Benelli "nova" pump shotguns--how good are they?

[privateer1939]

I want to buy a good pump sg.... Ive heard that benelli pumps are not as good as the remingtons or the brownings....i need some opinions from gunners who knows about these pumps............

Tx

[BigJimP]

If I were going to rate pump shotguns ....Browning BPS would be at the top of my list / followed by the Remington 870 Wingmaster ...but I'm not as fond of the other versions of the Rem 870's ( the express, etc ) / and I would rate the Benelli Nova very high as well ...( and above most of the Rem 870's except the Wingmaster models) ...and then the Mossberg pumps.

But none of these companies - Browning, Remington, Benelli or Mossberg are making terrible guns ...but there are some lower end models in most of the mfg's line of guns.

The real question is ....what do you want the gun to do / what is your intended usage ...maybe we can help narrow your search down a little.../ but many of us have pump guns we bought 30 or 40 yrs ago ---that are still going strong and are still very solid guns...

[PoorRichRichard]

My buddy has one and I shoot it at least once a month. For how long it is (28 inch barrel), it feels very light. Causes a bit more recoil than my other 12 gauge shottys, but not bad unless you are putting 3-and-a-half inch goose loads through it (those KILL my shoulder). Great gun overall, just don't pay more than 450$ for one- they can be found cheaper than this if you do your homework. Hope this helps.

[jmr40]

The Benelli is the heaviest of all the pump shotguns, followed by Browning. The old Winchester 1300 are the lightest followed closely by Mossberg. Remingtons are right in the middle weight wise. (assuming comparable barrels and other features) They are good guns from a mechanical perspective, but handle like a fencepost.

I really want to like them, have actually owned 2. I think they function well and given time to prove themselves may prove to be the most rugged, durable gun in the bunch. But I can't get used to the weight and awkward handling. For a turkey gun or SD where quick handling and balance is not important they probably perform well.

For me nothing beats an 870. There are quite a few of them out there with better than 200,000 rounds through them that are still going strong and they point and balance better than any other pump. If I had to pick a 2nd place gun it would be the Browning with the Benelli 3rd.

[AllenJ]

I own and have hunted with a Nova and had no problems with it. To be honest I was actually impressed by it. My son now uses it and loves it. I have been lucky enough to use all three of the shotguns you mentioned and all functioned well. My "disclaimer" to that statement is that I'll never buy another 870 Express, the 2 I have owned were low quaility and not as reliable as the Wingmater IMO. If you can I would suggest trying each and seeing which fits you best. I loved my BPS but it did not fit me as good as the Wingmaster or Nova, hence I don't own it anymore.

[dgludwig]

I currently own three twelve gauge pump shotguns: a Browning BPS, a Benelli Nova and a Winchester Model 1300. The 3 1/2" chambered BPS with a synthetic stock and a 28" barrel weighs the heaviest @ eight pounds, five ounces (catalog listed weight spec.). The identically configured Nova comes in second @ an even eight pounds (again, per the factory spec.). The Model 1300 is the lightest of the trio. The Browning has a steel receiver; the Benelli has a unique, one piece stock and receiver,"...molded together using glass reinforced techno-polymers (housing) the embedded steel cage to form the receiver...", and the Winchester has an alloy receiver.

My Nova has proven to be a reliable shotgun but no more so than the BPS and the Model 1300. However, for me, at least, the Nova doesn't handle as well as the other two and points almost "ponderously". The three shotguns play different roles for me: the big Browning is my waterfowl/turkey/blind gun; the light Winchester is set up for deer hunting with its rifled barrel and scope and the Nova is my HD gun, with its extended magazine, "ghost" sight and receiver-mounted shell holder.

I think the Nova is an excellent shotgun and offers good value. If it were my only shotgun, it would do everything I ever needed from a shotgun and I would be well served by it, I'm sure.

[SurplusShooter]

The benelis are excellent shotguns.

[SauerJackson]

I've never had much time with the Brownings, but I have owned or extensively used most others. And without a doubt the Nova is my favorite hands down! Over the last 10+ yrs it has proven to be the most reliable and indestructible weapon I've ever touched (ok, the AK probably ties it) Point being, it has excelled in every god awful extreme climate MN has to offer!

[Rugerismisticness]

The supernova (and by relation, the nova) is certainly one of the very best pump guns. The barrel is chome lined, the rotating bolt design is very strong and wears much slower than the 870 locking lug (very few people wear those out to begin with, say over 150,000-200,000rnds). The inner reciever is steel. Crio Plus chokes are very long with good parallel cross sections, they tend to pattern tighter than Rem chokes. The comfortech stock works very well and is invalueable on a pump as it one of the very few shotguns to have a shim fitting system. I also like the brownings, but they are heavy and too pretty for some situations. The 870 express is crap, but the wingmaster is ok. I like the 500s action, but the overall appearance is of lesser quality, the stocks don't fit me very well anyways.

Definitly shell out for a supernova.

[Bowhunter57]

privateer1939,
Welcome to The Firing Line forums!

I've owned all that you have mentioned and the one that gave me the most problems was the Remington. I owned a Remington Super Magnum that I had to send back to the factory repair center, 2x and it still wasn't right. So I sold it, cut my losses and purchased the Benelli Nova.

I never had any problems with the Nova. I sold it later and purchased a Russian Baikal MP-153 (semi-auto) 12 gauge, 3 1/2" chamber, gas operated/gas relieved, chrome lined bore, wood stocks, recoil pad, 24" barrel with 3 choke tubes...for $350. This shotgun is my goose gun and it performs very well.

The Baikal is the shotgun that Remington had the distribution rights to...for a while and called it the Spartan 453. The Baikal sales were killing Remington, so they had to do something.

Anyway... My current pump action shotgun is a Mossberg 500 Turkey Special with a 20" barrel, full camo finish and screw-in chokes. This shotgun is both my HD weapon of choice and my favorite close range coyote shotgun. I've never had any functional issues with this shotgun.

I have to agree with the above posts about the differences between the Wingmaster and the Express models. The Wingmaster is, hands down, a better shotgun, because the internal parts are finished and not stamped. Therefore the reason for its' increased cost...and well worth it.

Good luck with your choices!
Good hunting, Bowhunter57

[dgludwig]

The Wingmaster is, hands down, a better shotgun, because the internal parts are finished and not stamped.

The "finish" might be different, I don't know, but the stamped parts are the same, whether Wingmaster or Express.

[datboiryan]

I haven't shot a Nova so I can't speak for it but I do own a Supernova. I have been very pleased with it and am very impressed by it.