SamF

Interesting information, I was considering getting the mag extension for my nova at some point. You should contact Benelli and tell them about your concerns and see what they say.

I've heard that the Mossberg 835 has a hard time cycling it's action. But then that's only what I've heard from various user reviews of the gun, I've not shot one myself.

Additionally, Benelli will only send guns to a dealer if they agree to keep a minimum stock. You can't simply order a few guns here or there.

The Express is the economy version of the wingmaster, which is a quality gun.

Mercury is a very "compressable" liquid. It gives well under pressure, so it's a good shock absorption liquid.

They're out of stock on what you want but this site seems to have some good prices on Benelli accessories: http://www.calssportingarmory.com/Benelli2.htm [ 01-14-2004, 05:46 PM: Message edited by: SamF ]

Well I'm not getting the gun for any specific purpose. I hope to shoot skeet with it but I plan to try hunting etc as well. If I really get into clay target shooting, I'll probably invest in a nice Browning O/U or something like that specifically for the sport.

I think the Benelli Nova is avery asthetically pleasing pump shotgun myself. I guess it's a matter of taste though. Some people prefer a more traditional look. The fact that you can't get wood stocks on the novas will turn many people off for example.

I've read that the optional recoil reducer, when installed in the nova, actually balances the gun better and does help a great deal with the kick, making it less of a chore to put 100-200 rounds through the gun in a day (like when shooting skeet).

There are no "rifled choke tubes" that I know of... You can get guns with rifled slug barrels and they usually have fixed cylinder chokes. At any rate, if you're using a standard smooth bore barrel, then you want to fire rifled slugs, not sabot slugs. When firing rifled slugs, the more open the choke, the better. So, cylinder is the best. Definitely do not fire rifled slugs out of an XXFull choke, or the slug can get jammed at the muzzle and break your gun, and maybe hurt you in the process.

I just read a great review comparing the tactical versions of the exact 2 guns I'm comparing here. In that review the nova came out a little ahead of the mossberg. I'm leaning towards benelli now. The barrel porting isn't all that important to me. This is going to be my first gun of probably many down the line so I can live with it, and if I really want it I can always have it done. The extra features of the nova also impress me. The final test though will be handling each gun to see how I like it. Thanks for the opinions guys, it was all helpful. Feel free to continue the discussion... Who knows I may yet change my mind

Such a tough decision... I guess I should go to the gun store and handle both weapons to see how I like them. The Mossberg LOP might be a little short for me actually, where the nova is a little bigger and would probably fit me better... The nova is also a nicer-looking gun IMO, but it seems most people I talk to say you can't beat the reliability of the mossberg... Well I still welcome more opinions. It will be a bit before I actually go to make the purchase.

I'm planning on getting a new pump shotgun (my first) and right now I'm kind of in a battle between the Benelli Nova and the Mossberg 500... I like the look and features of the nova, but the mossbergs I hear can really take a beating. I also like that the mossberg guns come with ported barrels. I'm kind of curious how easy it is to get barrels ported. I'd imagine it isn't too involved and can easily be done with a trip to gunsmith? Anyway, anyone out there who have tried both of these shotguns have any opinions that can help me? For reference, I plan to do mostly skeet and sport shooting with the gun, but may get into hunting later.