Seriously thinking about 5.7

My "new job windfall" is going to buy my a new gun. I'm kicking around several ideas ranging from a lightweight .308 AR to a 1911 45ACP +P stoked with 450SMC. But the 5.7x28 is quite intriguing to me. I'm too cheap to ever buy a FN FiveseveN but the Ruger 57 was looking interesting, that is until I stumbled across the PSA 5.7 Rock.

So far, literally, every review I've found of it has been positive. Lower price, decent trigger, more capacity (23+1), more affordable mags, optics ready options...

OTOH, it's out of stock all the time and seems like there's only one company making OWB Kydex for it (WeAreNerd). And it's a "full size handgun" that is a tad longer than the G17 in OAL with more of a slide.

And 5.7 ammo ain't free. I like being able to reload to save money on practice ammo and, as @greg_r has noted, 5.7 ammo has a reputation, at best, for being errr... "fiddly."

But the round is flat shooting, claims 30% less recoil than 9mm, has what looks to me to be good terminal performance, is endorsed by people I trust as being very effective for social work, and, in the event that Russia invades, most of the ammo will penetrate NIJ II soft armor and about 1/3 of boutique commercial offerings will penetrate Level IIIA, and that's nothing to sneeze at.

...still, I'm pretty cheap.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk