Franchi SPAS-12 - Weapon Library

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Franchi SPAS-12
-

	Available Images
	Technical Data

	Manufacturer	Franchi S.p.A
	Country Of Origin	Italy
	Date Of Introduction	-
	Caliber	12 gauge
	Feed System	Internal tube magazine
	Rate Of Fire	NA
	Weights	4.4 kg
	Length	1041 mm, stock extended

More Information ^*

The SPAS-12 was designed during the 1970s as a semi-automatic military or law enforcement shotgun, and production began in October 1979. In 1983, the gun was introduced to the United States, where it was marketed as a sporting shotgun to help bypass laws that would normally label it as illegal for civilian ownership. As a result, the SPAS acronym officially stands for "Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun". However, military-oriented features like a heavy heat shield for sustained fire increase the weight of the weapon to the point where it can become unwieldy for hunting or competition shooting. For this reason, there exist popular reinterpretations of the acronym, such as "Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun".

The SPAS-12 can function on two settings. The first is "automatic" (more accurately, self-loading semi-automatic) - the foregrip is locked forward and a gas system serves to load the next round without further effort from the operator. In automatic mode, the gun can expend around 4 rounds per second, one round per trigger pull. The second setting is pump-action - the foregrip must be manually pumped back and forth after every shot to eject the spent shell and load a new round from the internal magazine. This mode is required to reliably fire low-pressure ammunition such as tear gas rounds or less-lethal bean bags. Switching between firing modes is done by pressing a button under the foregrip, and sliding the foregrip slightly forwards or backwards until it clicks into position.

User Reviews And Comments

Positive

Negative

Neutral

Joguwa86 - Washington, United States

User Review of the SPAS 12

Aside from the novelty in it being a collector's item, the only suitable purpose for this shotgun is home defense. Shotgun sports, competition, and hunting would be very impractical.

If you already own a one or two dependable shotguns, and want something unique, by all means get a SPAS 12. It's an excellent conversation piece. However in terms of performance versus modern semi-automatic shotguns, it's reliability with light loads, weight, and lack of spare parts make it a poor choice for practical use.

I always tell people that it's the DeLorean of the shotgun world. Visually impressive and unique, with some interesting features. However, poor performance and (now) lack of parts availability limit it to range toy and safe queen.

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