Benelli Nova Special Purpose.

When I went out looking for a shotgun, I searched and tried out every shotgun available.  I had in mind that I wanted a Winchester 1300 Defender.  In fact, that was what I was looking for.  But I was never able to find one set up how I wanted it, so I looked at everything else too.  I saw one that looked very cool, but passed it up as it looked way too expensive, being a Benelli and all. So I looked over Remingtons and Mossbergs and even Brownings.  Never found one that felt right.  Had a couple that I put on my consideration list, but I wasn’t 100% sold on those.

Then I went ahead and looked at the Benelli.  It was a Benelli Nova Special Purpose with an 18 and a half inch barrel and ghost ring sights.  As soon as it was handed to me, I knew it was the one.  It felt right.  I shouldered it and tried a few swings with it.  It fit perfectly.  Like a glove.  I didn’t know anything about the Nova, and nothing about the Special Purpose version other than it felt great and had Ghost Ring sights like I wanted.  But I suspected that the price I was given was a very good deal.  I ran home and checked on the internet for everything I could find about the Nova.  First stop, TheFiringline.com.  Second stop, Google.com.  I quickly learned that the Nova was a good deal and that it was everything a Benelli should be.  I decided that I had to get it.  So I raced back to the shop just before they closed and threw my card on the counter.  I took it home and once there, the Nova somehow seemed even more impressive.  Quickly filled out the registration card and spend the next few minutes reading the owners manual.  The more I read, the more I liked it.

I found a video clip on the net showing this fellow strip the Nova down in only 30 seconds. I tried doing that and found it was quite easy to do. 

The Nova is a very well designed weapon.  It was engineered starting from a blank page, and rethinking many things about how a pump action shotgun should work.  I think they did a good job of it.  They way the sliding forearm matches the receiver is a work of art.  The shotgun not just looks good, but it feels just as good.

But how does it shoot?

Well, it’s a very lightweight shotgun, being made with a polymer frame… which means you can expect a strong recoil push.  Now, I wont lie to you, it does.  However with the fact that the shotgun fits well, the felt recoil is greatly reduced.  Tucking into a shotgun properly is one good way of absorbing and riding with a lot of the recoil forces that would otherwise be slamming into you.  The ghost ring sights let me lay the weapon on target.  Something I have just never been good at with a regular bead sight.  Normally with a shotgun, I couldn’t hit water if I fell out of a boat.  With this Nova, I was able to hit my targets easily and quickly.  This included clays. 

I’ve not fired slugs with it yet.  I’ll do that sometime later.  These sights are fully adjustable so I should have no problem launching slugs. 

Over all, I am very happy with the Nova.  I can be very critical of a weapon, but with this one, I can find no fault.  I would like a folding stock, but that is something the Nova will just not get.  The stock and receiver are all one piece, so making it a folder is just not going to happen.  There is no reason for me to want a folding stock, other than that is what I had on my last 12 gauge, a Mossberg 590A1.  It was an excellent Butler Creek unit.  Solid as a rock.  Whenever I fired it, I always did so with the stock extended anyways.  I just liked the fact that with the stock folded it was so much easier for me to transport it, in and out of vehicles. 

When I was out at my favorite shooting spot, I was caught in a cloud burst.  It rained pretty good, but one of the benefits of the Nova is that it really and truly is an all weather gun.  Even wet, the gun handled and fired perfectly.  No slipping or squirming in my grip.  No worries about water damage or corrosion either.

There are 3 options that come from Benelli for the Nova.  There is a recoil reduction device that fits into place inside the stock.  There is a 2 shot extension tube (loading 2 and ¾ shells actually gives you 3 shots extra since it is meant for 3 ½ inch magnum shells) .  And then there is a scope mount that I don’t know anything about.  I don’t need a scope mount for my shotgun, but a Bushnell Holosight would be cool. 

With these three items, your Nova can easily become your “Perfect” pump gun.  One other option that isn’t quite a Nova Accessory… Tritium inserts for the ghost ring sights. 

There you have it.  The perfect pump action shotgun.