The Fabarm SDASS Tactical is a shotgun designed for police and/or security uses and has some special features such as folding front sight, built-in

Picatinny rail The 1913 rail (MIL-STD-1913 rail) is an American rail integration system designed by Richard Swan that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It forms part of the NATO standard STANAG 2324 rail. It was originally used for mount ...

s on the top of the receiver, lengthened forearm to provide better control over the gun. SDASS shotguns are manufactured in a variety of differing styles.

SDASS Tactical

This is the main production variant; the others stem off of this design with slight body differences. However the internal mechanisms are the same. SDASS stands for Special Defence And Security Shotgun and is aimed for security personnel. The receiver is manufactured from Ergal 55 alloy which makes for a lightweight shotgun at only 3 kg, light compared to many other tactical shotguns such as the

Franchi SPAS-12 The Franchi SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun manufactured by Italian firearms company Franchi from 1979 to 2000. The SPAS-12 is a dual-mode shotgun, adjustable for semi-automatic or pump-action operation. The SPAS-12 was sold to military and police ...

which weighs close to 5 kg. The bolt is locked into place by a piece of aluminum which swings into place and engages a notch in the barrel extension to lock the bolt to the

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden stave (wood), staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers ...

. This prevents a misfire from dropping as it acts as a crude safety device. Misfires from dropping are common in shotguns such as double-barreled

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, peppergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small ...

s. The SDASS has an under-barrel tubular magazine like many other semi-automatic shotguns and holds 7 cartridges plus 1 in the chamber giving a total capacity of 8. The stock is made from a

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic material ...

polymer A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...

which is the most changed structural feature among the different SDASS variants. Common changes to the stock include shortening, addition of a pistol grip and changing the material of the stock altogether like in the SDASS Trainer. A variety of sights can be placed on the

above the receiver such as

red dot sight A red dot sight is a common classification for a non- magnifying reflector (or reflex) sight that provides an illuminated red dot to the user as a point of aim. A standard design uses a red light-emitting diode (LED) at the focus of collimati ...

s. As well as sights, tactical lights and laser pointers can also be placed on this rail. The standard Fabarm SDASS Tactical retails for $649 however its variants range in price from $600 all the way to $900.

Variants

SDASS Composite

This is the same layout as the SDASS Tactical except it doesn't have the

SDASS Heavy Combat

The Heavy Combat has a longer 61 cm barrel which is also much heavier. It also has a pistol grip like the

Benelli M3 The Benelli M3 is a dual-mode (hybrid pump-action and semi-automatic) shotgun designed and manufactured by Italian firearms manufacturer Benelli Armi SpA, and the third model of the Benelli Super 90 line of semi-automatic shotguns. The M3 holds ...

instead of a built in grip like the

Mossberg 500 The Mossberg 500 is a series of pump-action shotguns manufactured by O.F. Mossberg & Sons. The 500 series comprises widely varying models of hammerless repeaters, all of which share the same basic receiver and action, but differ in bore size, ...

SDASS Trainer

The SDASS Trainer is the lightweight version of the SDASS Composite. It is the only variant to come in more than one finish and they are black, nickel and carbon. To make the gun lighter the barrel heat shield has holes drilled into it to reduce weight and the heavier alloys are replaced with lighter alloys.

SDASS Compact

The SDASS Compact as the name suggests is a compact shotgun for

close quarters combat Close-quarters battle (CQB), also called close-quarters combat (CQC), is a close combat situation between multiple combatants involving ranged (typically firearm-based) or melee combat. It can occur between military units, law enforcement and cr ...

. It has a

pistol grip On a firearm or other tools, a pistol grip is a distinctly protruded handle underneath the main mechanism, to be held by the user's hand at a more vertical (and thus more ergonomic) angle, similar to how one would hold a conventional pistol. ...

and no rear stock. A folding stock however can be attached onto a clip at the rear of the gun. The rest of the external and internal mechanisms are the same as the Tactical model.

Users

* : Used by

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army () is the land component of the Portuguese Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...

(

Special Operations Troops Centre The CTOE - Centro de Tropas de Operações Especiais (Special Operations Troops Centre), based in Lamego, is a unit of the Portuguese Army with the mission of instructing troops in unconventional warfare and counter-terrorism. Until 2006, it wa ...

Portuguese Air Force The Portuguese Air Force () is the air force, aerial warfare force of Portugal. Locally it is referred to by the acronym FAP but internationally is often referred to by the acronym PRTAF. It is the youngest of the three branches of the Portuguese ...

Polícia Aérea The (Portuguese language, Portuguese for "Air Police") or PA is the air force ground forces and special forces and military police of the Portuguese Air Force. The Air Police has as its main symbol the blue beret with the emblem of the Air Forc ...

(NOTP), National Republican Guard,

Polícia de Segurança Pública The Polícia de Segurança Pública MHTE (PSP; ''Public Security Police'') is the national civil police force of Portugal. Part of the Portuguese security forces, the mission of the PSP is to defend Republican democracy, safeguarding internal se ...

and

Foreigners and Borders Service 150px, Building of Autoridade Nacional Segurança Rodoviária and Serviço Estrangeiros e Fronteiras The Foreigners and Borders Service - SEF () was the police service integrated into the Ministry of Internal Affairs, whose mission was to enfor ...

. * :

GIGN The GIGN ( ; ) is the elite police tactical unit of the French National Gendarmerie. Among its missions are counterterrorism, hostage rescue, surveillance of national threats, protection of government officials, critical site protection (such ...

Eric Milzarski (Dec 15, 2022)
Why the French GIGN go into a mission wielding a revolver
We Are The Mighty

Related weapons

Akdal MKA 1919 The Akdal MKA 1919 is a gas operated, semi-automatic shotgun that resembles the M16 rifle and mimics the layout and placement of some of the controls, created by Turkish company Akdal Arms. Design The MKA 1919 uses a conventional gas-operat ...

Heckler & Koch FABARM FP6 The Fabarm FP6 is a pump-action combat shotgun that was manufactured by the Italian firearms company Fabbrica Bresciana Armi S.p.A. ( FABARM) and sold by Heckler & Koch. It was intended for civilian and law enforcement use. History Upon severing ...

Safir T-14 The Safir T-series is a line of firearms produced by AKSA Int Arms, also known as Safir Arms of Turkey. Safir T-15 and T-16 The Safir T-15 is a semi-automatic rifle based on the AR-15. It is intended for civilian and police use, but Safir arms ...

References

External links

FABARM SDASS Tactical on manufacturer website
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708125247/http://www.fabarm.com/web_eng/dettaglio-prodotto.asp?i=105 , date=2018-07-08

Shotguns of Italy Pump-action shotguns