HerbG

Do a search and you will find many comments. IMHO it isn't worth the money.

I had completely forgotten about the Vinci being revealed until today, so I took a look at the Benelli website. Wow, that thing sets a new standard in looks - really really BAD! I don't care how well it functions, I don't want to have to apologize every time somebody looks at it. No wonder Benelli launched such an aggressive ad campaign before it was released.

When you posted on a public forum, did you expect everybody to just agree with you and not have an opinion about the fairness of what you wrote? You were angry when you posted, and personally slammed the maker of the produce without giving them a chance to correct the problem. Most people who read your post didn't respond you way you thought they would. The maker of the product you complained about even had the guts to publicly respond to your problem, and you're mad about that too! If you don't want feedback, then don't post on public forums!

Personally I don't like them, and do not see much need for them on a HD shotgun. Not many folks are gonna stick around when the buckshot starts flying for you to need a reload. Admittedly there may be an exception, but I'll take my chances!

"......I am using 3 1/2" shells..." Do you have the problem only with the 3-1/2" shells or also with 2-3/4 and 3" shells?

Just Google "Door Breaching" and you will find more info and videos than you could possibly want.

Why not take a look at the recoil pads offered by PAST. They fit under you jacket or into a pocket on the inside of your jacket. They do a great job of absorbing heavy recoil, they are inexpensive, and don't require any mods to your gun. I started using them as I got older and less recoil tolerant. I used them with a light .375 H&H fired off the benchrest, and they made shooting the .375 tolerable. They are available from: http://www.battenfeldtechnologies.com/past/

I use W-W reduced recoil tactical loads with #4 Buckshot in my Benelli. I strongly suggest you take your new gun to the range along with an assortment of loads and actually pattern it to determine where it patterns in relationship to where you aim. It will also help you select the best load for your gun. I chose the particular load I use because it patterns great in my gun and it shoots to point of aim with good coverage of the silhouette targets I used in patterning.

1 pound = 7,000 grains 1 ounce = 437.5 grains

Absolutely nothing takes the place of hauling your shotgun to the range with a variety of ammunition and actually shooting patterns with the loads you are thinking about using. Personally I use silhouette targets at 15 yards because I am most interested in where the gun is patterning as opposed to where I am aiming. Secondly, I want to know if the pattern is consistent and covers the silhouette target well. I ended up a reduced recoil load of #4 buckshot from WW as my standard defensive load in a Benelli Nova Tactical. It patterns the load on the point of aim and every one of the 27 pellets is on the silhouette. Your gun may perform completely different, and you won't know until you shoot some patterns. Reading about it and listening to opinions is OK, but it really doesn't tell you anything about your shotgun and its capabilities

The Nova Tactical does not come with interchangeable choke tubes, so you have to change barrels in order to change the choke. However, you can have a gunsmith thread the original barrel to accept choke tubes. Most seem to charge about $75 plus the cost of the choke tubes for this work. If you are looking for an all around shotgun, the Tactical may not be your best choice. The rifle-type sights are not great for wing shooting, trap or skeet, and even if you change the barrel, you still have the rear sight mounted on the receiver. Of course, you can remove the rear sight, but all that is a general pain just to go shoot skeet or trap.

I've posted several times about my experiences with the recoil reducer, and you can do a search for those comments. Basically I agree with LabradorGuy that they do almost nothing when you are shooting 2-3/4" loads. I haven't tried 3" and 3.5 inch ammo, so I cannot comment. It does add about one-pound to the weight of the gun, so you probably get some slight reduction from that alone. Of course, the added weight also changes the balance of the gun. For me, the recoil reducer was a waste of money.

I don't know if the Benelli uses MIM parts, but I would be surprised if both guns didn't have them. The 870 has a long and distinguished record with LEA, and I don't know if one gun is "better" than the other. However, the Nova does have one feature that is not found in the 870 - a magazine cut-off that allows the user to load a single round into the chamber without feeding a round from the magazine. This would let you load a slug or less-lethal round without affecting the loads in the magazine. I don't know if this feature is important in your situation or not. Certainly, there are many more accessories available for the Remington than the Nova. The fact that more LEA's are using the 870 probably isn't as important as it might seem. The Nova is a relative new comer, and the 870 has been around for decades. Firearms are adopted by government agencies for a variety of reasons, and not necessary because one is better than the other. Low bids, personal prejudices, etc and affect what is being used. My suggestion is to look both guns over, and if possible, shoot them, and then make your decision.

Benelli has them listed on their website under "Parts and accessories." Also, the US importer for the LPA ghost ring sights is: http://www.precisionsights.com

Limbsaver also makes a replacement pad for the Nova. See: http://www.limbsaver.com