Nova vs Sawed-Off
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Damage
The Nova deals less damage (81) than the Sawed-Off (88).
The Nova fires slower (68 RPM) than the Sawed-Off (70 RPM).
The Nova deals less damage per second (10 ↔ 92) than the Sawed-Off (12 ↔ 103).
The Nova loses less damage due to distance (29 %) than the Sawed-Off (53.5 %).
The Nova has lower armour penetration (50 %) than the Sawed-Off (75 %).
Accuracy and mobility
The Nova is more accurate (47) than the Sawed-Off (69).
The Nova less movement penalty (12 %) than the Sawed-Off (16 %).
Economy
The Nova is cheaper ($ 1050) than the Sawed-Off ($ 1100).
The Nova earns the same kill reward ($ 900) as the Sawed-Off ($ 900).
Other attributes
The Nova has a larger clip (8) than the Sawed-Off (7).
The Nova has the same ammunition in reserve (32) as the Sawed-Off (32).
The Nova reloads slower (4.7 s - All Bullets) than the Sawed-Off (4.2 s - All Bullets).
The Nova deploys at the same speed (1 s) as the Sawed-Off (1 s).
Closing thoughts
With only 50% armour penetration, the Nova sees little action. The Sawed-Off performs the same task better for the Terrorist team, and the same can be said of the MAG-7 for the Counter-Terrorist team.
While all shotguns are only really suitable for close range combat, the Sawed-Off takes this to another level, requiring that you are extremely close to the target. However, in return you gain high armour penetration and damage at a cheap price that is capable of killing with a single shot to the chest even through armour.