Gear Reviews- Shotgun

I like to travel light. I'm not the guy who has a dozen calls in his vest or a Double-Bull Matrix 360 on his shoulder. I'm not a run-and-gun kind of hunter, but I hate the long, lonely walk back to the pickup when I'm carrying too much gear.

I want to use this topic- specifically the comments section- for you to share reviews of the gear you already own. That way, everyone who reads this will have a better idea of what to get next time and what to stay away from. And, according to my wife, I'll know what to add to my Cabela's wishlist.

There's no need to go through the whole closet at once, so today let's talk shotguns. I am a shotgunner. I will, eventually, add a post about archery for those of you who are bowhunters. I won't get too involved in that conversation. Bowhunting looks like a load of fun, but I'm a big fan of gunpowder- one of the best inventions ever as far as I'm concerned.

My shotgun is a Benelli Nova 12 gauge with BSA green dot. I bought this shotgun prior to the 2007 spring season. Previously, I had been using a side-side 12 gauge which was cumbersome and inaccurate. My other shotgun- my #1- is a Remington 870 Wingmaster. I never really liked the idea of beating up a nice, pretty gun by taking it turkey hunting. My brother beat the crap out of a good-looking Browning BPS by using it in the turkey woods.

The gun shop in Seneca had Novas on sale last winter, so I bought one and decided to add a green dot to it. I figured that would be all I'd need. Wrong. If you buy a Nova, or any other light synthetic, and/or you plan on shooting 3-1/2 inch high-velocity turkey loads, you're going to want to invest in a Limb Saver recoil pad. I went out to pattern my gun without a limb-saver last March and I came home with a bruise on my shoulder that looked like Georgia.

In addition to the limb saver, I added an aftermarket turkey choke. I bought a Carlson's choke from Cabela's in super-full. I don't have any problems with the choke. It does it's job.

Bottom line- hits and misses of the Benelli Nova 12 gauge.

Hits-

Price. I paid around $340.
Chamber. Rarely do you find a gun that will chamber anything from 2-3/4'" to 3-1/2" shells.
Limb Saver recoil pad. Unless you want to deal with the long-term health risks associated with beating your shoulder with the back end of a turkey cannon.
Green Dot. I paid about $25 for this thing. It's low end, but I'm shooting at 30-yards and in. It makes the shot easy. Put the dot on the bird's head and squeeze the trigger.
Weight. A light gun that is easy to carry in and out of the field.

Misses-
Kick. This is the most painful-to-shoot gun I have ever fired, and that includes an M60 Machine Gun from the shoulder position.
Trigger. The trigger requires about the same amount of force as a steel door.
Pump. Not only is the trigger hard, the pump is tight.
Green Dot Mount. I had to buy a $45 mounting bracket from B-Square to mount my $25 green dot scope.

Tell us about your gun? What do you like/dislike?