My Benelli Nova Tactical Model

**Misery Loves Shotguns** · January 30th, 2010, 09:55 PM

Beautiful . . . I used to own a variation of the Nova with a bead sight and 28" barrel with interchangable chokes but this model has the same 3 1/2" chamber with an 18 1/2" cylinder smoothbore barrel and LPA ghost ring sights! I added a few things to it . . . I sewed the shell loops of a slip on buttstock shell holder onto another slip on holder so I can hold ten on the stock and I also sewed twelve loops from a bandolier onto my super comfortable Butler Creek sling . . . Aside from that, I use a Tacstar magazine tube extension that gives me up to an eight shot capacity (7 + 1) . . . It loads seven 2 3/4", six 3" and five 3 1/2" shells . . . My favorite thing about this weapon is how spacious the carrier is and as a result, how quick and smooth the reloads are . . . Working with a shotgun, I didn't really expect to be able to reload seven rounds very quickly but I can load seven in this a LOT faster than the six my 870 holds . . . I also have a UTG light mounted on a streamlight magazine tube rail . . . I bought the light on Opticsplanet.com for $55, got free shipping and had it in three days! It is a fantastic piece of equipment, I could use it to light my entire apartment if the power ever went out . . . When the zombies come, I'm grabbing this and my Taurus PT92 . . .

**JohnXD** · January 31st, 2010, 02:25 PM

Awsome shotgun! It's always good to see something diferent from the typical Remington 870's and Mossy 500's. I have the same one, but have yet to add a mag tube extension. I do have one question for you. What type of tape did you use to stick the remote pressure pad onto the fore grip? My light is a Fenix LED with the remote pad, but it didn't come with any provisions for that. I tried to use some double stick tape that I had on hand, but it won't hold on the fore grip. I was also wondering what you thought of the TacStar mag extension as far as quality and durability go?

On a side note, I was wondering if having a shell carrier on both sides of the stock causes any interference with your ability to get a good cheek weld?

**Misery Loves Shotguns** · January 31st, 2010, 09:48 PM

I like the Tacstar extension on this gun, I also have a 10 shot for one of my 870s when I used to have a 28" barrel on it and they both work just the way they're supposed to . . . I really think this is a good piece of hardware though because it actually adds 3 if you load 2 3/4" shells . . . It will stick out about 1/4 of an inch or so beyond the barrel but I have no problem with that . . . Story about it . . . I had a laserlyte mount on it and the crap ass allen style screws got stripped and I had to find a way to get it off without ruining the barrel and the tube . . . Well, at one point I conceded that I was going to have to replace the tube and beat the hell out of the mount with a wrench until it finally let go and I was able to slide it off, the point of all that? The magazine tube wasn't damaged at all! It had no visible scratches or dents and honestly, I expected that it was going to be completely ruined . . . So yes, I certainly consider it to be a worthwhile investment and it really changes the look of the weapon too . . . Go on cheaperthandirt.com and you can pick one up for about $40 and have it by the end of the week . . . They have great service and ship their orders really quickly . . .
Now, on to the other questions . . . I bought some industrial strength sticky back velcro for the pressure pad from Michael's for about $4 but I didn't need it because the UTG light came with a precut piece of the same thing for exactly that purpose . . .
As far as the shells interfering with my sight picture . . . I personally think the LPA sights are a little too high to be able to rest my cheek against the stock when I shoot . . . That being said, now that I've tried it, if I do rest against the stock I can't even see through the rear aperture sight . . . If I had a bead sight then maybe it would be a problem but it works for me with the way I shoot and honestly, even if it didn't I would adjust to it because the double shell carrier looks cool!
I have a question for you . . . Have you fired slugs with it yet? I've put about twenty rounds through mine in the five months I've had it (3" BB shot and a few 3 1/2" #4 buckshot) and like my other Nova, it seems pretty accurate and keeps a good pattern even with the cylinder bore but like I said, I haven't put any slugs through it yet . . .

**Saber** · January 31st, 2010, 10:09 PM

Nice. I have been looking at setting up a tactical shotgun

**JohnXD** · January 31st, 2010, 11:32 PM

Thanks for the vote of confidence for the TacStar tube. One of these days I'll get around to buying one. When I bought my Fenix light, it was new in box, but I had to get the display model pressure switch that didn't have the tape with it.

I know what you mean about the Ghost rings being high. For me, it was a huge advantage because of how tall I am. They come up to just the right height without having to lean my head over at all, which would not be good for a proper cheek weld. I can see how they might be too high for a lot of people though.

I have run probably around 50+ slugs through mine. All were either Remington or Winchester slugs. This it where the ghost rings really shine. At 50 yards, I can hit more accurately with the 18 1/2" barrel Nova, then I can with my 28" vent rib barrel SuperNova equiped with bead sights. I'm personally a big fan of the ghost rings on the Nova. It's more accurate than I am even with cheap Walmart bulk pack slugs.