Benelli's new Nova 3 is the most innovative shotgun of the year. A unique one-piece, all-polymer stock and receiver makes it the lightest 12-gauge pump on the market. It's like a polymer pistol, except it’s a shotgun. I recently put this latest version of Benelli's affordable pump gun through it's paces on my local range. Here is my full review of the new Nova 3.
Benelli Nova 3 Specs
Length: 49”
Weight: 6 pounds, 9 ounces with 28-inch barrel
Barrel: 26- or28-inch barrels raised rib, small fiber-optic bead, old-style Beretta/Benelli chokes
Action: Pump
Trigger: 8 pounds, 12 ounces
Capacity: 4+1
Finish: Matte-blue barrels,
Stock: Black or camo
Chambering: 3-inch 12-gauge
Price: $529 black, $629 camo
Benelli Nova 3 Overview
Twenty-five years ago, Benelli introduced the Nova. It, too, had a one-piece stock and receiver, with a steel frame molded inside the receiver, and space-age styling, too. But now, Benelli says that advances in polymers made it possible for the Nova 3 to ditch the steel reinforcement, saving a pound or more of weight.
The result is a 12-gauge pump that weighs just over 6 ½-pounds. It shares the rotary bolt that made the original Nova cycle so smoothly, as well as the magazine cap with a disassembly punch on top and a cutoff button on the bottom of the forend. The 3-inch chamber means that this gun has a shorter stroke than the old Nova, too, making follow-up shots even faster. There is also an optics plate molded into the top of the receiver, and it is drilled and tapped in seven places, to accept any possible optic mount.
The gun looks like the original Nova with the same raised rib, long forend, and safety at the front of the trigger guard. It comes in black, with a matte-blue barrel or an overall camo finish. It features parallel indented strips in place of checkering in the pistol grip and forend. All told, it shares the space-age looks of the first Novas, but we’ve now had 25 years to get used to it.
Benelli Nova 3 Range Results
That the Nova 3 really is a 6 ½-pound 12-gauge gun is both good and bad. Weight savings in this gun come from the all-polymer stock and receiver, so it has a very strange, butt-light balance. And, being a light 12-gauge, you definitely feel it when this gun goes off. Recoil with target loads was noticeable; recoil with 3-inch steel loads was stout. The gun got me through a session on the skeet field and some pattern-testing without a malfunction.
Much as I like muzzle-heavy guns, this one felt odd in hand, and I didn’t mesh with it on the skeet field. It was slick to operate, and I do like a long forend that lets me take a choked-up grip. The bead is slightly bigger than the bead on my other Benellis, but it wasn’t obtrusive. The trigger, however, was heavy enough that even I noticed. It tripped my trigger gauge at an average of 8¾ pounds, which is 2¼ pounds more than the weight of the gun. This is way too heavy. At the minimum, a trigger pull weight should be less than the overall weight of the gun.
The gun shot to point of aim. I patterned it at 35 yards with hunting loads because I had an Improved Cylinder choke in the gun for skeet. With Boss Steel Reserve 3s it shot a very good 75-78% pattern at that range. There is nothing wrong with the way this gun shoots. I should note here that this gun makes use of the old-style chokes, not the new Crio chokes.
Final Thoughts on the Nova 3
Pros:
Lightweight
Smooth stroke
Cons:
Odd balance
Heavy trigger
The Nova 3 is a mixed bag. It is innovative. It is lightweight. And it cycles very smoothly. On the other hand, I felt like the gun sacrificed balance for weight reduction. The trigger was truly bad. It recoiled hard with hunting loads, which is not a surprise given the weight of the gun.
If Benelli addresses the trigger problem and makes a model with a 22- to 24-inch barrel, the Nova 3, given its mounting options for any optic, would make an outstanding turkey gun. For now, it is the lightest 12-gauge pump gun on the market, and if weight is your sole criteria for a shotgun, this one is for you.
