By Mike Schoby
In an era where everything from groceries to booze to strip clubs are escalating at a rate that would make 2008 Zimbabwe blush, it’s refreshing—hell, reassuring—to get your hands on a shotgun that is affordable enough you can feed it high-end shells and still shoot it often.
Enter the Mossberg 940 Pro Field.
I’ve been testing the 940 Pro Field at the sporting clays range and at a buddy’s preserve on pheasants not smart enough to run with a dog too fat to chase them anyway. My questionable testing methods aside, rest assured, I have put a pile of shells through this shotgun this summer and early fall. I didn’t clean it much (read: at all). I didn’t oil it much either (read: none). In short, I treated it like a rented economy car.
And here’s the kicker: it’s still running.
The Guts Matter
The 940 is a redesign of the 930 gas system, which always had the bones of something good, but not perfect. Mossberg must’ve realized this, because the 940 is vastly improved. In my six months of testing, I can say that the redesigned gas system will cycle 1,000 rounds (at least) between cleanings.
It’s cleaner-running, smoother cycling, and faster on follow-up shots than its predecessor. I ran everything from cheap 1-ounce dove loads to 3-inch heavy field loads and never had a hiccup.
Form Follows Function
Now, let’s talk ergonomics. The oversized charging handle and bolt release look a bit garish and a bit too tactical on a sporting shotgun. Then you operate them at 6:15 a.m. with frozen fingers and suddenly you’re glad someone at Mossberg has spent some “research” time in duck blind. The stock’s length of pull, drop and cast are all adjustable via spacers and shims—not revolutionary, or as bougie as a walnut try stock at the London best rooms, but effective and much more affordable.
The walnut stock is unimpressive—utilitarian, durable, and completely free of pretense. But it is a working gun, not a showpiece. It employs the kind of furniture that begs to be scratched, soaked, and bounced around in a South Dakota school bus filed with Montucky-drinking pheasant hunters.
Recoil and Balance
It’s a 12-gauge semi-auto, so recoil is what you’d expect—not bad. Gas-operated guns generally soak up some of the punch, and the 940 does that well. It balances a hair forward of center, which I actually like for maintaining a smooth, uninterrupted swing.
Final Thoughts
Think of the 940 as a Seiko on your Rolex quest. You should always strive to own at least one bespoke, highly-engraved English or fine Italian double shotgun…someday. But until that day comes, buy a shotgun that points well, fits better, digests all manners of shells, and won’t pull an Amber Heard when the birds start flying. The Mossberg 940 Pro Field is that Seiko.
Price: $800 real world (synthetic).
Pros: Super reliable, very adjustable fit, offered in wood or synthetic.
Cons: I don’t love the look of the stippling on the stock.
