If you are looking for a budget-friendly Benelli that will neither break the bank nor your heart if you take it on a labor-intensive hunt, the Nova – and the even newer SuperNova – are hard to beat. I’ve recently done a review of the Benelli Nova, so it felt like a good time to get it on screen to show how it performs.

This is hardly a target or sporting clays gun, and we did get some odd looks when we headed out with the Nova to shoot clays in the middle of winter. But, since hunting in a blind in Wisconsin can be a fairly cold affair, I thought it would be worth taking the Nova out for some cold-weather shooting anyways.

The gun has recently claimed a few geese, so it should be more than ready to brave the 20-degree weather we forced our cameras to survive.

More Than a Target Shooter

My Nova is actually a second-hand gun. I picked it up from a friend in a trade for a Springfield XD Mod.2 chambered in .45 ACP because I was looking for a basic waterfowl shotgun, and I will say I have been very pleased with the trade. The gun feels like a tank, but it balances decently enough to get some target work done on clays. 

At 49.5 inches and 7.9 pounds, you would be pressed to call this a compact gun. Still, it feels nice in the hands and was more than nimble enough on the hunt. The real claim to fame for this pump-action shotgun is the high-tech polymer – well, vintage 1999 high-tech polymer anyway.

I will say that I have found this to be a robust gun, and it is more than willing to perform in cold, snowy December afternoons and hot August days. 
 

Why Go Benelli

While I was able to recently test out a Remington 870 Wingmaster, Mossberg 500, and a very nice Browning BPS, I actually grew to love the Nova more during the testing. The shotgun is built like a tank. It does lack a bit of finery in the swing, but it also makes up for that by being rugged and offering Benelli choke tubes.

For a hunting shotgun, it is well suited for the hardship of adverse weather conditions. The weight is something worth noting, but it also lends itself to comfortable shooting if you prefer 3.5-inch shells. It is a bit heavy and long, but it’s not something that will hinder you in a blind. Actually, of the shotguns I took out for testing, it downed the most geese and was still comfortable to shoot.
 

Final Thoughts

I’m not a shotgun aficionado, and I have very little interest in becoming one. But I can tell you when I find a rugged hunting shotgun. The Benelli Nova brought home game, and it did it at a budget-friendly price. I have put north of 600 rounds through my Nova, and it was a fast pick for new shooters when I took it to the range. The main draw was the sights and the easy controls. 

Sure, it’s not a refined gun, but it feels good in the hand and performers well in the field. I have no regrets.