Federal American Eagle 5.7x28mm 40 Grain FMJ

FN Herstal designed the 5.7x28mm cartridge to be chambered in compact firearms that would be capable of defeating soft body armor and, hopefully, replace NATO’s standard pistol cartridge, the 9mm Luger. That plan did not work out, but the 5.7 round has earned a niche in military and law enforcement circles worldwide. In addition, the 5.7’s low recoil and flat trajectory has won it quite a few civilian fans. But until recently, firearms chambered in 5.7×28 on the civilian market were few and far between. Ammunition options, likewise, were dominated by FN production and quite expensive.

In 2012, Federal Premium opened the floodgates on the ammunition front when they introduced a 40-grain full-metal-jacket 5.7x28mm load under their American Eagle line.

The Federal American Eagle 40-grain FMJ is now among the most available and least expensive options for the 5.7 round. While the American Eagle line is generally regarded as Federal’s plinking and training load line, the 5.7 was originally designed around a 40-grain nonexpanding projectile as well. Given how available the round is, I got to wondering how it would perform visually.

The Load

Federal produces reliable ammunition in their American Eagle line and it is among the most consistent training ammunition brands out there. Their 5.7x28mm FN load uses a standard lead-core 40-grain full metal jacket that could very well be loaded in a 220 Swift or used as a varmint load for the 223 Remington, but it is plugged into a miniature rifle case that is the 5.7. The ammunition is brass cased and comes in fifty-round boxes.

I ran a box through my PSA Rock with no issues as I threw rounds over my chronograph, on paper, and finally into my 10% Clear Ballistics gelatin blocks. I fired a string of five rounds over my Caldwell Chronograph from 10 feet. With my Rock, which sports a 5¼-inch barrel, I was able to get an average velocity of 1647 feet per second. The spread between the weakest and fastest load in the test was only 57 feet per second apart. For inexpensive training ammunition, that is better than most.

The American Eagle load’s consistency over my chronograph translated to paper. I fired several five-round groups at ten yards offhand and I consistently achieved groups as small as 1.2 inch and as large as 1.5 inch. Not bad at all!

In Ballistic Gelatin

I tested both the FN SS195LF 5.7 27-grain lead-free load side by side with the American Eagle FMJ. The former was a lighter and higher velocity load that dumped much of its energy in the first eight inches of ballistic gelatin and tended to tumble violently. The Federal American Eagle loaded uses a conventional copper jacketed lead-core full metal jacket with mass behind it as well as a solid point. I set up two and a half 10% gelatin blocks fronted by four layers of denim. I hoped I could actually capture the projectiles.

I backed off to 10 feet and put a total of six rounds into my blocks. The first four rounds tumbled consistently between the 4–7-inch mark before taking an upward trajectory and exiting my blocks between the 14–16-inch marks. Although the American Eagle load was more predictable than the FN 27 grain load, the tumbling produced similar one-inch stretch cavities. Despite the round’s instability, each round taken stayed on a somewhat straighter path, although not enough to be caught. Frustrated, I fired two more rounds. Of those, I managed to capture one in my third block at the 18½-inch mark. The round was undamaged and facing nose first. Those other rounds that escaped must have done so with very little energy left.

Pew, Pew With 5.7x28mm

If you like the 5.7x28mm and you like to shoot it, the Federal American Eagle 40 grain FMJ is the go-to load for putting rounds downrange. It comes in at nearly half the price of the Fiocchi, Speer, and FN loads. For personal protection, it can be tempting to load your 5.7 magazines with hollow points like you would conventional pistol ammunition. But the 5.7 is a different animal. The Federal full-metal-jacket load, on the surface, appears to be a poor choice. However, it is still a light, tumbling round that uses its high velocity to do its damage and achieve good, but not onerous, penetration on target. Although some loads might be better, the Federal American Eagle 5.7 load has potential on paper and on target.