Benelli NOVA Pump 18.5" - Is this NORMAL??

W

wdigeorge

New member
I just got myself a brand new Benelli NOVA Pump w/ 18.5" barrel. After getting it home and leaving it in my safe for a few days I took it out and noticed a 3" long x 1/4" wide scratch on the inside of the "ejection port?" (sorry..don't know if I used the correct term..new to guns).

The plastic finish or black paint? appears to be scraped off of the metal where the bolt rides. The finish is clear down to the bare metal and the edges are kind of jagged. I tried calling Benelli Customer service but there were no help. They never return my calls after I emailed them a couple of digital photos of the problem. They passed me along to another guy there in charge but he is never there when I try to call.

So, I am turning to you guys for help. This is "NORMAL" for a shotgun to have this kind of wear? It is brand new! I took it out of the box and it went straight to the my safe. Never fired. I went to a local gun shop and looked at (2) different NOVA's and they all had the same scratch!?!? What the heck? If they purposely leave the bare metal why is it the black finish so poorly finished off there and leaves an irregular jagged edge?

I am attaching a couple of pictures...hopefully this works.

George
 

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If the other new Nova's that you looked at were the same, I would not worry about it.
Did you ask the gunshop owner what he thought about this? Does he think it is a problem?
A little CLP on that bare spot will keep it nice and shiny. If the bolt rides along that mark, the CLP will give it a smoother ride as well.
I have no Nova expertise but if the SG works....
Mike
 
I still haven't fired the SG yet. I called the dealer in FL..I'm in CA and he told me it is fine w/o seeing it. I personally think that it just doesn't look right to have the finished scraped off like that. You can actually feel the surface height difference between the bare metal surface and the black finish.

If the bolt rides on that surface all the time wouldn't more of that finish be broken off? I can't imagine that being good for the gun. It's like buying a new car and having the pait on your door stripped off. Yes, the car will still run but it sure looks funny w/o the finish....especially when you brought it new :(
 
I can appreciate you wanting an unblemished SG since you bought it new but I was referring to the "local gun shop" when I asked about the dealer's opinion. A guy at the opposite end of the continent who already has your dough is probably not the best source for an opinion.
For what it's worth, my 870's have a scrape mark in the top of the receiver where the bolt rubs. It is not as pronounced as yours but then the finish inside the receiver is not as thick as yours appears to be on the Nova.
If it is a rub mark, I would take some time to actually polish it for smoother operation.
On the back side of the bolt in my 870's there is a rough groove that rides along the ejector spring. I pulled the bolt and polished this groove and it made quite a difference.
I could be wrong here but it looks like Benelli just got carried away with the finish/coating.
I have heard that some 870 Express' can have a similar problem inside the receiver.
Mike
 
Benelli Nova

George,
Direct from the Benelli website. "Benelli has developed a single unit that incorporates a light but rigid steel liner encased in a glass-reinforced thermopolymer shell. This new design results in superior strength and corrosion resistance." This means that you have a steel frame moulded into a plastic shell. I am guessing that what you are looking at is the exposed part of the steel frame that the bolt rides on. The ragged edge is probably where the plastic meets the metal. While this may be a bit unsightly I don't think that it will have an adverse effect on gun performance.

Chuck Graber
 
My three-month-old, 150 round Nova is exactly the same....no biggy.

Things wear in...factory finishes or protectants wear off.

Use a little (not a LOT) Tetra grease or CLP.
 
The gun is just fine.

wdigeorge,

you had me worried when I first read your post and now that I am home I checked my Nova and it is the same. What you are seeing is the metal liner inserted into the poly frame. The entire reciever and butstock for that matter are plastic (for lack of knowing the real word). The metal liner pieces on my Nova are all a lighter black color than the plastic. After closely inspecting them I can tell that they were never painted the darker black of the plastic. The rough edges that you see are probably from the contact between plastic and metal inserts. The plastic actually appears to be slightly molded around the inserts and intentionally so. If the metal inserts become a very shiny metal color then you may suspect that there is abnormal rubbing but all metal inserts on my Nova have been blued and are not shiny.

For the record I have put ~100 rounds through mine and it has cycled wonderfully. The action is nice and the feel of the gun is excelent.
 
Thanks guys for your input. I guess I don't feel too bad now that I know I am not the only one with the "defect". I just think that the plastic housing & the metal insert could of been finished off better so it doesn't look like someone took a chunk out of the finish on your brand new shotgun.

I can't be the first guy that noticed this and asked about it. I will post a follow up after I go to the range and put a few rounds through it.

George
 
I have a camo Nova and would have never noticed mine. I put 600+ rounds through mine flawlessly. The only thing I don't like is the noisy pump handle.(rattling)
 
Mine doesn't look like that!

I have the Nova 18.5" Special Purpose too and my chamber does NOT look like that. The metal there is black, and smooth. Is the action hanging up? Are there any extraction problems? Mine works perfectly thus far. The jagged edges might just smooth out after you put a few hunderd through it.

Dan
 
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