Benelli Nova

DelDuck · #1 08-05-2005, 09:02 PM

Ok guys , I was thinking of going back to the basics and getting a new pump shot gun. My question is what is the opinon about the nova? Pros, Cons, what kinda price, does it have a full line of after market bells and whistles like the 870 does? and does Beretta have a pump, if so whats the deal with it?
I have an 870, but i wanna get a nice pump, and I am not as confident in remington as I use to be, and I have heard nothing but good so I wanna see what you guys think.

fabsroman · #2 08-06-2005, 01:40 AM

Beretta doesn't build a pump, and I do not have much experience with the Nova. I have one friend that owns one, but I do more hunting and shooting in a year than this guy will ever do in a life time. As good as my SBE is from Benelli, I would think the Nova has to be pretty decent.

DelDuck · #3 08-06-2005, 07:34 AM

Thats was my thinking also, but if they are only maginaly better the the 870, then I am not sure the difference in money would be worth it.

Mil Dot · #4 08-06-2005, 09:34 AM

I own a Nova and it's light weight and reliable. Easy to break down in the field and clean up if you get it gunked up. I use it mainly as a goose gun (28") and haven't had a problem. You spend $ on this gun like you do the S-90 or Black Eagle. In fact you can probably pick one up in Black for around $299.99 or less and Camo for under $350.00.

chapster1 · #5 08-06-2005, 05:28 PM

iown 2 novas 12 bore and 20 bore best damm pump ive owned ever,
sorryguys but it beats the hell out of the bps 12,
£399 here in uk

DelDuck · #6 08-07-2005, 08:16 AM

Cool ty guys!! To be honest I was not expecting the price of them to be in the 300 +/- range. I was thinking more along the lines of 500 +/-. Hmmm they just may be 2 new guns in the near future.

fabsroman · #7 08-07-2005, 03:56 PM

Yeah, I think I remember my buddy paying a little less than $400 for his Nova at a gun show.

gd357 · #8 08-08-2005, 03:01 AM

We picked up a couple of them last year for my younger brother and sister in 20 gauge. Flawless function, shot or slugs. So far they've taken deer, turkey and rabbits with them, no problems. I'd expect nothing less from Benelli, even if they are their "entry level" priced shotguns. I wouldn't hesitate to pick one up if I needed another pump gun.

gd

Mil Dot · #9 08-08-2005, 10:18 AM

Those 20ga are light as a feather. I wouldn't mind having one for the daughter.

Steverino · #10 08-08-2005, 03:47 PM

Although I have never actually shot one, I have handled the Nova on a couple of occassions and the forend on both guns rattled like a box of rocks. I wanted to like it-just couldn't get over that rattling forend.

fabsroman · #11 08-08-2005, 08:03 PM

Yep, the forearm does rattle, but so does the one on my BPS, albeit not as bad as my buddy's Nova.

Mil Dot · #12 08-08-2005, 10:14 PM

By the time the geese hear the rattler ....

Would be a tad bit more important to the turkey folks.

I have the same type problem with my auto 5 sounds like a haybailer to me. I can use it if necessary but prefer my S-90.

chapster1 · #13 08-09-2005, 09:22 PM

i must have the only 12 gauge nova with the forend that dont rattle,
the only problem is benelli should make a 10 gauge nova whooooa that would be sweet

fabsroman · #14 08-09-2005, 09:24 PM

I don't think any of the Beretta owned companies, Benelli and Beretta also included, manufacture a 10 ga. or I would have bought one already.

TreeDoc · #15 08-10-2005, 12:38 AM

The Nova is far superior to the 870 in form and function yet it's cheap because of their manufacturing process, it's a one piece plastic stock/receiver with the receiver having a metal lining where necessary. Pretty space age. It also has a very fast action. See if you can find a video of Tom Knapp, Benelli's Exhibition Shooter, setting a world record with his Nova back in 2000. 8 clay pigeons stacked and thrown in the air with one hand while holding the Nova in the other, 8 shots, 8 broken birds in 2.1 seconds before they hit the ground. His record is 9 in 2.3 seconds with an M1 semi auto. I doubt you'll find a pump gun with a faster, more fluid action than that of a Nova.

On the other hand, it's a slug, IMO. It feels light at a first but when it's loaded it feels very forend heavy to me personally. Add the recoil reducer to the stock which if you have any intention of shooting 3.5" shells you'll want to do and it becomes a weighty combination. It even kicks your ass shooting 3" loads, especially Turkey loads but I'm confident that's a characteristic of many lighter weight pump guns where there is no bolt reaction to absorb inertia.

chapster actually does have THE ONLY Nova without a rattle trap forend. I have not seen nor heard one without this characteristic. Perhaps they sent the quiet ones to the Brits, afterall they get to use silencers and we don't! If Turkey is your forte then expect to muffle some sound and be cautious.

I have never owned a pump gun nor shot one in my life till I bought my Nova for some strange reason about a year and a half ago (it was just to cheap!). It was to be a designated turkey gun and it served me well on my first Turkey outing by dropping my first Tom at 40 yards, one shot. Even though it worked so well I vowed never to try the pump experiment again. It was just to weird and unusually balanced for my style and liking. No reflection on the gun.

My good friend up in Sacramento, CA has been shooting a Nova in the duck blind for probably 4-5 years. I always gave him sh*t about his rattley plastic gun! Last year I shot in his pit and was looking at his Nova in between flights. It looked like a stick of mud shaped somewhat like a shotgun. I asked him a question that only someone who had stripped down a Nova would know the answer to. Keep in mind this guy is not majorly gun or mechanically inclined. He stared blindly into space because he had no clue about the interior of his gun. It had NEVER been taken apart and cleaned, only 4-5 years of a "chance" wipe down from the outside in! It has never missed a beat.

You can't go wrong with the price these sell for new. You can steal them on the used market too. I have a young kid that's saving up to buy mine for $300 with the recoil reducer. It's in the safe waiting for him. If you're in the market for used, drop me a PM and I'll refer you to a sight where they pop up frequently.