Quoted: Just chiming in here.
1 lb heavier isn't a big deal. I have an 20" AUG, and it makes a big difference that the center of gravity is further back. Makes any non-bullpup feel muzzleheavy. With semi-auto the light forend and muzzlerise isn't a problem. That and take your M4 with a railed forend and BUIS and you gotta be too damn close weight-wise to tell.
Who the hell shoots their M4 with the stock collapsed? The size IS a big advantage. The 17.4" barrel IS a big advantage. Ammo oracles says an 14.5" M4 only fragments with M855 out to 45-50 meters, but a 17.4" barrel ought to safely double that to 100. And a lot of guys seem to want to shoot even heavier bullets... No 1/7 twist? Pshaw!!!
I'd love to own one, but the price tag is too steep. I can see this being more expensive than an AR, but with all of the plastic it shouldn't be that much more.
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The FS2000 will not have a 20" barrel, it will have a 17.4" barrel that has LESS than 17.4" rifled length. I estimate roughly 1"-2" is from the permanently pinned flash suppressor, so you're looking at less than 16" rifled length. Compare the muzzle velocities between a 14.5" barrel and a 16" barrel... it's almost negligible. The PS90 has a 16.1" barrel but only 14.8" of it has rifling, the rest is the permanently pinned flash suppressor. So overall, we're looking at a $2500 FS2000 that has comparable muzzle velocities to the current M4s, but with the weight and bulkiness of a M16A2, with an overall length comparable to the 14.5" M4 with the stock fully collapsed. I do not see anything innovative about this concept other than it is a bullpup with a funky ejection system.
My 7 lb 16" M4 does not have any tacticool accessories, just CAR handguards and a DCH. I shoot my M4 with the 4-position stock FULLY collapsed. Why? Because it fits me perfectly and I can get a nice and tight nose-to-charging handle cheek weld. I hate the A2 stocks and other fixed stocks because they're too long. I loved the collapsible stock so much that I installed a M4 stock on my 24" HBAR and guess what? I shoot it with the stock fully collapsed as well. I don't wear body armor and I'm not fat, I just prefer shooting the AR w/ the stock fully collapsed, and I have tried all the different settings only to go back to the fully collapsed mode. However, I am digressing from the main topic at hand.
The FS2000 has a 1/9 twist barrel, so that is going to piss of a lot of the professional users who may want to use Mk 262 Mod 1. At this time and age, FN Herstal should have just used 1/7 to satisfy everyone.
My 16" M4 weighs 7 lb empty and the rifle balances very well (the bulk of the weight is towards the rear). If you think that is bad, try my 24" HBAR, where the bulk of the weight is forward of your pistol grip (muzzle heavy).
I wouldn't mind buying a FS2000 if it was $1400-$1500, but with the current price markups and its capabilities compared to the current M4, I seriously doubt large government/LE agencies will scramble to buy them considering most of them are now switching to M4s.