Remington 870 vs Benelli Nova, opinions please

[matador1]

Want a new Turkey gun, gonna sell a black 870 and black nova to get a new camo short barrel to use just for turkey hunting. Any opinions? Why is the Benelli 100 dollars cheaper? Does the Remington name and rep fetch an extra hundo?

[HuskerDuck]

Benelli's are not $100 cheaper
I think you meant to say Remington 870's are $100 cheaper

here in Lincoln- I can get a 870 for $230 or so, $299 for Nova black, and $349 for camo Nova

Its because Benelli Nova's are built better
less likely to rust
shoot 3.5"
the list goes on.......

[matador1]

Called today, several shops. Average retail on the camo 24 inch barrel is 499 on the 870 and 400 on the Nova

[hbrown]

I have a 870 sp and I love that gun. Never had a problem outta it. mine shoots 3.5's with no prob. I shot em all season long and will use it for turkey as well.

[mottlet]

I'm obviously biased, but a buddy of mine used to have a Nova. He eventually sold it and bought an 870, which he grew to love before passing on to the land of semi-autos. He killed plenty of deer and turkeys with the Nova, but said that he never really felt comfortable with it, said it felt too "loose." Whatever that means....I sure couldn't tell you, I didn't know there were other kinds of shotguns besides 870's.

mottlet

[Blackduck]

870 is an absolute stud. The best thing about it is that it breaks down easy and easy to clean. Less fancy parts means less area to get fowled up. I've never shot a benelli nova but heard they are pretty good. I'd get the 3.5 870 in black every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

[Bullreds & Greenheads]

Have both the 870 and the Nova. Like 'em both.

870 is more prone to rust, but has a nice action. It definitely doesn't need to lay up for any length of time if its gotten wet or if its been in contact with salty, sweaty skin like during a September dove hunt. Needs to be wiped down with an oily rag as a bare minimum after having it out in field conditions.

Nova is my gun of choice right now. It doesn't rust as bad as the 870 does, but it will rust. You can go several days without wiping it down if you need to.

Somebody wrote earlier about the Nova being "loose." I think what they are refering to is the forestock. It will move a little and has a little play, but every Nova I've ever held has been that way. I've never had a problem with it and don't think it will be a problem in the future, but people that want something "solid" might not like it.

The biggest difference that I noticed when I first got my Nova is the length of the pull. What I mean by that is that the stock on my Nova is a little longer than the one on my 870. The first few times I threw the gun to my shoulder the stock sometimes caught me a little low. A little practice fixes that though.

Right now I give the edge to my Novas, but I don't think you can go wrong either way.

[LargeWoodies]

I would go with the 870! I'm not a benelli fan at all after what i've seen them do with my friends and i've always shot rem. I have a couple friends that have the 870's and have put them through pure hell and they still work like new! If you shop around you can probobly find a pretty good deal on a 870 super mag. Also try lookin at the remington's at wal-mart. I've seen some pretty good deals on em there and they are also starting to carry the Berettas!

[quackwacker]

I have an 870 super mag and I love it. I have shot it during dove, duck, and of course turkey season and it has not given me a bit of trouble. I have a friend who shoots a nova during turkey season and he seems to like it pretty well, but you can't go by what he says because he shoots a super black eagle too.
I would definitely go with the 870.

[Super Black Eagle]

blackduck - why would you say the 870 has less fancy parts? you said yourself that you have never shot a Nova, it is much easier to break down. everything you need to tear it apart is built into the gun.


this is a link to a video, dude is speaking turkish or something but you can watch how the Nova is broken down


I put my 870 down when I got a Nova

SBE

[QUACKERS]

i once had a nove that i was very pleased with but i sold it and bought an auto. the nove can be broke down in 2 minutes, the only part you need to disassemble is there on the gun...

[RDB]

I got a Nova I've had for 4 years now... It is by far superior to the 870 IMO. I've got friends that have Novas and 870s and have had problems out of both equally which tells me that you'll have problems no matter which brand.

But in my use the Nova is the best I've had..outdone my 870s hands down. Thats why I got rid of the 870s.

Nova is the best dove, turkey, duck, rabbit, and goose gun you could buy, next to a M1 Super 90, which I have also.

Matador.... I bought a choke for turkey hunting for the Nova from Carlsons Chokes Tubes made to shoot Hevishot. I spent about $50 on Hevishot ( 5's and 6's) to pattern the Nova. The results were put on paper at 40 yards....

Hevishot 3.5 #6 = 200 pellets in a 15" circle @ 40 yards
Hevishot 3.5 #5 = 132 pellets in a 15" circle @ 40 yards

Took two birds last year, one at 45 yards...one at 48 yards. The hevishot/Nova/Carlson Choke combo is deadly in my book.

http://www.choketube.com

RDB

[engell]

I have a nova and several 870s. Right now I use the Nova the most, it seems to be a little lighter than the 870 magmun. The safety is in s different place and takes a ltiile getting used to. But all in all I use the Nova most of the time.

[injun_23]

I shot a Nova this year and found it to be a reliable and forgiving gun. I just like the reliability of pumps and have shot them off and on all my hunting life. The safety is ok once you shoot it enough to find it without looking for it. Only 870 I owned was stolen and I didn't miss it very much. It was the El-cheapo $200 one tho. Benelli makes the guns of the future if you ask me. INJ

[Greenhead22]

Rem 870.....hands down. I've shot the Nova and don't care for it, mainly because it's mostly plastic. And that Nova will jam up alot if you don't watch it.