Gordon
Member
Well my Benelli Nova 'Tactical' is now officially a 'custom gun' . After using it 100 rounds or so with Lewis Awerbucks permission in an advanced shotgun course this spring, I returned to the old Robar 870. The Nova was VERY unergonomic, as Randy Cain warned me! The trigger pull was 14pounds, the slide release a tiny knife blade and the safety a tiny button IN FRONT of the trigger. The 14.25" stock WAAAAAY too long, I could not reach the light at the end of the barrel(factory light mount with a La Rue Battle light mounted) when shouldered!
I asked on Tactics forum for who could work a few ideas I had on the Benelli and got Ned Christiason as a (good ) reply. Ned is backed up for a year so with the help of an underwater apparatus machine shop owner I did it mysef!
I made a couple little oval pads out of hardened 1/8" steel stock about 1/4" wide and 3/8" long, I dissasembled and studied the fire control group. I silver soldered one 'pad' to the safety extending along back toward rear of receiver just to top forward edge of trigger housing opening. The tip of my rigid index finger now falls on the end of the new pad when I have a fireing grip. I silver brazed the other pad on top of and extending down 1/4" on the action release. I hand checkered both pieces about 20 LPI. I used some high tech heat block on both pieces and Mapp gas so as not to heat these little parts anymore than possible, and I polished them a little to 400 grit paper an touch up 'blued' with KG coat in an areosol can.
When I had the fire control apart I found a little 1/4" long coil spring under the sear hook to be like a car valve spring! I put in a much lighter one and the pull dropped to 7 pounds 4 oz. . This seems more realistic and is about like my Colt ARs factory pull and I can use this for CQB very well! The hook on the hammer is a full hook and takes some weight to pull up the ramp but I would NEVER fool with a reduction here as it looks REAL safe to me and THAT IS PARAMOUNT! When the thing was apart I siverbrazed the(muzzle side) end cap for the factory mag extension, which was a loose disc.
On the the stock: with the fire control out the stock has a little dimple on both sides just forward of the grip and I drilled all the way thru this solid plastic part and mounted a sling swivel eye machined out of a 1/4" grade 8 bolt with stailess nut and washers so I can mount thru the eyehole an Uncle Mikes 1 1/4" swivel for a single point sling.
For the difficult shortening the stock part; I TIG welded a 1" long # 8 self tapping machine screw to a piece about 3" long of some steel tubing with a 8-32 nut on the other end. I made 2 of these and screwed the self tapping end into the holes where the Benelli recoil system mounts in the stock. I cut the stock down about 1.5" (with recoil pad off) and drilled and finish ground a Limbsaver pad to fit the spacing for the 2 nuts. Just to stabilize every thing after I fit and finished it for my 12 7/8" LOP , I filled the cavity (about 1/3 volume with uncured foam) with expanding foam . I still had to rout out a little cured foam to let recoil pad seat when tightened !
Anyway the gun handles real well now, the 'shuck' is a little longer than an 870 because of the 3.5" capability but is quick, I CAN reach the light switch nicely when shouldered, it comes up fast with my rigid trigger finger on safety. The action release works easily and feels more stout than that muiniscule knife blade. The single point is beefy, I took off the Tactical Tailor one I had wrapped behind grip and put on my favorite MOUT Spec Op's one. This gun is REALLY accurate with slugs, shooting 3" groups at 50 yards prone which is the reason, AND the GREAT sights (which I locktighted after adjustment) why I put so much effort into a 'pal' for my Glock 21!
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I asked on Tactics forum for who could work a few ideas I had on the Benelli and got Ned Christiason as a (good ) reply. Ned is backed up for a year so with the help of an underwater apparatus machine shop owner I did it mysef!
I made a couple little oval pads out of hardened 1/8" steel stock about 1/4" wide and 3/8" long, I dissasembled and studied the fire control group. I silver soldered one 'pad' to the safety extending along back toward rear of receiver just to top forward edge of trigger housing opening. The tip of my rigid index finger now falls on the end of the new pad when I have a fireing grip. I silver brazed the other pad on top of and extending down 1/4" on the action release. I hand checkered both pieces about 20 LPI. I used some high tech heat block on both pieces and Mapp gas so as not to heat these little parts anymore than possible, and I polished them a little to 400 grit paper an touch up 'blued' with KG coat in an areosol can.
When I had the fire control apart I found a little 1/4" long coil spring under the sear hook to be like a car valve spring! I put in a much lighter one and the pull dropped to 7 pounds 4 oz. . This seems more realistic and is about like my Colt ARs factory pull and I can use this for CQB very well! The hook on the hammer is a full hook and takes some weight to pull up the ramp but I would NEVER fool with a reduction here as it looks REAL safe to me and THAT IS PARAMOUNT! When the thing was apart I siverbrazed the(muzzle side) end cap for the factory mag extension, which was a loose disc.
On the the stock: with the fire control out the stock has a little dimple on both sides just forward of the grip and I drilled all the way thru this solid plastic part and mounted a sling swivel eye machined out of a 1/4" grade 8 bolt with stailess nut and washers so I can mount thru the eyehole an Uncle Mikes 1 1/4" swivel for a single point sling.
For the difficult shortening the stock part; I TIG welded a 1" long # 8 self tapping machine screw to a piece about 3" long of some steel tubing with a 8-32 nut on the other end. I made 2 of these and screwed the self tapping end into the holes where the Benelli recoil system mounts in the stock. I cut the stock down about 1.5" (with recoil pad off) and drilled and finish ground a Limbsaver pad to fit the spacing for the 2 nuts. Just to stabilize every thing after I fit and finished it for my 12 7/8" LOP , I filled the cavity (about 1/3 volume with uncured foam) with expanding foam . I still had to rout out a little cured foam to let recoil pad seat when tightened !
Anyway the gun handles real well now, the 'shuck' is a little longer than an 870 because of the 3.5" capability but is quick, I CAN reach the light switch nicely when shouldered, it comes up fast with my rigid trigger finger on safety. The action release works easily and feels more stout than that muiniscule knife blade. The single point is beefy, I took off the Tactical Tailor one I had wrapped behind grip and put on my favorite MOUT Spec Op's one. This gun is REALLY accurate with slugs, shooting 3" groups at 50 yards prone which is the reason, AND the GREAT sights (which I locktighted after adjustment) why I put so much effort into a 'pal' for my Glock 21!
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