Franchi SPAS 12 🇮🇹

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Franchi SPAS-12 combat shotgun 12 gauge

1.Introduction 00:00
2.Design 00:57

Introduction

The SPAS-12, designed in the late 1970s by the Italian company Luigi Franchi Spa, is a special-purpose military and police close combat weapon. The acronym SPAS stands for either Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun or Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun, depending on the source. This shotgun features a selective action for greater versatility, allowing it to be used as a gas-operated semi-automatic repeater or as a manually operated pump-action repeater, depending on the mission and ammunition used. Since its introduction, the SPAS-12 has become a popular weapon among police and special forces, valued for its versatility, reliability, and good firepower. However, it is heavier than most similar shotguns and quite complicated, leading to relatively high prices.

Design

The SPAS-12 was designed to function primarily in semi-automatic mode, with pump-action mode used to reliably fire low-pressure ammunition such as tear gas rounds or less-lethal bean bags. The firing mode is switched by depressing a button under the foregrip and sliding it forwards or backwards until it clicks into position, allowing the rotating sleeve to open or close the two gas ports.

The SPAS-12 includes a magazine cut-off feature that prevents the magazine from releasing a new round when the action is cycled. This allows the operator to load a different type of round into the chamber without first unloading the chambered round and the second round that would otherwise be released from the magazine.

A unique feature of the folding-stock variants is the butt hook. With the stock extended, the hook can be pushed in and turned 90 degrees to the left or right to fit under the user's forearm. This enables the shotgun to be fired with one hand, such as while abseiling or rappelling, or from a vehicle window while driving. The hook can be released from the buttplate completely by turning it 180 degrees.

There are four different stock styles for the SPAS-12. The first version was manufactured with a wooden detachable stock and a standard grip, while later models included a folding metal stock with a hook