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Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Making a versamax easier to load.


quicky06

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Ok so I just wanted to update this for everyone else. I've got the carbon arms 11 round tube out now with the spring cut the 12 or 13" it loads much easier then before but still and a lot of resistance at the shell stop. I did the same thing that everyone does to the m2 shell stops.

First you can bend the shell stop so you don't have to bend it as much. Just take it out and bend it a small amount at a time until it won't hold the shells in then bend it back.

Second there are the 2 notches that are cut between the pivot roll pin and the shell end of the stop. These give a flex point for the shell stop. Just enlarge them bit by bit until you like how loads but if you go to far it will cause problems holding shells and the bolt release won't work. I just used a hacksaw its slow just like you want it

Just play with these two things until you get it where you like it.

Thing loads great. Now I just need to send it off to crums to open the port, modify the carrier, and do something with the trigger

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  • 3 weeks later...

Opening loading port is a must. When i install the extended lifters i remove the smaller shell release spring. I use a nordic tube and cut the spring about 12" past the end of tube. Mine loads easy as can be.

I have the tactical model with a +1 end cap. I thought that adding the +1 would be helpful because local matches only allow 8+1. By adding the extended cap I lessened the mag spring tension and have more flexibility for other matches.

When I removed the small latch spring, the remaining spring was not strong enough to move the shell latch when the mag is fully loaded. I see some comments about working the latch but I don't understand what exactly needs to be done. Can some explain?

Also, if I re-work the latch should I then be able to go back to removing one of the springs?

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I don't get the point of removing the inner spring or any combination to make it load easier. The springs have virtually zero mechanical effect on the leading edge of the shell catch that the shell case rim contacts when passing through to the mag tube. Possibly they would matter if they were 10 times stiffer but then the bolt release operation would be effected.

My zombie model (gag, it was what I could get in hand) was a nightmare to load. The shell catch was very stiff and sharp. I tried forcing some load 2's by it and within 6 reps I noticed it was tearing gouges into the brass case heads of my dummy rounds. Not scratches, gouges with curly shavings standing up from the brass on a couple of the shells.

I figured there were minimum 3 things to address.

The half moon cuts I worked over 3 or so times until they were about 3 times larger allowing the leading edge of the catch to flex out of the Shell's way easier.

The leading edge of the catch was hit with the sanding/ buffing wheel to eliminate the sharp ledges.

The angle of the catch from the half moon cut outs to the forward edge was increased slightly. IE, bent back towards the receiver. I didn't intend to do this but it happened sometime when I was moving the part in and out of the vice to file on the relief cuts. It was noticeable by sight when installed.

It now is night and day difference when loading. It's probably by no means super tuned. It functions with 1 1/8 trap loads. I'm going to check it with full house buck for function before I go any farther.

$.02

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The reason we remove the inner spring is that it caused the shell release to put a bind on the shell as it was being lifted into the chamber. We had several guns jam because of it. Since we started removing the inner spring we havent seen the problem again.

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Hey Hills, any chance you guys can come up with a mod that lets the gun work when the shells are loaded in backwards? I may send my lifter out to be engraved 'front towards enemy'.

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The reason we remove the inner spring is that it caused the shell release to put a bind on the shell as it was being lifted into the chamber. We had several guns jam because of it. Since we started removing the inner spring we havent seen the problem again.

My lay person mind is having a hard time getting wrapped around this. Is there any chance you can go a little deeper on the explanation or maybe a photo?

Thanks

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  • 1 year later...

Ok first I would like to thank everyone who participated in this thread.

I own a versamax competition tactical. As I had mentioned before it is a brute to reload. I opened the port myself following videos I was lucky to find in youtube ... the reloads were better but still hard to push those shells in. I followed and tested everything posted here. I mean everything. I have taken my shotgun apart so many times I can do it with my eyes closed. Now my versamax is just sweet to reload and do quad loads. I would like to share my findings. If you care little then move on at this point :)

First the don'ts.

Do not cut the mag tube spring. Mine was like 15-16 inches longer than the tube without the extension and it works great as is.

Do not take the inner spring out of the shell latch. It does makes things worse or harder to get the shells in regardless of what work you have done. I tested this extensively.

The do's

Do cut the Half moon cuts in the latch. Make them deeper. The idea is that the deeper these are the more flexible the latch will be. I found a bit used for sharpening chain saws. It is round and thin, but wider than the actual moon cuts. So I made them a bit wider but I went deeper by about 1/8 of an inch on each side. You may want to do less. I was so fed up that I went for it. I then bet it backwards. How much, that is where the experimentation comes into place. It took me four trials of bending before I got to the promise land. I also buffered the latch to a mirror finish. Including the part that holds the shell.

Do lower the feeding . There are plenty of videos on out there on how to do this. I lowered mine to 1/16th to the edge where the receiver goes flat (obviously this applies only to the versamax). I also cut forward just enough to ensure I load the shells without having to push my thumb in. Again plenty of videos on this.

This model comes with the feeding lever already filled n, but it could be longer. I might reach out to triangle folks to help on that.

Again thanks to all

Edited by crotchThrower
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Read some of the threads about bending the shell release, not cutting it. Take the advice of Kurt Miller and others who have been doing this a ling time. Bending is the way to go. Cutting notches will weaken the shell release and causes it to break n due time. We bend all our shell releases and the guns load smooth.

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Might be two years old but always good reading. I have opened my port and filled and polished the lifter but haven't done anything to the shell release. When you say bend it backwards is that into the opening or toward the reciever wall?

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