Good First Shotgun - Benelli Super Nova?

[atascadero]

As my first shotgun, I'm looking for something versatial and I like what I see in the Benelli Super Nova http://www.benelliusa.com/firearms/superNova.tpl

Specificly the Turkey gun with the steady grip as it accepts chokes plus I like the grip. http://www.benelliusa.com/firearms/l...Timber12Ga.jpg

My main question is about the steady grip. Would that hamper the use of this shotgun on flying fowl or clays? This wouldn't be the main use for the gun but I was just wondering what peoples thought's were on the grip for an all around use including home defense. Any other thoughts on a first shotgun are welcome too. Oh. by the way I'm a full sized male adult that has no problem with 12 gauges. Thanks.

[bwiese]

I have a Benelli Nova (not SuperNova) 18" Special Purpose shotty. (That is, a functional equivalent to 18" Rem 870 police shotty.)

It's a nice gun, chrome-lined barrel. Works fine w/factory loads, can be a tad finicky with some reloads - but perhaps these reloads woulda been funky in any gun.

I've shot some Federal rifled slugs thru this gun and it is accurate: I was popping 2L Coke jugs at Los Altos R&G range on the 40yd 'Tin Can Alley'. I was surprised I could do that with a smoothbore, iron sights and slugs, it was a first for me. My shoulder's a bit sore, maybe will try 'reduced recoil' police loads next session.

And I've had good luck shooting some trap with it - and that's a total misapplication of this particular configuration.

I do need to get the mercury recoil reducer system and the magazine extension.

I wanted to get a 24" barrel for it but the price for a replacement/substitute barrel is more than I paid for the gun! ($240 vs. $215) And sometimes Novas w/longer bbls are available for $279 anyways.

I will have to see what the SuperNovas have to offer over Novas: I saw them at the SHOT Show and briefly looked at 'em but was too busy with AR biz and hounding OLL vendors to ship into CA.

[atascadero]

Sounds like a nice gun and I know no one gun can ever be all to all. Imposible, period! I appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

[Mesa Tactical]

I suspect Atascadero's main question regards the pistol grip, which the non-Super Novas didn't have.

We have had a number of customers contact us about using a pistol-gripped shotgun for clay games, informing us of their being pleasantly surprised by how well a pistol grip works with clays. Just yesterday, one customer called and told us how he got 30% with his Mesa Tactical stocked Mossberg the very first time he ever shot clays. A few customers also use our stocks for hunting.

So we'd say there's no downside to the pistol grip. In fact, we prefer the pistol grip in pretty much all applications, and furthermore we believe that Benelli makes the most comfortable fixed pistol grip stock (it's more or less the same stock on all their platforms). The pistol grip stock is definitely superior in home defense situations.

[atascadero]

Thanks Mesa Tactical. I appreciated your thoughts on this subject. Off to check out your site.

[anotherone]

The Benelli SuperNova is awesome. It's the only gun you need for hunting. You can take out birds with bird shot and use foster type slugs to hunt pigs and deer. I shot a 20 this weekend at the gun club shooting clays.