Re: Nice Gun!

[MathesonT@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 5/25/2001 12:04:55 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
warflail@warflail.com writes:


> Found this page while trawling on the Net:
>
> http://www.fn-collectors.net/weapon/f2000pic.htm
>
> It's clear that just having a kickass rifle isn't enough - it's got to
> *look* kickass, too! When substance AND style are paramount... :-)

The F2000 has been getting some good press, but it has some very weird 
features.  On the good side it is significantly lighter than the SABRE 
(OICW), around the same as a loaded M4.  Price is a small fraction of the 
SABRE.  The assault rifle is the primary weapon, with the different modular 
weapons as supplimental systems.  This is quite contradictory to the SABRE 
where they are now looking at getting rid of the 5.56 component in favor of 
an "advanced kinetic" system.

On the weird side the F2000 has an electronically regulated rate of fire of 
300 rpm.  There is an override for mechanical ROF of 850, but the complexity 
of a electronicall regulated system has to be questioned.  As a bulpup system 
there is always the problem of left/right/bottom ejection, so the F2000 goes 
with a foward ejection system.  If you look at the weapon you will see two 
horizontal slots above the trigger and then a larger opening above and behind 
the muzzle.  This is the extraction tube, where empty brass (and ejected live 
rounds) are fed forward.  Seems very malfunction prone.

There is little chance the F2000 could unseat SABRE as the US Army's pet 
project, but a solid showing in US trials will open up a lot of other markets.

Rob