The Franchi SPAS 12 is a shotgun designed and manufactured by Franchi S.p.A, an Italian firearms manufacturer. The shotgun was manufactured from 1979 till 2000 and is used by a number of countries such as Ireland, France, Taiwan and Thailand.
The SPAS 12 is designed as a combat shotgun for use by military and law enforcement agencies. It operates in both semi-automatic and pump-action modes. In the semi-automatic mode, the shotgun can fire 4 rounds per minute with each round requiring the trigger to be pulled once. The shotgun is fired in pump-action mode when low-pressure ammunition like tear gas canisters or bean bags is to be fired.
The shotgun feeds from a seven-round internal magazine. In addition to the magazine, the shotgun also has a cut-off feature which allows a round to be introduced directly into the chamber while loading.
The SPAS 12 has a spread of 900 mm at 40 meters. Because of the wide spreading of buckshot, the shotgun can be aimed roughly at the target to hit it. The shotgun’s spread can also be varied by using an attachment known as the “spreader”. In addition, the shotgun can also be mounted with a grenade launcher for additional firepower in the field.
The SPAS 12’s stock had a shoulder hook which enables the user to fire the weapon with a single hand. However, in practice this is not so easy and requires great strength on the part of the user. The shotgun is considerably heavy and at the same time the 12 gauge round has high recoil.
