![]() Most depictions in games simply have the user jamming additional shells into the weapon while ignoring the release button entirely. Another issue that is often overlooked in media is how unwieldy it is to reload the weapon since the carrier latch also doubles as the SPAS-12's bolt release, reloading it requires the user to upend the shotgun while keeping the button depressed in order to insert fresh shells, as the carrier will be immobilized otherwise. Most of the complaints were directed towards its heavy weight, its fragile safety mechanism that is prone to breaking and/or not working half the time, the numerous sharp edges on the folding stock, the stiffness of the forearm in pump-action mode (since the forend pushes on the action rather than being directly attached to it), and the reliability issues when using even full-power loads in semi-auto. In actuality, the SPAS-12 was plagued with a plethora of technical shortcomings that made it unpopular among law enforcement units. Films and video games made during the 1980s and 1990s often have the SPAS-12 being used as a police shotgun, which is not incorrect, however such a sight in reality is rare. Owing to its impressive appearance, the SPAS-12 is often depicted in media as a "hero's gun" or advanced/prototype weapon of sorts, being essentially the shotgun equivalent of the Desert Eagle. The SPAS-12 has since been succeeded by the Franchi SPAS-15, which has also been discontinued. Importation of the SPAS-12 into the United States ceased in 1994 following the advent of the Assault Weapons Ban, and official production stopped in 2000 with around 37,000 made, making it a relatively rare (and understandably expensive) weapon nowadays, with less than two thousand units ever having made it onto American soil. Both "generations" of the shotgun bear distinctive features, however, most notably the magazine tube capacity (only FIE SPAS-12s have full-length tubes) and safety type (FIE SPAS-12s in their original configuration have the recalled lever safety that often failed to engage, and on some units could even fire the weapon if it was disengaged while a shell was chambered the ones on American Arms SPAS-12s are a reliable button-type cross-bolt safety). Sale of the SPAS-12 in the United States was originally through Firearms Import and Export (FIE), and later American Arms Inc. Originally envisioned as a dedicated and rugged police shotgun, the SPAS acronym initially stood for Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun, but was later renamed to Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun in the hope this name would be less likely to cause problems with exports to the United States. The SPAS-12 was sold primarily to law enforcement customers and on the civilian market and has been featured in many movies, TV shows, and video games. Most depictions of the SPAS-12 in video games feature the shotgun with the first-generation lever safety. ![]() Several iterations of the SPAS-12 existed throughout its 21-year production run, with four different stock types (fixed, folding, removed and skeletal) and three manners of safety mechanisms, though perhaps the foldable stock version is the most well-known, either with or without the bracing hook on the buttstock. A series of two guide lines engraved onto the top of the heatshield serves as the mode indicator when matched up to the rear end of the pump sleeve the forend matched up against the front guide denotes semi-automatic mode, and pump-action for the rearward line. To switch modes, the user simply need to push down a button on the underside of the forend, then either locking the forearm forward (semi-automatic), or sliding it back towards the shooter (pump-action). The idea behind the dual modes is to have the weapon cycle in semi-automatic when using normal shells, while the pump-action setting is for low-pressure ammo such as beanbag or baton rounds. It is a dual-mode shotgun, adjustable for semi-automatic or pump-action operation at the push of a button in accordance with the type of ammunition being used at the time. The SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun manufactured by Italian firearms company Franchi from 1979 to 2000. ![]()
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