mattmann Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Okay guys/gals, I’ve decided on a Benny hill shotgun (triangle shooting sports) for my 3 gun go to. Accurate iron I can’t find contact info and TTI is nice but the lead time and price is hard to swallow. What sold me on Mr. Hill was he actually grabbed the phone from the nice lady who answered when I asked technical questions. I don’t doubt that man at all on his knowledge as he is a freaking legend and he told me as long as the extra pound could be hefted around easily by me, go versamax. He said that it recoils way softer and eats low recoil stuff without hiccup. $450 cheaper than the m2 and said he even helped design it with Remington. All I hear about is the almost cultic following on m2’s and I know that is with good reason but any of these will be better than my jmpro lol. I’m really leaning to the versamax as we speak. Looking to order in the next day or two. He also said the loading port is 50% bigger than the m2 and Stevie wonder could speed load lol!!!! Looking for some opinions on this decision as this will probably be the last shotgun I get for a long while. Can’t speak enough good about Mr. Hill. Super nice. Super patient. Very informative. Thanks in advance. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasteddie222 Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Okay guys/gals, I’ve decided on a Benny hill shotgun (triangle shooting sports) for my 3 gun go to. Accurate iron I can’t find contact info and TTI is nice but the lead time and price is hard to swallow. What sold me on Mr. Hill was he actually grabbed the phone from the nice lady who answered when I asked technical questions. I don’t doubt that man at all on his knowledge as he is a freaking legend and he told me as long as the extra pound could be hefted around easily by me, go versamax. He said that it recoils way softer and eats low recoil stuff without hiccup. $450 cheaper than the m2 and said he even helped design it with Remington. All I hear about is the almost cultic following on m2’s and I know that is with good reason but any of these will be better than my jmpro lol. I’m really leaning to the versamax as we speak. Looking to order in the next day or two. He also said the loading port is 50% bigger than the m2 and Stevie wonder could speed load lol!!!! Looking for some opinions on this decision as this will probably be the last shotgun I get for a long while. Can’t speak enough good about Mr. Hill. Super nice. Super patient. Very informative. Thanks in advance. Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkI know pro shooter Matt Koopikka use' s the versamax and likes it better than the m2.Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmann Posted November 30, 2017 Author Share Posted November 30, 2017 I know pro shooter Matt Koopikka use' s the versamax and likes it better than the m2.Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TapatalkYeah he told me Daniel Horner ran his VM for a few years and never had any issues also.....Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinWolv Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 (edited) I would suggest calling Hayes Custom Guns and asking about the M2. Learn a different viewpoint, and use that to compare the VersaMax to the M2. Accurate Iron isn't doing builds anymore. TTI does great work, but you pay for it, you are correct. I'll leave my comments about which gun to get out of it and instead just say that both builders are reputable and do quality work. Edited November 30, 2017 by AustinWolv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxymajor Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 The Versa. The only issues I had had is it’s heavy and the slugs were wild (Benny will fix that). The M2 will probably last longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul49 Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 I don't have a Versamax, but honestly who will argue with the combined expertise of Benny and Daniel Horner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmann Posted November 30, 2017 Author Share Posted November 30, 2017 I would suggest calling Hayes Custom Guns and asking about the M2. Learn a different viewpoint, and use that to compare the VersaMax to the M2. Accurate Iron isn't doing builds anymore. TTI does great work, but you pay for it, you are correct. I'll leave my comments about which gun to get out of it and instead just say that both builders are reputable and do quality work.Just hung up with Hayes. Basically he doesn’t do vm because or reliability issues. He told up front he is very biased towards benelli and shoots for their pro team so take it as a grain of salt lol. I liked how he also spent time on the phone talking and what not but his prices are for sure higher also. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmann Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 Bump. Anyone with experience on both platforms or from Benny’s ??Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2alphas Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 Bennie built for me complete 2011s and completed outstanding shotgun work on a couple of Benelli's. He is a great shooter (all platforms), a great competitor and all around fine Gentlemen in our sport/industry. I have experience using both the Benelli and VM platforms successfully. The attributes described by Benny regarding the VM are certainly accurate. I do believe the Benelli is the more robust platform in the long run. However, Benny or other quality builder can make the VM a reliable platform especially if they exchange some of the VM parts with Beneilli parts. Most of us do and you can search this forum for the detailed list of parts. My .02 TC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nugget Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 I have an m2 from Benny and that thing has been flawless. It runs and it is accurate! I have no experience with his versamax but I would bet it will be great if it comes from him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonytheTiger Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 4 hours ago, roxymajor said: The Versa. The only issues I had had is it’s heavy and the slugs were wild (Benny will fix that). The M2 will probably last longer. I thought you were a die-hard A5 guy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmann Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 The Taran looks nicer for sure but I’m not sure if the makeup is worth the cash?? What’s your opinion??Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonytheTiger Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 Just curious, whats the need to have a shotgun thats been worked over by a smith? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmann Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 Just curious, whats the need to have a shotgun thats been worked over by a smith?I handled two different ones and they were both INCREDIBLY smooth and just overall really nice. Maybe not as much a “need” as a want. Slowly trying to upgrade all my gear and shotgun is next on the list. [emoji1303]Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonytheTiger Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 I got ya. Just for giggles I'll toss the 1301 into the suggestion box. It starts out pretty darn smooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 Have not shot the Versa, but I have shot my son's M2 that Hayes did a few years ago. After thousands of rounds with only changing the springs every couple of years it is flawless. Always works. Is a very simple design and super robust. Shoots 1145 AA as soft as can be along with low recoil Fiocchi slugs like a laser. Probably will give you years of service with very little maintenance. Nothing really to clean with the inertia system. One less thing to worry about with 3 guns to maintain. gerritm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmann Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 I got ya. Just for giggles I'll toss the 1301 into the suggestion box. It starts out pretty darn smooth.Hayes actually recommended I look at one. Said it was the only one other than benelli he would recommend. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonytheTiger Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 The 1301 or an M2 are the only guns I would even consider for 3 gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieD Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 5 minutes ago, TonytheTiger said: The 1301 or an M2 are the only guns I would even consider for 3 gun. Great advice. i have a 1301, it eats everything and just runs. Lightweight and soft shooter. i have a M2 at Hayes Custom Guns right now, looking forward to getting it. Hayes has the bet loading port cut i’ve seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmann Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 Okay guys, Hayes or Benny Hill??? I understand both are good. Both will stand behind it. M2 wise they are neck and neck price wise until I add titanium coating to bolt (Hayes only) and I’m not sure it’s worth the $125 extra?? Then adding qd slots and what not make it about $250 more than Benny’s gun. What’s your opinion?? Hayes is about 4-5 weeks and Benny is 3Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinWolv Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 (edited) The bling items are up to your budget, and some of the smaller tasks can be DIY if you want to save some money. Those nice-to-have items are not relevant to comparing the two shops, they are options just made available to the buyer who may want them. Thus, I'd be comparing base price + what *functional* items you want done, followed by the shop that may offer an advantage of how the current game is played, or may be closer/more accessible to you, or whatever is important to you. Hayes' shop has intimate usage and functional experience with quad-loading and thus the port profiling *based on how you load*, and over the past couple years, that shop has been proactive in continuously improving it as they've attended a ton of matches and learned usage/techniques themselves as well as personally interfacing with a bunch of top-tier shooters. Not to mention their ability to shoot at a high level themselves. The only comments I can offer in this thread are based on my experience with a particular shop. I've heard other things from other shooters about other various shops, but since I haven't had the direct interaction with those various shops, it wouldn't be fair to comment on those. I know who I would pick and what shotgun I'd pick, but I may have different situation than you. Merely for history, I started with a Benelli M4 (that's what I had at the time.......Versamax is rough copy more or less of the M4 last I knew BTW......we all start in shooting sports with "what we got" usually, lol), moved on to a FN SLP, then got into a TTI M2 (bought lightly used luckily at a decent savings), which has been worked over by Hayes. Enjoy your new shotgun. Edited December 1, 2017 by AustinWolv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxymajor Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 15 hours ago, TonytheTiger said: I thought you were a die-hard A5 guy? That was not listed as a choice and I was trying not to hijack this post to that beat down discussion. The auto-load feature is a huge advantage for new shooters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmann Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 The bling items are up to your budget, and some of the smaller tasks can be DIY if you want to save some money. Those nice-to-have items are not relevant to comparing the two shops, they are options just made available to the buyer who may want them. Thus, I'd be comparing base price + what *functional* items you want done, followed by the shop that may offer an advantage of how the current game is played, or may be closer/more accessible to you, or whatever is important to you. Hayes' shop has intimate usage and functional experience with quad-loading and thus the port profiling *based on how you load*, and over the past couple years, that shop has been proactive in continuously improving it as they've attended a ton of matches and learned usage/techniques themselves as well as personally interfacing with a bunch of top-tier shooters. Not to mention their ability to shoot at a high level themselves. The only comments I can offer in this thread are based on my experience with a particular shop. I've heard other things from other shooters about other various shops, but since I haven't had the direct interaction with those various shops, it wouldn't be fair to comment on those. I know who I would pick and what shotgun I'd pick, but I may have different situation than you. Merely for history, I started with a Benelli M4 (that's what I had at the time.......Versamax is rough copy more or less of the M4 last I knew BTW......we all start in shooting sports with "what we got" usually, lol), moved on to a FN SLP, then got into a TTI M2 (bought lightly used luckily at a decent savings), which has been worked over by Hayes. Enjoy your new shotgun.Going with Hayes M2!! Said I would have it before end of the year! [emoji847]Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieD Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 7 hours ago, mattmann said: Going with Hayes M2!! Said I would have it before end of the year! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Good choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amccallister Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Good choice indeed. I shoot a TTI m2 with a TTI m1 as a backup (haven’t needed a backup, and have pretty much stopped taking a second gun to matches). I shot a Versamax for a while, and it definitely has its advantages. It was easy to load and super soft shooting. The build quality isn’t even in the same ballpark as a Benelli, and I’ve found I prefer a lighter gun, even at the expense of more recoil. My Benelli just plain runs. Just keep a fresh mag tube spring in it, keep some oil on the bolt carrier and bolt, and shoot the shit out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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