I own a Nova nd have used 870's. The question of fit is a big one here. At 6" 3 and with long arms, the Nova is defitely the more comfortable gun for me. I have never had problems with it, and I have treated it like an anchor. I use it for geese and eider duck hunting. It works well for that, but I would never use it for deer or turkey...it rattles too much. It does have a very long pumo slide, so longer arms are better for it. It is not a good looking gun in my opinion, but I would take it over the 870 any day (I love their rifles, but I cannot warm up to Remington shotguns...and I own 2). By the way, the Nova will rust...the barrel is made of cheap steel, so grease it good after your hunt.