Each year I am fortunate to make my way to the edge of the Grand Tetons to attend the Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous. It is a fantastic event where editorial writers and staff spend quality time with several great manufacturers. It has allowed me to see some incredible products. One specific item that I always look forward to is new shotguns. I have been a scattergun fan since I was a boy, and Rendezvous has become a great place to see new guns. While the list is long, three guns caught my eye as standing out among the best 12-gauge shotguns on the firing line.

Best 12-Gauge Shotguns From Rendezvous

Mossberg 590A1 Retrograde

First up is the Mossberg 590A1 Retrograde. I am a fan of pump guns, and the retrograde only drives that love home. The gun is a throwback to the look of Mossberg’s first tactical pumps. The Retrograde models feature a walnut stock with a checkered grip and vented recoil pad and matching forend. Mossberg also offers models that include the features that have made Mossberg the choice for millions of users worldwide, including an ambidextrous safety, dual extractors, positive steel-to-steel lockup, twin action bars, and an anti-jam elevator for smooth operation.

In short, it has all the fighting prowess of their military grade 590A1 housed in the utterly cool retro furniture. On the range, the gun shoots as well as it looks. The 590A1 comprises a serious shotgun designed and ultimately adopted for military use. Even with the retro furniture, it is far from being a safe queen. I own a 590A1 and have loved it since day one. However, running this gun with the nice walnut stock on it made me realize that having the same gun with different stock is actually two different guns. At least that is the rationale I am using to justify my next purchase. (mossberg.com)

Nighthawk Custom Cosmi

The second gun that is on my list is the Cosmi shotgun. This is a unique gun and is available through the good folks at Nighthawk Custom. They are the exclusive importer of all Cosmi shotguns in the United States. Cosmi builds some of the world’s finest and most advanced luxury semi-automatic shotguns. Italian design at its best, each Cosmi contains over 100 hand-fit parts.

The unique and ingenious magazine tube runs down into the stock, creating a unique shotgun design. These pieces of art are the most exclusive and bespoke shotguns that are built. The operation and design of these guns are unique. They use a long-recoil mechanism, which harnesses recoil energy to eject a spent shell and chamber a new round. The great balance of the Cosmi, and the unique placement of the magazine and recoil spring, create a cushioning effect, effectively eliminating the harsh recoil, even with magnum loads.  

On the range, Mark Stone of Nighthawk manned the clay thrower for me as I shouldered this ballistic work of art. What I quickly found out is that the gun is everything they say it is. While the term “soft shooting” is thrown around a lot, the Comsi is soft shooting. Loading the gun is an experience unlike what I have ever personally had before and discovered that I had developed an affinity for high-quality Italian shotguns. If you get a chance to get a close look at a Cosmi, don’t pass it up. (nighthawkcustom.com)

Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical

The last gun in my lineup is the Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical. The gun is a 12-gauge, gas-operated, semi-automatic shotgun. It has an 18.5-inch barrel that has a noticeably small swell in the end. The 940 Pro Tactical barrel is threaded for use with their Accu-Choke interchangeable choke system. The barrel also has a clamp with a swivel stud and dual-sided M-LOK compatibility slots to allow for attaching kits such as a flashlight. The barrel is topped off with an easy-to-acquire red fiber-optic front sight.

Directly under the barrel is where some of the Mossberg magic happens. In an attempt to get the gun to run everything from super-light birdshot to three-inch magnum slugs, some serious engineering had to take place. The 940 accomplishes this with the use of a redesigned, essentially self-regulating piston. This piston vents excess gas out the front and a separate spring-loaded valve in the gas block work together to trap just enough propellant to cycle the action. The gas that flows under the forend meets a pusher tube connecting the piston to the twin operating rods. This lightweight aluminum component features holes, vents, ridges, and ribs that both reduce friction and give carbon and debris somewhere to go besides the outside of the mag tube. All the critical components are nickel boron coated, which adds life and makes clean-up easy.

Mossberg tells us that this new design will allow the gun to run 1,500 rounds before cleaning. The Mossberg engineers at the event shared with me that they had at least one gun back in Connecticut that had far surpassed that, and they were pushing on to see how far they could go. One of the best features the gun has is being precut for an optic. The cut is nice and low and allows me to keep the same cheek weld as if I were running iron sights. The gun is an absolute winner in my books. (mossberg.com)

Shotgun Optics – Holosun HS407K

I will take a moment to go off script and talk about optics on shotguns. While it is not a completely foreign concept, Mossberg’s milling of the 940 Pro Tactical to support an optic is serious business. There is ultimately a grumpy old shooter out there that swears they will only shoot bead sights on a shotgun. That is fine, but if you have the opportunity to run an optic on a shotgun you need to do it. It is the future, and technology is ready to meet the challenge. It is fast and has all the optic benefits we get on other platforms.

On the 940 I ran the Holosun HS407K. This optic features a 6 MOA dot using the CR1632 battery and battery tray. It has an amazing 50,000 hours of battery life in setting six, which also includes 12 brightness settings, 10 daylight settings, and two night vision compatible settings. This optic also includes the locking function and the motion sensor. The housing of this optic is CNC milled 7075 aluminum, making it ruggedized and very durable. This optic is waterproof and parallax free. Most importantly, it is robust and able to easily handle the recoil of a shotgun. (holosun.com)

There are countless other options in the optics arena, and the choice is ultimately yours. I will say once again that an optic on a tactical shotgun is a game changer. We keep these guns for fighting and an optic helps. Just as we run optic instead of iron sights on our rifles, it’s time to bring our boom sticks into the 21st century.