Just as it says.Any of you guys have experience with these ? I have always thought these looked and felt cool. I have never had the chance to shoot one though. I could see myself buying one if I found a decent deal. I am kinda concerned about reliability and parts availability ?
I know I should probably just buy a SCAR and call it a day…
I would take a SCAR over an FS2000, as someone who owns the FS2000, written an article on it, and put a fair number of rounds through a SCAR.
Here are some of the threads where the FS2000 is discussed:
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=59699&highlight=fs2000
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=42345&highlight=fs2000
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=23878&highlight=fs2000
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=14185&highlight=fs2000
I had one for a while, wrote up a big review for this site in which I covered most of the relevant details.
Its very reliable, if you run it the right way. Screw up the manual of arms and you may have malfunctions.
I absolutely do not regret owning it, but there were other guns that served the same purpose for me that werent quite as ‘out there’ so I sold it. If I could go back, I probably would have opted for the AUG A3 instead. Like Ed said, the SCAR is the better FN rifle, albeit more expensive.
CDNN has FS2000 for 1,400. That’s cheaper than a lot of places.
I have two friends that have them. First one had the thing crap out very early on. FN replaced the bolt and some other parts. At the time he asked about buying a spare and was quoted like close to 500 bucks or something nuts. He doesn’t shoot it that often. I read a while ago that FN changed out bolts for a stronger one at some point but haven’t been able to find more info on this as of late.
Another friend has one that swears by it but it has jammed badly and often when he shot with us. One time he only had the factory mag which is complete trash(like throw it in the trash at the gunstore before leaving) which I believe was causing most of the issues. I only had a few p-mags with me at the time so I couldn’t test it. Other times it has been out it has either worked well or screwed up seemly every mag.
Overall an interesting gun although personally I wouldn’t take one over an AR. Just don’t think it offers enough over one and I haven’t been impressed with my very limited experience with them.
Personally I have a ps90 that seems to be fine. Going to sbr it at some point. Friend has the scar which seems to be a nice gun as well.
As some of the ‘been there, done that’ types have said, the FS2000 was sort of a gun designed by lab/engineer geeks, almost totally without input from the end user. Its almost like a concept gun brought to reality, engineering masturbation so to speak. While it is reliable and ergonomic, it lacks some features that anyone versed in combat shooting would/should want in a fighting rifle.
Its a little on the fragile side, its very complex internally, you have to drop the mag to clear most malfunctions, its very wide, its very difficult to effectively mount a light without adding a goofy tri rail or breaking out the dremel, and the iron sights suck.
On the other hand, its very ergonomic, its lefty friendly, and its very compact.
I enjoyed it while I had it, but I dont miss it either. I bought it wanting it to be one of those guns that I’d own forever, but it simply wasnt gonna be that way. My AK’s and HK’s inspire more confidence and trust. Sorta like dating a supermodel…I’m glad I got to run her around the block for a while, but I wasnt prepared to deal with her in the long term.
If youre gonna drop the coin, get a SCAR or AUG A3, or simply stick with the high end AR’s.
I had two fs 2000s when they first came into the country. The first one was only the 60th or so imported. It needed a new hammer spring to fire surplus ammo reliably.
Other than that, I used HK mags with them and they were very reliable. Full length barrel and is as short as my ar sbr. What’s not to like?
I shot them almost exclusively for 1.5 yrs, but went right back to the ar platform after seeing how much faster I could shoot it on some drills with a shot timer.
They are fun, but I think I always used the manual when re-assembling… Yeah it really is that complicated.
If you have the funds this is a “fun rifle” but not a SHTF rifle.
I agree with the above statements about the AUG A3-I have both rifles and the AUG wins hands down.
I will not sell the FS as I have too much in it. I bought it when they were $1,900 dealer cost in 2005-2006 and I have shot it with an EoTech and now a Micro Aimpoint. I like the Micro much better and it gives me lower 1/3 co-witness with the stock sights-I have a 1/2" riser from Yankee Hill and it is perfect.
The HK black 30 rounders are a necessity and the “Neu-Trigger” helps immensely with the crappy trigger.
These are what I use to make it better-the charging handle will break-it is plastic. There is a good aluminum model from a gent on AR15 that is real nice, but I haven’t bought it yet, I got a free replacement from FN.
They are a bit more fragile and the trigger sucks compared to a AUG with the trigger tamer in it. The AUG has a good rail on the side and comes with two mags and a case that is super nice. The AUG is a more “robust” design in my opinion.
They are great for lefties and re-loaders and actually shoot accurately if you can get past the trigger. They are 1/7 chrome lined barrels and FN will take care of any issues-the early ones like mine had trigger pack spring issues, now they are fixed to shoot all mil-spec ammo.
Like I said-great toy if you have the money
I definitely like the FS2000. I took it through one carbine class and learned what another poster had said about its manual of arms. If you try to impose another rifle’s manual of arms on it, you can get problems. I don’t ding the rifle for that since that’s a training thing and you can’t blame the rifle for operator error. The real drawbacks for the rifle are a lack of spare parts availability and almost zero aftermarket support. Any firearm that does not become mainstream on our market will face these issues.
I think the rifle is reliable. There was an issue when they first hit the US market where the firing pin that was used was causing doubles and triples. FN tried to fix it and went too far so some people had issues with military surplus ammo. However that can be remedied easily if you want to.
Despite what someone else said, it is not hard to field strip and reassemble. It’s just different. If you’re used to an AR and an AK, you’re going to have a learning curve. Most of the angry complaints I see with it are from people who are not very familiar with it. Those who have had one and put it through its paces may no longer have one but they usually know it has some very cool features. It has a relatively short overall length which is nice. It is ambi. It runs much cleaner than an AR. It also has a nice balance to it. Some people complain about it being too wide but I suspect that complaint is a personal preference thing. I don’t find that they are too wide. (Just for reference, I’m not Samoan.) I enjoy shooting my FS2000. I’m happy I got it and I don’t plan on selling it. I don’t use it as a benchrest rifle.
Here’s a list of what people tend to freak out about with the FS2000:
-It has a different manual of arms than an AR or an AK.
-It doesn’t take PMAGs.
-Its mags don’t drop free when you hit the mag release (this is by design).
-The iron sights are disappointing (they are totally useable).
-The trigger is not an AR trigger (almost all Bullpup rifles have a rougher trigger due to the long linkage).
-There is almost no aftermarket support for it.
-The spare parts are not widely available.
-And the ever popular complaints about the rifle having a lot of plastic and looking like a space gun.
If you can get past that stuff, you can enjoy it for what it is.
Should you get a SCAR instead? I don’t know. To me, the SCAR is the FNC evolved and in a more modern package. I have nothing against it but it’s not like I feel I need one. With the FS2000 / F2000 (and the PS90 / P90), I like how FN tried to move the ball forward a good ways. -The market is slow on Bullpup designs because they are different and pricey. It’s like when the AUG came out, people didn’t really know what to make of it because it was different and not inexpensive. Now most people respect it.
As I have commented before, I despise the FN2000 and see no reason for its existence.
It has a reason for existence. Movie studios can use it as a cool space gun. Ever see gi joe? 
Yea as I said personally I’m not a fan of it either from my limited experience.
I’d probably take a scar over my fs2000, but I can’t buy a scar for $1500 which is what I paid for my bullpup. Parts for any fn are almost non existent to buy so I think that’s a wash.
The brass lands right in front of me which is something I love about this rifle, my ps90 and rfb. I can see where that might be a problem if you were in an engagement but for my casual shooting it makes it easy to find and pick up.
The trigger doesn’t bother me but there is an aftermarket trigger you can put in if it bothers you.
It’s short and handy to move around and no sbr stamp.
In my hands my fs2000 with eotech 2-0 will ring my 140 yd. steel plate just as often as my DD m4v1 with micro aimpoint and that means pretty much every shot. It rings it more often than my dd m4v5 which is something I can’t figure out and is probably just me.
I didn’t like the whale fin foregrip so I found a used elephant snout on a forum and bought it and put it on, it’s just like a ps90 grip and I like it a lot better. If I hadn’t found one of the monolith ps90 style grips (they don’t make them any more since magpul bought them out) I’d have bought one of the new tactical railed fore ends I think.
It’s all got to do with your taste, what you like, whether you want to try out and learn different things because this rifle is nothing like your m4.
If you are buying it as a defensive carbine, then I say no you should not buy it. If you are buying it because you are a collector, already have your bases covered with an appropriate top-tier AR15 or similar, and just want to add something to your personal “reference collection”, then by all means I say go for it.
I am both a collector and a shooter. I see the merits of owning multiple weapon platforms because I consider myself an informal student of weapon design/engineering, and technology and I personally like having my own reference collection. I like having the ability to pull things out of the safe, take them apart, compare the design features, etc…
I used to own two FS2000s, but recently sold one to help partially fund a SIG 551-2SP. I still own another FS2000. I don’t shoot it often and it truly is a reference piece. I like it for the purpose it serves in my safe. Only you can make the call as to whether it fits your needs.
If you put a propeller on it, it makes a nice model boat!
I think it is a really neat rifle. If I wasn’t completely invested in the AR platform (full auto) I would consider one as a one gun. It is a nice rifle and it is very compact. I used to have one but sold it to finance my M16.
I have two FN2000s and they are new in box and I consider them collector pieces. I would not use one as my primary go to gun. For that I use an AR-15.
If you have the cash, I would get an FN2000 as a future hedge against any gun control.
I would not buy one as my first assault rifle. For that, you need a qualty AR-15.
Poor after sale support from both FN and other 3rd party companies make the FN2000 a novelty.
I was rather excited when I first learned the FS2000 was coming to the US. On paper, it’s a great design, truely ambi-dexterous and good ergonomics as well. But then reality hit me: I shoot my guns, and for that they need to be reliable. The FS2000 just doesn’t have enough historical data to be proven reliable. The AR, AK, and to some extent even the AUG has enough history in armed services to prove their reliability records.
In the end I decided to skip the FS2000 and rather bought an AUG A3 to fill my bullpup craving.
I have a quality AR and AK. Just thinking about a new toy.
With only a couple thousand rounds through mine, I’m not going to make any proclamations re: the FS2000. I ran it through a two-day carbine course and it worked well.
I will say it is a very popular and well-regarded firearm by the guy standing to your right on the line. He was the ONLY guy that didn’t end up digging a piece of hot brass out of his shirt collar or rolling onto the same while prone. 