SPAS 12 PAGE

(Or a page about a big gun if you didn't know)

Well the SPAS 12 what can I say? If you do not know about this gun we will get some basics out of the way first. The SPAS 12 was produced by Italian firm Franchi in 1984. The abbreviation SPAS stands for Special Purpose Assault Shotgun. When the gun was first sold in England the name was bastardized by it's users to Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun. This was probably due to the fact that a gun with "assault" in it's name with those disturbing military looks would be frowned upon in the UK. This just shows how popular the gun had become with it's users as they were already thinking about how they could preserve it!! This name change is also a throwback to American gun law where guns that can't be shown to have some sort of sporting purpose become known as a "destructive device" which is difficult to get ownership for. The SPAS evaded being a "destructive device" through it's swift name change. Remington were not quite so shrewd when they named one of their shotguns "Street sweeper"!

The SPAS is an 8+1 (8 rounds in magazine 1 in the chamber) combination shotgun. It is called a combination shotgun as it is primarily a semi auto shotgun but is capable of pump action at the press of a button. Why would anyone want to pump the gun to cock it if in semi auto mode the gun does this itself? Well there are a couple of likely reasons. Firstly semi autos need a reasonable load in order to cock themselves. If the gun is loaded to light (cartridges are less powerful than default shells) then the gun may become unreliable in cocking and ejection of cartridges. Pumping also allows for a quick change of load, say from buckshot to slugs. Secondly target shooters (yes there are shotgun target shooters) prefer the control that pumping the gun offers - and it looks better. One of the most recognized features of the SPAS has to be its folding stock, and on some models a C shaped part or "shepherds crook" which was used to hook over the fore arm supposedly to aid one handed operation. This I have to say is somewhat of a joke considering the SPAS weighs 10lb when loaded and is front heavy.

A SPAS 12 with folding stock and shepherds crook still intact.

The SPAS 12 is made of anodized alloy and heavy duty plastics. It is a heavy and ill balanced weapon which is strange as it found such favor with shooters and collectors alike. I think this can be attributed to it's looks, You either love it or hate it. Its rugged looks have gained the SPAS a bit of a cult following (how many film and game appearances?) but it was also these looks that saw it fall foul of the 1988 firearms amendment. As well as banning pump and semi auto rifles with more than a 2 shot magazine the amendment also outlawed folding stocks on shotguns. This amendment was the governments reaction to a media attack on firearms in the UK following several terrible incidents. Basically the question that was raised was "why does anyone in the UK need to posses a gun that can fire 8 shots in three seconds and can be folded down and easily concealed?" I have yet to think of a law abiding answer to that question!!

A shortened version of the SPAS called the PA3215. This would be illegal in the UK due to it's barrel being less than 24 inches long.

You can still posses a SPAS 12 in this country on a shotgun license under certain conditions. The butt must be fixed (some shooters welded or screwed the folding stock in place and some fixed a wooden stock from the PA8 pump). The magazine can hold no more than two rounds (it looks as long but has been crimped in the middle) and as mentioned before the barrel must not be less than 24 inches long. This is a shame as it strips the gun of one of it's best assets - it's looks. There are two safety factors that are also worth mentioning. The early versions of the SPAS 12 used a lever safety catch which is just by the trigger guard, these were recalled and swapped for a push in block as they were known to fire the gun when the safety was being depressed!! The other problem comes from people using 3" rounds. The SPAS is built to use 2 3/4" and can suffer from barrel bulge or worse explode if used with 3" rounds.

The SPAS 15 with a six shot magazine. SPAS 12s big brother!

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