Guns of THE MATRIX The SPAS 12
Written: May 10 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Everything about it
Cons: Not imported anymoe
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| mattjoe's Full Review: otdr/Other |
1999's Hit Movie, The Matrix Featured many exotic Firearms. Tonight, We review one of them, The S.P.A.S. 12, which was used by the Police Agents in the "Lobby Shooting Spree" Scene. Two weapons were used by the Police agents, Rifles were M-16's and the Shotguns were Spas 12's.
The S.P.A.S. 12
This is a 12 gauge shotgun which is capable of firing in Pump mode, or Semi-Automatic mode.
The Pump mode means- fire the gun, pull back on pump mechanism, push it forward, and you can fire again. Semi Auto- pull the trigger, it goes bang. Pull the trigger again, it should go bang again. One shot for each pull, no other work necessary.
In The Matrix This gun was used in Pump mode, why the directors did this is beyond me. The gun looks much better when working in the Semi Auto mode.
Quick Specifications
12 gauge, 2 3/4 inch shells ONLY. (these are standard size 12 gauge)
Barrel Length, 21.5 inches.
Capacity, this depends on when it was imported into the country. A Maximum of 8 in the magazine tube is the highest capacity this gun has available, the later imported ones held 7, and the final ones held 5. A block for the Magazine tube was included with SPAS 12's also to block the magazine to a capacity of only 2 rounds, making it legal to hunt with in many states.
Sights Combat style, with a special notch in the rear site to change point of aim if firing using shotgun slugs.
Overall Length 41 inches, (with stock extended, if you have an older one with folding stock)
Weight 9.5 pounds, unloaded.
Choke Cylinder Bore, according to the factory, but it is tighter.
S.P.A.S. What does that stand for?
Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun. Later changed to Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun because of silly gun laws in America. What the letters stand for border on misleading for the uninformed. They hear Automatic shotgun, they think a gun that you pull the trigger back and hold, and it shoots all over the place, like a military weapon. This is not what the term "Automatic" means when dealing with shotguns. It actually means it can automatically eject an empty shotgun shell, and insert a new one from a loading device.
Variations
There were a few variations on the SPAS 12 as years went by. The original one offered the largest Magazine capacity, of 8. It also was available with a metal folding stock. The folding stock only makes the gun smaller and easier to put some place to store. Shooting the metal folding stock SPAS 12 is an extremely uncomfortable experience. If you really want to know what it feels like, put your head/cheek area along side an edge of a desk, then lift your head off it about 4 inches and ram your face/cheek area into the desk as hard as you can. It isn't a pleasant thing. So if you are going to shoot one of these, you want:
The polymer stocked one. This is a fixed stock variant. Same gun, only as years passed, so did more stupid gun laws, and we saw the magazine capacity shrink to 5. All SPAS 12's with fixed stocks had the improved Safety. The original SPAS had a poorly designed safety which was liable to break. Most of these were recalled and replaced with the upgraded safety.
SAFETY
The SPAS 12 has not one, but two safety mechanisms. A quick on/off safety located in front of, and beside the trigger, and a standard button safety.
What Makes This Gun Special?
Well, it has been used in movies. MANY movies, with the most recent being The Matrix. This high profile "advertising" created a demand for the gun, and the Clinton Gun Ban of 1996 turned these guns into collectors items, it sadly ended all importation of them.
Special Features
This firearm has so many options that it would confuse someone who either doesn't own one, or hasn't used one regularly.
Heat Shield, situated over the barrel, it is required. This gun gets very hot when shooting it quickly and often, as some competitions require. Shooting an entire round of "Trap" with this gun will heat it up very well. You wouldn't want to touch the barrel at this point.
Magazine Cut-off, this is a button located on the right side which will allow the user to stop the feeding of the ammunition from the magazine, into the gun. The reason for this is to stop the chambering of a particular style round, and replace it with another kind. This would be extremely useful for law enforcement officers who may need to go to non-lethal Bean Bag rounds, or "Rubber bullets."
Folding Stock Available on older models, this reduced the overall length of the firearm, yet made it uncomfortable to shoot. Shoot it with the stock folded? Yes, it is possible, but very unmanageable.
Sights The sites are standard circle in the back, peek through, to a front blade sight in front. The rear sight includes a notch for shooting slugs. When doing so, you must line up the top of the front sight with this tiny notch. The amazing thing- it actually works.
Operation
Switching between pump or semi-auto mode is done easily by hitting a button located towards the front of the gun, then adjusting the pump mechanism either forward or backward about an inch.
Why would you do this?
Sometimes you will use shotgun shells so light they cannot cycle the action. At which point you'd have to switch to pump mode.
This option is also good for law enforcement, should they be firing lower velocity ammunition. This gun requires a certain amount of inertia to fire, eject empty shell, and load in a new one. The newer the gun, the better chance it will be able to fire lighter loads than the manual says it can. The springs were changed in the later models of this gun, which allowed them to shoot lighter loads. Also, some interior functioning parts were replaced with lighter material.
CLEANING
An important part of gun ownership is keeping them clean.
The SPAS 12 is an absolute chore to clean. Basic disassembly is fairly easy. Advanced disassembly should not be attempted unless you know what you are doing. It has over 30 separate steps to get this gun apart. There are many smaller pieces and springs in the trigger assembly. Most importantly, don't ever lose the O-Ring that came with your gun. This traps the gas, and allows your gun to work on the semi-automatic mode.
Function
With the proper ammunition, and good care, the SPAS 12 will function flawlessly.
Yes, you can shoot Skeet with it. Many people will say you can't. I invite them to the East Warren Rod & Gun Club. I'll show you this gun is perfect for it. This gun is also great for certain other Shotgun Competitions, such as steel matches.
Experience with the Firearm
This was my first gun, I saw it in a movie, said, "when I hit 18, I'm buying it", I did just that. I liked it so much, years later I bought an original. I have both the fixed stock and the folding stock variants. I know these guns inside and out. In my opinion, they put the Remington semi auto shotguns to shame and they also destroy the Bennelli line, their main competitors.
The Franchi SPAS 12, made in ITALY, no longer imported to America. An Excellent Shotgun.
Recommended:
Yes
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