Posted: 6/1/2010 7:23:21 PM EDT [Last Edit: 6/7/2010 11:29:25 PM EDT by FNHKSIG]





I paid $1550 for a very lightly used FS2000. The previous owner put 20 rounds through the weapon to sight it in, and put it in the safe. Which, while I'm at it, brings me to my first point: price. Lots of people complain about the high price of the FS2000. MSRP is over $2000, but they can easily be found in the $15-1800 range. Thats substantially cheaper than the SCAR and ACR, and in roughly the same league as a loaded SIG 556 or entry level AUG A3. Not a bad deal. The FS2000 is not a 'heavy wear' gun. The design makes for a very clean-shooting and wear-free weapon, even after several thousand rounds. Even a decently used FS2000 should remain in great shape internally.



I couldnt shoot the rifle as soon as I got it, so I had plenty of time to get a feel for the guns ergonomics, balance, and overall feel. Its a thick, squatty gun. Its as bulky as the pictures make it seem, but its far more ergonomic than I ever guessed it would be. Even being almost twice as "fat" in the receiver/body area as an AR, it shoulders up nicely, points quickly, and balances almost perfectly. With the weight of the weapon centered nicely over your strong hand, you could hold the gun at the ready with one hand comfortably if need be, its that balanced.



First thing I noticed, it really needs an optic. The backup iron sights are just that, backups. The rear sight is a simple flip up post with a small hole in it. Much like the SIG 556 sight. The sights sit low, and the hole in the rear sight is very small, so these sights are not useful for quick target acquisition. The sight radius is short, so the small peep sight helps to offset this, I'm sure. I installed an optic right away. Much better. I can still cowitness the irons if need be, using an aimpoint low-mount ring. Although the irons are a little slow for quick-targeting, they are very accurate. I was routinely hitting a torso sized steel plate at 200 yards while standing up.



The charging handle is alot like an HK G3 handle, it pivots, then slides backward to be locked in the upright position. One of the issues I read about with this rifle is breakage of the charging handle. Apparently, if you "HK slap" the polymer handle with a strong downward force, it may snap off. The manual reccomends against this practice, and users who do not slap the handle dont report any issues. I have racked the charging handle hundreds and hundreds of times with no issues, and I dont expect any either. I dont plan on slapping it around, though. This is not to say that locking the bolt backward and inserting a mag, then releasing the charging handle is out of the question. Simply 'bump' the handle downward rather than slapping it.



Mounting of accessories: I planned on using this weapon as both a home defense weapon and a varmint rifle. In order to do this, I wanted a flashlight of some sort that could be mounted on the gun. The problem is, out of the box, there is no easy way to do this. The top rail has plenty of space for optics, but you cant really use it for a light, because even with an offset mount, the charging handle gets in the way. Your options are to either buy the FN tri-rail, which is an expensive but worthwhile choice, or to modify the factory handguard to accept a light. This requires dremel work and installation of a pressure switch onto your light. I chose the tri rail, even though it is relatively expensive ($150-65). I like the tri rail for several reasons. Its (in my opinion) more visually appealing than the funky handguard, it allows for easy, versatile placement of a light, and it also allows for use of a vertical grip. I found that with a vertical grip installed, pointability of the weapon improved.



Sling- The design of the gun basically requires that you use a complex sling system. You cant readily snap hooks on either end of the gun and call it a day. If youre inventive, Im sure something could be rigged up to work, but the best option is the Urban Sentry Sling from Urban ERT. Its relatively expensive ($70ish) but its really the only ‘professional grade’ sling out there for this gun.



Flash hider/Suppression – The stock FN unit is pinned in place, and must be removed before any other muzzle devices can be installed. Reportedly, suppressors with AR adaptors may fit over the stock muzzle device, but can work loose due to the slant of the flash hider.



Magazines. It takes any GI style 30 round AR mag. No PMags, no Emags, no Lancers or other polymer mags. The FN mag that the weapon comes with is junk, the follower sticks and the mag is worthless. I ordered 10 C-Products mags and have had flawless performance with all of them. They are by and large considered to be the best quality metal AR mag available, and they come equipped with Magpul antitilt followers. I'd reccomend loading to 28 rounds, as they are easier to insert on a closed bolt.



This brings me to the next point. The mag well has a rubber seal inside that keeps debris out of the action and makes it nearly dust/sand proof. The trade off is that mags do not drop freely. Bullpup mags usually do not drop free anyway, and being a civilian, not in combat, I see this as a non issue. You have to give the mag a firm push to be sure it is seated past the rubber seal. The mag may FEEL seated, but it might not be. This results in a double feed when you chamber the weapon. This is the root cause of many many reports of "jamming" with this gun. Simple user error.



And with that, I'll say that this gun is NOT an AR. The manual of arms is different, very different. Expect it to behave like an AR, and you will be disappointed, and the weapon will probably malfunction. There is no last round bolt hold open. The design of the gun doesnt allow it, and I dont believe it is necessary anyway. If you insert a mag but dont seat it all the way, the gun will jam. If you insert a mag on an open bolt and ride the bolt forward instead of pulling and letting it fly forward, the gun will jam. If you experience a jam and yank back and forth on the charging handle, you will compound your problem and add more jammed rounds into the mix. You MUST remove the mag, THEN rack the charging handle, then reinsert mag. I would guess that 90% of the malfunctions with this weapon are user induced.



The other 10%? Well, its a 5.56 NATO weapon, and youre supposed to feed it milspec 5.56 ammunition. The gun is VERY tolerant of other types of ammo, however. About the only ammo it doesnt like is steel cased black-box WOLF ammo. This stuff is too underpowered, and the rifle will short-stroke regularly. Even still, just flip the gas switch over to the ADVERSE setting, and it will digest WOLF in a hurry. I have shot many many different types of ammo through the rifle, and the only ones I had any feeding issues with were Wolf black box. Everything else worked flawlessly. Just remember that if Wolf is all you have access to, you may need to flip the gas switch over to 'adverse'.



Accuracy. Using an Aimpoint, it grouped just as good as my buddies AR (with EOTECH) at 75 yards. The barrel is 17.25 inches long, with a 1/7 twist. There is no reason not to expect great accuracy from the weapon, and I have been impressed so far.



Shooting impressions- the recoil is negligible, as the recoil axis is a straight line into the users shoulder. I.E. no downward angled stock like with an AK or G3 series rifle. The gun does seem abnormally loud, partially due to the proximity of the barrel to the users ears. It’s a good 6-10 inches closer than a normal rifle, due to the bullpup design. The trigger is heavy, just like with most any bullpup. Its kind of mushy, Glock-like would be a good descriptor. It does, however, have a noticeable ‘second stage’. Once you get the hang of the trigger, its easy to shoot accurately.



Heres the BIGGEST ISSUE I have run into so far........You MAY have light primer strikes with some types of ammo. The FS2000 underwent a number of factory modifications (for 'our safety') that, to make a long story short, ended up making the firing pin hit too softly on some hard military primers. It all depends on the generation of your rifle, but if you end up with light hits, this is why. There are two solutions: you can either remove the firing pin buffer spring (or a few coils from it) as long as you plan on using mostly hard-primered ammo. Or, you can send the gun in to FN and have them install a stronger hammer spring, which supposedly alleviates the issue.



I opted to simply remove the buffer spring myself. I did that very early on, and have since put thousands of rounds through the FS2000 without a SINGLE JAM. NONE. I have used Barnaul Steel Cased, Winchester, Federal, old MilSurp, Wolf, Monarch, Remington, and several other types of ammo and had ZERO issues after removing the buffer spring.



Heres the cliff notes for those of you who dont care to read everything. The FS2000 is an extremely compact and ergonomic weapon, with a 17.25 inch barrel in a bullpup platform thats still shorter than most SBRs. Use quality GI mags with antitilt followers. Dont treat it like an AR, the manual of arms is more like an AK. FN installed a buffer spring in the firing pin that causes light strikes in milspec ammo. As long as you dont plan on using soft-primered hunting rounds, remove this spring (a thirty second affair) and restore the weapon to its original configuration. It will fire all sorts of ammo reliably, even the steel cased stuff. I havent had a jam in thousands of rounds. The FS2000 is an incredibly reliable, compact, manuverable weapon. Its not cheap, but its a solid and unique platform that will keep paces with the finest rifles out there.



PRO:

-uses the ubiquitous AR15 magazine

-despite its odd looks and bulk, it IS ergonomic

-very well balanced

-accuracy is on par with the average AR

-forward eject means its completely lefty-friendly

-extremely compact and light – its shorter than an SBR AR even with the stock collapsed

-its a big time attention getter at the range

-its very reliable



CONS:

-the trigger. Its mushy, Glock-like, but at least lighter than an AUG

-its thick, and the foregrip is quite fat. Ergonomic, but I don’t care for the look or feel of the foregrip.

-needs the expensive ($160) tri-rail to be able to effectively mount a light/vertical grip

-The firing pin buffer spring may need to be removed before it will reliably ignite milsurp ammo

-chamber access is limited.

-most malfunctions can be cleared by stripping the mag and racking the bolt, but more severe ones require disassembly

-the charging handle cant take (IMO) battlefield levels of abuse

-parts, while available, are expensive and a pain to get





The verdict? The FS2000 is a great gun, but dont pay the MSRP, I dont think its worth that. Its an awesome weapon, but strictly in terms of price, the advantages aren’t necessarily worth the premium you pay. Find one for $1600 used, it isn’t hard to do. For that kind of money, the benefits of the weapon package start to even out with the cost difference.



The charging handle limits its overall durability. Don’t smack the handle around, and you should be fine. However, a gun is only as durable as its weakest part, and the charging handle is kind of important….. I see the FS2000 as a great carbine for law enforcement or civilian personal defense, i.e. for someone who wont necessarily subject it to battlefield-levels of abuse. Its compact, accurate, reliable, attractive, and ergonomic. It has its flaws however. Its simply up to the buyer to decide if its worth it or not.



I certainly believe it is.













After getting into graduate school, I decided that, as a sort of present to myself, I was going to buy a high end "black rifle". I did a lot of research on a lot of different weapons, and ended up choosing the FN FS2000. I have since put tons of rounds through it, put it to use in everything from competition to small game hunting, and made a few modifications along the way. I'll try and be as thorough as I can without being too long winded, but here are my thoughts and experiences regarding the weapon. Consider this a review, as well as a 'beginners guide' to all things FS2000.I paid $1550 for a very lightly used FS2000. The previous owner put 20 rounds through the weapon to sight it in, and put it in the safe. Which, while I'm at it, brings me to my first point: price. Lots of people complain about the high price of the FS2000. MSRP is over $2000, but they can easily be found in the $15-1800 range. Thats substantially cheaper than the SCAR and ACR, and in roughly the same league as a loaded SIG 556 or entry level AUG A3. Not a bad deal. The FS2000 is not a 'heavy wear' gun. The design makes for a very clean-shooting and wear-free weapon, even after several thousand rounds. Even a decently used FS2000 should remain in great shape internally.I couldnt shoot the rifle as soon as I got it, so I had plenty of time to get a feel for the guns ergonomics, balance, and overall feel. Its a thick, squatty gun. Its as bulky as the pictures make it seem, but its far more ergonomic than I ever guessed it would be. Even being almost twice as "fat" in the receiver/body area as an AR, it shoulders up nicely, points quickly, and balances almost perfectly. With the weight of the weapon centered nicely over your strong hand, you could hold the gun at the ready with one hand comfortably if need be, its that balanced.First thing I noticed, it really needs an optic. The backup iron sights are just that, backups. The rear sight is a simple flip up post with a small hole in it. Much like the SIG 556 sight. The sights sit low, and the hole in the rear sight is very small, so these sights are not useful for quick target acquisition. The sight radius is short, so the small peep sight helps to offset this, I'm sure. I installed an optic right away. Much better. I can still cowitness the irons if need be, using an aimpoint low-mount ring. Although the irons are a little slow for quick-targeting, they are very accurate. I was routinely hitting a torso sized steel plate at 200 yards while standing up.The charging handle is alot like an HK G3 handle, it pivots, then slides backward to be locked in the upright position. One of the issues I read about with this rifle is breakage of the charging handle. Apparently, if you "HK slap" the polymer handle with a strong downward force, it may snap off. The manual reccomends against this practice, and users who do not slap the handle dont report any issues. I have racked the charging handle hundreds and hundreds of times with no issues, and I dont expect any either. I dont plan on slapping it around, though. This is not to say that locking the bolt backward and inserting a mag, then releasing the charging handle is out of the question. Simply 'bump' the handle downward rather than slapping it.Mounting of accessories: I planned on using this weapon as both a home defense weapon and a varmint rifle. In order to do this, I wanted a flashlight of some sort that could be mounted on the gun. The problem is, out of the box, there is no easy way to do this. The top rail has plenty of space for optics, but you cant really use it for a light, because even with an offset mount, the charging handle gets in the way. Your options are to either buy the FN tri-rail, which is an expensive but worthwhile choice, or to modify the factory handguard to accept a light. This requires dremel work and installation of a pressure switch onto your light. I chose the tri rail, even though it is relatively expensive ($150-65). I like the tri rail for several reasons. Its (in my opinion) more visually appealing than the funky handguard, it allows for easy, versatile placement of a light, and it also allows for use of a vertical grip. I found that with a vertical grip installed, pointability of the weapon improved.Sling- The design of the gun basically requires that you use a complex sling system. You cant readily snap hooks on either end of the gun and call it a day. If youre inventive, Im sure something could be rigged up to work, but the best option is the Urban Sentry Sling from Urban ERT. Its relatively expensive ($70ish) but its really the only ‘professional grade’ sling out there for this gun.Flash hider/Suppression – The stock FN unit is pinned in place, and must be removed before any other muzzle devices can be installed. Reportedly, suppressors with AR adaptors may fit over the stock muzzle device, but can work loose due to the slant of the flash hider.Magazines. It takes any GI style 30 round AR mag. No PMags, no Emags, no Lancers or other polymer mags. The FN mag that the weapon comes with is junk, the follower sticks and the mag is worthless. I ordered 10 C-Products mags and have had flawless performance with all of them. They are by and large considered to be the best quality metal AR mag available, and they come equipped with Magpul antitilt followers. I'd reccomend loading to 28 rounds, as they are easier to insert on a closed bolt.This brings me to the next point. The mag well has a rubber seal inside that keeps debris out of the action and makes it nearly dust/sand proof. The trade off is that mags do not drop freely. Bullpup mags usually do not drop free anyway, and being a civilian, not in combat, I see this as a non issue. You have to give the mag a firm push to be sure it is seated past the rubber seal. The mag may FEEL seated, but it might not be. This results in a double feed when you chamber the weapon. This is the root cause of many many reports of "jamming" with this gun. Simple user error.And with that, I'll say that this gun is NOT an AR. The manual of arms is different, very different. Expect it to behave like an AR, and you will be disappointed, and the weapon will probably malfunction. There is no last round bolt hold open. The design of the gun doesnt allow it, and I dont believe it is necessary anyway. If you insert a mag but dont seat it all the way, the gun will jam. If you insert a mag on an open bolt and ride the bolt forward instead of pulling and letting it fly forward, the gun will jam. If you experience a jam and yank back and forth on the charging handle, you will compound your problem and add more jammed rounds into the mix. You MUST remove the mag, THEN rack the charging handle, then reinsert mag. I would guess that 90% of the malfunctions with this weapon are user induced.The other 10%? Well, its a 5.56 NATO weapon, and youre supposed to feed it milspec 5.56 ammunition. The gun is VERY tolerant of other types of ammo, however. About the only ammo it doesnt like is steel cased black-box WOLF ammo. This stuff is too underpowered, and the rifle will short-stroke regularly. Even still, just flip the gas switch over to the ADVERSE setting, and it will digest WOLF in a hurry. I have shot many many different types of ammo through the rifle, and the only ones I had any feeding issues with were Wolf black box. Everything else worked flawlessly. Just remember that if Wolf is all you have access to, you may need to flip the gas switch over to 'adverse'.Accuracy. Using an Aimpoint, it grouped just as good as my buddies AR (with EOTECH) at 75 yards. The barrel is 17.25 inches long, with a 1/7 twist. There is no reason not to expect great accuracy from the weapon, and I have been impressed so far.Shooting impressions- the recoil is negligible, as the recoil axis is a straight line into the users shoulder. I.E. no downward angled stock like with an AK or G3 series rifle. The gun does seem abnormally loud, partially due to the proximity of the barrel to the users ears. It’s a good 6-10 inches closer than a normal rifle, due to the bullpup design. The trigger is heavy, just like with most any bullpup. Its kind of mushy, Glock-like would be a good descriptor. It does, however, have a noticeable ‘second stage’. Once you get the hang of the trigger, its easy to shoot accurately.Heres the BIGGEST ISSUE I have run into so far........You MAY have light primer strikes with some types of ammo. The FS2000 underwent a number of factory modifications (for 'our safety') that, to make a long story short, ended up making the firing pin hit too softly on some hard military primers. It all depends on the generation of your rifle, but if you end up with light hits, this is why. There are two solutions: you can either remove the firing pin buffer spring (or a few coils from it) as long as you plan on using mostly hard-primered ammo. Or, you can send the gun in to FN and have them install a stronger hammer spring, which supposedly alleviates the issue.I opted to simply remove the buffer spring myself. I did that very early on, and have since put thousands of rounds through the FS2000 without a SINGLE JAM. NONE. I have used Barnaul Steel Cased, Winchester, Federal, old MilSurp, Wolf, Monarch, Remington, and several other types of ammo and had ZERO issues after removing the buffer spring.