RANDY WAKEMAN OUTDOORS: Shotguns & Wingshooting

Mossberg 940 JM Pro

The tested article is the new for 2020 Mossberg 940 JM Pro #8551. Mossberg's published specs are as follows, with an MSRP of $1046. This a 3-gun race-ready gun right out of the box.

Gauge	12
Capacity	9+1
Chamber	3"
Barrel Type	Vent Rib
Barrel Length	24"
Sight/Base	Front Fiber Optic
Choke	Briley Ext Set
LOP Type	Adjustable
LOP	13"-14.25"
Barrel Finish	Matte Blued

Out of the box, the 940 JM Pro weighs 7 lbs. 14 oz. via calibrated electronic gauge. The trigger is quite good, breaking at about 4-1/4 lbs repeatably. Mossberg engineering has worked in conjunction with Jerry and Lena Miculak to bring a competition ready 10 shot 12 gauge to you as supplied. The new gas system has triple the no-clean running time at 1500 rounds, as compared to the approximately 500 round between cleaning regimen of the Mossberg 930. It also features easier loading, over-sized controls, and a large range of adjustments. Included are all kinds of goodies: stock shims, stock spacers, and a variety of light pipes. The supplied extended chokes are from Briley: Cylinder, IC, and MOD. The choke designations are marked on the gold band around the choke tubes.

There is a 5 shot (4+1) crimped / plugged magazine tube version available, which makes little sense unless local laws prohibit the standard version. I would imagine that there will be hunting and sporting versions available sometime in the future, featuring the upgraded loading, beefier gas system, and nickel-boron coated internals. There may be a few folks out there right now that are using this for snow goose nuisance seasons.

Some of the prior Mossberg 930's I've tested have had tang safeties that are either too stiff or too loose, but the 940's tang safety is excellent. The trigger group is secured by two pins and is a little bit rattly, but there is nothing going on that affects function. If you want the ability to make ten hulls in short order, whether for competition or just plain fun, the 940 gets the job done. The 940 JM Pro is reliable, easy to use, and may also have appeal to you for defensive use. It is a significant, robust upgrade over the 930 and it seems that this is what Mossberg was shooting for and they have succeeded.