Nova went Super Nova?

[George Hill]

I'm not sure what happened but I was working out with the Nova firing the Winchester "Universal" loads. All the sudden the pump wouldn't lock in the fire position. I pumped it a bunch of times and everything but it couldn't lock.
After the 20th cycle, all the sudden in locked. I cycled it a few times working the action release switch, and then fired some more round... everything is fine all the sudden.

What was that?

[stinger]

That'll pi$$ you off, won't it? :D

Stinger

[Correia]

Not familiar enough with the Nova. How does the bolt look?

[George Hill]

Everything looks fine. I took it down and examined it... I don't see anything amiss.
I don't see what or how it happened.
:confused:

[Dave McC]

That was Karma, George, for not getting an 870(G)....

I'm inclined to think that it had some dirt in it stopping the lock from seating deeply. Eventually, it worked out of the notch and is now cruising around your receiver awaiting its next chance to wreak havoc with your confidence.

HTH...

[C.R.Sam]

Kinda like Eyetallion cars and mocycles and ladies.
Usually great, sometimes not.
But always interesting.

Like Dave said, proberlie sumpin floatin around. Clean it.
And keep an eye out for small pieces of parts.

Sam

[Shin-Tao]

Field strip it again and arrange all componants on a cloth before you. Examine the inside of the receiver with peacfull thoroughness. Clean well.
Begin to meditate on the various peices involved with the bolt and locking recesses. Control your breathing and visualise the mechanical action involved in a successfull feeding and extraction.
The answer should come to you if you are truly balanced.

[C.R.Sam]

Zen and the art of gunmanship.

And it works. Both for shootin em and for fixin em.

Sam

[George Hill]

This, I'll have to do.

And then trade it for a Remington. ;)

Naw, I like this shotgun. The feel, look, handling... It fits me. So, that means I make it work. Even if I have to use a hammer.

[Al Thompson]

Or a Hobart welder..............

:D :D

[Dave McC]

George, I happen to like the Nova myself. I like 870s better, but there's a lot going for the Nova.

Thanks, Shin Tao, that's both apropo and funny.

[George Hill]

Today I ran this gun at the 3-Gun Match.
It ran SWEET.
Not a problem.
Tonight, I took it apart all the way down as far as I dared.
I can't find anything that would cause the effect that I had described in the first post.
While it was apart I looked for areas of wear, and places that could be smoothed out. Then I took out my Dremmel and went to work grinding, sanding and polishing. Then I applied some Action Lube Plus with a paintbrush. Holy cow. This is now one of the smoothest shotguns I've ever handled. And THE smoothest shotguns that I've ever owned. Its every bit as smooth as a Wingmaster, and that is pretty danged smooth to me.

The only this this shotgun lacks is that extended feed tube. I still need to get that. Other than that, this shotgun is PERFECT for me.
At the match today it was both fast and accurate. And my shoulder, while sore, wasn't that bad off. Even after the slugs. :D

[MikeS]

George,

I'm interested in buying the Nova to add to my pump collection. A couple of questions for you: 1) Since you've taken the shotgun apart, any clue as to why the forend rattles?; 2) What areas do you feel need to be sanded & polished?; 3) What is Action Lube Plus, how does it work and where can it be bought?

Thanks for your help.

Mike.

P.S. I have only one semi-auto pistol - the CZ 97B. Nice gun, isn't it!

[ReadyOnTheRight]

I just noticed that Benelli Novas are going for $279 for the black and $329 for the camo at my local Galyan's. Seems like a great deal.

[George Hill]

Mike, good questions.
1. Action Lube Plus can be had from Brownells. You can order it online. See my thread about it in the Accessories Forum.
2. I polished a couple of parts in the trigger housing and also a couple spots on the control arms that were a bit rough. A couple spots inside the receiver's raceways got a touch of the Dremmel as well. The bolt it's self is powder coated with a slick plastic coating. I found nothing there that needed improvement. A little AL+ there slicked it up NICELY.

I LOVE my Nova. It's gotta be my favorite pump. I tried out, without bias, every pump in the shop. The Nova Special Purpose was nothing but right.

[MikeS]

George,

Thanks for your comments and the referral to the Accessories Forum.

My decision, now, is whether to purchase the Nova with ghostring or rifle sight. From the comments I've seen on TFL and other boards, opinions seem to be divided on the value of each. I'm curious as to what sight you chose and why? My last question before buying. ;) Thanks again.

Mike

[George Hill]

Depends on what your more comfortable with. If your used to rifle sights, then get that. I'm used to ghost rings. So that is what I got. Pros and Cons to each? Not really. But the Special Purpose version comes with some very good ghost rings.
At the 3 Gun match last Saturday I was easily able to put all my slug shots into the sweet spots on my targets.
Easily.
Check the way the gun fits you before you buy one. Shoulder it and feel how you handle it. Get the one that fits you the best. Any modern 12g Pump will serve you just fine. Remington, Winchester, Mossberg (who has a very cool double action pump)... Try them out. Do some shopping. Enjoy the process and make that damn clerk earn his money for once. Ask questions.

[Popsicle]

I looked at both versions, and I believe the ghost ring sights are much nicer. I thought the open rifle sights looked cheap. I ended up with the ghost ring model.

Pat Brophy