Key facts
- Type
- Combat shotgun
- Place of origin
- Italy
- In service
- 1979–present
- Used by
- See Users
- Wars
- The Troubles Lebanese Civil War Myanmar civil war (2021–present)
- Designer
- Franchi
- Manufacturer
- Franchi
- Produced
- 1979–2000
- Number span no built
- 37,000
- Variants
- LAW-12 SAS-12 SPAS-15
- Mass
- 4.4 kg (9.68 lb)
- Length
- 1041 mm (41 in) stock extended 820 mm (32.5 in) stock folded
- Barrel length
- 18",19-7/8",21-1/2",24"
- Cartridge
- 12 gauge 2 3 ⁄ 4 inch shells only
- Action
- Pump-action / gas-operated , rotating bolt
- Rate of fire
- Semi-automatic (200-350 rounds/min) or pump-action
- Effective firing range
- Dependent on ammunition used
- Feed system
- Tube extension 5+1, 6+1, 7+1 and 8+1 rounds, internal tube magazine
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Mass
- 4.4
- Image
- Franchi SPAS 12 Grip Safety.jpeg
Show 3 more facts
- service entry
- 1982-01-01
- Commons gallery
- Franchi SPAS-12
- Commons category
- Franchi SPAS-12
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~13 min read
Article
The Franchi SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun manufactured by Italian firearms company Franchi from 1979 to 2000. The SPAS-12 is a dual-mode shotgun, adjustable for semi-automatic or pump-action operation. The SPAS-12 was sold to military and police users worldwide, as well as on the civilian market.
The appearance and intended purpose of the SPAS-12 initially led to its "military" designation as a combat shotgun. The SPAS-12 was designed from the ground up as a rugged military shotgun, and it was named the Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun. In 1990, Franchi renamed the shotgun the Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun, which allowed continued sales to the United States as a limited-magazine-capacity, fixed-stock model until 1994. Following the United States Federal Assault Weapons Ban, imports of SPAS-12 shotguns to the United States were stopped. In September 2004 the ban expired, but Franchi ended production of the SPAS-12 in 2000 to focus on the manufacturing of the SPAS-15 model. The SPAS-12's factory retail price in its final year was US$1,500 averaged for its final sales outside the United States to non-restricted countries.