9milli Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 (edited) Okay, need to find something for the wife (and me sometimes) to shoot. Looking closely at these 3 shotguns. Versa max tactical, zombie, or benelli m2. Use,,, plinking, steel, HD, occ. dove, etc. all around shooter. It needs to be able to handle light loads, due to back surgery, main purpose of new one. Any advise on these 3 from users will be most appreciated. Thanks Edited February 3, 2014 by 9milli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ak_tech Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 As far as I know the zombie and tactical will shoot the same, just dire rant color. I have owned the m2, versa max, versa max tactical, I sold my m2 because I like the tactical better. It shoots softer with all kinds of loads. In my opinion it shoots the light loads a little lighter but the heavy loads way lighter. Also very reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickB Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Benelli will be lighter and recoil harder. VersaMax will be heavier and recoil softer and run lighter loads. Also consider the Beretta 1301. Light like the Benelli, with recoil somewhere between the other two models... Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkuJustice Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Verasamax. The benelli is lighter which it has more recoil and being recoil operated means it dosent have the gas system to help with recoil. The benelli also requires heavier loads to cycle due to being recoil operates. The beretta 1301 will cycle light loads as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billdozer Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 My vote is for the 1301. Benelli light, without the kick. Mines been 100% so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R107H Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Versa Max tactical gets my vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbrowndog Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 if you're going to hunt anything with it, then bright colors are out. felt recoil is not something quantitative, I've known little girls that shoot Benellis just fine, and I've known sporting clay shooters that say they prefer thier O/U to Benelli's because they (benelli) recoil more????? Longevity: Benelli and Beretta 1301 lighter Weight: Benelli and Beretta 1301 loads < 3 dram: VM and Beretta 1301 "lighter" recoil: VM and Beretta 1301 overall better made gun: Benelli and Beretta 1301 trapr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Bird Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Depends on how much you love your wife. Mine a lot so she has a Versa Max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 VersaMax. No question at all. If you are patient, the VersaMax Competition is supposed to be shipping in the next week or so. I have seen them as low as $1335. It is close to ready to run out of the box. If you Twins or Quad load, it does need a slight forearm trim. Mine run the Win AA low recoils...softer than any 20 gauge auto. They are an honest 30K+ round shotgun, so the durability is there. I took one out of the box, and ran 5 rounds through it. Gave it to a GM pistol shooter who shot an entire match with it (7th overall) and then used it as a loaner to several other people. It went over 2K rounds before I broke down and cleaned/lubed it. They VMs in general had a few issues out of the gate, but those have largely been fixed. The magazine tube and threads used have some issues, but the VersaTube fixes that and the new Competition model uses out VersaTube design (except the two shot extension). My 85 pound 12 year old shoots the VM very well. I had him shooting heavy #4s last week running the plate rack at 20 yards, not missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9milli Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 Okay, went to a couple of stores and handled the VM's and a 1301. The 1301 seems a bit lighter which might equate to a little more felt recoil , the quality and looks were top notch, though. Seems I liked the vm's feel a bit more, (my personal opine), so it is a versa max I'll go with. On remmys site it states the comp model reduces recoil to that of a 20 ga., and takes 3.5" shells? Is that true of all versa max models or just the competition? Found a zombie model for $990 is that a decent going price for a vm, the tactical ran around $1200 seems. Thanks for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 True of all VMs. The Zombie is just a hydro-dipped tactical, $1000 for a tactical, zombie, or whatever they call the pink one, is a decent price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9milli Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Talked to Remington about new vm competition models claim of recoil of a 20 ga and 3.5" shells. The lady told me the new comp model has these features but not the regular model vm's. Wonder what's different in the comp model that would give one the recoil of a 20ga and not the other vm's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 She is confused. They all have the same operating system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling White Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 The one issue that many people do not understand when getting into a new shotgun is the "fit". Having a shotgun "fit" you is the same as having a shoe that fits. Spend some time researching before making a purchase. I suggest taking your better half to a 3g match and visit with the competitors about their sg's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oglenewinkel Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I picked up the Versa Max Tactical from Dick's Sporting Goods for 876.00 walkout 2 weeks ago check them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Tischauser Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 If you're gonna shoot it a bunch the Benelli is the only choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJM Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 If you're gonna shoot it a bunch the Benelli is the only choice. Is this comment comparing the Benelli to the Remington, Beretta or both? Can you elaborate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Tischauser Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 If you're gonna shoot it a bunch the Benelli is the only choice. Is this comment comparing the Benelli to the Remington, Beretta or both? Can you elaborate. The Benelli is the most popular shotgun in 3 gun because it's been reliable since 19xx. The Beretta and Remington have become popular in the past year or two because they are cheap. That's not saying their not good or even great shotguns. With the VM and 1301 being gas operated as compared to the inertia operated Benelli they really don't have the potential to be as reliable without more maintenance. Even if you take great care of a gas gun I don't believe it would be as reliable just due to the system being much more complicated. With that all said the only gun I'd consider a contender for Benelli's spot on top is the new Browning A5. It had inertia driven reliability and the uber cool auto load feature that means no more port loading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 With the VM and 1301 being gas operated as compared to the inertia operated Benelli they really don't have the potential to be as reliable without more maintenance. Jesse, while you certainly shoot faster than I do, that is just not true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Tischauser Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 With the VM and 1301 being gas operated as compared to the inertia operated Benelli they really don't have the potential to be as reliable without more maintenance. Jesse, while you certainly shoot faster than I do, that is just not true. Please elaborate Mark. I learned in school that moving parts meant less parts to break and less parts to maintain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 With the VM and 1301 being gas operated as compared to the inertia operated Benelli they really don't have the potential to be as reliable without more maintenance. Jesse, while you certainly shoot faster than I do, that is just not true. Please elaborate Mark. I learned in school that moving parts meant less parts to break and less parts to maintain. Did you go to that school on a short bus? I think you meant to say that fewer moving parts means less wear and tear and thus less maintenance? That is true provided the engineering, materials, tolerances and manufacturing are held constant. For instance, the GM LS2 motors have a lot more moving parts, more horsepower and better mileage than the prior 350 Chevy. However, their maintenance is less and their durability is significantly increased. Does this violate the laws of physics and engineering? Most certainly not! Better manufacturing processes, better heat transfer, better designs are what allowed this to occur. The inertia system solved a problem that was present in the 1100 and 11-87s, okay, like 6 problems, but I digress. The VersaMax solves those problems as well, but does so with less recoil and a significantly larger window of reliability than the M2. Now one might argue that large window is not needed for 3Gun, but again, I digress. Yes, the VM OS has "borrowed" a lot of its design from the M4, a platform some Benelli enthusiasts argue is the best OS on the planet. Even so, there are some improvements to the OS that Remington introduced that not only make it more reliable, but appealing to a wider range of shooters than any other system on the market. My 2nd VM was taken out of the box, about 5 rounds put through it, the port opened, CRums lifter, a VersaTube installed and then a GM pistol shooter ran about 50 rounds through it and then shot it in his first 3Gun match. It is now close to 4K (it is my loaner SG for new shooters and such) and the gas system has never been cleaned, nor has the trigger system sans putting a CRums lifter on it. Yes, I have lubed the bolt and carrier 2 or 3 times, and it is only one sample, but it has never burped even once. I got a chance to shoot a VersaMax of a very high volume shotgunner...it has seen 15K on the SC course, 15K on dove hunts, about 3K from waterfowl blinds and another 6K in practice and such. Not a single bobble and only one replacement of a magazine tube spring. Moving the gas system from the magazine tube and barrel lug to the barrel in a short stroke system on the VM solved a lot of problems. It is a much simplified system over any other gas gun on the market. Getting improved performance from a simpler system, now that is what is called an advancement. There is a reason that 3Gunners, Waterfowlers, Dove Hunters and even Clay target shooters are starting to turn to the VersaMax. I've put some rounds through the 1301C and it is a nice platform as well, but I don't know if it will be long term reliable. If you spent some time looking at the DPMS G2 at SHOT, you will also see a platform that took some large steps forward, at least in the design aspect. Now will the manufacturing and implementation follow suit? Time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Tischauser Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 What do you mean when you say "port opened"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 What do you mean when you say "port opened"? Loading port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Tischauser Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) My 2nd VM was taken out of the box, about 5 rounds put through it, the port opened... If you spent some time looking at the DPMS G2 at SHOT, you will also see a platform that took some large steps forward, at least in the design aspect. Now will the manufacturing and implementation follow suit? Time will tell. What do you mean when you say "port opened"? I have no reason to be shooting a Benelli over the softer shooting Versamax. The only reason I haven't bought a VM is that I see guys pulling on the charging handle on the clock way too often. Same goes for the Mossy. I figured it was the inertia system being more reliable due to it's fewer moving parts. But after your finely detailed break Down of why the system is superior because of its complexity now I'm wondering if it's just operator error on not knowing how to maintain it or is it that the Italian made guns are built better and guys are getting guns that are lemons. I'm not trying to knock the VM here I'm just trying to understand why I don't see everyone switching to it if it's so great. Edited February 9, 2014 by Jesse Tischauser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Jesse, When you see someone yanking on the charge handle of a Versa Max, ask them later what ammo are they using. The answer will likely be "cheap stuff", translation, ammo with crappy crimps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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