Remington 870 vs. Benelli nova or other shotgun

f22raptor92 said:
Hi, I am looking to by a shotgun, and have pretty much narrowed it down to two choices. That is the Remington 870 or the Benelli Nova pump shotgun. This is close and I need help deciding...that being said anyone with their experiences/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Oh, if you also have another suggestion of a shotgun that is better I would love to hear it.
Thanks
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What is the guns main purpose?
 
....870 HANDS DOWN with a caveat. If you decide to go with the 870 forget the Express and go with the original Wingmaster. I'd be more inclined to get a "used" Wingmaster than a spanking new Express..but that's me...
 
+++1 on the "one that fits" advice. I was lucky enough to get that advice when I was shopping shotguns and it saved me from making a big mistake!

You've noticed how much support there is for the 870? I got a chance to shoot it side by side with a Winchester and a Mossberg. Just didn't like the feel of the Mossberg (and one broke!) 870 felt ok, as did the Win, but when it came to shooting I hit over 80% of my shots with the Win right off the bat- but missed about 80% with the 870! Also, I kept having the spent cases hang around in the chamber of the 870 and would have to turn the gun over and shake them out- the guy running the booth said he couldn't see what I was doing wrong and had never seen that before- and I've never had that problem before or since with any pump.

Anyway, I bought the Win and am very happy, but the lesson I learned is that it really doesn't matter how good (or how popular) a particular gun is, the best one is the one that fits and works for you.
 
MVF said:
+++1 on the "one that fits" advice. I was lucky enough to get that advice when I was shopping shotguns and it saved me from making a big mistake!

You've noticed how much support there is for the 870? I got a chance to shoot it side by side with a Winchester and a Mossberg. Just didn't like the feel of the Mossberg (and one broke!) 870 felt ok, as did the Win, but when it came to shooting I hit over 80% of my shots with the Win right off the bat- but missed about 80% with the 870! Also, I kept having the spent cases hang around in the chamber of the 870 and would have to turn the gun over and shake them out- the guy running the booth said he couldn't see what I was doing wrong and had never seen that before- and I've never had that problem before or since with any pump.

Anyway, I bought the Win and am very happy, but the lesson I learned is that it really doesn't matter how good (or how popular) a particular gun is, the best one is the one that fits and works for you.
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if the hulls were hanging up, i cant see how it is your fault.

if it was a rental, it sounds as thought the extractor was mucked up.
 
I never shot the Nova, but own a Benelli M1 Super 90 and love it. I also own a Rem. 870 and it has never failed me, it is truly a workhorse. I have only read one review (Gun Tests) about the Nova while it was still sorta new in the marketplace and, if I remember correctly, they compared an 870, Moss. 500, and the Nova, with the 500 coming out a winner and the Nova coming in dead last.

My preference would be for the 870 for two reasons:

1) I already own one and know it's reliability.

2) Accessories galore

For what it is worth,
Rob
 
proud2deviate said:
Just got mine! Woot!
870-01.jpg
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Very nice 870!:thumbup: I've heard that the Police magnums and Wingmasters have a better fit and finish and the action is smoother out of the box than the cheaper express versions. However, I've also heard that the express 870's smooth out quite nice after a bit of use. Either way, I don't think you can beat the 870 in terms of reliability and ease of use (disassembly, cleaning, installing aftermarket parts, ect.).
 
RonSC said:
....870 HANDS DOWN with a caveat. If you decide to go with the 870 forget the Express and go with the original Wingmaster. I'd be more inclined to get a "used" Wingmaster than a spanking new Express..but that's me...
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I'd go along with that.

I have an older Wingmaster and a buddy has a newer Express. Side by side really shows how much nicer the Wingmaster is. In both F&F and operation. Of course, mine was much more broken in than his, but still.

Rob
 
Then may I suggest something completely different? Take a look at the Ruger Red Label O/U's...EXCELLENT for wing trap and sporting clays, and drop in the skeet chokes and you're all set.

They're very dependable (mine have been in freezing rain and still performed flawlessly), great fit and finish, just all around great wing guns! And I also have Brownings, a Benelli turkey gun, and a few matched sets of Kreighoff's for SC/Trap/Skeet. I'll take my Red Labels in the field any day.
 
I own both, both are great guns however the reciever and stock are one piece on the nova, different design but just don't sit on it while hunting, once it's broken you are screwed.
 
Id pass on the nova. It has the Benelli name, but thats about it. Don't think you are going to get a great gun just due to the name. The 870 is a great first shotgun for your needs. If that is your price range, go with the 870, if you can spend more, get either a Benelli auto, or a Beretta AL391.

I have experience with all the guns I have mentioned, and hunted with all of them, save the Benelli auto.
 
Both guns are great, but I'd go with the 870 over the Nova just because it's been around a heck of a lot longer and has better shown it's reliability. Plus it's a little more conventional. One caveat - if the gun's going to spend any length of time in a duck boat (especially in salt water areas), I'd go with the Nova - heck of a lot less exposed metal. Has anyone ever tried that wacky mercury recoil compensator for the Nova?
 
wintermute said:
Has anyone ever tried that wacky mercury recoil compensator for the Nova?
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Yes. About 7 years ago or so, a gunsmith friend put one in one of my Ruger RL O/U's, 28" barrel. He had it laying around and offered to do it for free just to see if it worked, so I said why not? Then we did some shoulder tests with another 28" Ruger RL O/U I have. Identical guns, both are 12ga., and we were using fresh 3" #8 field loads.

The mercury/spring compensator did have an effect. It lowered recoil, and after 50 shells thru each gun, the difference was quite noticeable. So now when going to the SC field or the skeet range, I always take the one with the recoil compensator. 250 to 500 shells a day can slam wear you out.

I only did this because I had 2 of the exact same gun (that's how much I like em!), and the reducer and labor was free. On my 26" 12 and 20 ga. RL's, and my matched pair of 50th Anniversary RL's I didn't mess with it.
 
f22raptor92 said:
I planon using it for skiit/trap shooting as well as hunting pheasents and other fowl.
This is good stuff...thanks guys!!
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Then by all means get the Wingmaster.


In my opinion the two best (affordable) pump shotguns for upland hunting are the 870 Wingmaster and the Browning BPS.
 
I have the Nova security version and really like it. It is built like a tank - sorta the glock of shotguns. I am not sure whether the 870 takes up to 3 1/2 mag shells or not, but the Nova does. It also has a button on the slide which can push allowing the ejection of the current shell in the chamber and return it to closing without picking up a shell off the tube -- this can be useful in a variety of ways.

The barrel on the Nova is also very easy to swap, i.e. you could drop in a slug barrel, skeet barret, 18" security etc in 5 minutes or less. I will say it kicked like a mule until I got the mecury dampening cylinder for the buttstock. It fits me very well and I had no problems sighting it in at 100 yards with rifled slugs with the included ghost ring site. I was actually suprised how accurate it was with this setup.

Then again, I've been eyeing an 870 lately, so I don't think you can make a bad choice.

I also forgot to mention, with the Benelli, you are getting a lot of plastic and composite, but you are also getting a real Benelli made and proofed barrel...
 
I'm an Ithaca 37 man myself, just my favorite and a beautiful gun as well.

I'd take the Nova over the Rem just because I like the design better, but I'd take an Ithaca over anything else except for a "tactical" shotgun, for that I'd prefer the Mossberg. Seriously if you haven't already check out the Mossberg pump, a very solid gun, cheaper than 870 and I like the design better.

In pump guns the Model 37 and Rem Wingmaster and in a class of their own, but pricey.
 
f22raptor92 said:
So how do mossbergs compare with 870's or novas?
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I was wondering when Mossberg was going to be brought up. They are a good shotgun for HD and our military. I believe our boys carry the M590A1. The 500 is a good alround HD weapon in my book. You could probably pickup a Mossberg 500 combo package for under $300-
 
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