The ol' Mossberg was giving up the ghost, so I popped into the local Cabelas to look at the Benelli Nova. At 399 they were about 50 bucks under the other Benelli dealers in the area and I had a 50 dollar gift cert. so it just seemed logical. I asked the guy behind the counter what the difference was between a Nova and a SuperNova. He claimed the Super was chambered for 3.5" shells. I was holding the Nova and showed him that it was also chambered for 3.5 shells. He called over his manager who told me the Nova had a two lug rotating bolt. You guessed it so did the Nova. No one in the gun dept. knew the difference. Not knowing what I was getting for the extra 100 bucks I went with the Nova. Once home I compared all of the parts numbers on the list and found all matched for both guns except the stock. The Super has an adjustable stock. You would think they would have known that. I was told that the gun had a 10 year warranty but the booklet states it has a 5 year warranty. You would think they would have known that. I was told I would need to go on line to register the warranty but found that I needed to fill out a card and have the store, where purchased, stamp and sign it, then mail it in to Benelli. You would think they would have known that. It is almost an hour drive from where I live to the store. Today I made the trek only to be told by the same guy behind the counter that he had never heard of having to sign off on a warranty card. Upon asking to speak to the manager he told me that he was in an" all managers meeting" and not available. I was getting a little upset and he either sensed that or just wanted to get rid of me. In any case, he directed me to the" Customer Service Counter". No one there seemed to know what to do, so I indicated that I had driven an hour to get this taken care of and it might be wise to "interrupt" the managers meeting. So it seems the "Customer Service Manager" was not at the meeting and was summoned to the counter. It is now the third time I have explained what I am in need of. Finally she decided she should take my receipt and warranty card up to the meeting and ask the" General Manager" what should be done. She returned shortly and reported that the managers had never heard of having to sign off on a warranty card for Benelli. I guess people just buy them and don't register the warranty, although I find that hard to believe. The General Manager had signed the card and told the Customer Service Manager to tell me they have no stamp. I guess I'll just send it in and see what happens. Seems to me like if you are in business to sell firearms produced by a specific manufacturer, you should have a little better understanding of the arm itself and the terms of the warranty. I haven't written this many words in years. Enough Said--- BB
New shotgun....Cabelas???
- Thread starter badgerbob
- Start date
Not yet. I know several others with the same shotgun. They all like it pretty well. A couple have the Benelli automatic. Pretty pricey for me, I think it's up to 1800 bucks, depending which version you get. I have always been partial to pump shotguns. We get a little more weather and the ducks will be flying again, I'll try it then.AKaviator;2357 said:
mallardsx2
Veteran member
- Jul 8, 2015
- 3,815
- 3,011
I drank the coo-laid years ago and sold a couple of my guns to get an SBE II with "Comfort Tech" it was the rage among waterfowlers.
Right out of the box brand new SBE II from Cabelas
-The butt pad kept falling off the gun. I finally got pissed off and super glues it onto the stock.
-The gun literally rusted in the case before I could get home to clean it. (Never seen a gun rust that fast
-It kicked like a mule
- The bolt popped half open and I spent half of my time while hunting making sure it had rotated the whole way into battery
Cabelas wouldnt do anything about any of this and kept reverting me back to the Benelli Company.
I put up with this crap for a season then traded it for a Browning Gold Hunter.
I own Browning Gold Hunters - Silver Hunters- SuperX2s'
Having said all that, I have two friends that have the Nova and they love it.
Right out of the box brand new SBE II from Cabelas
-The butt pad kept falling off the gun. I finally got pissed off and super glues it onto the stock.
-The gun literally rusted in the case before I could get home to clean it. (Never seen a gun rust that fast
-It kicked like a mule
- The bolt popped half open and I spent half of my time while hunting making sure it had rotated the whole way into battery
Cabelas wouldnt do anything about any of this and kept reverting me back to the Benelli Company.
I put up with this crap for a season then traded it for a Browning Gold Hunter.
I own Browning Gold Hunters - Silver Hunters- SuperX2s'
Having said all that, I have two friends that have the Nova and they love it.
I like Benelli very much, having owned my left handed SBE since 2001.
Yep, does kick like a mule, but you get used to it. Super reliable.
Nephew had a Nova pump and loved it. He abused it and it just kept killing ducks. Imagine that.
Cabela's customer service story was strange. I have a buddy who works at corporate offices in Sidney...he and I were college roommates in late 80's. He and his wife have been with the company since the mid 80's. Lots has changed with Cabela's over the years.
Still great products, still great people. Hang in there.
Yep, does kick like a mule, but you get used to it. Super reliable.
Nephew had a Nova pump and loved it. He abused it and it just kept killing ducks. Imagine that.
Cabela's customer service story was strange. I have a buddy who works at corporate offices in Sidney...he and I were college roommates in late 80's. He and his wife have been with the company since the mid 80's. Lots has changed with Cabela's over the years.
Still great products, still great people. Hang in there.
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
While not commenting on your choice of guns, I do have some comments on Cabelas and other big box retailers. The sad fact is that these retailers don't really get many people who really know anything about what they are selling. Almost every time I got to one of these stores and ask about a certain product and details about it, the majority of answers are "I don't know" ask the boss/manage who generally is not there or busy. In the last couple of years I have bought a fish finder, gps, a couple of handguns and a sleeping bag. No one knew anything about the fishfinder or gps, I had to make several trips to the store after I had done my own research to actually pick one that met my needs.
Some of our local smaller retailers have some good sales people working there, most are retired older folks who have a lot of experience. Most of the young sales people are the ones that really are lacking in the experience and knowledge. Sad but true.
Some of our local smaller retailers have some good sales people working there, most are retired older folks who have a lot of experience. Most of the young sales people are the ones that really are lacking in the experience and knowledge. Sad but true.
Yup, it's just like when you go the the auto parts store and the kid behind the counter knows absolutely nothing about cars. Last time I was at the parts store I needed a new brake cylinder and the kid didn't know what it was and couldn't find one in the computer because he didn't know how to spell 'cylinder".
RJW
Member
good luck with your new gun, many happy days I hope.
even mom and pop owned places get nincompoops, cant be helped i guess, statistically half the people out there are below average in intelligence, bell curve and all that.
ive had the best luck at Sheels, they are the most professional with me.
even mom and pop owned places get nincompoops, cant be helped i guess, statistically half the people out there are below average in intelligence, bell curve and all that.
ive had the best luck at Sheels, they are the most professional with me.
Dang, I just realized that half of the people on this forum are smarter than the other half...and I don't know which half I'm in.
Last fall, I bought my 12-year old son a Benelli Nova compact in 20-gauge and he loves it. He made a very nice shot on a sharptail grouse his very first time out hunting. Sorry about your experience with the salespeople, but I hope you enjoy your Nova too!
Last fall, I bought my 12-year old son a Benelli Nova compact in 20-gauge and he loves it. He made a very nice shot on a sharptail grouse his very first time out hunting. Sorry about your experience with the salespeople, but I hope you enjoy your Nova too!
Hilltop
Veteran member
Fink
Veteran member
I bought an M2 2 seasons ago, have no use for a 3.5" gun.. The finish on these Benelli's is absolute trash. My gun would just look at water and start to rust. The first time I hunted with it, I put it back in its gun case, drove the 1 hour home, took it out of the case to wipe it down, and it had already really started rusting and pitting hard. I ended up getting it Cerakoted, cause I was afraid that after another season, I was gonna be left with a gun that had rusted to nothing.
You need to baby that gun, or it will rust away.. But, they do shoot nice.
Catahoula12
Very Active Member
I’ll have to give thumbs up to Scheels here in Colorado. I have found that their employees have been extra sharp about products carried. I have found myself there more often that the other two big named outdoor stores. Best to the new Benelli shotgun!
