Why did the SPAS12 die?

I agree with the above post. Even if its heavy like I said before, it was a unique item back then. Even now they look quite impressive in hands of a stationary guard outside a building.
 
That's the beauty and uglyness of technology. What we have right now that we think is top of the line, best there is, will eventually be called garbage, complicated, primitive in 50 or 100 years, maybe even sooner considering how fast stuff gets upgraded.
 
Y'all are being far too charitable. :)

IMO, they were absolutely abysmal shotguns. They may have been useful as barricade weapons, but for most any role in which a shotgun is normally used (including SD/HD) they were/are simply horrid weapons. The SPAS always seemed to me to be a classic example of somebody trying to build a gun to solve a 'corner case' problem (be semiauto but also be able to manually cycle low-power/non-lethal rounds), and having a design team that was NOT comprised of shooters/operators.

They are not just heavy - they are OMIGOD! heavy. The weight is distributed very badly. They are BULKY. The forearm is of a size that most folk can't comfortably grip. The controls are awkwardly shaped and placed, and impossibly stiff to operate. The available buttstocks range from awkward to incredibly uncomfortable. From a real world SD perspective, the gun handles very poorly; you can pretty much forget about any form of fast presentation, and fast transitions between targets is an exercise not unlike trying to drive a railroad tie.

The only folk that I know that speak well of them are those that are invested into collecting them, or who have never touched one and are enticed by 'the looks' of the gun. Of the folk that I know that still own one, none of them actually SHOOT them because they're simply not that much fun to shoot. It has also been my experience that many of the folk that speak well of them do so only long enough to sell their SPAS to the next unwitting sucker. I know of very few folk that bought into the platform to use it as a shooter that speak well of 'em once it's been sold off.

They may be collectible, but they are not practical.
 
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Y'all are being far too charitable.

IMO, they were absolutely abysmal shotguns. They may have been useful as barricade weapons, but for most any role in which a shotgun is normally used (including SD/HD) they were/are simply horrid weapons. The SPAS always seemed to me to be a classic example of somebody trying to build a gun to solve a 'corner case' problem (be semiauto but also be able to manually cycle low-power/non-lethal rounds), and having a design team that was NOT comprised of shooters/operators.

They are not just heavy - they are OMIGOD! heavy. The weight is distributed very badly. They are BULKY. The forearm is of a size that most folk can't comfortably grip. The controls are awkwardly shaped and placed, and impossibly stiff to operate. The available buttstocks range from awkward to incredibly uncomfortable. From a real world SD perspective, the gun handles very poorly; you can pretty much forget about any form of fast presentation, and fast transitions between targets is an exercise not unlike trying to drive a railroad tie.

The only folk that I know that speak well of them are those that are invested into collecting them, or who have never touched one and are enticed by 'the looks' of the gun. Of the folk that I know that still own one, none of them actually SHOOT them because they're simply not that much fun to shoot. It has also been my experience that many of the folk that speak well of them do so only long enough to sell their SPAS to the next unwitting sucker. I know of very few folk that bought into the platform to use it as a shooter that speak well of 'em once it's been sold off.

They may be collectible, but they are not practical.
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I'd have to disagree on a few points. The SPAS was never designed to be a self-defense/home-defense shotgun in the first place. Franchi set out to create a military shotgun because historically most if not all "military shotguns" prior were just normal everyday hunting shotguns with extra bells and whistles to meet military needs. It does it's role as a riot/assault shotgun even if it seems complicated; that's what training is for.

I'm not sure where people are holding the handguard but I never found it to be too large and uncomfortable and I'm only 5'7". There is a wider bulge at the front end of the handguard but that isn't where you palm it. If I get my hands around it, and I've seen 14 year olds with broken fingers pump and cycle the SPAS-12 loaded with slug just fine. I don't know if the people who can't get a grip around it are midgets or 2 year olds...

Here's the video of the 14 yr old with the broken finger cycling and pumping the SPAS-12 with ease; if a kid can do it I don't know why some adults can't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsGonPg6gd0

I may own a SPAS along with it's brothers but I recognize it's faults and still love the shotgun. For me it's a childhood memory that got me into the world of firearms. Did I buy it as a collector's piece? Yes. Did I buy it for a daily shooter? Yes. Did I buy it for self-defense/home-defense? No.

I don't think it's fair to call buyer's of a gun "suckers". I believe the AR series rifles gets about as much flak as being an underpowered MBR than the SPAS-12 gets as a shotgun. Does it mean I call every AR buyer a "sucker" for buying a weak, faulty system? No. The AR does have it's pro's and con's like every firearm and like every firearm it has it's devoted fans and vocal detractors.

A bunch of my buddies on a different forum joking laughed when I got my SPAS because it's another owner who'll have fun with a shotgun unlike any other. We all enjoy our SPAS's and understand it's shortcomings and flaws but that has to tell you something about a firearm that's heavy, bulky, complicated yet still has tons of fans.

Sorry long rant off. :D
 
I had a SpAs (Sporting Arms Shotgun - yeah, right,) and it felt okay to me. I was a very strong, 250 lbs. body builder. Anyone not as strong would have a problem with the weight. Unreliable on semi-auto with anything other than large buckshot. Bulky as hell, way too complicated. I bought it as a collector as I had earlier passed on a High Standard Model 10, and then they quit production of the HS10 and prices skyrocketed. I though the SpAs would do the same. Then Arnold did that stupid movie, "Terminator," and SpAs shotguns became commonplace.

I traded my SpAs for a AR15. The story of my life....:(
 
I remember seeing seeing stuff saying that it was heavy, complicated, and expected. They're popular for action movies because they look cool, but they're impractical. I'd much rather have a benell m1014i (I just butchered the spelling, didn't I?) or a SPAs-12.a Saiga 12 or an Ithaca 37 than a
SPAS-12
 
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