Upgrade from 870 to Supernova worthwhile?

[Beer Ogre]

So... the "boss" says I can spend the tax return on a new gun (shockingly this was her idea, NOT mine).

I am a new hunter with only a single season of grouse hunting under my belt so far (but have had my PAL for about 12 years). I unfortunately have no family or close friends that hunt, so I am - for the most part - self-taught thus far. The 2011 hunting season mostly involved me bumbling around the trails solo and popping shots off at grouse with my Remington 870 Supermag while trying not to get lost!

Now, my first instinct when the missus bestowed this tax return bounty upon me was to purchase my first big game rifle... but then, like last year when I'd previously considered this very thing, reality kicked in. As I already mentioned, I have no family or close friends that hunt, which means the odds of a centre fire seeing much use under my ownership are still pretty slim at this point of my hunting career. This fact now has me wondering if maybe I should upgrade to a better 12 gauge instead?

I don't really have any complaints about my 870 express supermag, but there are some (admittedly not that important) features that the Supernova has that seem very nice to me. The question I pose to you is, would I find the upgrade worthwhile?

Little things that the Supernova has that my 870 doesn't (or the pros):

- I like the highly visible red bead.

- The fact that the gun has a second "mid bead" on it to assist with aiming seems huge to me. Here's why: I can't for the life of me shoot my 12 gauge with both eyes open. I close one eye, and "aim" with my dominant eye by lining up the closest edge (to my eye) of the vent rib and the bead at the end of my barrel. I KNOW this isn't how it is supposed to be done, but when I do this I almost always hit what I'm shooting at, be it bird or clay, so it works for me. I think that the additional mid-barrel bead would be ideal for me seeing as how I tend to aim my shotgun more like a rifle rather than just "point" it like most guys say I should....

- I like the little shell stop feature that allows you to eject the shell from the chamber without loading a new one from the tube. Is it a feature I'll personally use? Probably not, but if ever I do start hunting big game down the road, and I happened to come across something while out for grouse, I like that you could quickly eject the birdshot and toss a slug in its place for such a surprise scenario.

-My 870 has zero rust. BUT, I do find the finish looks kind of... cheap. I hear the Supernova has a better finish, but have not held one personally so don't know this to be fact...

The cons as I see them (or the niggling doubts):

- I already have a perfectly good 12 gauge that has served me well.
- Do I really need another 12 gauge?
- Is there enough of a difference between the 870 and the Supernova that I will be happy with the choice to "upgrade"?

I guess the point is, I'd like to see some thoughts that are both for and against this to help me make up my own mind. Thanks, all!

Oh, and should I end up buying a Supernova, I think it likely that I would still keep my 870 as a "backup" gun in case anybody was wondering.

 

[blasted_saber]

Get an 870 Wingmaster. Problem solved. Keep the handling and styling you already have with a much superior build, higher quality, and better fit and finish.

As for the bead, you can buy a Hi Viz sight for about $15 that just sticks to the rib right behind the current bead. Comes in a bunch of different colours

 

[subneural]

Yes.

I almost bought an 870. Went to the Supernova instead, and glad I did. The comfortech stock is a big bonus as well. I do everything from bust clays to harvest upland game, waterfowl, and deer with mine.

 

[Beer Ogre]

Get an 870 Wingmaster. Problem solved. Keep the handling and styling you already have with a much superior build, higher quality, and better fit and finish.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I would prefer a synthetic stock seeing as I hunt on foot slogging through the bush and would hate to scratch up a nice wooden stock.

Also, I've heard that the current wingmasters are no better than the express? Apparently the old wingmasters are gold, but the new ones are junk? Correct me if I'm wrong guys....

 

[Beer Ogre]

As for the bead, you can buy a Hi Viz sight for about $15 that just sticks to the rib right behind the current bead. Comes in a bunch of different colours

Sorry for the double post, missed this part. I actually did purchase such a sight, a tru-glow turkey-something-or-other that had both a rear and front sight BUT it requires that you remove the gun's front bead and then screw the new sight into its place.... I guess on some guns the bead must just screw off? Mine doesn't... Got the sights through mail order, so kind of just stuck with them now...

 

[-Doug-]

Hey when buying my first shotgun I was debating between the 870 and the nova. Here are some questions and comments you should think about before buying the nova.

Why a 12ga for Grouse?
-I started off hunting grouse with a 12 but switched to a 20ga 870 due to it being lighter, easier to swing around, less pellets hitting the bird and it still has ample killing power for a grouse

Can you modify your current gun?
-you mentioned how you like the high visibility sights on the nova and the one in the middle, you could just replace the ones on your gun to make it like this

Have you held/fired a nova?
-At first I was all for the nova however after picking it up and working the slide I found that I liked the 870 significantly more. Pick one up, swing it around a bit, see how you shoulder it and get the general feel of the gun.

Shell Stopper Feature
-If all you want it for is to pop in a slug you can do without it. Say you have your 870 and you want to quickly switch to a slug, slam your slide back, your shell will eject then throw a slug in before racking it forward again.

My personal thoughts about the upgrade

I honestly don't see the point in it based on what you have said above. If your gonna spend the money on a new gun I wouldn't buy another 12ga pump, I would get a 20 for grouse and it would be an 870. In my personal opinion and I know many will argue against it, I think that the nova costs too much for what it is. Parts such as barrels are very expensive for the novas and hard to come by. While on the other hand you can pretty much go to any gun store and they will have a ton of 870 parts. Now you may say "I don't plan on upgrading or modifying it" I did as well however having gotten so comfortable using it for grouse I now bought a rifled barrel and red dot to slap on it for deer season. I think your money would be much better spent on a 20ga 870 than a 12ga nova for grouse.

That's just my thoughts, hope it helps

 

[Beer Ogre]

Why a 12ga for Grouse?

Well, I originally got it for shooting at clays with a co-worker from an old job (unofficial redneck style in sandpits)

Since I already had it, and was comfortable with it, I starting using it for grouse. I just aim for the head and use a modified choke. So far I haven't blasted any birds in such a way to make them unedible... so far...

Can you modify your current gun?
-you mentioned how you like the high visibility sights on the nova and the one in the middle, you could just replace the ones on your gun to make it like this

Well, I did order a set of sights in. But as I mentioned, once they arrived I discovered that they required that the front bead of a shotgun be removed and then the new front sight gets screwed into its place. The bead on my Supermag does not just screw off unfortunately... When I inquired about this with a gunsmith, he said he would try to do it but wouldn't guarantee anything and that I could end up with a gun with no front bead at all! I was shocked... I guess because the current bead would need to be cut off and then a hole drilled and threaded into the rib to allow the new sight to mount maybe? In any case, he scared me off the idea.

Have you held/fired a nova?

No, I haven't. I figured since both it and my supermag are chambered for the 3.5 shells that they would be similar in regards to the distance that they need to be pumped. Firing one is not an option since I don't know anybody that has one...

think your money would be much better spent on a 20ga 870 than a 12ga nova for grouse.

That's just my thoughts, hope it helps

It does help, thank you! As for the 20 gauge I hadn't really considered it to be honest. I seem to be comfortable hunting the forest chickens with a 12 gauge so just figured I would stick with that...

God, I just don't know now. I darn well have to buy something! If I turn down the opportunity the wifey has provided me with here it may well never happen again!!!

So... it looks like the choices are buy a 12 gauge that I don't particularly need, or buy a rifle that may not get used for years to come... Well, I will have to decide on something! Because I am NOT looking that gifthorse in the mouth! When the lady says "buy a gun" you better do it! haha.

 

[metcalfe]

Do any other shotgun types interest you?
Maybe a break-action, or a semi...

I like my 870 a lot, and wouldn't bother getting any other pump.
I do want one of every type though!

If you want me to spend your money, I have really good taste... (I dream about this one)

Fabarm P.S.S. 10

 

[Beer Ogre]

Thanks for all the input, guys.

In case anybody was wondering about the final decision, I ended up deciding "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

So, my 870 remains my sole shotty and today I drove down to Ellwood Epp's where I purchased a Remington 7600 pump rifle in 30-06. While there I also grabbed a remington shurshot stock to try out on my 870 supermag.

Thanks again.