Winchester sxp defender or Benelli nova tactical?

[t16sugarbabe]

I'm trying to decide between the sxp defender or the nova tactical. Which is a better SG? It is only between these two guns so no Mossberg or Remington.

 

[rule303]

Between those two, the Winchester. Neither would be my first choice, or even second or third.

 

[Frostbite]

I bought the Winchester SXP Defender and I like it. Operation is really smooth, quiet and trouble free. It is very easy to disassemble for cleaning and reassemble. Every part seems solid to me. Nothing complicated in there. I value that.

I also tried a Nova my friend recently bought, not the tactical one, but still a Nova. It did not feel as solid in my hands and it rattles more when it is pumped. My friend prefers his Nova to my Defender and vice versa, so I guess they are both ok guns. Try to shoulder them, it might help you decide which one your prefer.

The Nova has a button that can be pressed so a shell is not taken from the magazine into the receiver when it is pumped. As a hunter, I think it is a nice feature which allows to swap ammo easily if needed, like if you want to insert a slug for a very big squirrel

The Defender definitely looks better

 

[Panzerschwein]

Like someone said above, this wouldn't be my first, second, third, fourth choice, the list goes on... BUT... if I HAD to pick one of these, I'd go Benelli. They make a good shotgun for the money.

 

[markpcola]

I am no expert by any stretch, but I am very happy with my Benelli Nova tactical. I used it last Christmas shooting trap with a large group of extended family, and it was a huge hit with everyone there.

 

[TomADC]

Don't know about the Defender but I'm going to buy the SXP Trap gun first of the year or sooner if I can find one, Leaning toward the 30" barrel.

 

[Louca]

Ditto the first paragraph of Frostbite's post.

 

[19-3Ben]

Not sure why rule and cool dill are knocking these guns. I have no experience with the Winchester SXP, although I have a decent amount of experience with its predecessor, the 1300. The 1300, compared very well to the 870 and Mossberg 500. It was smoother than either, and just as reliable in my experience.

I haven't owned a Nova, but have shot a friend's plenty. It was a solid dependable gun. For ergos, i preferred the winchester, remington, and Mossberg. But ergos are very very personal. It is a nice pump gun. I had thought that with a 3.5" chamber, i'd be more likely to short stroke, but I didn't have any problems at all.

If either of those choices were all i had to defend my home, I'd feel well protected.