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Posted: 8/15/2012 5:19:51 PM EDT
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Hey guys, just picked up a Franchi SPAS-12 and this is my first SPAS-12. Really awesome shotgun and love the pump/semi-auto option. Any upgrades or info i should know about?
Field stripped it and it was a lot easier than expected. Cleaned and lubed her and she's running smooth. Really happy with this shotgun and can't wait to run a few hundred rounds though it this weekend. Could you guys post some pictures for me to see what set up and optiosn you're running. Thanks! 
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I would advise you to NOT SHOOT IT until you've done some reading on the SPAS-12's safety-related problems. The lever-actuated safeties were known to shoot when the safety was turned off WITHOUT TOUCHING THE TRIGGER. There was a recall on them in the early 90s and some were converted to a push-button style safety, and the problem went away. If yours has the lever-safety be advised that there are NO new parts to convert one from the bad type to the better type.
http://spas12.com/spassafety.htm Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but a negligent discharge with a 12-gauge can be a messy thing. The link I posted has a lot of very important, but unfortunate, information that you need to study. |
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Yep, do NOT trust that lever safety.
I had a SPAS-12 a few years ago. Nice gun, very accurate and easy to shoot. However, mine was just too finicky making sure it was extremely clean or else it would have issues. Make sure when you clean it that the O-ring on the piston is not lost and put back in place properly. There's also a plastic "shock absorber" in the rear of the receiver, you should inspect it to make sure that it is there, and in one piece. If it's not you can damage the receiver. |
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I've found that both my SPAS and LAW love 3 1/4 dram plus loads. I have had absolutely zero malfunctions with them. Good luck with it, and yea, if you decide you don't want the folding stock, I'll gladly swap one of my full stocks for it!!LOL!!  Do you shoot your SPAS-12 regularly? |
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I had a few Spas 12s and they were cool and all. I owned the fixed stock, the folder and the detachable stocked versions at one point. Sold them all for one reason or another. All mine hated winchester shells, but fed everything else. Aside from the safety, you need to look at the buffer in the receiver and the buffer in the stock. Both had a tendency to break due to thier age. There was a guy at spas12.com who was making replacement buffers. Go check out that site if you haven't aready.
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I had a few Spas 12s and they were cool and all. I owned the fixed stock, the folder and the detachable stocked versions at one point. Sold them all for one reason or another. All mine hated winchester shells, but fed everything else. Aside from the safety, you need to look at the buffer in the receiver and the buffer in the stock. Both had a tendency to break due to thier age. There was a guy at spas12.com who was making replacement buffers. Go check out that site if you haven't aready. . Thanks Icopy, i am actually ordering both buffers, receiver and stock, from spas12.com. The SPAS-12 is really such an iconic shotgun so i just want to learn it and get it up to speed. Found some "new style" button safety trigger groups but they're running $200+ lol |
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The heat shield can actually be fully removed to allow access to the gas ports.
They don't tend to function well in low temperatures, although slug and other cartridges with decent potency will still do OK. We tend to just rate power by whatever weight the cartridge has (in grams) over here, so 28gm clay loads should work in warm weather, 32gm when it gets cooler, and that's about as light as I've known them to function well with. Under about 68°F I find reliability starts dropping pretty quickly with the light loads. Pump-action should solve any persistent cycling problems If you find a slug it likes, they can shoot pretty well out to 100yds. Quoted:
Could you guys post some pictures for me to see what set up and optiosn you're running. There were a number of factory accessories. Optic mounts, chokes, slings, barrel extensions, etc. I think all of it's pretty damn expensive now, the mounts being particularly unusual. There might have been some more recent options for fitting chokes. Never tried a factory sling, but the attachment point on the synthetic stock doesn't look like it'd last well. I've had all three stocks, but couldn't fit the folder or quick-detachable wooden one due to our OAL laws. Supposedly the wooden stock can split, but mine looks fairly solid. The fixed synthetic isn't especially solid, but it's still pretty comfortable to use. Folders are pretty tough, apart from that little buffer or whatever it is they have fitted. The folder ought to have a hook on it, something a lot of them are missing for some reason. Reproductions hooks have been made. You might try PVC tubing for covering edges on the folder (aquarium shops have a good variety), see whether or not it'll fit and still allow the stock to shut properly. |
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I had a few Spas 12s and they were cool and all. I owned the fixed stock, the folder and the detachable stocked versions at one point. Sold them all for one reason or another. All mine hated winchester shells, but fed everything else. Aside from the safety, you need to look at the buffer in the receiver and the buffer in the stock. Both had a tendency to break due to thier age. There was a guy at spas12.com who was making replacement buffers. Go check out that site if you haven't aready. . Thanks Icopy, i am actually ordering both buffers, receiver and stock, from spas12.com. The SPAS-12 is really such an iconic shotgun so i just want to learn it and get it up to speed. Found some "new style" button safety trigger groups but they're running $200+ lol $200 may sound like a lot, especially considering what you probably paid for the SPAS-12, but it certainly is nothing to LOL about if your safety fails. Have you read the safety articles on spas12.com yet? If not, then please do before you shoot it. |
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You definately need to get the hook. It makes a good carry handle in the folded position and allows you shoot the weapon one-handed when the stock is unfolded. I did it a few times and it worked well at close ranges.
The spas 12 is a huge gun built as a combat weapon from the get go. Which is why I liked mine. Now I have a Benelli M4, another purpose build combat shotgun with unique stock options. |
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I had a few Spas 12s and they were cool and all. I owned the fixed stock, the folder and the detachable stocked versions at one point. Sold them all for one reason or another. All mine hated winchester shells, but fed everything else. Aside from the safety, you need to look at the buffer in the receiver and the buffer in the stock. Both had a tendency to break due to thier age. There was a guy at spas12.com who was making replacement buffers. Go check out that site if you haven't aready. . Thanks Icopy, i am actually ordering both buffers, receiver and stock, from spas12.com. The SPAS-12 is really such an iconic shotgun so i just want to learn it and get it up to speed. Found some "new style" button safety trigger groups but they're running $200+ lol $200 may sound like a lot, especially considering what you probably paid for the SPAS-12, but it certainly is nothing to LOL about if your safety fails. Have you read the safety articles on spas12.com yet? If not, then please do before you shoot it. 
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I had a few Spas 12s and they were cool and all. I owned the fixed stock, the folder and the detachable stocked versions at one point. Sold them all for one reason or another. All mine hated winchester shells, but fed everything else. Aside from the safety, you need to look at the buffer in the receiver and the buffer in the stock. Both had a tendency to break due to thier age. There was a guy at spas12.com who was making replacement buffers. Go check out that site if you haven't aready. . Thanks Icopy, i am actually ordering both buffers, receiver and stock, from spas12.com. The SPAS-12 is really such an iconic shotgun so i just want to learn it and get it up to speed. Found some "new style" button safety trigger groups but they're running $200+ lol $200 may sound like a lot, especially considering what you probably paid for the SPAS-12, but it certainly is nothing to LOL about if your safety fails. Have you read the safety articles on spas12.com yet? If not, then please do before you shoot it. Actually If i told you guys what i paid for the SPAS-12 you wouldn't believe it haha... Picked it up a fellow officer at work on a bet. I have read all the articles on Spas12.com. Like i said its for pure range, not home defense. Thanks for the info |
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Don't order anything from Chris at Spas-12.com. He has a tendency to run with people's money.
Don't worry about the lever, the solution is simple. Just don't use it. Use the quick deployment M14 style safety instead of it. Back is safe, the gun won't fire when the trigger is pulled, and the bolt can be retracted in this mode. On, or forward it will fire. It's faster, and a million times safer than the lever. Don't shoot the folder without the rubber buffer in it. You will egg out the pin holes, and permanently damage the stock. |
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Don't order anything from Chris at Spas-12.com. He has a tendency to run with people's money. Don't worry about the lever, the solution is simple. Just don't use it. Use the quick deployment M14 style safety instead of it. Back is safe, the gun won't fire when the trigger is pulled, and the bolt can be retracted in this mode. On, or forward it will fire. It's faster, and a million times safer than the lever. Don't shoot the folder without the rubber buffer in it. You will egg out the pin holes, and permanently damage the stock. Awesome! Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it and everyone's info. Really helpful. To think I was about to order from Chris lol thanks for the heads up! |
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Don't order anything from Chris at Spas-12.com. He has a tendency to run with people's money. Don't worry about the lever, the solution is simple. Just don't use it. Use the quick deployment M14 style safety instead of it. Back is safe, the gun won't fire when the trigger is pulled, and the bolt can be retracted in this mode. On, or forward it will fire. It's faster, and a million times safer than the lever. Don't shoot the folder without the rubber buffer in it. You will egg out the pin holes, and permanently damage the stock. Awesome! Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it and everyone's info. Really helpful. To think I was about to order from Chris lol thanks for the heads up! NP, I've had my SPAS-12 since I was a teenager. It's a truly awesome piece that many underestimate because it's not on the cover of tactical weekly. I hope yours serves you just as well as mine has. |
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Almost forgot, i had read on SPAS-12.com that the shotgun may be fired withOUT the receiver buffer if shot in PUMP only. Since the bolt does not slam rear back of the receiver in pump mode like it would in semi-auto mode. Right?
Inspected my receiver buffer and it was falling apart rotten. Ordering one first thing in the AM. Ordering from GunBroker. |
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Almost forgot, i had read on SPAS-12.com that the shotgun may be fired withOUT the receiver buffer if shot in PUMP only. Since the bolt does not slam rear back of the receiver in pump mode like it would in semi-auto mode. Right? Inspected my receiver buffer and it was falling apart rotten. Ordering one first thing in the AM. Ordering from GunBroker. Yep I heard that too. It makes sense, but as hard as it is to rack the beast, I'm sure it still smacks the back of the reciever and could still crack it. I would suggest waiting till you get the buffer. IMHO
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| I picked up a reciever buffer, stock buffer, and stock pad (protects top of reciever from stock in folded position) from a guy on gunbroker after hearing Chris at spas12.com was unreliable. I had a local gunsmith convert my lever safety into a pushbutton one for $70. After he was done I got pics from another arfcomer of what a factory pushbutton looked like and his was identical. He pretty much backward engineered it. |
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I picked up a reciever buffer, stock buffer, and stock pad (protects top of reciever from stock in folded position) from a guy on gunbroker after hearing Chris at spas12.com was unreliable. I had a local gunsmith convert my lever safety into a pushbutton one for $70. After he was done I got pics from another arfcomer of what a factory pushbutton looked like and his was identical. He pretty much backward engineered it. Nice! Might look into that. PIctures of your SPAS-12? |
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If anyone knows where I can get a choke adapter for the spas 12, please let me know. Ive been watching Ebay and Gunbroker, with no luck. If there's another avenue I can go, please do tell. Or, if someone on here has one they'd be willing to part with that doesnt cost a kidney, because it cost a kidney for the spas, I only have one left!! Thanks.
Kory |
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I wonder if you could just make one?  Only sayin cause the spas is threaded on the outside of the barrel , so you would really only need a proper piece of the right grade tube threaded on both ends one for the spas and one for whatever choke you want.Interesting. Neat idea. Anyone know the threads on the barrel? |
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