Franchi 612 Question...

[elijah79]

Hey guys, I've got an odd question for all.
I'm on the verge of getting hired on by my local County Sheriff's Department. As part of the firearms qualification mandatory for each deputy, I have to qualify with a shotgun. I can use my own if it meets requirements. I have a Franchi 612 that I love. The barrel of it is extremely long and won't fit in the average patrol car. Can anyone tell me where I might be able to find another barrel for it that would fit in the category of being about 18-22 inches long, as well as a magazine-tube extension for it?
Any inexpensive help would be greatly appreciated! If I can't find anything for halfway inexpensive, I can settle for the Remington 870 that has the finish worn off of it due to the fact that blood has eaten it away! I'd much rather have my own, but we'll see!

[DumbDuck]

5 July 12

Magazine extension should be no problem. An outfit called Sure Cycle offers them for just about any make or model. Just search Sure Cycle on line. I have an 2 shot extension on one of my 612s and it works fine with my 24" barrel.

The barrel is another issue. I seem to remember Franchi offering a short barreled model but I've never seen one as an after market item. Barrels for 612 or 712 guns are scarce as hen's teeth. If you can find one of any length, a gun smith could trim it to length for you.

The Magazine extension should run around $100. Barrel is anyone's guess. I've seen a couple 28" barrels floating around the internet but they want a couple hundred for them. What the gun smith would charge to shorten it is another good question.

If you want to keep the cost to a minimum, the 870 might be your best bet.

Bill

[elijah79]

I could do the 870, but I had wanted to stick with MY shotgun, because I like the semi-auto option, rather than the pump-action and it's a change of scenery (so to speak) from the Remington.
I might actually go for something like the 11-87 variation of the Remington shotgun, rather than the old pump option. I like semi-auto shotguns and want to stick with an action that I'm more familiar with. Who knows. Maybe I'll settle for the ol' standby and be satisfied!