G&G FN F2000 Tactical ETU AEG Review

This time, I'll be reviewing the G&G F2000 Tactical ETU electric airsoft gun.

This is one of the items I got in Airsoft97's New Year's lucky bag in 2021.

There's an article introducing the contents of Airsoft97's 2021 New Year's lucky bag, so please take a look if you're interested.

This will be my first bullpup rifle, so I'm looking forward to it (although I have borrowed and used a P90 before).

The F2000 is a model that appeared in many FPS games and manga for a time. The real thing is also a relatively new design (2001) bullpup design with some unique features, so I'd like to touch on its mechanics, albeit briefly.

Let's begin the review.

Take it out of the box

This is the outer box.

This box is quite impressive and shows a lot of effort went into its design.

Looking at it in more detail, it's emphasized that it's an official FN product. The specifications are also clearly described.

Let's open the box.

Following the rounded shape of the device itself, the instruction manual and initial velocity certificate were also curved.

Here is a list of the contents.

The selection is just as extensive as that of domestically produced goods.

Many overseas-made products often lack the muzzle cap and maintenance tool that are always included with domestic products, so having them is a small but helpful feature.

I hope this will be helpful for those planning to purchase or who have already purchased the product in checking its contents.

I flipped through the instruction manual and found some instructions in Japanese.

The level of customer service is comparable to that of domestic manufacturers.

Next is the initial velocity certificate.

Based on the information on the outer box, it's clear that it has a muzzle velocity adjustment mechanism, so logically, I would assume you would set it to maximum velocity for testing, but what's the actual situation?

It appears to have fairly stable performance, but we won't know for sure until we actually test it.

Next, let's take a look at the main unit.

appearance

This is the usual side view.

It is the opposite.

It's quite bland. For a bullpup design, it doesn't feel particularly compact.

Next, let's look at the front part of the main unit.

It features an openable and closable ejection port, a movable gas regulator, and an ambidextrous swivel.

Let's open the ejection port.

This model has a unique design with the ejection port located at the front. The shape of the port is also designed to eject empty cartridge cases forward.

This design is apparently ambidextrous, ensuring that hot spent casings won't hit the user regardless of which hand they're holding it with. I think it would be better if it ejected downwards like the company's P90, but in the case of the F2000, the magazine is there, so they probably moved it forward.

Next is the gas regulator.

This mechanism is designed to accommodate the varying combustion pressures depending on the type of ammunition (only for real firearms, unrelated to airsoft). However, personally, I think that 5.56mm ammunition is already a major and long-established type of ammunition, so I believe it will have consistent quality wherever you go in the world and therefore won't be modified much.

Next is the muzzle.

The design pays considerable attention to minimizing muzzle rise during firing. Similar to the flash hiders on many rifles, there are holes only on the top to allow the propellant gases to be expelled upwards to reduce muzzle jump (other features include preventing dust from being kicked up on the ground by the gases when firing from a prone position). In addition, the bottom is slightly extended to allow the gases to go upwards more easily.

The muzzle is likely a 14mm reverse thread and is secured with a grub screw.

Next, let's look at the front sight.

This is a typical site with security features.

The height can be adjusted using the included tool. However, since most people use optical sights in airsoft games, you probably won't need to adjust this.

Next, let's look at the charging handle.

Pulling the charging handle allows it to hook into the notch and hold its position.

There's something I don't understand here: you can choose from two holding positions.

I'm not entirely sure why, but my guess is that the forward position allows the chamber to be half-open to check the condition of the sphere inside. I think that with the forward notch in place, the extractor won't catch on the bullet, so you can look into the chamber without ejecting the spent casing.

Next, let's look at the other side.

This is interesting because you can see the passage through which the empty cartridge cases are routed after firing.

It's a rather unique design, and you can clearly see the cartridge case passage inside the receiver. In the real thing, I think you would be able to see the cartridge cases inside the passage from the outside.

Furthermore, the design incorporates large cooling holes to prevent hot spent cartridges from sticking to the passageway after firing (if the passageway becomes clogged, the next round cannot be loaded).

My guess is that this mechanism not only offers ambidextrous support, but also eliminates the need to forcefully eject spent cartridge cases, allowing for the use of a smaller extractor and weaker spring, thus improving reliability.

However, it's unclear whether it's possible to forcibly eject any empty shell casings remaining in the passageway. Of course, they can be removed by taking the gun down, but that seems cumbersome and impractical.

Next, the grip? Let's take a look around.

The first thing to focus on is the chamber cover.

It can be opened just like the real thing.

Furthermore, just like the real thing, the airsoft version has a chamber that allows for hop-up adjustment. Unfortunately, unlike the real thing, the BBs are not visible, but I think it's a very elaborate and impressive design.

Next, the grip?

I, a person with a standard Japanese build (175cm tall, 70kg), tried holding it.

The grip isn't particularly thick, but it's not thin either. Since it's a bullpup design, you probably won't be gripping it tightly, so it might not significantly affect usability.

Next is the trigger pull distance.

At first, I'm just touching it.

It's a pull-off.

As is typical of bullpup rifles, the draw travel is long and the feel is rather heavy.

In bullpup designs, the firing mechanism (gearbox in airsoft terms) is far from the trigger, so the firing mechanism is controlled via a link (such as a rod).

For mass production, the play (tolerance) in the link mechanism is increased to make it cheaper, easier, and quicker to manufacture and assemble. Furthermore, since the link itself needs to move to return the trigger to its original position, a stronger spring is required than in a standard type.

These factors make bullpup design prone to poor trigger feel.

However, if you tune it yourself, optimizing the play in each part and applying grease, it will improve considerably (this applies to both real firearms and airsoft guns).

In reality, the extra effort involved would increase costs, making it impossible to produce large quantities quickly and cheaply, so it's simply not done, or can't be done (this is true for all industrial products).

There is a selector just below this trigger.

The selector switch has three settings: safe, semi-automatic, and full-automatic.

Furthermore, thanks to G&G's signature ETU (Electronic Trigger Unit) feature, if you set the selector to semi-automatic and hold down the trigger for more than 10 seconds, the full-automatic mode will switch to a 3-round burst. However, there are no sound or light indicators when the switch occurs, so you won't know the exact moment it happens. It's a good idea to slowly count to 10 when switching modes.

The selector also has a stiff movement, for the same reason as the trigger.

Next is the stock section.

Just like the real thing, the mechanism is inside the stock, so you can see the ETU board.

It's on the opposite side.

You can see the motor. The official markings are clearly visible.

The magazine goes under this stock section.

The part you press in the photo is the magazine catch; pressing it will release the magazine.

The real thing doesn't release the magazine just by pressing the magazine catch, but the airsoft version falls out under its own weight.

Incidentally, the magazine is basically the same as that of a standard electric M4, but for some reason the F2000's is a little longer and holds 450 rounds, which is more than the usual 300 rounds of a high-capacity magazine.

Generally, standard M4 magazines should work, but some may not be compatible due to differences in the position of the magazine catch.

In that case, I think it will work if you slightly shave off the top part of the magazine's magazine catch.

Finally, the top rail and rear sight.

The standard version comes with a scope, but this tactical version only includes a rifle scope. Personally, I think it's better to choose your own optical sights rather than using the included scope.

The rear sight is a foldable, perforated plate that can be adjusted left and right. Up and down adjustment is done with the front sight, and left and right adjustment is done with the rear sight.

This is a site picture.

Because it's not very tall from the stock, it might be difficult to see through if you're wearing a large face mask. I think you'll use it the least.

Field strips, others

This model allows for easy field stripping, just like the real thing, so I'd like to try it out.

Press the button corresponding to the photo's location.

Confirm that a rod is sticking out on the opposite side.

Once confirmed, move the upper receiver forward.

This completes the field stripping process.

As expected from a bullpup design, the inner barrel is quite long. Also, personally, I think the F2000 resembles a sunfish, and in this configuration, it looks like it's been cut into three pieces.

Let's look at the hop shape.

This is a standard type with a regular bump, not a special type like a long-handled type.

Next, let's look at the positioning of the hop chamber.

I believe the chamber itself is the same as that used in their M4.

I was hoping they would recreate the mechanism of the cartridge route connecting the upper receiver and the gearbox, but it wasn't included in the airsoft version. That's disappointing.

Next, we'll remove the rear end plate to insert the battery.

It's in the detached state.

You can see the QD spring and muzzle velocity adjustment mechanism.

This is a Tamiya connector and a 25A fuse.

The battery compartment is quite large; it looks like a MINI-S battery would fit.

Since I had the chance, I removed the plastic plate.

The muzzle velocity can be adjusted by turning the screw on the part shown in the picture with a flathead screwdriver. The further the part moves towards the front of the picture, the lower the muzzle velocity.

The photo shows the gun in its out-of-the-box state with the initial velocity at its maximum. Of course, it can be adjusted without removing the plastic plate.

Regarding the gearbox, I didn't remove it this time, but I think it can be easily removed by unscrewing the bolt on the stock.

This is G&G's signature product, the ETU (Electric Torque Unit).

This device can be added to existing gearboxes and wiring with minimal investment. From the look of the circuit board, it appears to be based on MOSFETs with simple control devices.

If you're interested in learning more about FETs, there's an explanatory article available, so please feel free to take a look.

Finally, we have the bat plate.

The rubber is supposed to interlock with the main body, but the rubber is stiff and difficult to handle. The fact that it's difficult to attach means it's also difficult to remove, which is a real problem.

Live-fire performance verification

We will now check the actual firing performance.

The conditions were room temperature of approximately 22°C, and the battery used was an ET-1 LiPo battery 7.4V 1400mAh Red Line (equivalent to 30C) with a storage voltage of 7.6V.

Measurements were taken with the hop-up adjustment set to 0 and using VFC Bio BBs (0.2g).

It's showing a decent amount of activity. From what I've seen, most other specimens are around 80 m/s, so this might be a good find.

Next is the cycle.

With a fully charged battery, I think you can fire about 15-16 shots.

We'll add the hops.

You can tell that it's been properly hopped.

Introduction article on chronographs

Next is a video showing the operation.

セミオート

G&G FN F2000 Tactical ETU Semi-Normal

The response is not bad, in my opinion. As for the sound, there is almost no gear noise, which suggests high manufacturing quality. Also, because the gearbox is enclosed in a large body, the firing sound is quiet and has a unique muffled feel to it.

Next is the 3-round burst.

G&G FN F2000 Tactical 3-Round Burst (Normal)

The squirrel

G&G FN F2000 Tactical Full Auto Normal

It's a fairly regular cycle.

Incidentally, I discovered that the circuit board lights up when switching to a 3-round burst mode in the ETU. However, it's not visible from the outside, so it's not very useful.

This is a video. The video was edited down to be shorter because 10 seconds is too long.

G&G ETU 3-round burst switching circuit board behavior

G&G Bio-Bullets 0.2g
It's inexpensive and accurate, so I use it for a wide range of purposes, from performance testing to airsoft games. It's been my favorite since it first came to Japan (around 2008). It lasts a long time for a biodegradable product.

G&G Bio-Bullets 0.25g
It's 0.25g. I generally use 0.25g BBs when playing airsoft.

Summary

As expected from a G&G product, it felt like it was of high quality and high performance.

As expected from an officially licensed FN product, the airsoft version meticulously reproduces the features and unique design of the real thing. This is a very welcome feature for those who appreciate authenticity.

In terms of actual shooting performance, it feels about the same as Tokyo Marui's standard electric guns, except for the trajectory. Looking at the hop-up shape and structure, the trajectory also seems promising.

It's also suitable as a base for customization, thanks to its easy-to-remove gearbox, compatibility with ver.6 gearboxes for easy modification, incredible rigidity, and large body size which allows for lots of intricate work.

If it were me, I'd aim for improved response and firepower by setting the rate of fire to 25 rounds per second with a 0.9J BB (initial velocity of 95 m/s or less with 0.2g BBs) and applying pre-cocking with a Perun ETU.

With its high rigidity and long barrel, I think it will have very high accuracy and range. I also think that adding sound-absorbing material to the gearbox will make it silent. I think that if you add a silencer, it will be as quiet as an airsoft gun.

For F2000 enthusiasts, this is the only model available, and since it's made by G&G, you can purchase it with confidence knowing its consistent quality and performance.

Thank you for reading this far.

G&G FN F2000 Tactical ETU Tan Color
This is the tan color version of the product I introduced.

G&G FN F2000 ETU Black
It comes with a scope attached from the start. It's cheap considering you get a scope for only 3,000 yen more than the standard tactical model, but I can't comment on the scope's performance.