Benelli Super Nova Shotgun

For me the deer-hunting season has come to a close. (If it hasn’t for you then you had better rush over to Whitetail Deer Passion and read my article “Last Chance”, where I outline tips and tricks for late season whitetail deer hunters.) For the hunters, like myself, who now begin to think of the upcoming spring turkey season, please read on.

For some weeks now I have been thinking about purchasing a new shotgun. In the course of these weeks I have read many field tests and opinions of other hunters on the subject and have now narrowed my research down to the Super Nova from the Italian gun makers Benelli.

When I look to purchase a new product it has to fulfill a few criteria and being all the new hype is not one of them. First and foremost the product has to be safe to use, followed by quality / price relation. The gun I am looking for has to keep up with my style of hunting. I don’t like to be “careful” because the product might fall apart when I accidentally knock it against a tree or rock. Preferably the product should serve several purposes; I never saw much sense in purchasing different guns for different hunting styles. The gun should be reliable without to many gizmos and fancy attachments that are bound to fail me in the field. And finally the gun has to stand up to different weather conditions without having to completely take it apart in order to dry it out after a heavy rain.

For me the gun that has thus far measured up to my expectations seems to be the Benelli Super Nova. I say “thus far” because the final and deciding moment will come when I visit a friend in the next few days that owns a Benelli Super Nova. He kindly offered me to take his gun to the range and put it through its paces. Once I spent a day pumping different loads and shell sizes through it I will decide to give it the thumbs up or down.

For now I leave you with some of the Benelli Super Nova’s specs that in my opinion make it my kind of shotgun.

I am partial to pump action shotguns. What I like about that type of action is the simple rugged reliability plus the fast and worry free handling but that alone does not make the Super Nova my choice. Here is what does:

The Super Nova is made by the Italian company Benelli. One can say what one likes, but the Italians know how to build good solid quality shotguns at an affordable price. And that is exactly where the Super Nova shines bright. The Super Nova is well built with the customarily good workmanship common to most Italian guns and has a lot of good and new ideas added to it.

• The Super Nova is chambered for 12 gauge 3 ½-inch shells and also can be loaded with 2-3/4-inch and 3-inch loads making it a truly “load all” gun.
• A newly designed synthetic “Steady Gripä” and ComforTechä Polymer molded stock makes this gun almost waterproof and in addition reduces the heavy recoil associated with magnum shotguns up to 45%, making it a moderate recoil gun.
• The gun comes in two finishes: matte black or camouflage. The SuperNova’s newly styled trigger guard, similar to the Super Black Eagle II, allows for 30% more finger room for a gloved hand. In addition, a new, larger safety button provides easy acquisition and quick, positive function.
• The nicely ribbed barrel of the Nova is finished in a dull black color that matches the black polymer of the stocks and receiver perfectly. Barrels are available in 24", 26" and 28" lengths complete with three screw-in choke tubes, and a 18.5" rifled slug barrel is available with open sights. This makes the Super Nova one of the most versatile shotguns on the market today.
• And finally, with a price tag of $380.00 to $410.00 this is a very affordable gun built to a high quality standard.

I read of a duck and dove hunt outfitter down in Mississippi that uses 20 Super Nova guns as loan guns for his clients. He claims that on average they shoot up to 10’000 rounds in one hunting season with these guns and never had a gun yet that failed them or gave then any trouble whatsoever. Anybody that went on a dove hunt knows that the shooting can be fast and furious and adding to this is the fact that these guns are shot by many different people - so you get an idea as to what the Super Nova’s have to stand up too.

That’s it so far and like I said before, sometime next week I will be able to actually shoot the Super Nova. After this final deciding test I will make my mind up if this is the gun for me. Stay tuned here, as I will let you know how the Super Nova behaved and handled at the shooting range.

Tags: Shotgun, Benelli Super Nova, Turkey Hunting