003, 2021, 2006—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1986. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with 28mm, Handgun and cartridge providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “FN 5.7×28mm”, the useful work is to connect “handgun cartridge manufactured by FN Herstal” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q238461. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2002, 2003, 2021 and 2006.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

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Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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  2. Expand the search: follow FN 5.7×28mm primary sources, FN 5.7×28mm archive and 28mm research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from FN 5.7×28mm” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.