Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Benelli supernova vs new Remington 870

which would you pick and why

870, never cared for the funny shaped forearm on the Nova

I'd probably go with a new 870 Fieldmaster. The Super Nova is a big, bulky, heavy shotgun with a huge receiver. That huge receiver also contributes to a long overall length even with a shorter barrel. Mine, with a 26" barrel, has an OAL as long or longer than some of my shotguns with 28" barrels. It rattles. And mine shoots high. If it was the only shotgun I used, I'd get used to it.
But it's my highest shooting gun. So it's hard to get used to. Other than that, it's reliable and a beast of a gun.


I also have a Super Nova tactical that I love. It prints foster slugs into a clover leaf at 50 yards.

If I were a duck hunter and needed a crap weater gun for a duck blind, I'd get the Super Nova. Otherwise, the 870.

I've tried hard to like the Nova/SuperNova, but just can't for all the reasons listed above. Just too thick and clunky.


There are 2 things going on here. Yes, the longer receiver on a Benelli contributes to a longer OAL. But if you're comparing them to a Remington, virtually all Remington barrels are shorter than advertised if you actually measure them. The barrels advertised as 26" are just a hair over 25" and the 28" guns are closer to 27"

That said my favorite shotgun are the Benelli M1 and newer M2. They both have a longer receiver than some but are otherwise very trim and light. I chose a 24" barrel on those to get pretty much the same overall length and balance as a Remington 870/1100/1187 with a 26" barrel.

Depends on what you are going to use it for. As an all around shotgun, neither would be my first choice. But of the two, the 870. Handles better and the safety is in the right place. I do like the fact that the front hand can be placed closer to the receiver on the Nova. There is a little more flexibility that way, but not enough to make it interest me.

I was not aware that the Nova also shoots high as the SBE is reputed to do as well. If true, that's another reason to look elsewhere.

Why would one buy a new 870....When there are millions of the originals to be had?

870 over the Nova. I had the Benelli it just never felt right to me.

Thats what shims are for on the SBE, adjusting the rear sight, your head.

Give me a gun that patterns 60/40.

As far as 870 vs Super Nova I will take the 870. I had a Nova for a couple weeks once. Terrible trigger and it just never felt like it operated all that smooth.

The Nova was built for the innocent, capitalizing on Benelli’s well deserved reputation for its autos.

Anyone with any experience in using pump guns won’t even look at the Benelli.

The old classics include the Remington models 17, 31 and 870, the Ithaca model 37 (basically a Remington 17), and the queen of them all, the Model 12 Winchester.

Give me the 31 over the 12 anyday.

I have tried to like the Nova but it just never was my thing for some reason. I would have to go with the 870, new or used, either one would be fine with me.

60/40 is fine. When I say "shoots high" I mean like 100/0. Where aiming from a bench at a target, the POI vs. POA is 12" high and 3" left at 21 yards, for example. You are not going to shim your way out of that, at least I don't think I could.

Mind you, I have no personal experience with the SBE. But there are a lot of folks out there who do and are reporting the same issue.

Agreed, you can't shim your way out of the way this gun shoots. Maybe, again, if it's the only gun you shoot and you get used to it it will hit reasonably well. But I shoot several guns, and the Super Nova is so different that I've pretty much shelved it for hunting. If I were to use it for turkey hunting, I'd have to aim at the bottom of the beard to hit the head.

The Nova is one of the few Benelli shotguns that I dislike. TYG, use all the shims and then if it still shoots high put a larger front bead on it. A larger front bead will lower point of impact to point of aim by a surprising amount. An optic would make all of it equal if a dot sight would be suitable to the use the shotgun gets used for.

There is also the option of a plastic rib that slides over the original and is higher at the front. Friend did it.

I don't hate my Super Nova by any means, or I would have sold it by now. I actually rather like it, under the right conditions. It doesn't shoot left or right. It just shoots high. But not unseably high. Higher than my Brownings, which shoot a little high, and significantly higher than my 2018-built Ithaca Model 37s that seems to hit exactly at point of aim. But I can still hit with it. But given that it's the only shotgun I have that hits where it hits, I just don't use it that much. If it were my only shotgun and I was used to where it hits, I wouldn't know to even mention that it hits high. I have multiple Brownings and Browning-made Winchesters that I shoot more than anything else and I'm used to those, so when I go back to my Super Nova I'm thrown off a bit.

Like any gun, you have to shoot it and get to know it. If you can do that, the Super Nova is fine.

Here's mine.

Dual beads I assume?

If so are you making a figure 8 out of them or lining them up, trying to block front bead with the mid rib bead?

[quote=10Glocks]I don't hate my Super Nova by any means, or I would have sold it by now. I actually rather like it, under the right conditions. It doesn't shoot left or right. It just shoots high. But not unseably high. Higher than my Brownings, which shoot a little high, and significantly higher than my 2018-built Ithaca Model 37s that seems to hit exactly at point of aim. But I can still hit with it. But given that it's the only shotgun I have that hits where it hits, I just don't use it that much. If it were my only shotgun and I was used to where it hits, I wouldn't know to even mention that it hits high. I have multiple Brownings and Browning-made Winchesters that I shoot more than anything else and I'm used to those, so when I go back to my Super Nova I'm thrown off a bit.

Like any gun, you have to shoot it and get to know it. If you can do that, the Super Nova is fine.

Here's mine.



Nice shotgun. I like the Nova. Very slick action. I agree that the triggers on the two I owned were not that good. I actually like them better than the 870. Most factory shotguns shoot high for me until I add a bit of length with a thicker recoil pad. A simple fix really. It moves my cheek down the comb a bit and solves the problem. The Benelli pad looks pretty thick already so maybe a spacer between the butt and the pad? I thought the Super Nova was adjustable with shims. If so. just add a bit more drop and you should be golden. I see folks talking about testing point of impact from a bench. Other than for a turkey gun I see no value in that at all. Mount the gun and smoothly and shoot it at an impact board or plate. 16 yards is the conventional distance, but anywhere around that should be fine. Wear safety glasses.

I had a Super X2 that I never patterned. Started out shooting doves with it and was missing bad. Bud said I was shooting very high. I started floating the birds up above the bead with daylight between the bird and my bead and started killing them very well. Since then I try to get my shotguns hitting a decent bit high, it made hitting flying birds seem so much easier.

My turkey guns are so that I put the bead with waddles on top of bead and the pattern is pretty much centered around the skull. Pattern is 6-8" higher than the top of the bead.

Dual bead guns can be aimed a couple different ways to get pattern to move up or down.

It would make no difference to me if the bead was removed from my shotguns. I'm looking at the front edge of the target. I point and shoot. I do not aim.