Why did the SPAS12 die?

T

Tucker 1371

New member
Franchi seemed to have a great tactical 12ga shotgun and now they're no longer in production. What hapened? Were there problems with the system? Too heavy, unreliable etc? Just baffled.
 
Well, the fact that they were banned from importation probably didn't help. Also, I can't remember for sure, but I seem to recall something about it not being all that reliable in semi-auto mode.
 
You've covered the two main ones; they were HEAVY, and they were finicky about ammo. Also, the ones with the folding stocks may have looked cool, but the stamped edges of the stock arms would do a nice job of slicing your cheek up under recoil. Give me an M3 any day.
 
They are banned as they are not a sporting shotgun. The Saiga is walking the fine line and trying not to get banned like the SPAS12 that is why RAA can never import all the good "non sporting" accessories for the Saiga like 8 round russian mags, rifled choke tubes, flash hiders, mag wells etc.
 
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Gotcha, should've know it was some stupid anti-gunner, ban crap :mad:.


I seem to recall something about it not being all that reliable in semi-auto mode.
Click to expand...


I never would have used it in semi anyway. Maybe just once for kicks.
 
My uncle owned one for a while. It was very cool, but still a novelty, for the most part. After a year of not really enjoying it, he traded it for a Browning A5 and hasnt looked back.
 
The ones with the lever style safety were also tremendously dangerous and recalled.

With those, putting the safety on or off could fire the shotgun.
 
There was a big thread about this last year, and owners chimed in with pictures and first hand experience:

1. It's very heavy, and very barrel heavy at that.
2. It's one of those things that instead of doing one thing well it does two things badly. The semi auto mode is apparently solid, but the pump mode because there is a spring behind it is <b>extremely</b> hard to cycle.
3. The lack of replacement parts was a problem.

But apparently it handles slugs like a dream.
 
Personally, I look at the SPAS-12 like a Delorian.

Does it look cool? Hell yeah.

Does it perform as well as it looks? Eh...

Everything a SPAS-12 does, a cheaper shotgun can do better. It's a cool novelty, because it has such a unique and awesome look. From what I've heard replacement parts are very expensive (and perhaps difficult to get ahold of), and the safety isn't really terribly safe and misuse can damage the gun or in some cases cause it to fire. Add to that the fact that it's quite heavy. They aren't a BAD weapon, but they aren't really a good one either.

Would I keep one if you gave it to me? Yeah! Give me a Delorian too...I'll probably never drive it but I'll probably never shoot the SPAS-12 either.

-Jonathan
 
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It was heavy, costly, cumbersome and did nothing better shotguns did cheaper.

I handled a couple over the decades. I'm less than enthused.
 
Well, the SPAS-12 used to be much cheaper before the United States government banned them from us. I bought six of them at one time for myself and friends - back then they were $400 something brand new.

It's still fun to shoot and while it is heavy, I don't find it too heavy, as others often complain. It is overly bulky though - the pump action is unnecessary and I almost never use it.

Mine also functions very well, and has low recoil. I can empty all 9 rounds in a matter of a couple of seconds. I've had some jams before, but nothing remarkable compared to other auto shotguns.
 
A friend is bringing me his for repair. The bushings on the folding stock are deteriorated. I checked and they aren't available, so I will probably have to make new ones. Maybe he should just sell it and get a couple of good US guns.
 
In Defense of ..

(1) the weight...

if you're loading/reloading your own heavy grain custom loads to fire.. the extra weight.. is nice to absorb more of recoil.

2) yeah, the early safety was an oxymoron but as long as you only point a loaded weapon at something you intend to fire at.. it's all ok.

3) If a gang of non-professional bad guys are approaching, and see you haul this bad bitch out of your Hummer.... several will probably turn tail and run just at the sight of it...leaving you less to deal with.


agreed, before the ban... they were easily picked up at $400 a pop....a little pricey now.
 
I had one a while back (I think like 1995 or 96?). They were extremely heavy and very finnicky on ammo when in semi-auto, but I used it on pump most of the time anyway, which even then it had problems. It was banned from importation because it had "no sporting purpose" :rolleyes: I wouldn't get another.
 
Holy thread resurrections...

I just bought a SPAS-12, LAW-12 and SAS-12. Yes the SPAS-12 is heavy, and yes it is complicated but you have to figure the gun itself was designed back in the 70's to do something that wasn't common in other shotguns.

Ammo wise it should be picky as long as you have the right size and load. Hell my Saiga 12 would choke on lighter loads which essentially made it a single shot unless I manually pulled back the bolt. If that were to happen to my SPAS-12 on semi, I could easily just swap to pump and still be able to fire.

It's still a nice shotgun but outdated due to the times and technology. For a collector's/attention grabbing collector's piece it retains it's value much better than most shotguns.
 
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