rSavage typically isn’t a name that comes to mind when looking for a modern defensive shotgun. A few years ago they decided to change that, coming out with a Security version of their autoloading Renegauge shotgun. During SHOT Show 2020 I had the opportunity to try out a field style Renegauge, and walked away very impressed. When I saw the Security version a couple years later, I immediately wanted time with one.
Finally during 2025’s SHOT Show I was able to make solid contact with Savage, and shortly thereafter found a Renegauge Security waiting for me at my FFL. How does it stand up to my expectations now that I’ve had hands-on time?
The Savage Renegauge comes in a nicely made plastic case with cut foam to keep everything in place. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much was included from the factory. As a nice touch, the foam comes pre-cut to accept optics on the gun as well. Very forward thinking on Savage’s part.
The Renegauge features adjustable length of pull. Included are three sets of spacers, and three separate recoil pads to adjust length of pull. Curiously, LOP ranges from 14.25-15.07 inches, unusually long for a tactical gun. In addition to this, three interchangeable combs are included, accommodating various optic heights. I really appreciate the customization here, especially the combs, which is a rarity with defensive guns.
A standard sling swivel stud can be found on the underside of the stock. While this works fine for me, I imagine people would like some sort of mount on the side of the stock, such as a QD cup, or place to thread slings through.
The sights on the Renegauge security are the same as found on their 320 Security pump-action shotgun. The rear sight is fully adjustable for windage and elevation, with protective wings shielding the ghost ring. Our front sight is held in place via a set screw, and features a green fiber optic front post.
The receiver is also tapped for optics, though may require removal of the rear sight. Overall the sight picture is solid, though not without issues.
Our barrel here is 18.5-inches and is surprisingly fluted. I don’t think I’ve seen a defensive focused shotgun with a fluted barrel, but it’s a nice touch. The barrel is threaded for chokes, and Savage includes three options of Beretta/Benelli type. Chokes include Improved, Modified, and Full.
The magazine features a full length extension, which takes capacity up to 6+1 rounds. This extension is threaded on, so shooters may want to check it from time to time for tightness. A large, aggressively checkered area allows for easy hand-tightening of the magazine extension.
Connecting this is a barrel clamp. This clamp features MLOK slots on either side for sling and accessory mounting. These are your only options for mounting accessories on the forward end of the gun.
The forend on the Savage Renegauge Security is pretty decent, but has room for improvement. Texturing is very similar to that found on the stock, which gives some purchase without being aggressive. Unfortunately there are no provisions for mounting accessories on the forend.
That will make it difficult to attach slings, flashlights, or other gear to the gun. I’d love to see at least one MLOK slot added to the 6 o’clock position.
The Savage Renegauge features an interesting step and large SAVAGE logo on the left side of the receiver. While aesthetically pleasing, this does impact your ability to mount spare ammunition on the gun. I’d prefer to see the gun slab-sided to allow for easier attachment of shotcards such as those from Esstac or Vang Comp.
In the case there is a large zip lock baggie containing several accessories, along with the previously mentioned spacers and combs in their own bags. These include a polymer magazine plug, a paper manual with photos, spare chokes in a Savage branded clamshell case, and a set of Howard Leight foam ear plugs.
Savage includes five small, red o-rings, and three medium metal rings. I’m not entirely sure what these are for. I’ve seen no guidance in the manual or online. The red o-rings may be used on the safety, as the button appears to have a very similar o-ring on it. I think the metal rings may interact with the cast of the stock, but I have not verified this myself.
Finally, Savage advertises that the Renegauge is made in America at their facility in Massachusetts.
I did some dry practice with dummy rounds after my initial inspection to get a feel for things. My range time was going to be a little limited, so this was a great way to build some familiarity during a busy time at home. Overall I was pretty pleased with what I found.
Initially I found that there was no significant tactile or audible cue that you’ve inserted a shell far enough into the tube. That threw me off a little, as I’m used to a distinct “click” on loading. Not a big deal, just not what I’m used to. The trigger guard is nicely shaped to help guide shells into the gun, and the loading port is significantly relieved to facilitate rapid loading. Additionally the lifter is smoother and extended, which I really appreciate. This will reduce the likelihood of pinching or rubbing your thumb raw during long practice sessions or classes.
Shells can be easily removed from the magazine by pressing the shell release inside the gun. As an added bonus, the magazine follower is reflective orange, making it easy to visually identify the status of the gun.
Similar to Beretta/Benelli designs, there’s a shell release to be activated to eject shells from the tube onto the lifter. Without pressing the trigger or activating this release, you can cycle the action without feeding rounds from the magazine. The Renegauge locates this on the right side of the trigger guard, opting for a large serrated blade, which should work well with gloves and a firing grip.
A crossbolt safety is located behind the trigger guard. This button isn’t what I’d call enlarged, but it is extended and textured. This is an improvement compared to what comes on stock Remington 870 and Benelli shotguns.
The bolt release is medium sized, and rectangular in shape. This is larger than what is found on many “tactical” guns, though not the biggest in class. Overall it’s a good size, and allows for pretty rapid reloads.
Finally the charging handle is slightly enlarged and extended. It features aggressive checkering, making for very positive handling. Interestingly, the the action was slightly difficult to open after “firing” on a dummy round. I didn’t feel any hitches or grit, it just required more force than I expected. Despite this the action is very smooth.
Range time was short with the Savage Renegauge Security. In total I fired only 77 rounds through the gun before returning it to Savage. We’ll look more at why the round count was so low later in this piece. Below is the breakdown of rounds fired in the Renegauge Security.
During my first range session I was unable to properly zero the fully-adjustable rear sight. It simply lacked enough elevation to get my rounds on target. I was shooting at 25 yards from a supported position, and my slugs impacted about 4-6 inches above my point of aim, barely contacting the 8-inch chest circle on my Q-PT silhouette.
Upon returning home I noticed that the rear sight was loose on the receiver. I removed the sight, degreased the mounting screws and their holes, applied Vibratite VC-3 to the screws remounted the sight. No threadlocker was applied to these screws from the factory. My front sight was secure and unaffected by recoil. Barrel and magazine tube were tight. Bore appears concentric. Aside from a wobbly rear sight, things seemed okay.
I returned to the range a week later to try again, just in case I was the problem. Turns out, it’s not me. I used three different brands of slugs, each coming in at a different velocity. The rear sight was adjusted in each dimension to check for errors in my adjustments or errors in the manufacturing process. I can get rounds close to each other, but not my point of aim. Once again, elevation was the problem. This time my rear sight stayed firmly in place, which threw that out as being the problem.
To validate the issues, I ran the same loads through my Beretta A300UP without a hitch. While the Savage is cycling reliably, I cannot hit what I’m aiming at. Time to call Savage.
I reached out to Savage in mid-March looking for assistance with troubleshooting or with coordinating a replacement gun. In less than 24 hours I received a response from Savage saying they would forward my concerns to another department and get back to me. About three weeks and a follow-up email from me later I received an update that a replacement sight would be sent by week’s end. Unfortunately that was not actually the case.
In mid-May I sent a third email to Savage asking if a replacement sight would ever arrive, as I’d received nothing, to include no additional communication. As part of this email I made mention that my review period ended at the beginning of June, and had virtually no time to make significant headway on a review with my remaining time. Seven calendar days later I got a tracking number. No mention to an extension of the review period was to be found. In total, it took more than eight weeks to receive my replacement sight from initial email asking for support to having item in hand.
I picked up a replacement front sight in the mail, and made my way home to swap the two out. The differences between the two were immediately apparent. The new sight is significantly larger in about every dimension.
Curiously, this new front sight is attached solely with friction. This is a deviation from the original sight, which featured a small set screw to help keep it in place. There are some other minor differences in design such as the general shaping of the sight. Finally, the finish is different between the two front sights, with the new one being significantly weaker. During installation I witnessed bits of finish flaking off of the new front sight.
Once I had the new front sight mounted, it was time to head back to the range. I decided to try and zero the gun to start, loading a few rounds of Federal Power Shok slugs into the tube. Immediately I was pleased to see that my issues with elevation seemed to have been solved. For the first time ever, I was hitting low on target! I started to make some coarse adjustments to the rear sight, gradually bringing rounds higher no the target. That is where the improvements ended.
After only five rounds, the new front sight had nearly fallen off of the gun. Turns out that friction-only isn’t the best way to keep things attached to a shotgun. At this time I decided to halt the firing portion of this review. I could push the front sight back into place, but continually doing that every few rounds is unsatisfactory.
I reached out to Savage looking for any additional guidance they could provide. After two weeks without a response, I decided I’d had enough. I packed the gun into its case, and preparing to send it back to the factory. As of this writing, I’ve received no response to my 31MAY email to Savage.
The Savage Renegauge Security has some really good features. Unfortunately the gun is seriously marred by a couple of issues. Two stand out off the top of my head. Unfortunately I’d need more time with the gun to see if anything else needs improved.
First and foremost, the sights need fixing. The replacement front sight seems to fix the elevation issues, which is a great start. However, the way in which it attaches to the gun is a failure of design. It needs a set screw, a pin, or something to retain it in place. Having a set of decent sights on the gun is useless if they don’t stay in place or can’t be zeroed.
Up next is the length of pull (LOP). The Renegauge has a nicely shaped stock, but the length starts at 14.25-inches and only gets longer. That’s crazy for a defensive oriented gun, starting at a length where most other stocks end. The Magpul SGA is pretty much THE standard now for “tactical” shotgun stocks, and its LOP ranges from 12.50-14.50 inches. In fact, some users want even shorter stocks, as evidenced by the Dark Star Gear 360 Kit Adapter. Keeping the stock this long only alienates you from the modern tactical shotgunner, small statured shooters, and those wearing armor.
The Savage Renegauge Security has a ton of great features and is competitively priced. Unfortunately it is marred by my poor experience with the sights and extreme difficulty in getting any help or communication from Savage. I started this review excited and optimistic, but have had my hopes dashed over the past 3+ months. At this time I would suggest passing on the Renegauge in favor of something like the Beretta A300UP.
Hopefully Savage can take some of the feedback here and incorporate it into an improved version of their gun. I’d love to see some changes made, and for this to be a legitimate competitor in the tactical shotgun market. For now, we’ll sit and wait to see what happens.
MSRP on the Savage Renegauge Security is $1,279 as of this writing.
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