Rocks of the Lowcountry
How can you not add a suppressor to any threaded barrel?
Just because? This SilencerCo Sparrow is rated for 5.7x28mm use.
Interesting things come from South Carolina. You know, like shrimp and grits, bowties, occasional secession and unusual accents that soothe your ear like a warm blanket. It’s a friendly place now that the whole “seceding from the Union” thing is in the rearview mirror.
Here in Charleston, the long-time mayor used to wander the streets, offering help and directions to tourists. The funny part is, he never let on who he was. In fact, once a national morning show crew was in town doing a piece on friendliest cities and ran into him. They didn’t know who he was either, as he offered them directions to wherever they were headed. The news team figured it out the next day during their scheduled interview with … the Mayor. The state shares similar attributes. A previous Governor started a lovely tradition of having state agency employees answer phones with, “It’s always a great day in South Carolina! How can I help you?” Truer words have “nuhvuhh” been spoken — lots of people here live their values for all to see.
As for being a firearms-friendly state, South Carolina ranks respectably, too. Consider Palmetto State Armory firearms. The company stretched its legs some years ago, making and selling AR-platform rifles at a value price point. People loved the products and bought them by the truckload. Soon, PSA was in the export business, at least to other states through the wholesale and FFL dealer networks.
Even more recently, the Palmetto State Armory folks began making their own line of pistols. I’ve been tinkering with one simply called … the Rock.
The PSA Rock performed admirably with four types of 5.7x28mm ammo.
Somehow, the grip doesn’t appear as “stretched” as that of other 5.7 pistols.
Small And Fast
The Rock 5.7 is, as the name implies, chambered in 5.7x28mm. I’m cheering, mainly because I’m enamored with goofball calibers. Actually, that’s not fair, 5.7x28mm is not a goofball caliber. It’s used by serious people for serious reasons. For us, more recreational users, let’s call it fun and interesting.
If you’re not hands-on familiar with the 5.7x28mm, the basic idea is to shrink down a bottlenecked rifle cartridge to about half or quarter size and use it in a carbine like the PS90 or even a pistol. Think small and very, very fast projectiles. The common bullet weight is just 40 grains (the standard weight for a .22 LR), and even from a pistol like the Rock 5.7, they’re respectably close to Mach 2 in muzzle velocity. I clocked them hovering around the 1,800 fps mark.
Back in the late ’90s, FN launched the Five-seveN, and while the embers of success took a while to ignite, they eventually flared and now other companies like Ruger, Kel-Tec, Smith & Wesson and Palmetto State Armory make their own versions.
You get a lot of “bang” for the buck. In this case, a threaded
and fluted barrel and nifty slide cuts.
The Trijicon RCR mounted like a snap with
what was already in the box.
What’s In A Rock?
The Rock 5.7 is a striker-fired design, configured for an accuracy-enabling trigger press. Using a Lyman Digital Trigger Gauge, I measured it at an average of just about 4 lbs., 1 oz. over lots of pulls. It’s got nice, constant takeup, and considering the price point, is surprisingly serviceable. I’ll keep this one as is — no need to invest extra in trigger upgrades or gunsmithing.
Unlike other 5.7 pistol designs, this one appears and feels far less oblong and blocky. Those 5.7x28mm cartridges are longer than most handgun calibers, so the grips tend to be stretched front to back. Not so obvious with the Rock. The pistol looks and feels nice and “normal” for a handgun.
Capacity is … generous at 23 rounds, not counting the extra in the chamber. Too bad the ammo is on the pricier side, at least for now, as this is one fun pistol to shoot. Recoil is non-existent, but you will hear the noise from those downsized bottleneck cartridges.
Yes, we’re all reluctant to use the word, but one has to admit,
the tiny 5.7 cartridges are kinda “cute.” The primer is almost
as large as the case diameter.
Rock Performance
As for accuracy? From 25 yards, three types of supersonic ammo (American Eagle, Fiocchi Tipped Hollow Point and FN SS197SR V-Max) produced five-shot groups of 2.0″, 1.6″ and 1.75″. Since my sample pistol was optics-ready, I mounted a Trijicon RCR up top and used a Ransom Multi-Caliber Rest to steady things on the bench. With that setup, I’m convinced I removed most of the “shooter variability” from the accuracy testing equation.
Because many of you folks are gearheads like me, I’ll also include the velocity figure measured with the Garmin Doppler Radar chronograph. Those three supersonic ammo types averaged 1,691.6, 1,790.3 and 1,802.9 fps, respectively. Fast, huh?
The Fiocchi Range Dynamics Subsonic (986 fps) produced 2.1″ groups in the same test. And yes, I did all shooting with a SilencerCo Sparrow suppressor. Because … fun. While the supersonic loads still made some noise, mostly due to extra muzzle blast and that pesky sound barrier, the subsonics were admirably hushed.
Five shots. 25 yards. 1.6". Those are two overlapping holes on the right.
The Rock Family
I’m still not quite sure how they do it, but the folks at Palmetto State Armory manage to spin off different versions of their guns faster than a Congressman dodging the bar bill. When they talk about a new model, like the Rock, Dagger, or some other, prepare yourself for a shopping adventure. Today, as I wrote this, I did an approximate count of Rock model variants on their website. I counted 48 different models and packaging of the Rock 5.7. Don’t hold me to it; I guarantee the number will be different by the time you read this.
The Rock shown here has all the bells and whistles. And it retails for just $559.99. Just to be clear, that includes optics-ready cut and plates, slide cuts for cool factor and weight reduction, nifty flat dark earth coloring and a threaded barrel.
The base model Rock 5.7 without all the goodies sells for just $399.99. And, if you keep an eye on the website, you’re likely to catch one of the frequent sales.
After careful consideration of the obvious, I’ve come to the conclusion that Rocks are not only useful, but also quite a value.
For more info: PalmettoStateArmory.com
