Versa Max Tactical Camo - Best Shotgun ever for predator hunting!

AWH

AWH

New member
Thought everyone would like to know how the Versa Max Tactical does for predator hunting. Also bought a 28" barrel for it as well in addition to the 22" barrel that came with it.

Used rustoleum camo with many coats of krylon clear flat on top. Only have 2 chips in the spray paint the size of rice after smacking the barrel into a rock. It didn't leave a mark in the black coating from Remington. Left the rib and the receiver black since I hate having camo in my field of view while wing shooting. I find it a little distracting.

Holes #7 and #8 look weird since I messed up drawing the arrow for point of aim the first time. Apparently the spray paint tool on paint covers a lot of area and didn't have a backup copy of the picture before accidently bumping save somehow. The Kick's Buck Kicker X-Full does not produce the most circular patterns with Remington #4 buck 3" but did put the most hits on the paper. Think it may have flattened some of the pellets a little. Going to try some nickel plated or hard cast pellets in the future once I get a reloader to do 3" shells. I also patterned it at 60 yards and got 6 hits into the vital area on a yote with Remington #4. Tried some Winchester 2-3/4 #4 buck but this was only good to 50 yards with 4-5 hits in a 6-7" circle. Hornady magnum coyote OO buck did well at 40 yards with a Carlson IC (close range) and Mod (mid range) that I got in their waterfowl pack. About 8-9 pellets would hit a yote with about 2-3 in the lungs. Think I will carry some of the Hornady stuff if bird hunting.

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Going to try and get these photos to work. Tried the photo hosting gallery.

Well figured out how to use dropbox instead.

Enjoy the pics
 
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Dang you. I thought I had the best shotgun ever for predator hunting. Now I find out I don't.
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Good looking shotgun bud. Go forth and kill.
 
So I have used the following shotguns before:

single shots: nef 410, 20, 12

over-under: ruger red label 12, ithaca skb 700 12, browning citori 12, beretta silver 12, mossberg 12 (cannot remember the model)

side-by-side: winchester 21

pump-action: benelli nova 20, benelli nova 12, benelli super nova 12, winchester 1200 12, winchester 1300 12, remington 870 12, mossberg 500 12, mossberg 835 12, jc higgins 12, s&w 12 (cannot remember what model)

semi-auto: remington 1100 12, remington 11-87 12, remington 11-87 supermag 12, browning A5 12, benelli m1 super 90 12, benelli m2 12, benelli m4 12, mossberg 930 12, mossberg 935 12, saiga 12, winchester sx3 {never got a chance to try out the FN SLP before getting the Versa Max}

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For an example of how light the recoil is here is what I shot in one day while patterning and shooting some skeet with it for practice.

Choke tube / ammo / range / subtotal

Factory tactical ported choke / remington 2 3/4 bird shot / 20,30,40 / 3

Factory IC / remington 2 3/4 bird shot / 20,30,40 / 3

Factory Mod (came with the 28" barrel) / remington 2 3/4 bird shot / 20,30,40 / 3

Carlson Skeet / remington 2 3/4 bird shot/ 20,30, and skeet shooting / 50

Carlson Close range (IC) / remington 2 3/4 bird shot & federal 2 3/4 bird shot / 20, 30, 40, and clay shooting / 30

Carlson Mid Range (Mod) / remington 2 3/4 bird shot & federal 2 3/4 bird shot & winchester 2 3/4 bird shot / 20, 30, 40, and clay shooting / 20

Carlson Long Range (Full) / remington 2 3/4 bird shot / 20,30,40 / 3

Carlson Close range (IC) / Hornady mag coyote 3" OO buck / 40 / 2

Carlson Mid range (Mod) / Hornady mag coyote 3" OO buck / 40 / 2

Carlson Close range (IC) / Dylok 3 1/2" T steel / 40 / 1


Carlson Mid range (Mod) / Dylok 3 1/2" T steel / 40 / 1

Carlson Long range (Full) / remington BB 3" / 40,50 / 2

Carlson Tky / winchester extended range 3" / 50,60 / 2

Factory tactical ported choke / remington 2 3/4 OO buck/ 20,30 / 2

Factory tactical ported choke / wichester 2 3/4 #4 buck/ 20,30 / 2

Factory tactical ported choke / remington 3" #4 buck/ 20 / 1

Carlson Close range (IC) / remington 3" #4 buck/ 40 / 1

Carlson Mid range (Mod) / remington 3" #4 buck/ 40 / 1

Carlson Long range (Full) / remington 3" #4 buck / 40 / 1

Kicks buck kicker x-full / winchester 2 3/4" #4 buck / 50, 60 / 3

Kicks buck kicker x-full / remington 3" #4 buck / 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 / 5

Total shells: 138

After all this shooting no sore shoulder and no marks wearing a light t-shirt. Think the recoil is less than the couple 20 ga I have used when shooting the 2 3/4 shells. The 3 1/2 shells pushed me back some but the recoil velocity was much slower so no soreness.

Only thing I didn't like was the stock insert makes your face sweat in AZ so put on the neoprene beartooth shell holder after doing all this shooting listed above. Shot another 50 rounds at hand thrown clays a few days later and it was much more comportable in the summer heat.
 
I too am currently shooting a versa max tactical 22" and I agree it's one [beeep] of a shotgun for predator hunting. Lowest recoil out there and lightning fast follow up shots. Haven't had any malfunctions with anything i've put through it, cycles it all. No camo as of yet...



Shooting Hevi-Shot T's with a carlsons .665 turkey choke
 
Originally Posted By: crazyfox270Over and under Mossberg 12 would be the silver reserve, s&w 12 pump is probably a 1000.

Nice looking scatter gun by the way.



I believe s&w 1000 is a semi` auto later made by mossberg with the same model number.
 
I have a 11-87 supermag and this shotgun is way better when it comes to bird shot. No more wiping it down with oil getting off the carbon every 75-100 rounds to keep it cycling 100%. It does have a wider forend and points differently when set up in the factory position than an 11-87. I actually left it in the factory position since it pointed a lot like my Ithaca skb 700 this way but with better visibility. The lock is kind of wide and blocks some of the field of view on many over-unders.

Hey and for the fellow Mossberg 835 fans I am going to keep mine for turkey hunting till it is worn out (which may never happen since they are built like tanks). With a primos jelly head and Remington HD wingmaster or Winchester xtended range HDs (both #4s) nothing patterns better that I have found. It hammered a bird at 64 yards last year that I actually thought was at 50 since the rangefinder hit some gamble oak saplings; figured out it was much further when I stood up. I used to use this shotgun a lot for yotes but follow ups sucked on doubles when shooting from weird positions and still much slower even with a perfect setup. I still recommend these as good all around guns and the price is great.
 
Originally Posted By: yotehunter57 Nice shotgun there. My only question would be, what does it weigh? Weight is more important to me than low recoil.

Shayne

Mine weights 7.8 lbs. with the aimpoint, probably one of the heavier semi-auto's out there but all the weight is in the bolt and gas piston assembly attached to the barrel. Not bad carrying with the sling attached, & the rest is all aluminum/polymer. I don't mind the weight, especally compared to my 11 lb. AR. My hunting buddy is an active duty machine gunner in the marines and always brings up how heavy the M240 is when I start complaining about weight so its never a conversation point, ha.

In all seriousness though check it out, its one [beeep] of a shotgun espeically in the 22" configuration.
 
I wish you had got to try the SX3 12 ga. I just retired my SP 10ga and replace it with a SX3 12 ga 26 inch bar. Having some custom work done to it and a coyote/buckshot choke made for it.
 
Got to try the SX3 but not the FN SLP. How is cleaning with your SX3? The one I used looked like a pain to clean compared to other guns. All I did was a quick takedown to see how dirty it ran after I shot it a little and this was after my friend shot it for a few weeks during quail season. He traded his for a 1911 I think. So we never got to really run it through its paces completely. He has a bunch of other shotguns so really didn't need it.
 
Thats awesome bud! I have a Benelli SBE II 28" bbl from the Benelli performance center and I love that shotgun. I have had it for about 6 years and I have never had a malfunction but for what you pay you shouldn't.I usually shoot the 3.5 in. Dead Coyote T shot with the Old Dead Coyote choke. It is affectionately know as the "Meat Stick". I have been interested in the Versamax. I hope it works out well for ya.
 
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