Franchi SPAS-15

About the Franchi SPAS-15

The Franchi SPAS-15 is an Italian 12-gauge dual-mode combat shotgun and the successor to the SPAS-12. Like its predecessor it can switch between gas-operated semi-automatic fire and manual pump action, but it replaces the tube magazine with a detachable box magazine, allowing rapid changes between lethal and less-lethal ammunition. It features a folding stock, a chrome-lined barrel with interchangeable choke tubes, an ambidextrous paddle magazine release and an integral carry handle housing the rear sight.

The SPAS-15 was developed largely at the request of Italy's Folgore Parachute Brigade, who wanted a shotgun that could switch instantly between lethal and less-lethal ammunition via quick-change box magazines, driving the move away from the SPAS-12's fixed tube magazine.

Franchi SPAS-15 specifications

Pump-action mode exists primarily to cycle low-pressure less-lethal rounds such as tear gas and beanbag loads that may not reliably operate the gas system. Only an estimated 50 to 180 units reached the United States before the 1989 import restrictions, making it extremely rare on the US civilian market.