Posted on 06/24/2013 9:44:44 AM PDT by LucianOfSamasota
Does anyone have first hand experience with the FN PS 90?
Would it be a 'good' self defense choice for a woman who is not comfortable with a 5.56×45mm carbine due to weight and recoil? (Not me.)
Does it feed reliably?
Or is this a gun designed for a full auto machine pistol role which loses value when confined to a semi auto capability?
Anyine who has trouble holding up an AR (who isn’t disabled) just needs a little conditioning (using soup cans as weights).
And could probably use some expert training about proper stance and shooting positions. Just because everyone at the range either stands or rests on a bench doesn’t mean that’s how its done.
Shooting the AR family reminds me of repeatedly slamming shut the screen door at my grandparents’ lake cabin. That was one of the old school metal screen doors with the big ole’ spring on it.
1. Ammo is expensive and hard to find. Cabellas most times have it but have a thick wallet before you go in. My recommendation is to buy a bunch when you find it, because it IS hard to find.
2. Not too much felt recoil.
3. It's nice to have 20 rounds in the mag. Talk about crowd control...
4. In my Five-seveN the report is LOUD! The crack is shockingly sharp. Practice with good ear protection!
Yes.
Would it be a 'good' self defense choice for a woman who is not comfortable with a 5.56×45mm carbine due to weight and recoil? (Not me.
Yes. However, it is NOT for those who simply aim center mass and fire once. If that's your model of employment, get a shotgun. It was designed for fighting, that's the way it should be employed.
Does it feed reliably?
Absolutely!!! Furthermore, it sends the brass straight down instead of bouncing it off the wall you happen to be standing next to....
Or is this a gun designed for a full auto machine pistol role which loses value when confined to a semi auto capability?
As it was designed in conjunction with the five seven pistol, which does not fire automatically, one would have to conclude the round was designed to function in the semi-auto role as well. This little carbine has been the end of many hogs and dogs in its short history.
See if you can get her to fire and load a Kel Tec Sub 2000 in Glock 9mm configuration. Or, the .40cal version. 33 round mags, Glock reliable, but a light carbine with smack. I shoot 147 grain 9mm in my folder. You can mount a suppressor on them, too.
That's a really good analogy - it is a lot like a screen door spring, just sped up a bit.
There's a silent "captured" spring & buffer assembly out there (by JP Rifles) that uses a smaller diameter spring, and therefore keeps it from sliding along the wall of the buffer tube where you can hear it. Pricey bit of hardware, but some people really hate that noise.
>>If she was shooting an AR it might not really be the recoil, but the racket from the recoil spring right next to her head that she doesn’t like.
That’s a really excellent point that driftdiver ought to have the friend carefully consider and explore. Should be easy to overcome, if that is really the root of the problem.
It is a good point but thats not the problem. My wife simple doesn’t have the arm strength to hold a rifle up for very long.
She shoots better than me from a bench.
Good suggestion on the JP spring.
I’d start with a $5 Twangbuster first, to see if that was satisfactory.
My m-4 from work has a sure fire aluminum rail set, plus a gangster grip light, etc. It is quite nose heavy compared to a stock gun.
The FN is cool and meets your requirements but like a lot of folks have mentioned it is a unique weapon that not everyone can easily acclimate to. If you have someplace that rents them nearby, take the girls there and see what they think of shooting it.
I appreciate people that have a sense of humor, especially people that can laugh at their own expense.
As long as my 12yo is happy shooting my AR and my 15yo is happy with the M1 carbine, we’re good, with the bonus that they can both shoot at the same time.
My underlying point was that the 15yo is bothered by the noise of the AR and the 12yo isn’t, while conversely the very light recoil of the M1 carbine bothers my 12yo. Meanwhile, they both shoot a replica 1873 Colt in .357 Mag and love it. My personal experience is that women are as bothered by the noise of a gun as they are by the recoil. My wife simply won’t shoot centerfire rifles (she dislikes fireworks too).
Although I don’t find my .444 pleasant to shoot at paper, I would rather shoot it than my No.5 Enfield Jungle Carbine in .303, which feels a lot like getting hit with a 12 pound hammer. Felt recoil is hard to explain based on muzzle energy and weapon weight alone.
Nice Sharps carbine! I have a trapdoor Springfield, but I have yet to shoot it.
I have shot the PS90, shoots like a .22lr. The bullets are the same size as .556 but are limited to the lwr grains, 40 gr is common. The round itself is specifically designed to impart all of its energy into about 10 inches of ballistic gel. It is very effective for home defense. The rifle is short and held with two hands making it easy to maneuver, aim and difficult to take out of your hands. ARs are greet, medium range rifles with more power but unless you want to pickup a BP or make a SBR the PS90 gets my nod between the two for close quarter defense. That said for home defense and money wise I rank them shotgun, high cap pistol, PS90 ( ammo is not much more than .556 but rarer) and last an AR. Again I’m talking close quarter defense. Hard to beat two hands holding a stick with 30 rounds of firepower while angling around corners. The full auto is an animal unto itself.
“Or is this a gun designed for a full auto machine pistol role which loses value when confined to a semi auto capability?”
This. Well, more than a pistol, but the point is to start with the smallest viable cartridge (pistol compatible) and build a compact system capable of penetrating soft body armor to lethal effect. That meant punching LOTS of holes REAL FAST with accuracy, so we got an 11” barrel bull pup design with a friggin’ 50 round mag, high cycle rate, and negligible muzzle rise.
Semi-auto, it’s not much different from a .22 Hornet.
Awesome ground-up design. Full auto is critical. Alas, 922(o) has stopped civilian machine gun advancements cold.
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