AndyUK

4MUL8R If you have a look on the Benelli websites (Italy and Benelli USA) it takes a bit of digging but Benelli refer to their internal choke tubes as 'Crio' - I believe that this is a registered trade-mark. Regards AndyUK

DXDgenert I've not got an M1S90 or a manual but the Nova, SuperNova and M4S90 all work in an almost identical fashion. I am therefore assuming that the M1S90 will be similar. Pictures are best so if you download the M4S90 User manual from the benelli.it website and go to p75 you will see a demo. Basically, you need some needle nose pliers or similar to 'grasp' the retaining clip and gently compress. It will then come out of the end of the tube. CAUTION the clip will be under tension from the magazine spring, you really don't want it in the eye or half way up your nose! Hope this is of some help. AndyUK

Hi 20pat, Welcome to the forum and Merry Christmas! Sorry, I cannot answer the question about the chokes, I'm sure that someone else will be able to give you an answer. With regard to the date of manufacture, I'm sure that it's been on here before at some time, but Italian guns are marked with a year of proof code. From the mid-seventies this has been a two letter code within a square. 2000 = BN; 2001 = BP; 2002 = BS; 2003 = BT; 2004 = BU;2005 = BZ; 2006 = CA; 2007 = CB; 2008 = CC etc., etc. Also, if you dismantle your gun at some time, you may see date codes (circular) moulded into some of the plastic components. They don't say when the gun was made, only when that individual moulding was made. Regards AndyUK

To all Forum members, May I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy 2008. Since the objects of our interest are of Italian origin, perhaps the sentiments should be expressed in Italian (which I do not speak!) 'Buon Natale' AndyUK

OK. We have two issues there. A) Buying a replacement rifled barrel and then using suitable slugs. B) Multi-choke, multi-choice! The answer to A) is probably, that you will find it very difficult and expensive to source a suitable rifled barrel for your Nova. If you can - great - but it still takes you back to my original comments about sorting out suitable sights. It is of utterly no practical value having an intrinsically, very accurate shotgun if you do not have a sighting system which allows you to utilise that accuracy! Also, whilst one brand of slugs have proven to be superb in one gun it does not necessarily mean that you will experience a similar situation with the Nova and a rifled slug barrel. B) With the chokes the answer is a little simpler. Don't EVER try shooting without a choke installed! You will wreck the threads in quick time and there is no benefit to using the gun without a choke installed. You will probably find that the cylinder choke is too open, but it does vary from make to make. As I said, I use an IC choke in my Super Nova and the results are OK. I would not be inclined to go tighter than a modified choke otherwise it might be too tight. Having seen what happens when chokes are not screwed fully in, I'd just re-iterate, make sure that it's screwed fully in. Sorry if that sounds like I'm being patronising - it's certainly not intended to be - it's just that I saw a gun with m/c blow off the last four inches of barrel when a shot was fired with a loose choke. The first shot caused the leading edge of the choke to curl into the barrel, where it (loosely) met the threads, the second shot blew off the end. Luckily no major injuries! Anyhow, accuracy testing with different slugs just gives you a great excuse to do some more shooting! Incidentally, can you get the French 'Sauvestre' brand High Velocity sabot slugs? I've not been able to source any here in the UK - I'll probably have to go over The Channel to France to get hold of some. All the best Andy

Hey Wildman, Using slugs in your Nova is very much a case of trial and error. You will need to try a wide selection of suitable slugs to find out which is best for YOUR Nova. First off, let’s look at the Nova itself. Is it a fixed choke or a multi-choke? I use an Improved Cylinder in my SuperNova, if you have the option you may want to try cylinder, IC and maybe even modified. If it is a m/c make certain that the chokes are firmly in place, they can start to come out if you use a lot of heavy recoiling shells and that is BAD NEWS! Secondly, unless your shooting is limited to ten feet or less you really must have some sort of sights on the gun. You may have factory sights or, if you have a vent rib barrel you can easily attach some of the excellent Williams Firesights or something similar, or maybe you are going the whole way and fitting a low power ‘scope, holosight or red-dot. OK, you’ve sorted the gun, how about the ammo? What are you using the gun for? Practical shotgun? Wild boar? Deer? Tyrannosaurus Rex? If you’re shooting live quarry, you’ll want to use one of the better quality hunting slugs, but NOT one of those specifically designed for use in a rifled barrel. Try a few e.g. Winchester , Federal, Brenneke etc. If you’re shooting IPSC Practical you’ll be shooting a lot more so, cost will be an issue, as will recoil. Use the lightest load which complies with the rules, functions reliably and delivers ‘A’ zone hits at the required distance. So, there’s no simple answer. Get out there, try a few brands and see what works best for YOU. Good shooting Andy

Benelli mark their shotguns with the serial number on the receiver. The no. on the barrel is a barrel s/n. Obviously, different legal jurisdictions might take a different view but here in the UK it's the number on the receiver which counts. Bear in mind that Benellis are made as an interchangeable barrel gun. They simply match up the receiver to the required barrel on the assembly line, long after the parts have been numbered and finished. As a matter of interest, if you strip down your gun and then examine the date codes moulded in to all the plastic/polymer parts, you'll often see that parts will differ in age by several months. They just grab the parts out of the bin as they assemble the 'order'. Regards Andy

This procedure is not mentioned in the manual but is really, just some common-sense mixed with the judicious use of extreme violence:) Theoretically, you should probably, be able to exchange the comb without removing the stock. I'm obviously, too much of a wimp and was unable to exert enough force on the comb with the stock assembled. So, take the stock off, as outlined in the manual. HAVING FIRST MADE CERTAIN THAT THE MAGAZINE AND CHAMBER ARE UNLOADED. i.e. 'peel' away the recoil pad and use a 13mm or 1/2" socket on a long extention to loosen and remove the stock, making note of the orientation of the metal plate under the stock nut. Remove the internal plastic frame. Push up on the comb to distort it out of shape and also simultaneously, push forward to disengage the 'lip' moulded into the bottom, middle of the comb. Re-assemble, pushing down and to the rear on the new comb. You might find it works easier if you first replace the internal plastic frame. Re-attach stock, giving attention to the orientation of the metal plate. Don't over-tighten the stock bolt. Replace the recoil pad. Hope that this works for you, it took me about ten minutes in total. Regards Andy

Has anyone else gone down this route? I recently fitted an EOTech512 HWS to my SuperNova, using the Mesa Sureshell saddle rail picatinny mount, only to find that my head position was then waaay too low to look through the holosight properly. This is my solution, the hi-comb mounted on the Comfortech stock. Yes, it was expensive. I may never be able to afford a Purdey or Holland & Holland but Benelli make it feel as though you have! Regards AndyUK

Hello RWagner2680, What stock is your SN fitted with? The reason that I ask is that the pistol grip stock version apparently encroaches over the rear part of the trigger group, immediately behind the trigger guard and MAY prevent or complicate removal of same. I believe that you might need to remove the stock prior to taking out the trigger housing. If, however, your gun has the standard, straight Comfortech stock, I'm afraid that I am at a loss as to why the trigger mech. is sticking. (The gun isn't second hand is it? Previous owner might have glued it in for greater security?!!). Hopefully, someone else on the forum might be able to chip in with some additional ideas. Good luck. Andy

Traps, First time I took apart a tube mag. I nearly ended up with the spring in my eye! Unfortunately, the Nova manual (downloadable from the Benelli website) is not at all clear. The SuperNova manual is not much better. If you've removed what Benelli confusingly refer to as the 'shot plug' then, you should be OK. However, the first time I did it, I was also fitting and extended mag. tube and I finished up having difficulty inserting more than two or three cartridges into the mag. To avoid having a problem when you are actually out, using the gun, it might be worthwhile double checking that the mag. spring compresses properly and that cartridges feed through the magazine tube smoothly. If you can go somewhere where it is safe to load and check this out it could save having a jam when you are out shooting. If things do seem to be binding a little, I found that the easiest thing is to give the mag. follower a 'jiggle' and check that the spring isn't distorted. Worst case; you might have to take it apart and re-assemble again - it is a bit of an 'art'! Regards Andy

Traps, I've used Remington and Winchester pumps where you have to apply pressure to the carrier and I find the SuperNova MUCH better for speedloading. With a little practice you can load two at a time. Several friends who have tried this agree and also prefer the Benelli for this reason and the fact that the gate (made to accommodate 3.1/2" ctgs.) has a larger opening. Regards AndyUK

I recently received a catalogue from Mesa Tactical. I believe that they do some short P-rails. Andy

Valencia 192, Welcome to the Forum. Cutting straight to the chase, GMK are the UK official Benelli importer and supply Registered Firearms Dealers. What are you looking for? (You do have a big wallet and lots of time, don't you?) Regards AndyUK

Historically, shooting game has been something of an elitist pastime in the UK however, the picture has changed dramatically in the last fifty or sixty years. Considering that we are such a small, densely populated island, the opportunity to shoot small and large game, wildfowl and vermin is substantial, providing that one is prepared to pay! We have the following deer species available: Red, Fallow, Sika, Roe, Chinese Water Deer (CWD) and Muntjac. We also have a small but growing population of Wild Boar plus, in Scotland, wild goat and Soay sheep. Since the banning of hunting foxes with dogs came in to effect, hunting foxes with increasingly sophisticated centrefire rifles fitted with sound moderators and lamps or night-vision 'scopes is becoming ever more popular. Shooting small game and vermin with rimfire and centrefire rifles and more commonly, with shotguns is also popular. Membership of national bodies such as BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation - http://www.basc.org.uk is a good starting point, especially since they offer insurance and a wide variety of training courses). Claypigeon shooting, especially the 'sporting clays' events is very popular and there are a number of clubs which one can join in order to take up target shooting with rifles or blackpowder pistols (cartridge firing pistols are virtually illegal, they were banned ten years ago). Visitors from EU member states can obtain something called an EFP - European Firearms Pass and can then travel within the EU quite easily although the UK requires a Visitors Permit in addition to the EFP. No-EU nationals require the Visitors Permit which is 'sponsored' by the shoot competition organiser or sporting shoot organiser. Remember though, that successive UK governments and the media have portrayed shooting in a very bad light and most shooters keep a very low profile both for reason of security and to reduce the risk of being verbally and physically attacked by a very strident population of 'antis'. Hope this quick and dirty over view is helpful. I can PM you with additional details, if required. Regards Andy

Yes Chad, I now you were only joking - so was I. In fact I've started licking my gun clean. The psychiatrist says it's OK (WARNING:English joke) Labrador Guy, As the gentleman says, he's not had a problem ejecting empties. Personally, I wouldn't be that concerned. Funnily enough, the only time I used a Nova was on an indoor range and when I 'showed clear' to the (German) range officer, I ended up hitting him in the tender bits with an ejected 2.3/4" slug! So, if your Nova is kicking live 'uns out with such force you may have to get your shooting buddies some hard hats and safety glasses! Actually, you've got me thinking and I may take up a selection of 2.3/4", 3" and 3.1/2" shells next time I'm at the range, just to see if it makes a difference to the ejection pattern. Regards Andy

Hi Chad, Sorry about the dirty bolt! Actually, the Benelli surface finish and design make these things really easy to keep clean. Paul, I think that you are allowing your experience of other guns to 'colour' your view of the SuperNova. It is designed to work in the way that you have experienced it. The loaded round dropping back into the action is usually solved by tipping the action, as you have already observed. Obviously, this is not a safety issue providing that one checks that the chamber and magazine are empty. One just need to take account of the fact that tubular magazine guns are notoriously unforgiving when it comes to undertaking safety drills. Shoot safely and enjoy your Benelli. Kind regards Andy

Hi PR Harding I saw your post earlier but it's only now that I've had the opportunity to strip down my own SN and think things through. First off, I tend to agree with Benelli CS; if you are taking a live round from the chamber you want it to just drop out in your hand whereas, if you've just fired your first shot at a pair of rapidly departing pheasants, you'd like the empty case to eject smartly, permitting you to rack another shell into the breech and demonstrate your nimrod-like skills to your shooting partners! If you are not in a position to try shooting a few shells and seeing how they eject, how about loading an EMPTY case (it is empty isn't it?) and then racking the action open smartly. If the case leaves the scene with great haste, problem solved. If it hangs up, or is a little lethargic then, have a look at the pics. below: The extractor claw should have a similar profile to this one and a strong spring action (check yours). Apologies for the 'soft focus' - the depth of field is a little shallow and the bolt face is in focus. Then, look at the second pic. Are both the ejector and ejector spring present and undamaged? You wouldn't normally strip these out so, just give it a visual inspection. If there are problems with either then that is probably the answer and your best bet will be to head off to your Benelli dealer, to remedy the situation. If everything looks OK, it may be that you have some slightly distorted cartridge cases or ones which don't quite like your gun - sometimes the rim profile of a shell case is a mis-match with the extractor and that is sufficient to cause a 'hiccup' so, try some different rim profile shells. Lastly, and I hesitate to say it, but maybe you just need to rack open the action more VIGOROUSLY!! Hope this helps Andy UK

I know that forum members like to see photos of Benellis and so I thought that I'd oblige with these two, which show my 24" / 61cm VR m/c barrel SuperNova. This first pic. shows the gun fitted with the new Mesa Tactical P-rail w/ 6 shot ctg holder. This required drilling and tapping of the action. Best practice seems to be to push the cartridge all the way in and then pull back to the required position. This facilitates rapid extraction. [/img] Secondly, fitted with the L3 EOTech 512 HWS - this comes highly recommended! Surprisingly, the featured combination does not feel out of balance. The only further modification will be to add a high cheekpiece to the Comfortech stock - expensive but necessary, given the high position of the EOTech. [/img] Note the Williams Firesight rearsight attached to the VR. Very good outdoors but lousy on an indoor range. Enjoy! AndyUK

Hi Chad, Going off topic a little, so I'll PM you. AndyUK

Speaking from a European, well OK, British perspective, I had never owned a pump or auto shotgun prior to purchasing the Benelli. Generally, for clay or game shooting a double would have been the natural choice but I have a particular need for a reliable pump. I'd checked out Winchester (1200/1300) and Remington(870) plus Ithaca (37) and several other cheaper models including the very popular Mossberg. However, I had the advantage of approaching the subject from a perspective of never owning (and rarely seeing) a pump or semi. Consequently, a modern innovative design was attractive. Also, I had some experience of owning a Benelli .32 target pistol and shooting an early Benelli 9mm auto - back in the days when we could legally own pistols in the UK. I also shot a Nova whilst in Germany, and was impressed. Having purchased a Benelli SuperNova, I believe that my choice has been vindicated ... and after all, if one is not confident with the choice of equipment, it is unlikely that one will perform as well as might otherwise be the case. So, I would contend that it actually matters quite a lot! Regards AndyUK

Wildfowler, I'm surprised that your SN came without any oil; mine had a thin film throughout. Enjoy the Humber, I presume that you know the tides! If you'd been up to Meadowhell a month or so back, when we had the floods, you could have set up a blind in the car park and bagged some mallard! Andy

Hi SGTB, Also, consider Benelli themselves, they sell a P-rail and recently, Mesa Tactical have added a dedicated SN P-rail and 'side saddle' shell-holder to their range. I've not yet fitted the Mesa Tactical P-rail to my SN, as I'm awaiting the arrival of an Eotech 512 but once it's all assembled, I'll post some piccies to the forum. I believe that there may be rails from other manufacturers available and forum members will, I'm sure, be able to advise. Regards AndyUK

Hi Wildfowler, They do come with some lubricant on and I really wouldn't put too much more on, as it then attracts grit and powder etc. My SN is a Section 1 with mag. extension and 61cm (24") vent-rib m/c barrel. I've fitted Fire-sights to the vent-rib (not much good on an indoor range!) and just obtained a mesa-tactical picatinny rail with shell side saddle. I'm now waiting for an Eotech 512 'holo-sight' to arrive. Mine came from Beechwood who were losing the franchise and therefore weren't really interested. It took about 4 months to arrive. The new distributors are GMK who also hold the Beretta franchise. I can safely say that they are utterly appalling when it comes to customer service. I wanted to order a picatinny rail from them and eventually, I had to go directly to Benelli to get them to tell GMK to place an order!! A friend of mine, having shot my SN wants one himself. He's tried to order one with a LH butt pad and high cheekpiece / comb and they've said 'ring back in a few weeks'. They wouldn't last a second in any other line of business. Unfortunately, they are the only game in town. I live in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, but I'm a member of the German Military and Police Shooting Association and I also use my SN in Germany. Rgds Andy

Hi Wildfowler, Join the (comparatively) rare club of UK SN owners! I don't know what your experience of acquiring a SN was like, but I get the impression that the importers really don't want to bother with irritating customers! Personally, I think that it cannot do any harm to disassemble your SN, check it out and re-lubricate. That's what I did when I got mine; but then I was needing to fit the magazine extension and alter the stock shims. If, as your name implies, you're intending to go mud wrestling with it, then you'll probably be taking it apart for a detailed strip after virtually every trip to the foreshore! Incidentally, I really like the Comfortech stock. I principally shoot rifled slug and the stock seems to be something of an improvement over an 870 or Win 1200. I'd be interested in your thoughts on the matter, once you've stuck some 3 1/2" shells through it. Regards AndyUK