Blast from the past SPAS 12

[Gopguy]

Here is another late 70s-early 80s vintage blast from the past. The SPAS 12 was a shotgun capable of being used as a pump shotgun or gas operated semi auto. Available with a folding stock with hook, it also had the unusual ability to be fired one handed with the hook helping support the weight. Very handy when rappelling down a building and firing through windows.

Sadly they were banned from importation and are now out of production.

The first photo shows the screw on choke that was available. It is stamped Vairomax.



A shot with the hook deployed, ignore the old fat guy in the background.

[DanTheEldest]

Cool. Isn't that the model the guy was using when he went hunting raptors in Jurassic Park? It looks really familiar.

[tx_oil]

Originally Posted by DanTheEldest

Cool. Isn't that the model the guy was using when he went hunting raptors in Jurassic Park? It looks really familiar.

Spot on! It is the same one as filmed in Jurassic Park, I believe it was used in a Terminator movie as well...the SPAS-12 just looks menacing.

[Gopguy]

Yup, they look scary. But in all honesty guys, I prefer my bedside shotgun, a Remington 870 police magnum.

The SPAS 12 is neat and looks intimidating but they have been out of production for years, the parts are getting harder to find. As a pump shotgun it was very reliable, but as a semi-auto she prefers heavier loads. They are also getting very valuable if in nice shape, so this one is retired for now.

Here is a list of Movies and TV shows it was used in.

Film
Lobby Guards, Keanu Reeves as Neo, and Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity in The Matrix
Ministry of Information (M.O.I.) troops in Brazil
SWAT Troops in Teen Agent
Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator in The Terminator
Bob Peck as Robert Muldoon and Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park
Hunter in The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Denzel Washington as Lt. Parker Barnes in Virtuosity
The First Assassin in the door to kill Julie, played by Téa Leoni in Bad Boys
Robby Gee as Vincent in Snatch
Michael Sheen as Lucian in Underworld
Chi McBride as Lt. John Bergin in I, Robot
Chow Yun-Fat as Ken Lee in A Better Tomorrow II
Rutger Hauer as John Ryder in The Hitcher
Soldier in Babylon A.D.
Used by Shogo Kawada in Battle Royale(Film)
Commander Helena Braddock in Ghosts of Mars
A modified version with LED lights on the heatshield in " The Wraith"
Brandon Lee in Legacy of Rage
Powers Boothe as Bill Markham in The Emerald Forest
Orlando gang member in Crank: High Voltage


Television
Fred Dryer as Hunter keeps a Franchi SPAS-12 in his trunk.
A militant extremist in Star Trek: Voyager (episode "Future's End")
A terrorist in Star Trek: DS9
Stargate: SG1
V.I.P.
Bugs (episode "Stealth")
Jim Zubiena as Ludovici Armstrong in Miami Vice (1984)
It was used in two episodes of Miami Vice (episodes: "The Maze" and "Calderone´s Return Part 1")