Remington Versamax

A 3 ½” chambered semi auto that ticks all the boxes? Don Brunt is mightily impressed by the new Versamax, the latest product from “Big Green” as Remington is known in the USA

Remington’s long history is entwined with that of the auto-loading shotgun. Mention the name and practically everyone has at some point or another shot their Model 1100, a gun that has gone through numerous redesigns since its inception in 1963. It is still in production today with new versions being produced. Although the 11-87 and 105CTi models have been launched it still remains the company’s biggest seller. Consequently an entirely new gun has been designed to meet the expectations of consumers who now expect more features, better reliability and greater flexibility.

Beretta Loves Benelli…

The Versamax certainly looks the part though out of the box it looks like the love child of a Beretta Extrema and a Benelli SuperSport. The real headlines though are beneath the surface, in particular the new VersaPort system which Remington claims allows the gun to reliably cycle everything from ounce loads through to the heavy hitting 3 ½” magnums.

It works by using a series of gas ports extending along the chamber, with short/slim cylinders and pistons on either side at 4 and 8 o’clock. If you are using a 3 ½” long- cased magnum load then only three ports are in use. Go down to a 3” shell and four are pushing gas through the system. With 2 ¾” (70mm) ammo seven ports are now in play. The pistons act more like tappets as they strike the bolt carrier, which moves back to unlock the twin-lug, rotating bolt. Much like the recoil/inertia Benelli layout, but with gas/piston propulsion.

Holy Grail

The system is claimed to be self-cleaning which is something of a holy grail as far as semi auto’s are concerned though there are no O rings or piston seals to get clogged up. Just as well, as Remington’s engineers reportedly put 10,000-rounds through one of these without cleaning it and didn’t have a single jam.

The barrel is coated in weather resistant TriNyte and many internal components are nickel- plated making it ideal in those situations where it is likely to get wet and stay that way for long periods of time. As you would expect it is slightly overbored at .735” and is equipped with 2” forcing cones which should help the gun to feel soft in the shoulder, though much of the recoil reduction will come from the gas operation. The test gun came with a 28” barrel with a stepped rib which tapers from a wide 14mm on the receiver to a little over 6.5mm at the muzzle. Here it is topped off by a Hi-Viz sight, constriction is provided by a set of ProBore flush-fitting chokes.

Plastic and Grippy

Synthetic furniture is pretty much de rigueur when it comes to auto’s these days and the Versamax is no exception. Though the plastics used do feel of a significantly higher quality than on some guns I have tested. In addition the soft plastic inserts certainly increase both grip and comfort levels when in use while I understand that the detachable comb insert is also available in two other versions of differing heights. Stock cast can prove to be a problem for users of this type of gun but again the design boys at Remington are on the ball and the gun features an adjuster within the stock itself to allow for fine tuning of the fit. For the record drops were 35 and 58mm while length of pull was just a fraction over 14” though two additional pad extensions are included. The butt shows a moulded-in sling eye and up front the magazine cap has a QD sling stud. Though I still maintain it looks like a piece from Benelli’s parts bin!

Beauty Is In…

When it comes to looks there are very few semi-autos that can be described as being anything much other than functional and that would certainly be a fair way of summing up the Versamax. However you want a thing of beauty, there are plenty of sideplated doubles on the market, but on the foreshore or out in the fields, that’s the last thing you want to be using.  Having said that the gun is by no means ugly, it is well proportioned and has a balanced look to the aesthetics, the grey and black of the furniture blending well with the black receiver and TriNyte barrel. Although as I said in my opening statement the looks do seem strangely reminiscent of what’s been seen elsewhere.

Technically speaking there was a lot of hype for this gun to measure up to; in fact my tester was even fitted with a marketing stock wrap that talked to me, telling me how wonderful it was. Of course there’s no point shouting about things like that if you can’t deliver though in the case I am glad to be able to say that it did live up to the hype. Shooting impressions were excellent and many others that tried it said they felt immediately at home with the 1100-type feel in the shoulder. As you would expect the recoil even when shooting heavy loads was manageable up to and including some seriously snotty stuff. 

Surprise

There were though two major surprises, one good and one bad. Although the gun felt and shot superbly, dealing with the layout at Wylye Valley quite easily the trigger pull was a bit on the stiff side, letting go at a rather heavy 5lbs +. Of course if you intend to shoot this from a hide wearing winter gloves that probably isn’t as bad as it sounds. However I am used to something more around the 3 - 4 lb mark and it took a while to get used to it; though owners will I am sure find that the trigger shoots itself in over time.  On the other hand everyone was impressed by the way it coped with light loads, a box of 21 gram 67mm cased shells going through without even a hiccup, quit an achievement for a 3 ½ inch chambered auto that supposedly needs 70mm cases to perform. 

Overall there can be little doubt that Remington has got it right with the Versamax, it feels good in the shoulder, shoots softly and has a surprisingly well balanced feel. Combine that with its total lack of regard for what shells make up its diet and it appears that the advertising strap line of “Any load, Anywhere, Every time” is on the money. If you are in the market for a good all rounder that should prove to be fun to shoot and reliable then don’t pass it by.

With thanks to:-

• Gamebore – www.gamebore.com

• Wylye Valley Shooting Ground - www.wylye-shooting.co.uk

We Reckon!

• Versatile and reliable

• Great handling, shame about the trigger

• Deserves to be a sales success

PRICE:£1,650 approx
CONTACT:  Edgar Brothers, 01625 613177, www.edgarbrothers.com