Rem 870 or Benelli Nova?

It is refreshing to see a solid discussion comparing two solid guns. I was afraid that people would turn it into slamming the “other” brand kind of argument.

I think troutbum has plenty of information to make an educated decision. I agree that fit is of utmost importance. I’d like him to be able to have a gun that can chamber 3.5″ loads. Chances are he’ll never use it. I haven’t, but having flexibility is nice. I plan to take him to the range and put a few boxes of 2 3/4 target loads through it to work on muscle memory and mechanics this summer/early fall.

At this price point, I’m a Nova guy. I have it in both 12ga and 20ga. It is a solid gun that has harvested many critters for me. I really like the durability of the synthetic camo and the ease in cleaning. I don’t worry about the weight issue so much. As he won’t be carrying this gun miles through the crp fields. I really like how fast this gun cycles and manages to stay on target. I opted to put a limbsaver recoil pad on it over the benelli recoil reducer. This helps when shooting 3inch duck loads for 3-4 days in a row.

Thanks again.

with the semi-autos, do you have the option of switching to a slug barrel? i always keep just the one shotgun because it does it all. dont know what kind of range it has for moose and what not, but we dont have them in iowa anyway, lol.

Somebody finally mentioned it… CLEAN your Nova when done in the swamp… throw the Rem 870 in the closet until the next trip

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with the semi-autos, do you have the option of switching to a slug barrel? i always keep just the one shotgun because it does it all. dont know what kind of range it has for moose and what not, but we dont have them in iowa anyway, lol.

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Huh? I want your coffee.

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Somebody finally mentioned it… CLEAN your Nova when done in the swamp… throw the Rem 870 in the closet until the next trip

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You always love stirring the pot. I have 5 shotguns, but the one I use the most is an 870 Express. I don’t worry about it while its laying on the bottom of the boat and when we get setup I can put some shells in it and it shoots.

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with the semi-autos, do you have the option of switching to a slug barrel? i always keep just the one shotgun because it does it all. dont know what kind of range it has for moose and what not, but we dont have them in iowa anyway, lol.

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Yes, you can get a slug barrel for many autoloaders.

A slug gun is not suitable for moose, however. If you have the money for a moose hunt, you shold have the money to buy a suitable rifle as well.

Grouse

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Somebody finally mentioned it… CLEAN your Nova when done in the swamp… throw the Rem 870 in the closet until the next trip

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You always love stirring the pot. I have 5 shotguns, but the one I use the most is an 870 Express. I don’t worry about it while its laying on the bottom of the boat and when we get setup I can put some shells in it and it shoots.

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Somebody else mentioned it first I have an 870 Magnum, from 1986, I swear I have NEVER cleaned it… solid and reliable I won a Shadowgrass Super Nova at Hunters a few years ago,(I am sure you seen it hanging in there ) I cycled it a few times and put it up for sale… Brother in law got a “good deal” on it Like mentioned though, maybe the newer 870’s are different, but I wouldn’t trade mine for 2 Benelli Nova’s Not pot stirring, just my facts

Lmao. That’s the truth! I was interested in trying it one year until I saw the price of out of state tags on one! Whitetail is good enough for me thanks.I was just curious about wether or not they worked on larger game.

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Lmao. That’s the truth! I was interested in trying it one year until I saw the price of out of state tags on one! Whitetail is good enough for me thanks.I was just curious about wether or not they worked on larger game.

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For a moose hunt in any area that currently offers both numbers and quality animals, the cost of a rifle is almost chump change.

I just did a review of the Savage Axis over on the iDoHunting site. Check it out..

Stainless rifle, sub-1-inch groups, $420 out the door. The more basic blued/black stock version is just over $350.

Grouse

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I don’t usually recommend autos for hardcore duck hunting. More parts, more likely to fail. Pumps are the ultimate gun for waterfowl. Dirt, dust, grass, water, etc don’t usually affect them. Semi autos on the other hand…..i have seen them fail in the field numerous times.

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this is quite possibly one of the most uninformed posts i’ve read, offering advice to someone.

I hate to burst your bubble, but your high end autos (Beretta A391 & A400 lines, Benelli M, SBE, Vinci lines) are some of the most reliable gun in the field, and far out perform any pump gun on the market, period.

When you go to argentina to shoot thousands of rounds a day, what do you think you will bring up to your shoulder?

The answer is, either an O/U, or a high end auto. Never a pump gun, and there is a reason for that…

The track record and world wide use of auto loaders in high volume shooting speaks for itself.

Even the military uses an auto shotgun.

I rarely disagree with PHIGs, but this is one of those times.

Across the board, NO MATTER WHICH MFGer, the gas and even recoil operated autos fail at 2-4X the rate of the pumps under extreme field conditions.

For me that has been on the Sask prairie under dust conditions. The autos without fail stuff up, while the pumps, with looser tolerances, continue to work.

This has been true since the early 50s that I have been up there.

It is so true that when one of the city boys won’t take an 870 as a back up gun, they are forced to RENT our extra gun for $500 for the remainder of the trip. This usually happens on the first or second full day of hunting.

Interestingly enuf, of the doubles, the SXSs seem to function reasonably well, while the O&Us lock up. Have not looked into the mechanical reason for this.

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I rarely disagree with PHIGs, but this is one of those times.

Across the board, NO MATTER WHICH MFGer, the gas and even recoil operated autos fail at 2-4X the rate of the pumps under extreme field conditions.

For me that has been on the Sask prairie under dust conditions. The autos without fail stuff up, while the pumps, with looser tolerances, continue to work.

This has been true since the early 50s that I have been up there.

It is so true that when one of the city boys won’t take an 870 as a back up gun, they are forced to RENT our extra gun for $500 for the remainder of the trip. This usually happens on the first or second full day of hunting.

Interestingly enuf, of the doubles, the SXSs seem to function reasonably well, while the O&Us lock up. Have not looked into the mechanical reason for this.

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Whatever you’re smoking, i want some….

I will entertain your thought on this though. Please answer me why the wingshooting outfits that have you shooting sometimes over a thousand rounds a day, have you either shooting an O/U or a high end auto? Why do these outfitters not put an 870 pump in your hands? there is a reason.

And the prairies in canada are the same conditions as anywhere else, and time and time again the autos continue to perform daily.

The only time i’ve had failures in my Beretta, is when i’ve had a foreign object lodged in the trigger assembly or bolt assembly.

And that would cause ANY gun to fail.

All shotguns need to be cleaned, and all will fail eventually. If you’ve never had a shotgun fail to fire or jam up, you have not run it through its paces yet.

The whole “pump is the best” is an old wives tale that may have existed at one time, but in today’s world, with today’s auto-loaders, simply does not exist anymore.

Not so. The reason is that most of the shooting is done under ‘City Boy’ conditions. In mid Sask we are shooting on 20-40mph winds with a VERY VERY fine powdered dirt going thru the air.

You MUST wear eye goggles and an air mask to hunt. The air borne dirt is the consistency of flour, literally.

It clogs EVERY THING. Car engine air filters have to be changed DAILY. Engine oil turns BLACK in 48 hours.

But, we shoot 20-50 birds a day under those conditions. We’d shoot 100/day for the tribe at $1/day and furnish shells. They thought we were nuts, but it was a lot of fun.

The INDIANS ONLY shot pumps… Never saw an auto make it past 2 days.

Yes, you do have to clean your gun, but the pumps would work for 4-6 days before cleaning and then they were just slowing down. We cleaned them with naptha, tolulene, or other paint strippers as gasoline had too much OIL in it and would clog up the works…

I personly think it just depends on what a person likes and is comfortable with. I my self have never shot an auto so I can’t say which is best. I just know what works for me. I do know that I’ve been out with friends and my old pump worked no matter the temperature. Theirs on the other hand would slow down because the cold was affecting the piston inside.

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I personly think it just depends on what a person likes and is comfortable with. I my self have never shot an auto so I can’t say which is best. I just know what works for me. I do know that I’ve been out with friends and my old pump worked no matter the temperature. Theirs on the other hand would slow down because the cold was affecting the piston inside.

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a dirty gun will always show its true side when the conditions worsen.

and i have to agree with you 100% in that if you are not comfortable with the gun, even if it’s a $25,000 Perazzi, you will hate it.

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The INDIANS ONLY shot pumps…

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now i understand where you went wrong in the “advice gathering process”…