First Shots: Federal Premium and Speer 5.7×28 mm Ammunition

Earlier this year, something awesome happened down at Range Ready, home of the Gun Talk crew, in Robert, LA. An inaugural event called “5.7 Fest” kicked off as a celebration to the diminutive centerfire round, with plenty of firearms chambered in 5.7, new 5.7 mm ammunition, optics and suppressors to showcase the round. One of the ammunition manufacturers who supplied the event was Federal Premium, which shares a common parent with Speer. JJ Reich from Vista Outdoors took a moment to chat with us about some of the new 5.7 mm ammo available.

Of course, having plentiful ammunition available is critical to any firearm; it’s a big part of the appeal of 9 mm in today’s world. There is inexpensive practice ammo and precision-engineered defensive fodder available from a variety of companies including Federal and Speer, and both companies have approached the 5.7×28 mm ammunition conundrum with the same eye toward affordability and performance employed for 9 mm. Federal’s affordable American Eagle line has long been known for practice full metal jacket ammunition in many calibers, and has expanded to include a 40-grain variant for 5.7.

Over on the defensive side, Speer’s Gold Dot ammunition is known for excellent performance, with specialty rounds available to maximize ballistic efficiency even out of shorter barrels. Gold Dot defensive ammunition uses a bonded projectile designed to maximize penetration even through a variety of barriers. The 40-grain Gold Dot hollowpoint was the first 5.7 round designed specifically for personal protection, and is tested out of a 5-inch barrel to ensure performance out of today’s modern defensive handguns.

For more information on 5.7×28 mm ammunition (and all other ammo) from Federal Premium, visit federalpremium.com, and for Speer ammunition, visit speer.com.