Dsnyder305 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 I've owned my Nova 3.5" for 9.5 years. For the first few years, I never used it because I shot better with my 870. After warming up to it a couple years ago, it has been very dependable and is my primary bird gun. I recently noticed a barrel bulge just behind the choke tube. It appears to be more prominent on one side of the barrel than the other. I find this odd since I've never fired anything but factory loaded ammo through it, nor have I ever had any squib rounds. I've never mistreated or misused my gun and clean it regularly, and I've only ever used the OEM IM choke tube. I contact Benelli to file a warranty claim and I'm told Benelli does not cover barrel bulges, that it must have been an obstruction or something else.. but it's not their problem. I don't understand how it could be considered my fault if I only used the gun as they intended and took the best possible care of my firearm. I've seen similar issues other owners have had that got covered, why is my situation any different? If thats their idea of customer service, they've lost a good customer for life, and I'll do my best to make sure nobody I know ever buys one. What's the point of having a warranty if you're just going to deny simple claims for normal use? I never had any of these issues with my Remington 870.. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scout_21 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Because they weren't there when the bulge happened...the barrels are tested and proofed before being sent out and that's all the information they really have to go on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gmcrigger2007 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Can you post a pic of the bulge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dsnyder305 Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 It's not overly pronounced, just noticeable enough to cause concern 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cling Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 Dsnyder305 I feel for you, This just comes down to simple customer relations and good will. Sad to here Benelli is washing there hands from this issue when you have companies that i have delt with cover issues wich were caused by my problems. The Nova is a beast of a gun no doubt, but there are many other pump shotguns out now that may even be considered better,as well as their Inertia guns. Thanks for telling us your story and good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dsnyder305 Posted January 29, 2020 Author Share Posted January 29, 2020 46 minutes ago, Jim Cling said: Dsnyder305 I feel for you, This just comes down to simple customer relations and good will. Sad to here Benelli is washing there hands from this issue when you have companies that i have delt with cover issues wich were caused by my problems. The Nova is a beast of a gun no doubt, but there are many other pump shotguns out now that may even be considered better,as well as their Inertia guns. Thanks for telling us your story and good luck. I'm exploring several NON-Benelli options at this time, and I believe I'm going back to my 870 roots. This whole experience has been very disappointing. I bought what I thought was a high-quality gun and I operated it in accordance with what any hunter would consider "normal use", only to find out their warranty isn't even worth the paper it's written on. I understand, they weren't there when the failure of their part occured.. but I was, and I KNOW I didn't do anything to cause the failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cling Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 I have a few friends the have purchased the Winchester SXP and they all love it FYI 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jreeyang Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 As of February 12,I sent in my benelli barrel with the same bulge around my choke. I can't even remove my choke. Factory choke. I fired steel factory loads and always take care of my gun and barrel. They still won't warranty my barrel and want to charge me$250 for new barrel or$120 used barrel. Now they have my barrel and are waiting for my payment. I told them I'll think about it. My gun was the first gen benelli nova. Had a great time shooting for all those years but when it comes to warranty and standing by their product benelli is shit. I specifically told the benelli reps that it's a dangerous condition to shoot with their bulged barrel and they just gave me the run around that they don't cover bulged barrels. Research shows that benelli barrels are too thin around the choke, therefore bulges will be the outcome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dsnyder305 Posted February 12, 2020 Author Share Posted February 12, 2020 4 hours ago, Jreeyang said: As of February 12,I sent in my benelli barrel with the same bulge around my choke. I can't even remove my choke. Factory choke. I fired steel factory loads and always take care of my gun and barrel. They still won't warranty my barrel and want to charge me$250 for new barrel or$120 used barrel. Now they have my barrel and are waiting for my payment. I told them I'll think about it. My gun was the first gen benelli nova. Had a great time shooting for all those years but when it comes to warranty and standing by their product benelli is shit. I specifically told the benelli reps that it's a dangerous condition to shoot with their bulged barrel and they just gave me the run around that they don't cover bulged barrels. Research shows that benelli barrels are too thin around the choke, therefore bulges will be the outcome. Sounds nearly identical to my experience with Benelli. They know there's a problem, but instead of warranty covering their paper thin barrels and standing behind their products, they'd rather blame us for their failure. Their reps are all trained to vehemently deny any claim remotely related to barrel bulging, and will keep accusing us of mistreatment or misuse to the bitter end (all the while, saying "I'm not accusing you or blaming you for anything"). They gave me the same option; to buy another barrel from them on my dollar, or send them my old barrel to have them cut it down and rethread for a choke tube. Benelli won't ever see another red cent of mine, because it takes a piss poor company to blame customers for their shortcomings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricky54 Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Where can I find the research that determines the barrels are too thin around the choke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dsnyder305 Posted February 13, 2020 Author Share Posted February 13, 2020 On 2/12/2020 at 9:11 AM, ricky54 said: Where can I find the research that determines the barrels are too thin around the choke? I've had discussions with several seasoned shooters and hunters since encountering my dilemma, and thin barrels on Benelli's 12ga guns seems to be a well documented issue. I looked around at a few different forums and found these threads: This guy used a Stoeger choke in his Nova when the barrel bulged (but Benelli covered it under warranty) A choke manufacturer explains how Benelli and Beretta both have barrels too thin for their products. This hunter's M2 barrel bent at the choke after using a Carlson choke tube I'll keep looking, but to use terms I've heard elsewhere, Benellis barrels are "vacuum cleaner hose thin" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Shy of it filling up with water and freezing, how do you get a barrel bulge that far up 3/4 of the way up the choke? Shoot it with the choke unscrewed a whole lot? Isn't that well past the threads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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