The 5.7x28mm cartridge is certainly a divisive round. On one hand, you have people making ludicrously grandiose claims about its effectiveness, while others simply write it off as a gimmick or overpriced .22WMR from Belgium. A long time ago I wrote the PS90 off as a pointless, but fun rifle (having little utility but being a fun range toy) and so decided to run around with it at the ranch for a few different trips up there. So, is it a tool or simply a toy?

Transcript …

– [Voiceover] The PS90.

Toy, or tool? We live in an interesting time where many ranchers and farmers have eschewed lever and bolt action rifles for self loaders, like AR15s and competing designs.

The bane of ranchers everywhere, are these.

Especially in spring and early summer, when new calves are most vulnerable.

While hogs are also a nuisance, coyotes are what get after calves, and the game animals you want on your land, i.e. turkey and deer.

The PS90 is a strange offering in the market.

Firing an equally odd cartridge that many have shunned and others have embraced.

I once called it pointless but fun, and many bemoaned this, saying that the gun has an amazing amount of utility.

So I took it upon myself to test this, and let it ride shotgun with me for a while to see how it would work as a tool.

The SS197 cartridge delivers a 40 grain projectile at about 1,900 feet per second, which is not especially impressive.

This gun is equipped with a mini ACOG, on top of a TROS USA mount, and the optic is quite nice.

One thing I do really like about this gun is the ergonomics.

While it looks like I absolutely dwarf it, it is very comfortable to hold and shoot.

Not to mention its compact size is very, very handy.

Follow-up shots are also extremely easy to make, and recoil is almost nonexistent.

Magazines hold a total of 50 rounds, which is incredible, and ammunition weight is very low.

You can also see that the cartridges rotate 90 degrees, while loading the magazine.

Which is very interesting in and of itself.

Magazine changes are not very convenient, although it’s not really a big deal when you’re on a ranch.

50 rounds is quite a lot, and I’ve never actually had to do a mag dump on a coyote.

(trigger clicks) While the gun is firing, while loading cartridges into the chamber, it does rotate the rounds 90 degrees back to the proper feed angle.

As mentioned, it is also bottom ejecting, so as to be friendly to right handed or left handed shooters.

This is a truly ambidextrous gun.

There is also a dust cover located in the ejection port that you can close to keep dust and debris out of the action.

(rapid gunfire) (rapid gunfire) (rapid gunfire) (rapid gunfire) At 50 yards with the PS90 while shooting rapidly, it was very easy to keep my shots on target and make follow-ups.

Note the almost total absence of muzzle climb here, making it incredibly easy to get the reticle right back on target.

(gunfire) (gunfire) As a test of the gun’s practical accuracy, I fired several five-shot groups from a crouching position at the same 50 yards.

The reason I do this in a crouching position is because it is the most likely position I’ll be in when I take a shot at a coyote.

You simply don’t have the time to go prone, or set up a shot from the tailgate of a vehicle, for example.

I was reasonably impressed as well.

The rifle held about two or three inches at 50 yards, and I did manage to tighten up a few groups to about one and a half inches.

So I was honestly surprised.

I did not expect the SS197 projectile from a 10 and a half inch barrel to perform this well.

I also did shift the sights a bit to get it more correct in the way of windage.

So that still begs the question, is it a toy or a tool? Well, I will say that it is handy as hell to use in a vehicle.

It’s very easy to get out and get in and throw it in the passenger side of the seat.

It rides well, and it doesn’t bounce around too much, and it’s very well-balanced.

However, I honestly don’t have faith in it as a coyote gun.

Five point seven by 28 just isn’t substantial enough.

I do believe that 223 is suitable, and that’s about the bare minimum I would use.

It is easy to use to get over obstacles and walk around the property.

However, I do have a lot more faith in it as a squirrel, raccoon, possum, and other varmint gun, than I do a coyote or hog gun.

I hope you guys enjoyed this video, I realize this opinion might be a little controversial, especially because a lot of five point seven by 28 advocates are going to say it’s perfectly suitable for everything from squirrel up to elk, but I simply do not believe that’s the case.

However, if you have experience using one for hunting, then I’d like to hear about it.

Until next time guys, special thanks to Ventura Munitions, and a special thank you to you for watching.

(gunfire)