Benellie Nova as turkey gun???

[Brent4Hire]

I was browsing some earlier threads, and spotted one that compared the 870 and Nova. I found the comparisson an interesting one, as there are so many Remington die-hards out there, and I couldn't help wonder if there wasn't a certain amount of sentimentality involved. Having owned several Remington shotguns, I can honestly say that the 870 is the only one I would ever buy from the company...my experience with big green has been dismal...especially in their semi-auto line. Simply put, I would never buy another Remington, rifle or shotgun...there are much better options out there for similar if not less $$$...but, to each his own.

I have owned the Nova as well, and I ran thousands of loads through it without any problems. I have used it on saltwater eider hunts, banging it around in the bottom of a boat, used it hunting ptarmigan in Northern Quebec at -35* C, and shot geese with it in Northwestern Alberta, and never had a problem. I will agree that the trigger is terrible out of the box and needs some work, and the rattle is annoying, which brings me to the heart of this thread: I am leaning towards buying another, but want it to be a multi-purpose rig, which includes the spring's turkey hunt. Has anyone used the Nova for a gobbler...I've never hunted turkey before, but the noise of the Nova's forestock seems like a bit of a turn-off. A friend of mine simply slipped a sock over the forearm and barrel, but that seems like something that would make a second shot very difficult. Apart from that, I would have no reservations about using a Nova for any other application.

 

[mete]

You can tighten the fore end a bit with the two screws but don't overdo it .It's easy to strip the threads.

 

[Otony]

This is just my observation from handling a few Novas in a gun shop, but the 20 gauge versions have far less "rattle" than the 12 gauges.

Don't know why that would be exactly, but it was pretty consistant, and I handled a fair half dozen.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Some Nova-istas, I understand, use velcro in the forearm to quieten the rattle.

While I'm an 870 fan to the bone, there's much to admire about the Nova. Once they get the rattle out and the trigger down to less than the gun's weight and clean, there'll be more to admire.

And, save for those, I can think of nothing that would keep this from being a Gobbler Stomper par excellence.....

 

[mete]

I haven't worked on a Nova but my M1 90 had a trigger pull of 8 1/2 lbs. By just carefully polishing all contact surfaces the pull was reduced to 5 lbs !!

 

[Gordon]

The Nova has a trigger return spring that should be in a Chevy Nova! I reduced it (twice) polishing the side surfaces of pivot points ONLY and now have a nice 5 pound trigger very 870 esque.
The Nova has a Loooong shuck, but that is understandable for it's 3.5" capacity. I'd say it would make a great turkey gun, not as good as my BPR 10ga. though

 

[adaman04]

Use it for deer hunting. It doubles as rattling antlers. All jokes aside, I looked at them for a turkey gun years ago, but went with a Mossberg 835 instead. The Mossberg was built like a tank when compared to the Nova.