Super Nova not ejecting

[prharding]

Hi all,

I have a fairly new Super Nova that isn't ejecting shells. The story is I put a few rounds through it mostly to make sure everything worked - it seemed fine. I took it apart to clean it good and cycled a few rounds through without firing just to make sure I assembled it correctly and didn't miss anything. It loaded shells perfectly but when I went to unload it every 3rd shell or so (sometimes more frequently) would not eject but just fall back down and if it was the last shell it would load back into the chamber, or if there were more shells it would jam.
I called Customer Service and they said that this was not that odd if I was not firing the gun. This sounded odd since no other gun I have ever shot has done this.

I have inspected everything as much as I can and everything is in the right place.

Has anyone else experienced this at all?

[AndyUK]

Hi PR Harding

I saw your post earlier but it's only now that I've had the opportunity to strip down my own SN and think things through.

First off, I tend to agree with Benelli CS; if you are taking a live round from the chamber you want it to just drop out in your hand whereas, if you've just fired your first shot at a pair of rapidly departing pheasants, you'd like the empty case to eject smartly, permitting you to rack another shell into the breech and demonstrate your nimrod-like skills to your shooting partners!

If you are not in a position to try shooting a few shells and seeing how they eject, how about loading an EMPTY case (it is empty isn't it?) and then racking the action open smartly. If the case leaves the scene with great haste, problem solved. If it hangs up, or is a little lethargic then, have a look at the pics. below:

The extractor claw should have a similar profile to this one and a strong spring action (check yours). Apologies for the 'soft focus' - the depth of field is a little shallow and the bolt face is in focus.



Then, look at the second pic. Are both the ejector and ejector spring present and undamaged? You wouldn't normally strip these out so, just give it a visual inspection.



If there are problems with either then that is probably the answer and your best bet will be to head off to your Benelli dealer, to remedy the situation.

If everything looks OK, it may be that you have some slightly distorted cartridge cases or ones which don't quite like your gun - sometimes the rim profile of a shell case is a mis-match with the extractor and that is sufficient to cause a 'hiccup' so, try some different rim profile shells.

Lastly, and I hesitate to say it, but maybe you just need to rack open the action more VIGOROUSLY!!

Hope this helps

Andy UK

[prharding]

Hi Andy,
Thanks for the reply and the detailed photos. I had a chance to fire off a few rounds yesterday and had no problems with jamming, which was good. So since that had worked I tried to load and unload some live rounds, and instantly had the same problem. Only about 1 in 4 times did the shell eject, the other times it dropped back onto the carrier support. I cannot imagine that this is the proper way for it to function. I could see the potential for someone not paying attention to how many shells ejected and leave the gun loaded when they thought it was unloaded. Maybe that is how it is supposed to work - I just looked in the manual and it actually talks about tipping the gun to let the shell fall out (implying that it won't eject out). It just seems strange to me since every other pump I've owned or used kicked the shells out when you unload them.

Thanks again!

Paul

[CH/QuakerBoyProstaff]

Andy, that bolt has been cleaned since that photo was taken, right? lol

[AndyUK]

Hi Chad,

Sorry about the dirty bolt! Actually, the Benelli surface finish and design make these things really easy to keep clean.


Paul,

I think that you are allowing your experience of other guns to 'colour' your view of the SuperNova. It is designed to work in the way that you have experienced it. The loaded round dropping back into the action is usually solved by tipping the action, as you have already observed.

Obviously, this is not a safety issue providing that one checks that the chamber and magazine are empty. One just need to take account of the fact that tubular magazine guns are notoriously unforgiving when it comes to undertaking safety drills.

Shoot safely and enjoy your Benelli.

Kind regards

Andy

[CH/QuakerBoyProstaff]

I was just havin some fun with you.
Those pics are really cool. That's going the extra mile to help someone.Keep it up!

[LabradorGuy]

Andy, I've been using my Nova fairly extensively and I never have to tip my gun to eject live rounds. As a matter of fact, the gun sends them flying so vigorously I get nervous when a live round leaps out of reach and lands on the ground. (I have visions of sharp little rock banging the primer). I know the SuperNova is a little different from the Nova, but I thought the loading/ejection mechanism is the same. I can't help but think that Prharding has a glitch in his gun. What he's describing does not match up with my gun at all.

[AndyUK]

Yes Chad, I now you were only joking - so was I. In fact I've started licking my gun clean. The psychiatrist says it's OK (WARNING:English joke)

Labrador Guy,

As the gentleman says, he's not had a problem ejecting empties. Personally, I wouldn't be that concerned. Funnily enough, the only time I used a Nova was on an indoor range and when I 'showed clear' to the (German) range officer, I ended up hitting him in the tender bits with an ejected 2.3/4" slug! So, if your Nova is kicking live 'uns out with such force you may have to get your shooting buddies some hard hats and safety glasses!

Actually, you've got me thinking and I may take up a selection of 2.3/4", 3" and 3.1/2" shells next time I'm at the range, just to see if it makes a difference to the ejection pattern.

Regards

Andy

[CH/QuakerBoyProstaff]

Andy, what is the availibility of places to shoot over there?Also, how accessable is hunting for the average person?I always wondered what the outdoor lifestyle was like there.

[AndyUK]

Historically, shooting game has been something of an elitist pastime in the UK however, the picture has changed dramatically in the last fifty or sixty years.

Considering that we are such a small, densely populated island, the opportunity to shoot small and large game, wildfowl and vermin is substantial, providing that one is prepared to pay!

We have the following deer species available: Red, Fallow, Sika, Roe, Chinese Water Deer (CWD) and Muntjac. We also have a small but growing population of Wild Boar plus, in Scotland, wild goat and Soay sheep. Since the banning of hunting foxes with dogs came in to effect, hunting foxes with increasingly sophisticated centrefire rifles fitted with sound moderators and lamps or night-vision 'scopes is becoming ever more popular.

Shooting small game and vermin with rimfire and centrefire rifles and more commonly, with shotguns is also popular. Membership of national bodies such as BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation - www.basc.org.uk is a good starting point, especially since they offer insurance and a wide variety of training courses).

Claypigeon shooting, especially the 'sporting clays' events is very popular and there are a number of clubs which one can join in order to take up target shooting with rifles or blackpowder pistols (cartridge firing pistols are virtually illegal, they were banned ten years ago).

Visitors from EU member states can obtain something called an EFP - European Firearms Pass and can then travel within the EU quite easily although the UK requires a Visitors Permit in addition to the EFP. No-EU nationals require the Visitors Permit which is 'sponsored' by the shoot competition organiser or sporting shoot organiser.

Remember though, that successive UK governments and the media have portrayed shooting in a very bad light and most shooters keep a very low profile both for reason of security and to reduce the risk of being verbally and physically attacked by a very strident population of 'antis'.

Hope this quick and dirty over view is helpful. I can PM you with additional details, if required.

Regards

Andy