I love shotguns. They are an absolute blast (pun intended). Shotguns like the A300 Ultima Patrol, the Mossberg 940 Tactical, and the often underrated Savage Renegauge are always fan favorites. Today, we are comparing the two American options that have hit the market: the Renengauge Security and the Mossberg 940 Tactical.
These two guns are aimed at the home defense and security market. They are both semi-automatic, gas-operated shotguns that chamber the mighty 12 gauge round. One of the big benefits of American-made shotguns is you don’t have to worry about 922R compliance rules, and they don’t get imported in neutered configurations. So, the Mossberg and Savage are ready to rock and roll straight from the factory.
Both of these guns have implemented a lot of the changes that shotgunners have wanted for years. This includes enhanced ergonomics, better sights, better stocks, and more. What makes them attractive, and why they are competing, is that they don’t feel like sporting guns converted into tactical shotguns. Instead, they feel like tactical shotguns built from the ground up.
The Specs
The Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical
Barrel Length: 18.5 inches
Overall Length: 37.5 inches
Weight: 7.5 pounds
LOP: 12.5 to 14.25 inches
Caliber: 12 Gauge
Capacity: 7
Savage Renegauge Security
Barrel Length: 18.5 inches
Overall Length: 40 inches
Weight: 7 pounds
LOP: 14.25 to 15.07 inches
Caliber: 12 Gauge
Capacity: 6
The specifications of the two guns make them remarkably similar. They aren’t much different, and the most notable difference is in the length of pull, which we’ll talk about in-depth when we discuss the ergonomics. A few more notable differences are the half-pound weight difference that makes the Renegauge lighter, and the fact the Mossberg holds one extra round. Overall, both appear to be fairly competent shotguns and represent what we expect to see from a modern semi-auto tactical shotgun.
Sights and Accuracy
The Renegauge comes with very nice sights. The rear sight is an adjustable ghost ring design, and the front sight is a big, beefy, high-visibility green front sight. With the Mossberg, we get no rear sight but a high-visibility red fiber optic bead-style sight. Off the bat, the Renegauge has better iron sights.
However, red dots rule. The Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical comes with a milled receiver that allows you to directly mount a red dot to the gun. This direct mount method sits the optic so low that it can co-witness with the bead sight mounted to the barrel. The red dot allows you to use optics with the Shield RMSc footprint.
The Renegauge can utilize a red dot. You’ll need to remove the rear sight and replace it with a Weaver 93 rail. Briley also makes a Weaver 93 low mount that directly attaches optics.
At the range, both guns are perfectly accurate for a shotgun. With buckshot…well, it’s buckshot. With slugs, the Renengauge is going to be more accurate with the stock sights. If you have a red dot, you can catch up with the Mossberg. However, with just the front sight, you’ll have problems squeezing out really precise slug shots.
Ergonomics
Ergonomics have been a huge issue with semi-auto shotguns in the past. From loading gate taking DNA samples to ultra-small buttons and controls. Luckily, both guns have moved to address these issues. Both have nice and wide loading ports, but the port on the Mossberg is a bit bigger than the Renegauge. Only by a hair, but a noticeable one.
Neither gun takes a DNA sample when you rapidly reload the magazine tube. Both guns feature large bolt releases and massive charging handles. This all helps make the gun quicker and easier to load.
I ran several reloading drills with both guns. Against a shot timer, I was capable of loading two rounds and firing one in 3.57 seconds. With the Savage Renegauge, I repeated the same drill but landed on 4.2 seconds.
I also conducted a port reload drill. The drill had the tube empty but one round in the chamber. At the beep, I fired that one round, and then port loaded a round into the chamber of the gun via the port and fired that round.
While both bolt releases are large I was a little quicker with the somewhat nonstandard Mossberg bolt release. My average port load with the Mossberg was 1.58 seconds, and the Savage landed at 1.87 seconds.
About the LOP
The length of pull is the distance from the rear of the trigger to the rear of the stock. Different people have different LOP requirements. I’m six-foot-five-inches tall so why would my length of pull be the same as a 5.5-foot tall person? Smaller people need shorter LOPs.
It’s also easier to manage a LOP that’s too short than one that is too long. The problem with a longer LOP is that it makes shooting in a squared-up shooting position much more difficult. Longer LOPs are fine for sporting and bladed stances, but on fighting guns you want it to be short enough to allow you to establish a good squared-up shooting position.
Both the Renegauge and 940 offer you the ability to adjust your length of pull. The Mossberg allows you to adjust from 12.5 to 14.25 inches. The Savage allows you to adjust the LOP from 14.25 to 15.07 inches. The Mossberg offers a much better LOP adjustment. A 14.25-inch LOP is already crazy long, it feels long on me. I couldn’t imagine anyone needing a 15.07-inch LOP.
I think Savage should really rework the stock and allow for a shorter adjustment. With that in mind, Mossberg wins in the ergonomics department.
At the Range
At the range, I conducted the Lucky Gunner Shotgun Skills test with both guns to see if there was a noticeable difference. This test requires a variety of shot drills with a focus on accuracy and speed. I figured this presented some objective data to compare the two guns and their performance.
Right off the bat, the gun performed equally well at snap drills from the low ready. It was easy with both guns to land a shot on target in less than a second at 15 yards. I got as fast as .77 seconds with the Mossberg 940. I averaged around .80 seconds with both guns, so there was no real difference.
In the two shots on target, it went the same way. The performance was even and equal. Only on the third stage where reloading came into play did we see a difference. The Mossberg’s ergonomics allowed for a faster and easier reload. The differences were minor but still worth noting.
Blasting Away
I tested a variety of ammo throughout the gun. This included full power and reduced recoil buckshot. With the full-powered buckshot, I noticed a slight difference in recoil. The Savage Renegauge had a little less recoil, likely due to its D.R.I.V. system which diverts excess gas.
Both weapons proved to be very reliable overall. One of the big benefits of the Renegauge is the rotating bolt. I have this super old Winchester birdshot. The ammo is ancient. I shot my way through it with both guns but had a couple of rounds hang up in the Mossberg.
Most of the time, the old tap, rack, and bang worked to free the round. However, one time, the rim of a shell broke when the Mossberg tried to extract it. I had to use a cleaning rod to punch it out. The shells of the rounds expanded a ton when fired. The rotating bolt of the Renegauge gripped and ripped every round out of the chamber.
The Cost of Shotguns
What about the price? We have two high-performing shotguns competing, and the price will be the big decider for most people. The Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical costs $1,189. The Savage Renegauge has an MSRP of $1,499. That’s a fair difference, but admittedly, the Savage comes with a very nice hard shell case. Is that case several hundred dollars? No, but the D.R.I.V. system and rotating bolt provide an interesting operating system.
With price and performance in mind, which would you choose? Let us know below!
