choke tubes from widest open to tightest: cylinder bore, improved cylinder, modified, full, extra full, xx full and then there are after market chokes for special purposes (primarily turkey or buckshot). they give your gun different shot patterns for different loads/distances and can give your short barrel shooting characteristics like a longer barreled one. I would recommend a brand where buying a 2nd or 3rd barrel is avail and not too expensive (mossberg,remington). a short 20" smoothbore bbl with chokes for hogs turkey, a 24" rifled bbl for sabot slugs (with or without a scope), a 28" smoothbore with chokes for trap/ducks geese, a 24" smooth bore with a good selection of chokes can handle a good range of hunting situations, from birdshot to buckshot to rifled slugs. a combo pack shotgun that comes with 2 different bbl's is a good option. I would choose a 24" smoothbore with chokes and a 28" vent rib with chokes or a 24" rifled bbl. avoid the 18" smoothbore bbl without chokes, it is good for home defense but that's about it. benelli makes good guns especially the auto loaders but extra bbl,s and stock options are limited and expensive. 450$ for a nova sounds a little steep to me. I would seriously look at a used older mdl 870 (better quality than those made today) and spend the money saved on an extra bbl or 2. the old saying "buy in haste repent in leisure" holds true. don't be in a hurry, do your homework and get something you will be happy with for a long time to come. I've found if you buy good quality/what you really want, a few extra hundred $ now may seem like a big deal but spread it out over 20-30 years you could be using it for, it's worth every extra penny. JMO
For $450 I'd sell that Remmy 870 Wingmaster Magnum 12 Gauge 3" w/Cantalever Rifled Slug Barrel with Camo stock I have pictured in this thread and you'd have twice the gun. All you'd have to do is buy another Barrel for $200-250, maybe a 28" Vent Rib with screw-in chokes for birds, turkey and water fowl and you wouldn't need another shotgun. Only reason I'd consider selling it is because I am wanting a Remington Synthetic 1187 Semi Auto in 20 Gauge with Cantalever Rifled Slug Barrel and they run around $600-700. One must go if I'm to get another. PM me if you are interested.
the 710 and 770, which is an entirely different firearm meant to compete with the lower end market...
If someone offered me either one for free, I would decline the offer
Couldn't agree more,
My son's 710 has worked flawless since I got it for him. Had my smith lighten the trigger. :proud
