Whether it be on your shoulder or on your belt, guns get heavy quickly. As I write these words, I think of the upland bird hunts that would have lasted longer if I had a shotgun that was more comfortable to carry. On the same note, I might have had a few more of the faster-flying quail in the bag if I had been able to swing the gun a little quicker and a little sooner. Benelli addressed this need in 1999 with its pump-action Nova by substituting much of the hardwood and steel used to comprise a traditional receiver and stock with polymer. The resultant product was inherently less expensive without making any concessions to quality. To that end, it became a favorite for hunters and sport shooters alike, as it was effortless to tote and incredibly reliable. With much happening in the field of polymers over the past 25-plus years, Benelli’s engineers saw it fit to hone the design further, giving us the Nova 3 series. This new family of scatterguns builds on the legacy of its predecessor with refined ergonomics, better comfort and faster handling than ever before.
So, let’s begin by addressing the elephant in the room: What happened to the Nova 2? While there appears to be a gap in the catalog, some might consider the 3½-inch SuperNova to be the No. 2 in the Nova series, making this new upgraded 3-inch Nova the third, thus the Nova 3 moniker. The bottom line is you haven’t missed anything.
As previously mentioned, the Nova 3 retains the polymer-based stock/receiver combo that made the original so popular, except now it limits the steel inserts to roughly just the top of the receiver to ensure positive optic mounting, if you wish. It’s able to do this because the rotating steel bolt locks into the barrel, as opposed to the polymer parts, much like the company’s semi-auto M4. This configuration takes up nearly all of the stress of firing. In a hunting firearm, particularly one that might be directly subjected to water, the more poly, the better, as it doesn’t rust and the only maintenance it requires is a cloth wipe down. The trigger guard and fore-end are also polymer, putting more of this material where it’s needed.
Polymer is rather easy to work with, as imparting texture and contour features is as simple as building them into the mold. In this case, we’ll find deep grooves and tire-tread-like stippling on both the grip and fore-end, helping to ensure a secure purchase, even with gloves or dampened hands. Likewise, polymer accepts finishes exceptionally well with the Nova 3 being available in two different camouflage patterns, or a simple matte black. If you are looking to match the rest of your kit, one of the standardized camos is the way to go; otherwise, the latter is the perfect base for a hillbilly-sheik scattergun; just add rattle can.
Although the Nova 3 might be unorthodox in construction, the controls will be familiar to nearly anybody who’s used a pump-action shotgun before. The trigger sits in a squared trigger guard with a crossbolt safety placed toward the front. Just forward of that is the action release, which sweeps upward into the receiver. The last control is unique and far more common on autoloading shotguns, and that is the shell interrupter located on the fore-end itself. Pressing this button while cycling stops the feeding of shells from the magazine. This is handy when several species are in season and you need to change ammo types in a hurry.
Benelli ships these with the barrel detached, which is also a terrific way to get them to and from the field. Assembly requires nothing more than slipping the barrel into the receiver and tightening down the detent-locking end cap. A word of caution, it does ship with a hunting plug installed, so if you wish to reach the full 4+1 capacity, you’ll need to pull the magazine spring retaining ring and remove it before attaching the barrel. Putting it all together, I realized that I was sent the longer 28-inch-barreled version, which is typically my preference, so I was happy. Intended for wingshooting, said barrel is topped with a ventilated rib and finished with a red fiber-optic bead. No rear or mid-barrel aiming device is present. The entire firearm was clad in Realtree Max-7, which all but disappears in the duck marsh. Coupled with its inherent resistance to moisture, this makes it a perfect gun for waterfowl.
Before taking it to the range, I stuffed my bag with Federal’s High Velocity Upland load, simply because I had so much of it on hand. Sure, a gun dressed up in Max-7 is likely going to digest more steel duck ammo than lead pheasant loads, but I’m more interested in using this gun for endurance hunts, as opposed to a leisurely sit in a blind. Putting my first patterns on paper reminded me why it pays to spend a little more and get a Benelli, as my pellets couldn’t be any more centered. Working with the modified choke, my 40-yard patterns were roughly 24 inches in diameter without any gaps large enough for even a dove to slip through. This is excellent performance, making this a lethal combo for putting feathers in the air. Furthermore, I was able to pull an average of 1478 fps out of this ammo, which is only about 22 fps shy of what Federal advertises.
With the paperwork behind me, I began slinging clays with a Caldwell Claymore Solo to get an idea of how well the Nova 3 shouldered and swung. Admittedly, the length of pull was a touch long for me but standing at 5 feet, 7 inches tall, I have to accept that I am a little shorter than the average hunter, so I can’t criticize. More importantly, once it was in the pocket, it glided like it was on tracks. About two boxes in, I appreciated the redesigned recoil pad, which is a bit denser than its predecessor. This lefty also appreciates that it wasn’t beveled to bias right-handed operation, as what’s comfortable to a righty becomes a knife’s edge to a southpaw.
Finishing my day, I fired a trouble-free 75 rounds through the gun without a single malfunction. The dual action bars and widened loading and ejection ports played a major role in that, but these components can only complement a properly built shotgun. Overall, I found the Nova 3 to be an admirable improvement over the original, while retaining a comfortable price tag that keeps pace with many of the imports hitting our shores. So aside from being light on the shoulder, it’s also pretty light on the wallet.
Benelli Nova 3
- Type: pump-action shotgun
- Gauge/Chamber: 12 / 3"
- Capacity: 4+1
- Barrel: 26", 28" (tested); vent rib; interchangeable choke tubes
- Trigger: 7-lb., 11-oz. pull weight
- Sights: red fiber-optic front sight; drilled and tapped for scope mount
- Safety: cross-bolt
- Stock: synthetic; 14-1/8" LOP; 2-3/8" drop at heel; 1-3/8" drop at comb
- Metal Finish: Realtree Max-7 (tested), Mossy Oak Bottomland, matte black
- Overall Length: 49-1/2"
- Weight: 6 lbs., 11 ozs.
- Accessories: Benelli/Mobil choke tubes (IC, M, F), choke wrench
- MSRP: $629.99
- benelliusa.com
