Benelli Nova Advice

[Shot Gunner]

Hey everyone,
I have been hoping to get a new pump gun for waterfowl and turkeys, And have been looking at the Benelli Nova pump in 12ga. I have shouldered this gun at my local sporting goods store and I like it very much. Any advice on the pros and cons about this gun?

[skeet]

Well I suppose they work ok. Being a steel and wood guy...I'd never buy one. They do have a bit of recoil shooting the big bruiser shells...but so does the Mossberg 3 1/2 in pump gun. Kinda brutal in fact. but I'm a wimp who really doesn't like recoil anyway. Surprisingly I really don't seem to mind the 3 1/2 10 ga in an auto though. Seriously..the Nova seems to sell pretty good..but you do see quite a few for sale used..

[cpac]

i had a 870 then i got a nova. because the lop was too long in the nova, being plastic, could not be cut down. lop on the 870 is 1/4 shorter i think? still a wee bit long for me, but i can modify the stock. the nova is a bit hevier. i couldn't find any aftermarket bbl's for the nova, i know they sell them. 870 is just easier to own, and shoot for me. i don't like plastic stocks anyways. you ain't gonna go wrong with a nova, because of a qualtiy issue. an express 870 12 ga. combo with the rifled slug/26" bbl. is hard to beat

[fabsroman]

There really aren't any pros/cons for the NOVA that you don't already know. It shoots 3 1/2" 12 gauge rounds while I believe the standard 870 doesn't. Personally, I don't know if the 3 1/2" round is really necessary in the 12 gauge, but I use them anyway because I LOVE breaking my back. I'll probably go to 3" shells this year and see if it make a difference.

Both the Nova and 870 are pretty reliable guns, as are most pumps. I have used a Browning BPS for over 2 decades. Problem is, I realized I couldn't hit anything on the 2nd shot with a pump gun, so I bought an auto. I had gotten used to using an o/u on the clays field and I just couldn't hit anything with the pump after the first shot. I realized it one day while duck hunting and then took the gun to the skeet field for confirmation. I could hardly get on the second target by the time it was going behind the skeet house. That just wasn't the case with the o/u. Since switching to an auto, I don't use the BPS anymore and I hardly, if ever, use my o/u's. The problem with autos is that they can jam. Ran into that problem shooting a tournament flurry with my Beretta 391. Only time I have run into a cycling problem with my Benelli SBE is when I used too light of a load during really cold weather.

[popplecop]

My pumps are all from back in the 40s and 50s, but have shot the Super Nova. Won one 2 years ago, then gave it to my son. The Super has a different stock than the Nova and it absorbs the recoil better and is camo. They rattle but are like a Timex, can take a beating and come up ticking. I too am not a big fan of the 3.5" 12, but that is an individual decission.