This had to be my favorite gun from all of SHOT Show. I had the opportunity to put some rounds through it on Media Day and I was very impressed with how it handled and how easy it was to manipulate the controls.
One of the big problems with a lot of shotguns on the market is that the controls were designed in 1938, and many manufacturers really didn’t bother to update the shooter interfaces on their guns. Then in the past 5 years, 3-gun competition has blown up big time in the shooting sports which has led to a revolution in shotgun handling technology. It used to be that you would buy a Benelli and then spend another thousand bucks getting it ready to roll; now you can buy a Remington Versa Max and be ready to compete in the popular Tactical Optics (aka Limited) division of 3-gun competition right out of the box.
The Remington Versa Max Tactical has the following upgrades from the stock model:
- Fiber optic bead
- large charging handle
- large bolt release
- competition safety
- Muzzle brake
In short it’s easier to shoot and manipulate out of the box than many shotguns, which is exactly what entry level 3-gun shooters are looking for.
The biggest drawback to the Versa Max Tactical is that it’s HUGE, almost as big as a Gen 1 XBox controller. I mean, I’m not the biggest guy on the planet and I remember picking up the Remington Versa Max Tactical and going “wow, that’s a lot bigger than my 870″. On the flip side, it really was easy to shoot. The rep at Media Day had me start off with a magazine dump out of the gun and work my way up to a bunch of nitro magnum duck slayers to demonstrate how the gun soaks up recoil, which it does an excellent job of.
At around $1300, the Remington Versa Max certainly isn’t the cheapest gun on the market. However, for that $1300 you’re getting a rock solid reliable shotgun with all the additional touches you’d normally have to pay extra for. If you’re like me and prefer the shotgun as a defensive weapon system to a carbine, then the Versa Max should be right up there with the FN SLP and Mossberg competition models.
Muzzle brakes aren’t legal for Tactical/Limited. However, it appears to be a screw in ported choke, so that’s easily remedied.
Either you are tiny or that’s one BFTSG.
I’m 5’6, so it’s a little bit of both.
what loads did you get to run thru it? did you shoot any standard loads? I have a tactical 1187 that will only run the ‘good’ stuff and I’m looking to get this because I hope it will run anything like the hunting version supposedly does.
We ran a bunch of stuff, from lightweight target loads all the way to the aforementioned “slobberknockers.”
Why was this not mentioned at dinner? Oh, because Pink Floyd was blaring in our ears…….
Any chance they are going to chamber it in 20 for the girls and little ones?
In its current configuration, it is just too damned long for a tactical shotgun. I want one badly, but I am going to wait until Remington finally decides to produce the Versa Max in a more suitably sized package.
Can you change out different length barrels on the Versa Max?