VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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So my LGS has a used VersaMax Competition Tactical 12 ga shotgun. It is $750. Looks to be in great shape. I wanted to collect pros and cons of it. While I might use it for an occasional competition, it would mainly be for extreme defensive use. I am thinking this will be my only shotgun.
remington VersaMax_CompTac.png
https://www.remington.com/shotguns/auto ... n-tactical
All religions united with government are more or less inimical to liberty. All, separated from government, are compatible with liberty.-Henry Clay
Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.—Aristotle

Re: VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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Spara, that has crossed my mind. Years ago I had a Mossberg 500. It did the job and I was happy with it. But as years have gone by, I find a preference for higher end guns, specially if I can get them at a good price. And as years have gone by I find myself in a crazier world. 2 years ago, an anonymous neighbor tried to organize a hate campaign against me. If the Klan shows up at my door, I might feel better with a 10 +1 VersaMax than a 5 or 6 round Mossberg.
On the other hand, maybe I just want a fancy gun.
All religions united with government are more or less inimical to liberty. All, separated from government, are compatible with liberty.-Henry Clay
Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.—Aristotle

Re: VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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What does a tacticool shotgun do that a shotgun cant ? With the exception of an extended mag tube, which can be installed on almost any shot , whats the advantages that would justify the cost?

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Re: VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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"Versaport , self regulates pressure based on length of shell"

Got to love marketing .. A fancy way of saying its a gas operated system. Which many semi auto shotguns are. Gas , or inertia operation is about your only choices.lol.

Reminds me of years ago when Chrysler advertisers touted that Chrysler was better because they put the wheels on all four corners of the car.


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Re: VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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For $750 that looks like a screaming deal if it's in good shape. Seems that new they are selling at the big box stores for $1500.... I will say, after having the Stoeger M3000 out for a number of trap sessions, it's performed pretty darned well, although it has had issues cycling with lighter loads. I've really become a fan of the inertia driven system- but the Remington looks like (no experience with it) a major step up from the baseline three gun shotguns.
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Re: VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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A sales rep said the Versamax was a clone of the Bennelli shotgun. And I know they are good guns.

Some of my questions include how heavy the fully loaded gun is for someone who isn't a spring chicken anymore. Another might be the clumsiness of a 44 inch long firearm. I also wonder about how much is it a 'racing' gun, which might mean that it is made for lighter target loads, compared to a tactical shotgun that is made for higher pressures of combat loads.

I really appreciate everyone's help.
All religions united with government are more or less inimical to liberty. All, separated from government, are compatible with liberty.-Henry Clay
Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.—Aristotle

Re: VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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Hiker wrote:A sales rep said the Versamax was a clone of the Bennelli shotgun. And I know they are good guns.

Some of my questions include how heavy the fully loaded gun is for someone who isn't a spring chicken anymore. Another might be the clumsiness of a 44 inch long firearm. I also wonder about how much is it a 'racing' gun, which might mean that it is made for lighter target loads, compared to a tactical shotgun that is made for higher pressures of combat loads.

I really appreciate everyone's help.
The sales rep in question would be wrong. The Benelli's use an inertia driven system rather than a gas system, which is what the Versamax appears to use from the internet research. The Stoeger is the brand that uses the Benelli system, and as far as I'm aware, the only other one on the market?

As to the weight/length question, it looks like the new models anyway are aluminum, which should make them pretty light, and a 22" barrel is pretty short for a shotgun- as it's designed for 3 gun, I'd speculate it's a pretty light and easy handling shotgun with manageable recoil- or else competitors would look elsewhere. But again, speculation as I haven't used one personally.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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shinzen wrote:
Hiker wrote:A sales rep said the Versamax was a clone of the Bennelli shotgun. And I know they are good guns.

Some of my questions include how heavy the fully loaded gun is for someone who isn't a spring chicken anymore. Another might be the clumsiness of a 44 inch long firearm. I also wonder about how much is it a 'racing' gun, which might mean that it is made for lighter target loads, compared to a tactical shotgun that is made for higher pressures of combat loads.

I really appreciate everyone's help.
The sales rep in question would be wrong. The Benelli's use an inertia driven system rather than a gas system, which is what the Versamax appears to use from the internet research. The Stoeger is the brand that uses the Benelli system, and as far as I'm aware, the only other one on the market?

As to the weight/length question, it looks like the new models anyway are aluminum, which should make them pretty light, and a 22" barrel is pretty short for a shotgun- as it's designed for 3 gun, I'd speculate it's a pretty light and easy handling shotgun with manageable recoil- or else competitors would look elsewhere. But again, speculation as I haven't used one personally.
It's patterned after the Benelli M4 which is a gas gun. I wouldn't worry about 'heavier' loads - I've seen them shoot high velocity slugs as well as heavier bird shot loads at 1350 FPS. I guess the only down side of gas shotguns is possibly fouling of rings but I have not heard thats a problem with the Versamax. That's a really great price for that gun, just make sure it's mostly factory and hasn't been extensively worked on by someone you don't know.

Re: VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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shinzen wrote: The sales rep in question would be wrong. The Benelli's use an inertia driven system rather than a gas system, which is what the Versamax appears to use from the internet research. The Stoeger is the brand that uses the Benelli system, and as far as I'm aware, the only other one on the market?
The story behind that is Benelli caught Stoeger copying it's bolt action system and instead of sending a cease and desist, bought them out and made them Benelli's econo line of shotguns.

I have a Stoeger M3K and I like it so far. I keep it loaded with 00 buck at home, but take it to the clay range when I can.

Re: VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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spara wrote:
The sales rep in question would be wrong. The Benelli's use an inertia driven system rather than a gas system, which is what the Versamax appears to use from the internet research. The Stoeger is the brand that uses the Benelli system, and as far as I'm aware, the only other one on the market?
It's patterned after the Benelli M4 which is a gas gun. I wouldn't worry about 'heavier' loads - I've seen them shoot high velocity slugs as well as heavier bird shot loads at 1350 FPS. I guess the only down side of gas shotguns is possibly fouling of rings but I have not heard thats a problem with the Versamax. That's a really great price for that gun, just make sure it's mostly factory and hasn't been extensively worked on by someone you don't know.[/quote]

:oops: Whoops. Didn't realize that, my bad.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: VERSA MAX COMPETITION TACTICAL shotgun-yea or nay?

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Hiker wrote:A sales rep said the Versamax was a clone of the Bennelli shotgun. And I know they are good guns.

Some of my questions include how heavy the fully loaded gun is for someone who isn't a spring chicken anymore. Another might be the clumsiness of a 44 inch long firearm. I also wonder about how much is it a 'racing' gun, which might mean that it is made for lighter target loads, compared to a tactical shotgun that is made for higher pressures of combat loads.

I really appreciate everyone's help.
Those are all good questions.

I know a couple of top local 3-gun competitors that use these, so I consider it a very legit option for competition.

And 3-gun competition usually includes some slug and buckshot stages, so I expect it would cycle those just fine, in addition to birdshot.

For defensive use though, I would probably use a somewhat shorter mag tube, easily obtained from Nordic Comp or elsewhere. A fully loaded 12-round tube (or whatever that is in the pic) would be front-heavy and awkward to maneuver in doorways, etc.
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