The FN FS2000: A Complete Review and Beginners Guide

[lloydkristmas]

The FS2000 is a rifle that doesnt get a lot of in depth attention on the gun boards, so I wrote this to (hopefully) put some rumors to rest about the gun, as well as to bring to light some of its issues.

For a while I have been searching for a combat rifle that could replace my 5.56mm AK. I did a lot of research on a lot of different weapons, and ended up choosing the FN FS2000. I have since put approximately 4500 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.


PRICEI 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.

ERGONOMICSI 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.

SIGHTING/OPTICSFirst 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.

LOADINGThe 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. However, from reports that I have heard/read, most of these issues result from abuse or misuse. Its a tough charging handle, but if you smack it around like a ten cent hooker it might break. Thats a big "might" though.... I have racked/released/bumped 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. UPDATE As of October 2010, a metal charging handle has been manufactured by a third party and is being produced in small numbers. Machined by member "Judochop" from the AR15.com forums, can be reached by Private Message at that website, cost $50. Disclaimer: at the time you are reading this review, the metal charging handle may or may not still be available, and I am in no way affiliated with its seller/manufacturer

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. Keep in mind that the tri-rail, while helpful in mounting accessories, adds almost 2lbs to the front of the gun and does a great job killing the inherent balance of the weapon.

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.

MAG WELL GASKETThis 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.

MANUAL OF ARMS / AVOIDING JAMSAnd 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.

AMMOThe 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 SIG 556 (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. I have used the FS2000 out to 300 yards, offhand, and it had no problem pinging steel.

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.

POTENTIAL ISSUEHeres 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.

Edited to Add:

One thing I didnt include in the writeup was the ambidextrous element of the gun. Empty casings are ejected forward through a tube that runs underneath the top rail. The end of this tube has a trapdoor, kind of like the dust cover on an AR. If you leave this door closed, the empties will open it automatically after five rounds have been fired. If left open, the empties will eject one by one.

Contrary to rumors seen online, the ejection tube will NOT plug up with empty casings, even if fired straight upward. The forceful action of the bolt moving forward is what propels the casings out. This is also why a bolt-hold open is not possible with this design. Without the bolt going forward, there is no way to eject the last casing that was fired. Obviously, not a desireable feature.

Even if debris gets into the ejection tube, the force generated by the ejection mechanism will simply propel the dirt out along with the casing. According to a durability/function test that was done when considering the gun for military adoption in some European nations, the tube was plugged with various types of debris and it still ejected. Snow, ice, small sticks, small rocks, etc. The only way they were able to jam the action was to cram a dowel rod into the tube and fix it in place with some sort of adhesive. What are the odds of that happening in the field?



Another omission from the initial review- the "tactical" version is the one seen in the photo, it comes equipped with a flat-top rail and iron sights, and is available in black or OD green. The "standard" version comes equipped with a 1.5x optical sight that is essentially a part of the weapon. It is removable, but there are no back up sights after the optic has been removed. The rail that is left behind after the optical pod has been removed sits lower than the rail on the 'tactical' model, though iron sights can still be installed on it. The 'standard' model, in my opinion, is rather unattractive and is much more limiting in terms of optics.




Also, the safety is totally ambidextrous and works just like the one found on the P90/Ps90 (the rotating drum type)




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

"Must-have" accessories:
-Sling (Urban ERT highly reccomended)
-Optic (Aimpoint can cowitness with low mount, EOTECH works well too, sits high though)
-quality GI mags (with anti tilt followers)

"Optional" accessories (but highly reccomended):
-FN Tri Rail (you need this to mount a light, unless you want to modify the factory grip)



The verdict? The FS2000 is a great gun, but dont pay the MSRP, I dont think its worth that. Its an awesome weapon, especially for CQB, 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.

















I will continue to add pertinent FS2000 information to this review, members please feel free to contribute anything else that might be beneficial to people interested in this weapon


Grant



MORE PICS - some include the flashlight/handguard modification











500 rounds down the pipe since last update, still no reliability issues.

A metal charging handle is in the works, should remedy any issues with CH durability, even though I have never had a problem.

I'm selling the Tri-Rail, because I have found that the extra width, added weight, and high cost arent really worth it. I prefer the ergonomics of the flashlight-modified factory handguard, and I think that is probably the best setup for the rifle. Some guys like the vertical grip, and it does add a little bit of stability, but I dont feel it is worth the trade offs.


NEW EDIT: HK Sights and Metal Charging Handle

I was able to pick up a set of authentic HK 416 sights with a universal HK rear sight drum. I paid 125 out the door, they normally cost about 350.

I have seen pics of guys running Magpul, Troy, etc backup sights that sit even higher than these sights, so I figure if those work alright, why shouldnt these?

I have the factory FN iron sights perfectly zeroed, so Im not going to mess with those until Im sure the HK sights will work to my satisfaction. The extreme change in sight radius on top of the FS2000 might throw things off, but I dont know yet.

I left the standard FN front sight on the gun for height comparison. Here are some pictures of what HK416 sights look like on the FS2000.

I will update once I am able to get to the range and put them to the test. If they work well I will remove the FN front sight and move the 416 sight up to the front of the rail, and re-install the Aimpoint using a higher mount.

ETA: these pics also give a look at the metal charging handle for those of you who havent seen it.

[Captiva]

Great write up Lloyd. Thanks.

[CountryBoy]

loved the write up. Thank you for the contribution

[Sabotteur]

Great write up. Lots of good information there. Thanks for sharing.

[dchang0]

Outstanding write-up that covers all the bases very succinctly.

BTW, you can clip the magwell dust skirt down with a pair of diagonal cutters IF you take the stock apart into two halves. Some people pop the entire skirt out, but this leaves those holes in the stock exposed to dust/dirt. It is better to simply cut the skirt down to flush, which then gives drop-free and still offers some protection from dust/dirt.

Yes, drop-free is still not necessary due to the placement of the mag release, BUT, without the skirt's extra pressure on the mag, mag INSERTIONS are much, much easier.

I consider the dust skirt cutting a mandatory modification.

[lloydkristmas]

My mags slide in and out with ease. Sure its not like an AR mag, but some guys imply you have to jam the mag in super hard, and I dont feel this is the case. Then again, mine is broken in and uses teflon coated C Products mags.

[dchang0]

You're pretty lucky, then. The dust skirts in my magwell made the mags very tough to jam in. I too was using C-Products teflon-coated mags.

[lloydkristmas]

Bumping this review, seems there is an influx of new guys buying FS2000's that might benefit from this information

Also added some stuff to the original post

[GoufCustom]

Nice write up, read it all as a Noob, and then continued to play with my FS2000, also snapped some photos and comparisons that might help some others too. I have not shot my FS yet, but I shot a Tactical one about 4 years ago and really liked it, but will soon, have had a good chance to handle it and compare it to my other rifles, overall I am very happy with it.

I bought the standard with the built in optic, X1.6, for two reasons, I did not want to spend another $500 on an optic as soon as I bought the rifle because the rifle is expensive, the irons included on the tactical are garbage, and I can’t see that great. Secondly I had read that I the Standard does everything the Tactical does, but with a polymer rail, that several people have tested and found to be just as good as the AL one, and it is lower which is better for the cheek weld.



First the Optic, I like it, easy to use, clear, and the magnification is good for close work, sure they could have done better, but overall it is nice. The cover needs to be removed to adjust the point of impact, and the cover is easy to remove. There are also plastic back up sights in the top of the cover, they are honestly hard to use, and if the optic breaks I will just use my thumbs to point and hope. I am sure all the SHTF guys will say that isn’t good enough, and while I run MBUS on all my ARs, I think I will be in a lot of other troubles if my optic breaks as I run Aimpoints and Trijicons. My opinion. The optic looks really lame after removing the cover, good thing there is a cover.




I had a LT-150 sitting around so I tried it on the polymer rail, worked great, no marks left after removal, proper spacing of the rails, and the locking lever on the LT-150 cleared the frame of the FS2k and worked great. Wont be removing the standard optic, but might in the future. Overall the standard optic is futuristic and it is nice that the gun is low drag and almost anti snag.








I like the front grip, it is like a MOE Carbine HG, and while you cant add side rails to it, I may try to add a Magpul Polymer rail to it later, and will do the light mod to add a G2 LED to the gun, it is much needed. I don’t plan on getting the tri-rail as it is heavy, expensive, and ugly (my opinion).

I did replace the CH with the Judochop Aluminum one as soon as I bought it, actually within the first hour out of the box, it is much better, as I would like to slap the CH, and for $50 it was a good deal.

I also went out into the garage and took the FS2K in my Pontiac G6 (4 door), and sat in the front seat, wow, it is short, had no problem moving around in the car with the seats in their normal positions. I would like to shorten the barrel to a 16.1” with a fixed FH, then it would be perfect, not that I plan to shot from my car, but it is that short.

I have read a ton of stuff about how the FS2K is not as good for a SHTF rifle or even just a beater rifle. And I am sure there are a ton of Magpul Fan Boys that will say they won’t get a FS2K because there is no MIAD grip to adjust in their hand to make it their own, bull crap… The pistol grip is actually really nice, and the safety will take some time getting used to, but not too long. I also heard some complaints about how there isn’t a $5 sling out there for the gun, but the ERT one for $65 is on par with all the decent slings for the AR platform, the MS2, Larue, Troy… Also the “Art of the Tactical…” crowd will not like this rifle because if you try to grip the rifle like Magpul teaches with the AFG you will be in for a serious surprise of hot gas on the palm or a burnt hand on the barrel, but that doesn’t mean the rifle isn’t good for most users.

The trigger pull is not great, but not as bad as I thought it would be. Plan to buy the Neu-Trigger soon.

I would also recommend some ranger plates for the USGI mags, already but some gen 3 followers in them and they should prove to be nice. I like the idea of the skirt, and I am going to like telling people that my gun has a skirt, will get a similar look out of them when I tell them that I have a bolt action 22LR gun with a factory folding front pistol grip

Mag changes are not that hard, just a little different than in a AR, not as fast but still not that bad, I will not be removing my skirt, maybe my wifes, but that is a different story for another thread…

The ejection of the cases is just plain cool, and this makes for great lefty or weak side shooting. This is the only gun that I feel comfortable shooting on my weak side. Also this makes things much nicer when you are shooting in an enclosed space, no hot cases bouncing off walls, doorways or the inside of your car back into your face or whatever.

Biggest complaints:
*Fixed flash hider on a 17.4” barrel, why?
*No place to put my trigger finger when not shooting.
*No indication of the last round.
*No front side or bottom rails for a light.

Things I have noticed:
*You can’t use coupled mags.
*No PMag usage, but USGI mags are super cheap.
*Lack of aluminum rail under the cover, although the polymer is just as good.
*No Bayonet Lug, but I hope I never get that close.

The Good:
*Great hold on both the strong and weak side.
*Brass ejection.
*Short.
*Piston clean.
*Built in optic is clear and easy to use.

Some comparisons:

7.5” 5.56 AR-15 (Registered)

With the stock Fully extended the length of pull matches, but I prefer a short pull length. Overall it is about ¾” shorter than FS2K, but the ballistics from a 7.5” are terrible, as well as the reliability, I have mine running nicely but don’t have more than 500 rnds down the pipe.


10.5” 5.56 AR-15 (Again Registered)

And fully extended.


16” 5.56 AR-15

And fully extended.


And a 21” FAL


*Remember these are my opinions, and some facts, and I would recommend the FS2K. Also the EMOD stock I have on my ARs is about ¾” longer than the standard M4 stock.

[tqtran]

Lots of info in this thread now, enough for me to warrant it a sticky.
Great job guys