I have a friend who has never Turkey hunted he wants me to take him out this year.
Anyway he has a Benelli Nova that he asked me to find a good choke/shell combo for him.
Of all the turkey guns that I have patterned through the years I have never shot a Nova. Any recommendations.
This was a couple of years ago...I have since traded my Supernova. Hope this helps. I am also gonna guess that the new Winchester Long Beard load 3.5" #6's would do VERY well in that Nova as well!!! These are all with a SumToy .650 :icon_thumright:
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/drum817/Patterns/Picture307-1.jpg) (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/drum817/media/Patterns/Picture307-1.jpg.html)
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/drum817/Patterns/Picture309.jpg) (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/drum817/media/Patterns/Picture309.jpg.html)
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/drum817/Patterns/Picture302.jpg) (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/drum817/media/Patterns/Picture302.jpg.html)
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/drum817/Patterns/Picture301.jpg) (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/drum817/media/Patterns/Picture301.jpg.html)
Jelly head, indian creek, pure gold, sumtoy. Pick one, and run some long beards if you want lead, or hevi 13 7s if you want HTL, and don't look back.
Quote from: drum817 on February 09, 2014, 06:49:37 PM
This was a couple of years ago...I have since traded my Supernova. Hope this helps. I am also gonna guess that the new Winchester Long Beard load 3.5" #6's would do VERY well in that Nova as well!!! These are all with a SumToy .650 :icon_thumright:
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/drum817/Patterns/Picture307-1.jpg) (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/drum817/media/Patterns/Picture307-1.jpg.html)
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/drum817/Patterns/Picture309.jpg) (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/drum817/media/Patterns/Picture309.jpg.html)
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/drum817/Patterns/Picture302.jpg) (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/drum817/media/Patterns/Picture302.jpg.html)
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t197/drum817/Patterns/Picture301.jpg) (http://s160.photobucket.com/user/drum817/media/Patterns/Picture301.jpg.html)
Thanks. Those are some good looking patterns right there.
Quote from: mikejd on February 09, 2014, 06:41:49 PM
I have a friend who has never Turkey hunted he wants me to take him out this year.
Anyway he has a Benelli Nova that he asked me to find a good choke/shell combo for him.
Of all the turkey guns that I have patterned through the years I have never shot a Nova. Any recommendations.
I've had a Benelli Nova for years. Currently, I only have the 24" barrel for it but over the years also had the 26" and a 28". Mine has a very slick action from years of shooting and an amazingly good trigger, the main weakness of that gun.
I've shot chokes from .640 to .675, various brands, with various designs. Several work well. The Hevi-13 choke is a good one and one that seems to work very well for a lot of my readers. I also like the SSX, JEB's, and Wright's in all Benelli models.
Probably the most important element is the shell. I'd recommend 3" Hevi-13 shells with 2 oz. of either #6 or #7 shot. They will do all that you need to cleanly kill a turkey at all ethical ranges.
Obviously, your friend will need to spend some time at the range, seeing just how that gun and whatever choke and shell you or he chooses works for him.
Thanks,
Clark
P.S. One thing to watch on the Nova is the forend starts back immediately after the shot, just like the Winchester pumps. It can really throw off your aim if you don't put a little forward pressure on the forend.
I've got a benelli nova with 26" barrel. I've had it ten years and the only choke I've shot in it is a kicks GT .660. I only shoot lead in this particular gun and choke. It turns in some really good patterns and has shot winchester shells of all lengths from 2.75 up to 3.5 and all shot sizes well. Double x, super x, and hi velocity. Patterns so good ill never part with it. It puts em down flat!! Only thing that keeps me from carrying it all season is the longer barrel on it. I hunt in the jungle pretty much most of the season since the 09' ice storm so i rotate it in and out now.
Them are some very nice patterns! The .650 Sumtoy throws one heck of a pattern in the small bore guns. And that .674 isn't any slouch either! Wow! :icon_thumright:
I shoot a Benelli SBE. When I shoot lead out of it (Winchester 3.5" number 5's) it was an awesome gun and killed turkey's like the hammer of Thor. Ran a Comp-N-Choke .655 then. Benelli's all have tight bores as compared to American guns. My current Choke is a non-ported MAD Choke tube (made by Indian Creek I think). It's a .660 and shoots everything well. Doesn't matter whether I run straight 7's, blends or Hevi-weight. They will all do well with good even patterns. I'm going to try that gun with some of the newer Longbeards as soon as it warms up.
PS. My SBE is a 50 yard gun with any of the HTL ammo I choose to shoot out of it. It's not a 60 yard gun, but that's fine. The longest shot I've ever taken was with that gun and blends and it was 53 yards and I thought it was about 45 (open field). Turkey was dead when I got there.