MidwayUSA told me that the FN 5.7x28mm 40gr ammo has been discontinued

raymairjr said:

I have previously bought the 5.7 FN ammo at MidwayUSA. They don't list it anymore and a via webchat was told it is a discontinued product. I had some bought American Eagle 4 or 5 years back but had problems with the ammo, the COL was variable and I could literally pull some of the bullets out of the case by hand. I still have that ammo. What do people know about this and any success reloading?

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Lots of folks have had luck with reloading the 5.7x28 round. Making an exact copy of SS197 is pretty easy using the 40 gr vmax with a variety of powders. If you are using it in the FsN True Blue is my (and a lot of others) powder of choice. Anywhere between 5.5 and 6.0 gr of powder is good to go, but start low and work your way up. Have a chrono to check velocities, and look at the brass for signs of overpressure. Just be mindful of the coating on the case, and clean and size using the tested methods, and you should be good. First reload will likely require a decent amount of trimming, but brass seems to stretch less after that first reload unless you get to the top end of the pressure scale. There is a lot more load data out there now than there was 6-8 years ago when I started, so if you have the supplies and dies, is a good way to have consistent ammo quality and quantity when things get tight on the commercial ammo market.

If you have the reloading dies, and you want to use the AE, you could always set up your crimping die (or seating die if it crimps) and put a light crimp on each of the AE rounds before going to the range. Try a couple and check for signs of over pressure first, but AE seems to be at the lower end of the power range for the 5.7x28, so a light crimp should be fine.

raymairjr said:

Thank you so much kmiles for the response and detail. This is great information and the powder would have been my next question as I don't see that Hornady has the 5.7 in their latest reloading manual. I think I bought the dies already but need to check. I bought my Hornady Lock-N-Load in the 2012 ammo shortage and I'm just getting it set up again after I moved. What is your best source for reloading information?

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I always start by looking at the info for whatever brand powder I plan on using as that is often the most limiting factor if you do not have access to unlimited powder choices. I personally do not like ordering powder online unless ordering larger amounts as the Hazmat fee really gets you, so I try to stick with what I can get locally, and I stock up heavily when I find something that works well.

Hodgdon does have data on their website for True Blue and the Accurate powders. I find their loadings to be pretty conservative on the powder load, and I do not see the velocities they list, but those velocities are doable with slightly more powder.

To get the most data for a large variety of powders and bullet combinations, the online forums will be your friend. Most bullets between 28gr and 55gr have been tried by someone, and there is likely data listed somewhere on a forum. There are several folks on one of the other forums that have tested thousands of rounds in almost endless combinations of bullet/powder and posted their info for others to use as a guide. As with all reloading, start low and work your way up. In the world of 5.7x28 you want to do it at .1 or .2 gr at a time.