Despite the long and loyal service my Remington 11-87 has given me, I have decided to experiment with a new platform. I picked up a brand new 26" Remington Versa Max, which seems to be building a strong reputation for handling and functional reliability. For anyone with trigger time on the Benelli M2/M4 platforms, this gun will be VERY familiar. Like the Benellis, it needs some work to optimize for 3-gunning. Here is what I have done so far:


Magazine Extension
I ordered a Nordic Components extension originally designed for the Remington 1100/11-87/870. The threads are the same, but it is not a drop-in fit. There are three problems.

The first issue is generic to most Remingtons - the dreaded magazine tube dimples. I fixed this like the brute I am... with a drill press and Dremel:



The second issue is that the Versa Max forend has a molded recess into which the original magazine cap fits, but which is too narrow for the Nordic extension nut to fit. This means the Nordic nut will not thread fully onto the end of the Versa Max magazine tube. Some folks have worked around this by grinding the front portion of the forend on a belt sander to remove all the plastic around the recess. Looking at how flimsy the forend is, I was not thrilled about this approach.

The third issue is that the threads protruding from the end of the Versa Max magazine tube are shorter than those of the older Remington guns. As a result, even if it threaded on properly, there would be a significant gap inside the tube (maybe 0.1") where the extension joins the magazine tube. This causes the shells/follower/spring to hang up, resulting in feed malfunctions.

To resolve both issues, I had a friend turn down the Nordic nut on a lathe. The nut OD was turned down to fit inside the forend recess, and shortened to eliminate the internal gap. Here are some photos:







I added a +3/4" extension to the Nordic tube to bring the end just slightly ahead of the muzzle. This ensures the muzzle is a little better protected during rapid abandonment, and gives me a full 10+1 capacity.

The last thing I did to the magazine was install a clamp - I am a big believer in magazine clamps. I took a Nordic magazine clamp and applied some epoxy to add grip. This solution has worked well for me on my other Remingtons to avoid clamp slippage. Regular 5-minute epoxy works; just be sure to wrap the barrel and magazine extension with Saran Wrap, and apply plenty of petroleum jelly to the screws to ensure the epoxy does not make your installation permanent!  








Pistol Grip

Unlike many other 3-gunners, I like pistol grip stocks. I also like that, being US made, the Remington does not give me the 922r compliance headache that a Benelli might.

When my Versa Max arrived, it was obvious that a Remington 11-87 pistol grip stock would not fit without extensive modification. However, with the Versa Max in hand, it is clear that it is, ahem, "strongly inspired" by the Benelli M2/M4 platforms. I rolled the dice and ordered a Benelli pistol grip stock from Brownells. What are the odds - it fits almost perfectly! All it took was a little light filing on the stock adjacent to the trigger guard, plus adding a longer 1.25" long 1/4"-28 bolt/washer, and it fit like a glove (well, just a slight step at the rear of the receiver):










Shell Carrier

Just as with the Benelli and FN platforms, Remington chose to copy failure by designing the shell carrier (lifter/gate) with a barbecue fork on the end. Once bitten, twice shy - the fork had to go.

Being a 3-gunner, I am far too impatient to wait for CRums to do the job properly, so I fired up my trusty TIG welder, dug out some scrap ~18 gage 316 stainless steel, and proceeded to produce an ugly molten mass. As you will see from the photos below, I do not make my living as a welder. Nevertheless, I got the wanted material on there and a lot of judicious grinding has covered up the worst of my bungling:









After installing the modified carrier, I hand cycled some rounds. What I discovered was that the Versa Max has inherited another negative Benelli trait: shells jam against the right side of the chamber rim. It seems this is a common peril with welded carriers, as the fork is no longer then to keep the nose of the shell centered. Here are some photos of the problem:





The culprit is the sharp rim of the chamber where it is cut out for the extractor:



An experienced Benelli driver helpfully advised me to chamfer the right side of the chamber rim and stick with good quality shells with perfect crimp. After a bit more light Dremeling with a sanding drum, polishing wheel/valve grinding paste and then 600 grit abrasive paper, I was able to run a box of shells through the gun OK (including when canted 90 degrees to the right). Of course, all bets are off when the buzzer sounds, so look out for an update after our match Saturday.


The Versa Max is still not finished to my satisfaction. I need to add a larger bolt release button and probably also add some better sights. I am also going to play around with different loading techniques, so I may or may not be adding a sidesaddle and/or grinding around the loading port. For the moment, though, I am pretty happy. Other than the feeding issues mentioned above, the Versa Max has functioned flawlessly with every load I have stuffed into it. Overall, I'm a pretty happy camper.

Here is the gun as it looks today:



More updates will follow. In the meantime, feel free to chime in with questions.  

UPDATE: The Versa Max ran flawlessly at our weekend match (me, not so much). The video below shows it in action. The first stage is all birdshot (cheap WalMart Remington 100-pack #8 loads), the second stage has some buckshot intermingled with birdshot on the first array. Choke was Modified. Still no cleaning - thumbs up so far

YouTube Video

Have you had any issues with light primer hits?  I've had them with the federal bulk pack stuff, but tried out the STS ammo at the Area 1 last weekend and it seems to have cured itself.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!!  Thanks so much, and thanks for all the good setup info.
Adios,
TG

No misfires so far. I have been running Estate and Remington low-brass birdshot, Estate and Federal high-brass birdshot, Remington 00 buckshot and Winchester RR slugs. I will try to get out to the range over the weekend and shoot it some more so I can compare the strength of the primer hits with my trusty old 11-87.

Aside from the feeding issue mentioned above, which was fixed by chamfering the side of the chamber, I have had no malfunctions of any sort. I'm just going to keep running it without cleaning until I have a problem (or until SMM3G comes around).

Nice looking and running blaster you've got there.  Almost makes me want a Remington.

See you in AZ this winter (we're moving back!!!!).

Rich

Awesome - I look forward to seeing you at our matches if you can make it.

Great mods... I have a Mesa Tactical side saddle for the Benelli stock that might work for your project. It'll put 4 rounds on the outside of that stock... if you're interested. I tried it on my short M1 and it screwed up the recoil cycle something fierce.

All in all, I think you have a great rig there, no matter how bad your welding is.

Doc

UPDATE: I examined the primer hits from the Versa Max and compared them with those with my 11-87... there is no discernible difference:

Do you think one would be better off to get the 26" now and do the conversion or wait for the 22" Tactical coming out?  The 26" would probably be a better choice if one still wanted to use it for hunting but wouldn't be as good if used for HD too.

Has anyone compared the safety button on these with the regular 870/1100 button?  Wondering if a Vang Comp Domed Safety would fit.

I too would rather avoid any issues with 922r and imports.  Even though all I would really like to be able to add is the extended mag.

UPDATE: Since my last post, I have done some more work on this gun to optimize it for 3-gunning.

Firstly, I have cleaned up the modifications somewhat by applying KG Gunkote to the bare metal on the modified Nordic magazine nut (I see that Nordic now sell an extension for the VM). I also installed a Nordic bolt release button and old-style Benelli M1/M2 bolt handle. Lastly, Mark over at 3-Gun Gear expedited manufacture of an 8-shell sidesaddle for me; he used narrower-than-usual elastic and it works great - less tension but still 100% retention. Here are some updated photos:





I also installed a ghost ring sight system. I could not find anything commercially available that would fit, so I fabricated everything from scratch.

The rear aperture sight is made from aluminum U-section extrusion and bar stock, plus a Williams "Big Game" aperture. The parts were shaped using basic hand tools, bonded together with epoxy resin, then the whole thing was finished with KG GunKote. The sight fits the rear-most scope mount holes on the receiver. Here is how it turned out:



I had to raise the height of the front sight to match the rear aperture. I mounted a HiViz TriComp fiber optic on top of a platform made from 1/4" steel bar stock. It is secured to the rib via a 6-32 bolt:



By design this sight system has almost no adjustability - it was pretty much trial and error with slugs at 50 yards and a file until I got the elevation right. Mercifully, the Versa Max shoots dead straight, so the sights are perfectly centered. Winchester Ranger reduced recoil slugs shoot point of aim with groups I can cover with my hand - good enough for what we do.

This is what the sight picture looks like:



And this is the whole gun as it is today, with pistol grip stock, extended magazine, welded carrier, extended charging handle, enlarged bolt release button and new sights:



I think I am done for the moment - at least until after the Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun match here in Mesa AZ at the end of March. After that, I am thinking of replacing the firing pin retainer with a roll pin for extra insurance against this part walking out (as some folks have reported happening). I want to noodle on this some though, as my pin has not moved yet, and the roll pin would require drilling on the bolt carrier which is uncharted waters at the moment. If anyone has experience of this modification, please post details here.

UPDATE: Despite installing a C-RUMS welded carrier (way prettier than my home-welded version) I still got the occasional (once every 100 rounds or so) shell catching on the right side of the chamber. I went back in there and took a bit more off that sharp edge. This is a problem common to all the guns with such extractors and rotating bolt of course (Benelli M1/M2/M4, FN SLP etc.) so its just a matter of getting the right amount of material removed. For the moment the problem looks to be resolved. This weekend I put every kind of shell through the gun, including the crappy WalMart Winchester shells which have the most atrocious crimp ever, and everything ran flawlessly - fingers crossed this issue is behind me.

I also decided against replacing the firing pin retainer with a roll pin. Instead I went in with a Dremel cutoff wheel and JUST kissed the bolt where the o-ring touches. I never really had a problem with the retainer walking, but the consequences of this happening during a match can be severe, and the new notch definitely makes the whole arrangement much more secure. I didn't take pictures of my bolt, but here is a photo someone else posted to give a sense of what is needed (I actually took even less metal off than this):



For the moment, I think my VM is pretty much done. Now I have to play with different loading techniques and see if I can shave some time with the various new caddies out there.