I've had my Bushmaster M17s for about 2 years and I wouldn't dream of selling it. Its an interesting design and it has its merits, although if intended to be an all-around carbine it may lack some useful features depending on what your criteria is.
I believe that the M17s, along with just about any other .223 bullpup (aside from the L85) are going to be better suited for Close Quarters Combat than say a full sized rifle or a shorty M4 type. Reasons for this include shorter overall length increase mobility, greater potential lethality and accuracy, and faster target aquisition (with proper optics) than a full-sized rifle. But, as a standard issue weapon, I wouldn't think it to be ideal.
Domino's Quick Review of the M17s
Accuracy:
The weapon is inherently accurate, although this can be difficult to prove due to a somewhat clumsy trigger. However, with a little Moly slide and a little bit tweeking I would compare my trigger to that of a stock Glock pistol. It is consistant and predictable which is all you need in a fighting rifle. My rifle is easily capable of 1 MOA accuracy with virtually all ammunition I have used. The smallest groups I have made are in the .5 MOA range. I would recommend some sort of red dot sight becuase getting the appropiate eye relief and be difficult with certain scopes, and the pistol sights under the carry handle are only last resort 25 meter open sights.
Reliablity:
I have yet to throw mine in the mud but, in normal operating conditions the weapon is 100% reliable with somewhere over 3,000 rounds fired. The weapon is easily to clean and field strip, it also claims to have a self-cleaning gas syustem. To test this I field stripped my rifle after about 1,000 rounds and inspected the gas system for myself. It looked cleaner than my AK does after 100 rounds, and this is with using Wolf and Barnaul ammunition which has a reputation for bieng dirtier than U.S. production ammo.
Handling and Controls:
The M17s can be a bit cumbersome to those who are used to conventional designs. The weapon is also too heavy for its caliber, if it were 2 pounds lighter it would be ideal. The controls are virtually identical to an M-16 just located in a different place. I have become pretty profeciant with mine, which proves to me that it just takes practice to get the hang of it. Anything from reloading, operating the action, turning the safety on and off, and firing the weapon are VERY natural once you practice with it. I think the weapon is very quick to operate.
As far as the barrel overheating, I wouldn't worry about it. However, after blasting 2 30 round magazines through it the front of the rifle gets pretty warm. You can install a vertical foreward grip or just keep both hands at the pistol grip since the weapon is balanced over that point.
Overall, its a good design but not a perfect one. I would not pay over $700 for one unless you really want one. If you have the cash, maybe you should look into the FN 2000...
http://www.impactguns.com/store/FN-FS2000.html
M17s Links...
http://www.smallarmsreview.com/april.htm
http://www.gun-tests.com/pub/16_7/features/5176-1.html
http://www.kurtskustomfirearms.citymax.com/page/page/42606.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/M17S/
