Semi-automatic shotguns have come a long way during the past two decades, especially in their self-defense and tactical forms. But despite the fact that many good self-loading shotguns are available on the market, there are still those who prefer the simplicity, affordability and unquestionable reliability of the classic, manually operated pump-action shotgun. While Benelli’s M4 is considered to be one of the best semi-automatic defensive shotguns on the market, the company also makes its Nova pump shotguns in tactical form. Earlier this year, it released the “third generation” Nova, a shotgun that showcases not only Benelli’s commitment to the “price-conscious, performance-minded” focus of the Nova line, but also a change in how the firm manufactures its shotguns to meet customers’ demands.
Benelli originally introduced its Nova pump-action shotgun in 1999. The new guns were a radical departure for the company for two reasons. First, they were the first pump-action model from a brand known for its semi-automatic designs. Second, the new firearms used a steel chassis with a “Rilsan Technopolymer” overmolded receiver that also incorporated the shotgun’s buttstock as a single unit. In 2005, the SuperNova was introduced, which was chambered for shells up to 3 1/2" and had a separate receiver and stock. Both models offered a reliable, yet affordable, entry into the world of Benelli shotguns and have been among the company’s most popular products.
The Nova 3’s design recognizes two important facts. First, a shotgun that can chamber 3 1/2" shells is not necessary for self-defense. Not only are there no 3 1/2" magnums specifically designed for defensive purposes, but most experts concede that the standard 2 3/4" 12-ga. shell offers more than adequate performance with many good options on the market. By chambering the Nova 3 for a maximum 3" shell, Benelli was able to reduce the overall length of the gun’s action, which shortens the operating stroke by 14 percent compared to the SuperNova. This means that the Nova 3’s manual action can be cycled faster.
Second, during the past 25 years, polymer technology has improved to the point that the Nova 3’s entire receiver can now be made of it, without the molded-in metal chassis. The bolt rides along a polymer rail. Like handguns and rifles, shotgun frames have been made of aluminum alloy for decades and are now made of polymer, too. Because the bolt locks into a barrel extension, the parts of the action that take the stress of firing are made of steel, allowing for the receiver material to be lighter. Benelli also uses polymer in other areas to save weight, including the protective wings around the rear sight (the front sight protectors are steel), which combine to shave 1 lb., 11 ozs., off the weight of the Nova 3 compared to a SuperNova in similar configuration. This results in one of the lightest 12-ga. defensive pump shotguns on the market at less than 6 lbs.
The Nova 3 receiver, which Benelli calls Poly-Mod, is not entirely devoid of steel. There is a steel insert in the top of the receiver that serves as the anchor point for optics-mounting screws. The ejector is steel, as well as two metal pins that reinforce the portion of the receiver where the barrel mounts. Finally, the steel magazine tube mounts into a metal block, which also contains the shotgun’s serial number, that is molded into the lower front of the receiver. Like the original Nova, the Nova 3 uses a one-piece receiver and stock.
Generation-three updates to the Nova extend beyond the receiver. They include a re-designed stock and fore-end, which use an improved texturing Benelli calls the Ergo-Evolved Diamond Grip. The trigger guard is re-contoured with its opening enlarged for use with gloves, and the loading port has been enlarged and beveled to aid in shell insertion. While the overall length of the shotgun’s action is shorter, the ejection port has been enlarged. The Nova 3 also integrates design features borrowed from the company’s legendary M4, including the two-lug bolt and the barrel construction method.
The Nova 3 has many features that will be familiar to Benelli shotgun owners. Like the other Novas, there are quick-detachable sling mounts on the barrel-support ring and on the buttstock. The Nova 3 Tactical models add a QD spigot on both sides of the buttstock. Controls will also be familiar to any Benelli user. The bolt release, located in front of the trigger guard, doubles as a cocking indicator by extending out farther and exposing a red dot when the hammer is cocked and the action is locked. A crossbolt safety is positioned in the front of the trigger guard and pushes to the right to block the trigger.
Missing from the new Nova 3 are some of the bells and whistles that make other Benellis pricier. The stock does not have a replaceable comb, adjustable cast and drop spacers or any recoil-reducing devices. As the receiver and buttstock are one piece, this means the owner is basically stuck with the Nova 3’s stock proportions and fit, although Benelli does offer three recoil-pad thicknesses—low, medium and high (medium is installed from the factory)—to slightly alter the shotgun’s length of pull.
The Nova 3 includes a magazine-cut-off feature that was first introduced with the original Nova. It is activated by a button located on the fore-end that can be engaged to prevent the next shell in the magazine from being fed onto the carrier when the action is cycled. This system has three valuable uses: First, it allows for easy “+1” loading without having to load the chamber initially and then load the magazine tube with a round in the chamber. Second, the loaded shotgun can be made “cruiser ready” by removing the chambered shell, while leaving the magazine tube loaded. Finally, it allows the user to easily swap types of shells by removing the chambered shell and manually “port loading” another. For example, a round of buckshot can be removed from the chamber and a slug inserted when the situation necessitates it.
Like the original Nova and SuperNova, the Nova 3 is offered in both self-defense and sporting models. Nova 3 Tactical models are available in five different configurations. All are equipped with adjustable ghost-ring sights, similar to the ones offered on other Benelli shotguns, and have 18.5" barrels. Like all Nova 3 shotguns, receivers are drilled and tapped for the mounting of optics (the pattern of the mounting screws is proprietary to the Nova 3). Tactical models are available with either an all-black or MultiCam camouflage finish.
The basic Nova 3 Defense model, with a four-shot magazine, fixed cylinder bore, all-black finish and no M-Lok slots on the fore-end or QD spigots in the buttstock, is the most affordable shotgun in Benelli’s lineup, with an MSRP of $579 (about 1/4 the price of the company’s top-of-the-line M4). The next step up adds M-Lok attachment points, QD mounts and a fixed, modified choke for $699. The model I tested (21505) has the previously mentioned features, plus a black MultiCam finish, and retails for $799.
The Nova 3 marks a new approach for Benelli’s manufacturing process, as certain models in the lineup are assembled in the United States from American- and Italian-made components. Such developments stem from 18 U.S. Code § 922, which prohibits the importation of firearms “not being particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes.” While the law specifically applies to semi-automatic rifles, its vague wording adds the category “any shotguns.” This is interpreted by most manufacturers to mean that no shotgun, regardless of action type, can be imported that has “non-sporting” features such as a folding stock or magazine that holds more than five rounds.
With many firearms, manufacturers achieve compliance with 922(r) by importing certain components from outside the United States and then assembling them in this country with a specific number of American-made parts to build a gun in a configuration that would not have been importable as a complete firearm for sale to civilians. The law states that a firearm can contain no more than 10 imported parts from a specific list. Many Benelli owners are familiar with 922(r) compliance.
The company’s famed M4 shotgun, a version of the U.S. military’s M1014, has only been offered to civilians with a fixed version of the company’s telescoping stock and an extended magazine that is limited to five rounds. To add unrestricted parts to an imported shotgun, several of its components must be replaced with American-made parts. In the case of a shotgun with a capacity of more than five rounds and a conventional stock, two parts must be replaced. To make similarly specific models of the Nova 3 with a seven-round capacity, they are assembled with a U.S.-made trigger and magazine follower.
Benelli offers two 922(r)-compliant models of the Nova 3 Tactical that feature a seven-round magazine, making them the first shotguns with capacities of greater than five rounds that Benelli USA has officially offered on the American civilian market. These two models also come with a factory-installed optics rail, Benelli’s Mobil-pattern screw-in choke system with a modified choke included and have an MSRP of $799 for the all-black finish and $899 for the MultiCam finish.
On the range, I ran the Nova 3 Tactical through our standard shotgun protocol to test function and pattern. The test model had a fixed, modified choke that put all of its pellets within a 21" circle at 25 yards, with the bulk of the pattern clustering within a 15" circle. The fully adjustable sights (the rear is click-adjustable for windage and elevation and the front can be loosened and moved laterally to adjust windage) allowed for the point of aim to be precisely regulated with the center of the shotgun’s pattern. Front and rear sights with tritium inserts are available as accessories.
An unloaded 5-lb., 15-oz., weight may give some pause before taking the 12-ga. Nova 3 Tactical to the range and running heavy defensive loads through it, but the shotgun’s recoil is surprisingly manageable, even firing magnum shells from a bench rest during testing. This can be attributed to the design of the buttstock’s comb and its full pistol grip, a dense rubber recoil pad, and the natural “flex” in the polymer receiver, which helps absorb and control recoil forces. The Nova 3’s trigger has a slight take-up, followed by a little creep before breaking. It definitely needs to be pulled rather than pressed; while this might hamper accuracy with slugs at longer ranges, it does not affect placing shot loads center mass at self-defense distances. Like sporting shotguns, the light weight of the Nova 3 Tactical allows for fast transitions between targets, especially in the four-shot models. Aided by the force of the firing-pin spring that assists the rotation of the bolt head as it unlocks and the shorter action stroke, applying a little rearward pressure on the fore-end when firing results in an extremely quick cycling time.
The new stock and fore-end texturing is grippy without being abrasive; it keeps the light gun firmly planted when firing but isn’t hard on the hands throughout an extended range session. All controls are intuitive, with both the safety and bolt release reachable from a shooting grip for a right-handed shooter. My only complaint—the MultiCam finish on the polymer components tended to scuff easily.
The Nova 3 disassembles easily for cleaning and maintenance. A protrusion on the magazine cap can be used to push out the two pins that hold the trigger guard in the receiver. With the trigger group removed, the action bars can be disengaged from the bolt so that the fore-end can be removed from the magazine tube. Then the bolt assembly can be taken out from the receiver. A single pin retains the firing pin and its spring. The magazine spring does not need to be taken out for normal maintenance, but a pair of snap ring pliers are required to remove the spring retainer from the front of the magazine tube before the spring can come out.
Although the original Nova remains in the catalog chambered in 20 gauge in sporting configurations, these models could eventually be replaced by the Nova 3.
With the Nova 3, Benelli displays its willingness to continually refine even its most successful products, resulting in a lineup that provides reliable shotguns in a variety of action types and configurations, across a broad range of price points. With the new 922(r)-compliant models, the company is also offering its customers the firearm they need right out of the box. The Nova 3 Tactical is a shotgun that combines modern features needed for self-defense with the simplicity and affordability of a traditional pump-action scattergun.
