The 5.7mm cartridge was introduced as a rifle round. Steel core bullets were sold for it, as they are perfectly legal for a rifle. When FN began importing the handgun, it became illegal for FFL dealers to sell the steel core ammunition, although posession and private sale of it is legal.
The last time I checked, the stuff cost $100 for a box of 50, and that was before Fort Hood.
Yikes! Anyone that can afford that might as well move on up to .50 BMG. I'm still grumpy because .22 lr is over 2 cents per round.
The 5.7mm cartridge was introduced as a rifle round. Steel core bullets were sold for it, as they are perfectly legal for a rifle.
I didn't know that. Is there no ammo available in 5.7mm w/o a steel core? Many kinds of cartridges are made with steel cores and numerous guns in a given chambering will fire them. Of course. I wouldn't call my 30.06 hunting rifle an "armor-piercing rifle" just because they make 30.06 cartridges with steel core bullets.