One of the features that sold me on the original 940 Pro Tactical was the optics cut. It’s the first shotgun I’ve ever seen that allows me to directly attach an optic to the gun—no Picatinny rail needed. I loved that, but I also fell in love with a lot of Mossberg’s features. Mossberg is building on those features with the Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical SPX Holosun combo.
As the combo name implies, you are getting an included Holosun, which drops right into that RMSc footprint in the 940’s receiver. The included model is the HS407K, and it sits low enough to see the front sight. With the SPX design, we also get a ton of new features that make this Mossberg’s best tactical shotgun yet.
Breaking Down the New 940
Let’s start at the tip of the barrel and work our way back, cataloging the improvements the SPX model has over the standard model. The front sight is a rifle-style design that flows rearward into barrel clamps, outfitted with an M-LOK slot and sling swivel. Then, we get into the uber awesome SPX handguard.
The SPX integrates a heat shield into the handguard. This allows the thumb to ride high without accidentally brushing the barrel. The handguard is a bit thinner and features an extremely aggressive texture. I can’t measure the new and old handguards, but the new one seems slightly longer.
The handguard also features a few integrated M-LOK slots for accessory mounting. We also get a QD cup on the handguard to provide just one extra sling swivel option. The controls are still massive, but they are slightly different from the standard 940 Pro Tactical. I love the new safety. It’s huge and easy to manipulate.
Finally, the stock is mostly the same but integrates a QD cup for a final sling point. With this gun, you have lots and lots of options for slings, probably more than any other shotgun on the market.
Shooting The 940 SPX
The 940 Pro Tactical SPX is a serious defensive shotgun. Much like the original 940, it has a smooth and controllable recoil impulse. The gas system takes a bit of sting from the gun’s 12-gauge recoil. It’s not AR-15 soft, but you could shoot it all day and not walk away bruised and beaten.
The included Holosun 407K sits nice, low, and co-witnesses with the front rifle sight. Should the dot die, your entire optic becomes a massive rear sight with an easy-to-use front sight. The gun’s forend fits the hand well, and the aggressive texture allows you to press outward with a good push/pull technique.
The gun cycles rapidly and dependably ejects shells left and right. Dropping eight rounds out of the gun takes no time at all, and if you have to fire eight rounds of twelve gauge, you want them dispersed quickly.
At the time of this article I have only shot the 940 Pro Tactical SPX at our Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous. So, I didn’t have enough time with the gun to do a full review, but I liked what I saw. I fired fifty rounds through it, and if it works as well as the original 940, it will be a killer option. Watch this space for a full review sooner rather than later.
