Pump Shotguns Benelli Nova, Remington 870 Express ...

[Pages:6]Pump Shotguns

Benelli Nova, Remington 870 Express, Mossberg 500

My intention is to recommend three base model shotguns which are the highest rated in the shotgun world at the current time. There are in hunting industry dozens of higher models of shotgun with more considerable improvements and upgrades which improve the overall efficiency of the gun but, in order to understand the actual quality of the gun you need to first look at the base model to understand if any higher model, from that manufacturer, will stand up to par. The guns recommended here are the base models of the best guns the industry has to offer. They are also good starter guns for anyone who is interested in taking up the hobby of recreational shooting.

First off, one need know what one is looking for in a shotgun and how important each feature is. The scale is from one to nine based on importance. Every person has different preferences as to how a gun should function, so the importance is in the fact that you should make certain that it fits your preferred feel and function. A scale of one to nine on each feature of the shotgun will be given based on how universal that particular feature can be for fitting most needs and overall no-fail function.

Trigger

9

Overall Fit

9

Pump action

8

Patterning/Choke tubes

8

Safety features

5

Barrel

2

Weight

8

After the essentials you will usually have to look at the extras and special features that are available to or come with each shotgun. Each company has come up with several innovations and frills for the guns that they manufacture. Seeing as each person has individual tastes as to what they like in shotgun or with their shotgun; each manufacturer has several ideas on how to improve the efficiency of their firearm. It always helps to see what else the gun is capable rather than just the normal cycling of rounds to help in making the decision which gun suits you.

Trigger

The trigger is one of the most important parts to any firearm. It must be solid enough to prevent accidental discharge but light enough that you can pull it at will without causing any side effects such as flinching from anticipation. The actual trigger configurations for each gun are slightly different but the overall feel for each is adequate for the gun.

The Benelli Nova has a good solid trigger without being too much of a hassle. They are rather stiff when you first buy them but after a hundred rounds or so the trigger is right where most would want it to be.

It performs without fail even when dirty it keeps right on going. It is a single assembly trigger and is easy to clean. It receives an 8.

The Remington 870 express has a stiff trigger but still pulls quite well. It continues to fire round after round and doesn't stop. The design is easy to clean but the assembly can be a bit confusing. It receives a 6.

Mossberg 500 is a very nicely operating trigger. The trigger has a soft pull with just enough resistance. It's simple and easy to clean with not too many parts. The trigger becomes smoother with use and some would say better. The trigger keeps firing and never fails. It receives a 7.

Overall Fit

The overall fit to the hunter is the most important thing in making certain you can make that shot. The fit is the comfort one feels when holding the gun. It has to do with the grip the forearm and the stock being held against the shoulder at a comfortable distance. The better the gun "fits" the hunter the more likely he will be able to aim and compensate for the moving target. The grips and stock make the gun all the more manageable for a hunter. The composition of the stock and forearm improve the grip as well as making the gun more durable. What you should be looking for is a stock that is strong and tough, and that you can easily hold to your shoulder while you aim. Synthetic stocks are known to be tougher than the traditional wood stocks while at the same time being lighter and more scratch resistant.

The Benelli Nova incorporates a polymer (synthetic) stock and lightweight receiver into a single unit for unsurpassed strength and weather resistance. It uses high-tech ergonomics, such as distinctive grooves on the pistol grip and fore-end in place of conventional checkering, improving the overall grip-ability. The butt of the stock is customizable with interchangeable pads so that you can alter the fit of the stock to your shoulder. This makes it so that it can fit anyone. It receives a 9.

The Remington 870 express is a traditional style shotgun with little difference from the models that were sold fifty years ago. Still, tradition dictates that there is nothing wrong with it. The base model comes with the traditional walnut wood stocks. The stocks come with the traditional wood checkering which improves grip and handling. The stock is not adjustable but the general sizing on the stocks fits most people quite well. The forearm features the regular checkering and grooved finger-holds. The overall fit for most people is quite comfortable. It receives an 8.

The Mossberg 500 is also a traditional style walnut stock and forearm with some differences in the forearm and butt-pad. The stock is the traditional one-size-fits-all which many find perfectly comfortable. The butt-pad is the ported soft rubber to help reduce kick when firing. The grip is the traditional checkering on the stock as well as the forearm. The forearm is however slightly smaller than the Remington and Benelli. Some prefer this though some like the feel of the Remington and Benelli's longer forearm. The grip and feel of the overall traditional stock and forearm are comfortable and improve manageability for most. It receives an 8.

Pump Action

The reason for the continuation of the pump action shotgun even though the semi-automatic was invented some ninety years ago is because the pump action has such a little margin for error. Even with out-of-round shells the pump action will continue to fire and eject as long as you can force the chamber open. Therefore the quality of the pump itself is one of the key items you must check when looking for a pump action shotgun. The features one should always look for in a shotgun is dual-action bars on both sides of the forearm which give it a stronger hold with less likely breaking or binding for a smoother action. From start to finish the action cycle should have no kinks, holds or binding and should just slide in and out in one smooth action. Any indication of such is an immediate failure. The shells should go in and come out without any hesitance from the gun.

The Benelli Nova has dual-action bars and rotary head locking lugs. The action is smooth and uncompromising in performance. Even out-of-round shells cycle through with little resistance. There is no show of binding as the action completes each shell cycle. Overall the pump action of the Benelli nova performs perfectly well for any type of shooter. It receives a 9

The Remington 870 express has dual-action bars and a clean sharp pump action with little resistance throughout each cycle. The pump-action itself is slightly shorter than that of the Nova making it a slightly quicker pump for those who may prefer that. The durability of the action holds up very well against punishment without hitch even with the more difficult out-of-round loads. It receives a 9

The Mossberg 500 is a solid action shotgun with dual-action bars and a single large breech locking lug. The action remains smooth and functional through the worst punishment and for that reason is why the US military uses them in their tactical operations. Through continual firing of rounds the gun never fails to load and reload. It receives a 9.

Patterning and Choke Tubes

Patterning is the basic shape that the pellets form as they leave the barrel. Normally they will form a reasonably shaped circle in the air. In some cases the circle can be a little lop-sided but that can depend greatly on the ammunition that you are firing. Most guns fire fairly even though without many problems though. The industry now has begun to make "chokes" which tighten or loosen the patterning of the shot making it more predictable and reliable to hit with any precision. The chokes that come with the gun now are just as important as the barrel especially if you are going to be switching between lead and steel shot for upland game and waterfowl. Most shotguns come with chokes for both but the patterning is essential.

The Benelli Nova features a 24-28 in. barrel length and comes stock with three chokes; one for lead shot two for steel. The patterning of the barrel is even and well placed mostly depending on the ammunition. There have been cases of gas escaping around the choke turning the inside and outside of the choke black but it doesn't seem to affect accuracy. Overall the Benelli patterning and choke systems are functional and proficient. It receives an 8.

The Remington 870 Express features a 26-28 inch barrel length and a single lead modified choke. The patterning of the choke is good though for most hunters it would be preferred to include a steel choke

for waterfowl. The choke performs well limiting the shot into good tight patterns and stands up well to punishment performing with understandable variances. It receives a 7.

The Mossberg 500 comes with a single accu-set choke. The choke performs well under all conditions and keeps patterning in a good circle. Once again it would be nicer if they included a waterfowl choke for those who also enjoy waterfowling . It really is a no frills system but works perfectly as long as you keep feeding it ammo. It receives a 7.

Safety Features

Safety features are an essential part of every gun. The safeties are part of the guns whole, making it possible for a gun to be handled without incident. Not all safety features are fool proof though. The safest gun, is an unloaded one, but then the gun is useless so there is always a margin for error. A gun is only safe in the hands of the educated which puts an important point on the tables of the manufacturers. Each shotgun that is made today comes with safety features. The positioning and function of the feature depends on the manufacture. Different companies prefer different safeties but most function in the same way. There are two safeties on any given pump shotgun. The first is the trigger safe/firing pin safe. It is either located as a button next to the trigger guard or on the back of the receiver in the form of a thumb switch. The other is an `action release' switch, (to release the action on a closed chamber) located somewhere near the trigger guard. Some companies though, have come up with other safety ideas though these models do not feature any of them stock. Preferences usually derive from how your hand best fits the features. Some find certain safety features unnecessarily hard to activate and/or deactivate. Safeties do not shape the firearm in anyway but they sure do make it easier or harder to use in a pinch. This is why safeties are an important part of buying a shotgun.

The Benelli Nova features a push-button safety on the front of the trigger guard next to the action release. These safety features are very accessible and make it much easier to a get at in a tight situation without tripping them on accident. It receives a 9

The Remington 870 express features a push-button safety on the back of the trigger guard. The action release is located on the front of the trigger guard making it easier to access than the safety button. This can give problems if your game suddenly pops up without warning and you can't reach the safety button. It receives a 7.

The Mossberg 500 features a thumb-switch safety on the back of the receiver. The action release is located on the rear of the trigger guard. Some may find this to be a little difficult to reach but really just takes some getting used to. The thumb switch is easily managed and ready in a pinch. It receives an 8.

Barrels

The barrel of the shotgun is the most important part because it is the main firing apparatus but, it is also the simplest part of the gun because it's just one long tube. The shot gun cannot work without its barrel and technology has made it very simple to manufacture these parts but, some barrels are better than others. Essentially the shotgun barrel is just one long smoothbore tube somewhere between 26 and 28

inches in length. There isn't too much you can do with it other than making it capable of holding larger cartridges, but that in and of itself is an important part if you enjoy waterfowl hunting. Because of the use of steel shot the lower density metal has to be used in lager calibers in order to retain sufficient momentum to kill and knock the fowl out of the sky. This has caused waterfowlers to prefer the larger 3 to 3 ? inch magnum cartridges. So, if waterfowl is a factor in hunting you definitely need to consider the shell capacity of the gun.

The Benelli Nova is capable of firing the 3 ? inch magnum cartridges. The barrel is a bit heavy but the gun is still very manageable and the gun is still well balanced. It receives an 8

The Remington 870 express is capable of firing the 3 inch magnum cartridges. The barrel is a good pointing and is easily managed. It receives an 8.

The Mossberg 500 is capable of firing the 3 inch magnum cartridges. The gun is a well handling and has a good solid mounted barrel which points true. It receives a 9

Weight

The weight of the shotgun is an important factor because carrying the gun and aiming it depends greatly on the weight which one is handling. The weight of a gun is an interesting factor now because of the advances in technology. The weight of the gun is important in that you want the gun to weigh enough while at the same time weighing as little as possible so that when you are hunting for upland game you don't have the desire to just drop you r gun and wait for the birds to come to you. A heavy gun can wear you out quickly as you march around through heavy brush but a light gun leaves you wanting for more as the full power of the cartridge kickback reaches your shoulder. There has to be a happy medium. Technology now is making guns light enough so that you don't feel like you are hauling around a concrete block on you shoulder but heavy enough so that it can take a sufficient amount of punishment and not die on you. What you should be looking for in a shotgun's weight is something that you can handle.

The Benelli Nova weighs in at 7.8 to 8 pounds. Its weight is well balance though it is a little heavier than the others and does wear you down a bit to carry it during upland game hunting. All in all it receives a 6 for weight.

The Remington 870 express weighs in at 7 ? to 7 ? pounds. It is lighter and a highly manageable gun when hauling it around. It is well balanced and points very well. It receives an 8

The Mossberg 500 weighs in at 7 ? to 7 ? pounds. It points well and is manageable in the field. The balance is excellent and the gun proves very tough under every condition. It receives a 9.

Conclusion

These three guns come highly recommended in any part of the world. They are they are both highly capable and well made American firearms. The overall rating for these three guns is Benelli Nova- 57, Remington 870 Express-53, and Mossberg 500-57 out of a possible 63. The most proven of the shotguns

that we have yet invented are the Benelli and the Mossberg and they have always stood apart when measured up. In concluding you would probably be most satisfied with the Benelli or the Mossberg which are normally the two highest rated in the industry. This concludes my shotgun recommendation.

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download