LabradorGuy

I'm pretty sure the cantilevered barrels are rifled for slugs and therefore slug only.

That's what my wife says I'm doing (She's still trying to figure out why I bought a new chain saw when the old one works just fine.... I'm sure I don't have to explain that here)

No, I don't need spare parts yet, and I'm pretty sure I won't ever I've been putting together a kit of spare parts that I'll be bringing out to our summer field camps. We'll be very far away from resupply so I want to make sure I keep some spares on hand just in case. I thought that the Stoeger's parts would be easier to get and perhaps a little cheaper. No luck though, back to plan A.

Thanks for the info. I was hoping it would be a way to get spares for less $$$$. Is the P-350 a good gun? I don't know very much about Stoegers, if the price it right and they work I might consider one.

Does anybody know if there are common parts between the Nova/Supernova and the Stoeger P-350? I was looking in a gun catalogue and they say that the P-350 uses a "Benelli designed pump action bolt". As far as I know, the only pumps that Benelli make are the Nova/Supernova. If this is the case, then the bolts should be compatable. Maybe barrels too? The guns look fairly similar, but I wonder if they'd be designed so that you'd have to go with the more expensive benelli parts. Any ideas?

I see that a lot of shotshells are being labelled as "Nitro", which I'm guessing means they are more powerful. Is there really a difference in the type of powder, or is there just more of it?

I'm thinking about buying a supernova tactical as a packgun for my wife. I'm wondering what the big difference is between the pistol grip stock and the comfortech standard stock. Does the comfortech make much difference in recoil? Does the pistol grip handle better? Thanks for any ideas.

I'm getting geared up for the spring field work season and I'm going to experiment with buckshot for bear defense. I'm a slug guy and a buckshot newbie. What type of choke should I use? I'd like a fairly dense pattern at about 25 yards. Do different brands pattern differently? I have no idea what I'm doing so all suggestions are appreciated.

Maybe there's something wrong with me but I can't find the email address for Benelli's customer service. I've checked all over the website and I'm stumped. If anybody knows it, please post. Thanks!

I live in Labrador, Canada and put my Nova through ****. I mostly use this gun for camp protection against bears so I need it to fire the first time, every time. I must be up to a 1000 rounds by now and I havn't had a single jam or misfire and I use it in all weather conditions imaginable. I'm so happy with the Nova I'm planning on buying another one. (maybe the SuperNova this time, with the pistol grip)

I see a lot of people buying extended choke tubes but I have no idea why. I've asked a few of my friends, but they all come up with different answers, most of them sounding dubious at best. Can anyone explain this to me? Thanks.

Mine came pre-lubed with a thin coat of light oil. That seemed good enough to me, so I went out to my local gravel pit and shot off a box of light shells. No problems at all. Then I went home and gave it proper cleaning and lube. That worked for me, I've never had any trouble with the gun.

If you're taking the magazine plug out don't forget to wear some eye protection. Those springs jump out really fast. Scared the **** out of the first time it happened. I'm lucky I didn't loose an eye.... or some teeth.

Thanks for all the input. With regards to "shot of a lifetime", you're absolutely right but not because I might miss the trophy buck. I'm more worried about getting eaten by the big bear coming in through the door of my tent With that thought in mind, which type of slug has more stopping power? Those big 1oz. traditional slugs sure do a lot of damage at close range but having never fired a sabot slug I don't have anything to compare it to. Based on what I've read, sabots are lighter projectiles but go faster. I see that some have hollow points and others are designed to fragment. Does this make them more lethal than the traditional slug? I have no idea. I need something that can drop a charging 500 pound bear. Thanks for the info!

A buddy of mine sold his shotgun and is now selling off all his ammo. I can get 10 boxes of remington sabot slugs for less than half the store price. The trick is, I've never shot a sabot slug and I have no idea how it will perform out of my gun. I don't want to waste my money on something that won't work. I have a 28" smoothbore barrel on my Nova and I shoot a lot of slugs so I've mostly been using standard Remington 3" slugs with a cylinder bore choke. The accuracy is good enough for what I need which is camp defense (bears,

This sounds very cool. I wonder why Remington is not advertising it as a breaching choke? You would think that would really boost sales (I want one!). Instead they give some vague line about reducing muzzle climb. Why be vague about a cool piece of gear? Strange.

You're right, the gun is not banned but it's classified as restricted. The gov of Canada classifies firearms into a number of categories: general (hunting guns incl. shotguns, rifles, .22, .17) restricted (all handguns and semi-auto long guns with short barrels and of a military nature - extremely vague group and ad hoc, see previous post) prohibited (any full auto gun, short or long barrel and any gun of a "destructive" nature ex. Barrett .50) also includes unusual weapons ex. blowdart tubes, nunchucks, throwing stars etc. It's pretty much impossible to get a prohibited licence. Even collectors must render a prohibited gun unusable before they are allowed to own it. The mini-14 is classified as a restricted weapon which means I could get one but they make the process such a pain in the ass that it's just not worth it. Also, it would be illegal for me to take it in the woods, I could only have it at home or at a licenced range. Moving it from home to range requires permission from the local police. Isn't that crazy? I could own a legally obtained and registered firearm but I'm not allowed to go shoot it in the woods. As I said before, our gun laws in Canada are ****ed up and made by people who never go outdoors!

How does a breaching choke work? Do you jam the muzzle right up against a lock or do you shoot from a distance? I've never heard of such a thing before. I'm very interested, it sounds like fun.

I've been looking at a lot of gun websites today and I'm seeing a lot have got their new 2008 models up on display. Nothing from Benelli, just a mention of their "new" 2007 catalogue. Has anyone heard of any significant changes for 2008?

The CZ seems to be a great gun, but money is an issue right now so I think I'm going to get the Savage. I'll keep you posted on how it shoots. Thanks for all the great advice!

I was checking out those rifled barrels on auctionarms.com and I can't get over the prices. $365 seems like a whole lot of money for a used barrel when you can get a whole new gun for around $300. The market for benelli barrels is wildly inflated due to zero supply. Time for Benelli to make more and sell them direct via website or at least make them easier for dealers to get their hands on. This is a crazy situation that will put off a lot of potential buyers. Time for Benelli to get their **** in gear and sort this out.

Very reliable gun. I've fired well over 500 rounds under terrible conditions and not a single misfire or jam. Easy to strip and clean. Original chokes were Full, Mod, and IC. The Nova has a slight rattle in the pump assembly that they fixed in the Supernova but I don't really notice it. Good gun, if the price is right and it's in good shape buy it.

I was just on the Remington site looking at their new guns for 2008 and noticed this one: http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model_870/model_870_TAC_Desert_Recon.asp The 870 Tac Desert Recon. It seems okay, nothing fancy, then I noticed the choke tube. It's an extended choke drilled full of holes with a serrated tip. They call it the "Tactical" choke (those quote marks are from them, which makes you wonder). Does anyone know what this choke does? Why the holes and serrated tip? It doesn't look like a muzzle break and I've never heard of a flash suppressor on a shotgun. I'm curious.

I'm pretty sure the Mini-14/30 is restricted in Canada, as well as high capacity magazines. That was the gun that Mark Lepine used to shoot up a university in Quebec killing 14 women. It was a terrible crime commited by a terrible person, so the government restricted the gun. I could still buy one, but I need to do a course and pay for a special licence and then there's huge restrictions on moving it from place to place (ie. permits from the police every time). Wierd thing is, you can still buy all kinds of other semi-autos. When does a semi-auto become an "assault rifle"? Our government basically waits until a gun is used in a major crime and then puts it on the list. It's crazy and unguided. I'm waiting for someone to rob a store with a SBEII and then it'll be on the list for sure. For an interesting read check this out: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/showdoc/cr/SOR-98-462/bo-ga:s_1::bo-ga:s_2?page=2 You'll notice that the Yaqua Blowgun (yes, a breath fired blow dart tube) is prohibited in the same legislation that prevents me from buying a Barrett M82 (there's goes my plans for next Christmas ). You can clearly see that it's a knee jerk reaction list that has guns tacked on over time. Here's something else that's interesting, my wife is government wildlife scientist working in "remote areas" so she is allowed to carry a handgun outside of town limits. I often go with her to help with the heavy stuff, tend camp, watch for bears, etc. but because I'm not the official scientist I'd do several years in prison for carrying a handgun. Thus, the Benelli Nova slug cannon. It's completely ad hoc legislation made by people in Ottawa who never go outside. Grrrrrr...... Ps. I grew up in St. John's and I live in Goose Bay. It's still cold, but a great place to live. Nothing but open country where a man can go and shoot his wife's handgun to his heart's content (yay canada!)

No I havn't needed to replace any parts at all, but I'm putting together a parts kit for when i travel up north just in case. That's serious bear country so I depend on this gun for my life every day. We're about 500km from anything with no chance of resupply so I want to make sure I've got a few basics in case of trouble, like springs, firing pins and the like. But to be honest, I havn't had a single problem with the Nova. I'm guessing I've shot well over 500 rounds in all kinds of weather and conditions and I havn't had a single jam or misfire. Not one problem. The most impressive thing was how it's been handling the cold. The other day it was -35 C (-31F) and it worked perfectly. No special lube or anything, just smooth operation. I can't say the same about my father's old Winchester model 70 (1980's version) which had severe icing problems on the whole bolt and firing pin. Damn thing refused to fire after three shots. Good thing the Nova still worked. I saw a good dozen wolves who were watching our camp. They gave us no trouble so we left them alone, but it was nice to know that the Nova was there and was 100% dependable.