Savage Renegauge: Sallie Doty's New Favorite Shotgun

So many people shoot Savage rifles, but their first semiautomatic shotgun, Savage Renegauge with new technology has me stoked. I have been shooting shotguns for the past 9 years. I've shot some bad ones, and I mean bad ones. One was so bad I refuse to hunt grouse ever again. It kicked me so hard and left bruises on my shoulder. Other ones canted into my face and left bruises after a night of trap. You could say that I was pretty much over shotguns until I got my Beretta. It at least did not kick me in the face or leave any bruises.

Forget all your bad experiences with shotguns. The new Savage Renegauge is here, and it comes with a patented Dual Regulating Inline Valve (DRIV). The new DRIV system ensures excess gas vents before it drives the bolt, resulting in less recoil and a quicker cyclic rate. This means less kick and a fast cycle.

When I got the gun in June 2020 I could not believe how amazing it felt to shoot. My husband Ben also took a turn shooting it and felt the same. Many women are afraid of 12 gauges or told to only shoot a 20 gauge. After my experience with the Renegauge that stigma needs to end. It is important to note, however, that these guns only come in a 12 gauge. What I love about this gun is that the length of pull, comb height, and drop at the heel are all adjustable. For women this is huge to fit the gun properly for our naturally smaller faces and shorter arms. There is also a soft cheek rest and recoil pad for an even softer touch. Finally, there are four patterns to choose from; Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Blade camo, Mossy Oak Bottomland camo, Mossy Oak Obsession camo, and Henry Ford’s favorite-black (and more to come).

I shot a few rounds of trap in September and shot a 47 out of 50 which is my best score. I took the gun to dove hunt and we shot our limit the first day and got a few short of our limit on the second day. I own the 12 gauge Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Blade camo patterned gun in a 26-inch barrel. I chose the shorter barrel so I can use it in the field. My Beretta has a 30-inch barrel and is difficult to maneuver in pits/blinds. I found this out the hard way last year during a goose hunt. Longer barrels are harder to get out of the pits and shoot the incoming waterfowl, a shorter barrel is what I needed.

In early October I took the Renegauge on a pheasant hunt. It is more front heavy than other shotguns I have owned, but I did not notice the added weight as I walked through the field. We hunted for about 3 hours and walked around 5 miles in the food plots. We shot 17 birds in our group of 6 and had a great hunt. I am excited to also bring the gun on a few waterfowl hunts this fall. My next hunt is a goose hunt in December.

The Renegauge is a great combination field and clay gun. My other shotguns are designed for one specific purpose, but I would argue that the Renegauge performs just as well as the other specialty guns in the field. Its new technology matched with a comfortable and correct fit make this an excellent gun for shooters of all abilities.