Benelli Nova ??

C

campus ninja

Inactive
Hello,
I am in the market for a new shotgun. I have a new Remington 870 but the finish sucks(some rust that WILL NOT go away, must have been that damn acid rain:eek: ) any ways I have been looking at the Nova for several years and now I want 1!!!
My question to those who own 1 or have any experince with it: Since you bought this gun have you been satisfied with the product? What problems if any have you had? What is the customer service like? How easy is this to clean and maintain? Now before you respond, I will be using this for skeet and small game.
Thank you in advance
 
I just bought one before dove season but didn't make it into the field that much. My son now has my 870. I like the Nova, haven't had any problems but will be able to say more about it when pheasant season is over.
It's no more difficult than an 870 to disassemble and clean. The one complaints I have is that the finish on the barrel is pretty thin and tends to scratch easily. The forend rattles, I found this to be a common complaint after doing a search of this and other forums.
When it comes turkey season next spring I'll be tempted to use the 870 instead of the Nova for that reason.
 
I posted a reply to this thread this morning and it disappeared:confused: .

ninja man, I had the same trouble with an 870 express rusting on me. It was chronic, anytime it even felt damp out it rusted, well not that bad but it was a PITA. I tried everything, CLP is the only commercial product for guns that worked. It would hold through one weekend of duckhunting (my gun gets wet EVERY time I go duckhunting) and then the rust would be back if I did not re-treat it.

I do believe that it was not rusted metal on the gun itself, but that it was contamination in the paint. Yes the 870 express is painted, not parkerized. The paint they use does a pretty poor job of holding oil to boot. I would almost bet money that it is crap from the polishing stage in the paint that is rusting on yours as well.

I ended up painting mine, first flat black, then black and olive drab, then finally Krylon extra crappy marsh camo. At any rate the paint ended the rusting.

Sorry for going OT, and OT and OT some more.

I too have fondled the Nova. The light weight would be a dream for hunting pheasants and such, but a real detriment if 3.5" shells are used much. I have not had the chance to shoot one yet, but know several guys that have them. No complaints at all from the duckhunters aside from BRUTAL recoil with 3.5" shells LOL. One guy bought the recoil reducer to put in the stock from Benelli and would not be without it, something for you to consider if you like the 3.5" shells. Gun seems to be solid, and reliable. I would buy one if in the market for a new pump gun, but I am hoping to find one used for a song:D . If you get one let us know what you think of it.
 
I like my Nova....

It was my first Shotgun purchase. I was looking for an 870, but ended up bringing one of these home. Needless to say, I ended up buying a couple of 870's since then. I've added the 2shot extension to my Nova, which actually added 3 shots to my mag when using 2 3/4 shells. I like the option of being able to use the 3.5" mags, but the real bonus for me is that the larger port makes it really easy for port-loading drills. You just can't miss it! I like the Nova they have on the Beretta Defense website; it has a weaver rail and a red dot sight on it. That set up looks like a nice fun gun for the 3 gun games. My Nova is the special purpose gun and my only gripes are that I don't have the option of a choke, and the aforementioned fore end rattle. You could quiet the rattle with attaching the "hook" side of velcro on the forend, but you may eventually rub off the finish. from the magazine tube.

The main thing is to make sure your gun fits you. The Nova doesn't have an easy way of shortening the stock, unless you can adapt the 20 gauge thinner recoil pads to it. I bought the recoil reducer bracket, but have yet to buy the reducer. I've read here that some people don't even really notice the effect on recoil, which just reinforces Dave McC's practice of using correct form and practice instead of add-ons to control recoil.

I think I'll get a longer barreled Nova for use with clay games just so I can get added practice with a gun that's similar to my HD shotgun. I like the slide release location (in front of the trigger guard) and this is reflected in my purchases of the Nova and the 870. The Nova's a great gun and you won't be disappointed if you can get over the rattling and whatever short-coming you may find with it.
 
NorielX,

Do you have a web address for the Beretta Defense site? How do you like the 870 relative to the Nova? Thanks.

Mike
 
thanks for the replys

HSMITH I have applied some Remington Oil to the finish once a month since the hunting trip(lite rain exposure). This has helped very little. I will have to look into CLP. Also if you live near a Gaylans(sp) they have Nova's for $279.99!!

Hope fully I will buy this gun tonight and go slaughter some clay pigeons. Thanks SK Rick_reno,HSMITH, and NorielX for the replys and I will follow up with a update.
 
satisfied? yes
problems? none
customer service? response to my email was fast
easy to clean and maintain? cant imagine it being any easier. magazine cap disassembles the gun.
 
Posted something on this before, but I guess the Net Gremlins ate it.

Some goose guides I know from the Eastern Shore use a hair dryer to melt wax into the finish on the Express.

Also knew someone who would cover the whole shotgun with Turtle Wax for duck season. That A-5 didn't rust, IIRC.

My oldest 870 has 50 years behind it, with lots of salt marsh and goose blind exposure, lots of range days in Md's hot months with my sweaty hands all over it, and a worklife spent near the Chesapeake except for a few years in the Madness they call Southern Ca. No rust. None on the others either.

It's been lubed with everything from SLIP 2000 to CLP to40 weight.But,it's been lubed continously.

As for the Express finish, it's marvelous at holding lube when drenched. Drench it a few times and I bet the rust will stop.
 
Dave, my blued Remingtons are like you say, nearly impervious to rust. My 1100 was built in 72, and looks great even though it was hunted hard for 25 years of it's life. My express was another matter all around, that darn thing rusted if you looked at it. I sprayed CLP on and socked it before hunting, and it would be rusting by the end of the weekend. If CLP out of a spray bottle is not drenching I don't know what is. I even CLP'd it to the point that the waxy buildup was visable, that stopped the rust temporarily. The rust was only in a couple spots and it did not ever pit.

I would bet that it is grinding grit from the polishing (beadblasting?) before painting that is rusting on the chronic ones. It is at or very near the surface of the paint causing it to surface nearly immediately when wet. My guess only, like I said only a few spots were trouble. The rest of it held oil quite well.

Wax was the next step but I decided to give it that Krylon touch instead LOL. How else can you refinish an entire shotgun for less than $2 LOL? Seriously, the express finish will hold another coat of paint like you would not believe. Rust stopped, I have not treated the outside with anything but a water wet rag for over 4 years. I do shoot a spot of paint on when I see metal, but that is it.
 
Nova

I forgot to mention, I put the 14 oz. recoil reducer in mine. Brownells has them - and you'll need a really long screwdriver to get the bracket into the stock. It does help with recoil on the 3.5 inch loads.
 
9x19mm: Thanks for the web address. I could not find it, but then again, I was spelling defense using an s and not a c.

Regarding the picture of the Nova with an Aimpoint: Never having used one, can somebody point out what advantages/limitations there are in using such a sight? Can this sight be used irregardless of whether the Nova has Ghostring or rifle sights? Thanks for any information.
 
H, OK on that. I was going to say that the 20 gauge YE here hasn't had any probs, but it's been handled and shot little. It does wear a nice coat of SLIP 2000.

Seems to me Big Green dropped the ball a bit on the Express finish. No surprise there...
 
Every Remington Express model I've looked at, including one recently at Walmart, is bead blasted and blued. I can see why some might mistake it for powder coat paint, but it just ain't so.

I've never had problems with rust on my bead-blasted, blued express model. I've had some minor finish problems with my new 870 Police, which is satin polished and blued.
 
Romulus, take some straight acetone, or some really strong ammonia to your blued Express and then do it to another traditionally polished and blued gun.
 
Mike S...

I love the 870 as much as the Nova. I like my 870's because they're wood and steel guns, and I like the nova because of it's poly stock. I like the 870's because there's just so much you can do to them in terms of accessories. I'm lucky I can fit the Nova, it is a little on the long side for some, but the fore end helps some people deal with it. The receiver on the Nova is on the long side, making it's 18.5" bbled special purpose as long as my 870's with 20" bbl.
 
There's no doubt that my 10 year old express was blued at the factory (your test wouldn't work as I had it parkerized about seven years ago) I know it was blued because I removed the blue myself in a botched attempt to park it - ended up sending it out.
 
satisfied? yes
problems? none
customer service? no problems, so I have never contacted them.

I have the 18.5" "special purpose"-or whatever it is called. A very fun gun for what I bought it for. The forend rattles, but I know about that before I bought it. I have a 14 oz recoil reducer in mine, which helps with heavy loads, but brings the weight up if you are hiking with it for extended periods
 
Thanks again for the replys

Hopefully this coming Friday I will have a Nova. Anyone know where online I can find a 2 round extension??
Have a good weekend
 
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