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Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:24 am
by TuJays
Hmmm...
Well sir, let's try this.
With the bolt closed on a empty chamber stuff the magazine completely full, making certain that the last shell is in all the way past the shell latch and held in place.
Now, doing nothing else but pulling the bolt back as many times and as fast and hard as you can and until you get tired of pulling it back and letting it go......No shell should come out of the magazine, period!
If one does then you have a mechanical problem and the gun needs to be looked at!
If no shells come out then that is good.
Now, push the shell latch and a shell should pop out of the magazine and onto the carrier.
Pulling the bolt back will chamber this round.

Please Tell me what you find

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Mon Nov 11, 2013 5:21 pm
by KAZ
Sorry it took so long to reply ...... had a match this weekend ......
Thanks for the additional .... did exactly as you directed .... 8 rounds in the mag, empty chamber, ran the bolt a dozen times hard .... no shell released from the magazine. Pushed the shell release to empty the gun ..... nothing left the magazine.
I'm no 'smith but could the magazine spring be too strong? Seems to work perfectly when it is not loaded to capacity.
In 3Gun .......... loading to capacity is automatic .... so this continues to be an issue.
Should I change springs or cut off a coil?
I appreciate your tenacity in helping!!

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Mon Nov 11, 2013 8:35 pm
by TuJays
nope..not the spring...if you cut it off then you will have trouble on the other side of this equation with only one or two in the mag.
Me thinks at this point that it may be with a fully loaded mag; some kind of unseen friction with the exit opening of the mag tube and or the orange plastic follower may be occurring......a sideways binding or upwards binding until that first shell is let loose then she acts normally.
Give all of that a good cleaning and extra good looking over for bumps or burrs?

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Mon Nov 11, 2013 8:44 pm
by TuJays
picture the nose of them shells inside the mag tube against the brass head of the one in front of it....all stacked on top of each other with a really pissed off and compressed spring at the other end......it is my guess that the eighth shell is binding by being forced nose to the left and shell head against the shell latch on the right when you push the shell latch release.
This is just a guess.

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 8:21 am
by KAZ
I need to tear it down today and clean it after the shoot this weekend.
I'll do a thorough cleaning and inspection of the mag tube and reexamine the shell release components.
It is one of those frustrating quirks. I replaced my dependable Mossberg with the VM after reading all of the praises on it's speed and dependability. Only thing frustrating about Remington is their lack of an email address to contact their techs or service personnel.
A couple of my fellow competitors use Benelli's but I saw too many refuse to cycle the light target loads regularly. Mine shoots great, shoots fast, and is accurate. The barrel doesn't seem to like slugs ( a few scars inside) but I can live with that, too.
I appreciate your efforts to diagnose this quirk!!
KAZ

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 6:46 pm
by KAZ
No change ......... took it down .... cleaned EVERYTHING ....... re-polished the shell retainer's front edge.
Guess I just need to accept the idiosyncrasy that haunts my Versa Max........ Thank you for your considerable effort to help correct this.

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 9:10 pm
by TuJays
Well sir....lets look at one more thing.
With the eighth shell in the mag that spring is compressed and that orange plastic follower is way up at the nose of the mag.
Check that end really well to see if there is maybe a little hangup going on inside the far end of the mag tube that subsequently does not happen with the other 7 shells.

What I'm trying to say is obviously it is not a shell exiting issue, but maybe a orange plastic/compressed spring issue at the far end of the mag tube???

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Wed Nov 13, 2013 1:10 pm
by KAZ
That's an interesting thought ........ makes sense. I believe my follower is red and aluminum.
I'll check it for burrs as well as the closed end of the magazine.
It seems that with the spring fully compressed the pressure from the shell against the retainer is greater than the shell release can handle so it just stays in place.
Thanks, Bill

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 4:30 pm
by KAZ
Took it down ....... including the extended mag. Took the extended mag apart ...... no scratches or obvious things that could create a snag. Cleaned both pieces of the magazine thoroughly. Inspected the red aluminum shell follower .... no rough edges or anything that would keep it from moving freely down the mag tube.
No change in it's operation...... still refuses to release the first round from the magazine when loaded to capacity (8 rounds) .... requires a quick push from a finger or pencil to free up a round.
KAZ

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 11:45 am
by KAZ
Found the culprit ............... a really small burr or perhaps a bit of the brass from a shell just ahead of the shell release ..... had to borrow a bore scope from a buddy to see it. One way or another the gun is fully functional again!!!

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:37 am
by JB176
KAZ, that's good to hear! I just ordered a VM Tactical so I'll be following along. Please let us know of any other problems/cures you come across. Thanks!

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Wed Dec 25, 2013 11:16 am
by KAZ
Good decision on the VM tactical ....... a few things:
Tactical sights are REALLY tough to find ....... obviously if you wish to use a red dot or holographic sight they fit easily on the included rail but I shoot in 3Gun Nation matches and would prefer to not shoot in the "OPEN" class so I found a few companies that make a universal turkey sight set that mounts on the rib ..... but ..... be aware that Remington's rib is tapered which is a bit quirky for mounting stuff as taper=inconsistent width!
Also ........ I added a MatchSaverz round holder that is really pretty slick. it holds a single round just ahead of the bolt opening making it REALLY simple to slam one more round in when the bolt is open.
Many complain about this being a "tactical" shotgun with the thumb-cutter ramp. I agree that when you are trying to load as fast as possible that fork does grab thumb meat ...... found a company in Missouri that builds a replacement that is being installed this week ..... C-RUMS.com ..... Jeff is a good guy.
The gun does exactly what it was designed to do ...... shoot whatever you load into it with no failures. It's interesting to compete with all of the various brands and models in matches and seeing how many don't digest the various loads. Mine does!!!

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 7:42 pm
by JB176
Just saw your reply. Thanks for the tips! Got my VMT and loving it!!

Versamax bolt auto retract intermittently on sudden jolt

PostPosted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 2:37 pm
by Kchau586
Hello, I am new to this forum and wanted to know whether my findings justify sending back to Remington factory for repair. What I've been noticing while practicing reload technique using 12 ga snap caps is from time to time the bolt would automatically retract w/o me pressing the release button just by simple inertia jolt of firearm; up and down motion. In addition, when I rack handle back it's hit and miss whether bolt catch will stay back; I've notice at times it will charge another round without me pressing release button.

So my question to everyone is, "is this normal operation?" I can't find any topic relating to my findings online. Hope you can chime in clear up my concerns. In the field, I couldn't replicate this problem. Could it be that I am using dummie round instead of 2 3/4 shell?

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 8:11 am
by KAZ
I can really only respond to the bolt not always staying open when the gun is empty and you manually pull it back ........ mine does that occasionally, too .... but ..... all-things-mechanical are guilty of not doing everything the same every time. I've never used snap caps to practice reloading, I just do my practice at the range with the exact same ammo I compete with.

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 5:49 pm
by bacadog65
I bought a Versa Max for my son and then one for myself for turkey hunting. It throws a very respectable pattern with all 3 1/2" loads I tried, but it shoots 4 inches left of aim point. Guess I need to contact Remington...?

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:56 pm
by TuJays
How far away is the target you are shooting at?
Which gun do you have and does it have the adjustable stock?
JM

Versa Max Repair Nightmare

PostPosted: Wed May 20, 2015 4:00 pm
by wingshot27
This is my first post and I hope I don't make any miscues or step on toes. I also hope there is someone who can help or point me in the correct direction.

Here's my problem: I bought a new Versa Max Sportsman in December 2014 for goose and duck hunting. I'm a class AA trapshooter, 27 yard line handicap so I know how to shoot a shotgun. I immediately noticed missed shots and birds I hit were only crippled. I then patterned the gun with 2 3/4 inch loads, then 3 inch loads, then 3 1/2 inch loads at 40 yards with the gun bench rested and locked. All shots were 8-9 inches left and 3-4 inches low.

I contacted Remington Support and got a service request ticket (253399) on Jan 22, 2015. I noticed that the service center to receive the gun was in Dallas, Texas which is close to me so I hand carried it to them in January. I received a call from the Dallas center February 5 and they agreed that it's point of impact was in error and would get a new barrel or gun.

Nothing has been done since. I have contacted Remington Support only to receive the message of "I'll pass this on to a regional Remington Rep" but I have not received any more news. The Dallas repair shop is no help either saying only that "they are still waiting". What should I do?

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Wed May 20, 2015 4:54 pm
by SHOOTER13
Welcome to the Remington Owners Forum Wingshot27 and bocadog !!

I would hand carry that service ticket to where I took the original problem and demand my new gun or a refund for the full purchase price...and not leave until satisfied !!

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 6:21 am
by grandbayoulabs
Have had my versa max a couple of years. bolt pin fell out and was lost during 1st year of hunting. Remington sent me a replacement and a spare. caught new one as it was falling out again the other day. don't have the time to send gun in and Remington wants to check it before owning up to the problem. for now I have drilled a hole in it and run a fishing line leader thru it attached to the gun so I wont lose it. I have heard they have a better pin for this.. how can I get one...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:02 am
by SHOOTER13
Welcome to the Remington Owners Forum grandbayoulabs !!

First time hearing of this problem...where did you her about the "better" pin !?

I recon you could check Numrich Gun Parts...

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 8:22 pm
by RemFan870
I have had the issue with the bolt handle falling out too. I had it cerakoted in FDE to make it harder to find when I'm hunting.. like an idiot. LUCKILY I haven't completely lost it yet. I am thinking about putting some RTV blue gasket maker on the end of the bolt handle to keep it in the bolt. Not sure how hard that will make to remove when I need to break down though...

Anyone ever had issues unloading their Versamax? (Sorry if this has been a question before, this forum is hard to navigate through quickly) Mine does this and I know someone else's that does this. I have to push the mag release inside to empty the magazine tube. Rather than push the tab to unload through the action. Hope that makes sense, let me know if anyone else has seen this or knows a solution

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:25 pm
by HawaiiRandy
RemFan870 wrote:I have had the issue with the bolt handle falling out too. I had it cerakoted in FDE to make it harder to find when I'm hunting.. like an idiot. LUCKILY I haven't completely lost it yet. I am thinking about putting some RTV blue gasket maker on the end of the bolt handle to keep it in the bolt. Not sure how hard that will make to remove when I need to break down though...

Anyone ever had issues unloading their Versamax? (Sorry if this has been a question before, this forum is hard to navigate through quickly) Mine does this and I know someone else's that does this. I have to push the mag release inside to empty the magazine tube. Rather than push the tab to unload through the action. Hope that makes sense, let me know if anyone else has seen this or knows a solution
gibsonjtech wrote:Like the look and out line. Bought it! Couple of weeks later it jambed goose hunting, was about to toss it into the Columbia River till hunting partner said his 1100 was jaming too. Oh by the way was blizzard and zero degrees. Geese were flying ten feet off the deck twenty yard out. Wrong oil and pin was frezzing up. Heat helped. Getting home cleaned and re-oiled all is fine now. Little warmer. It shoots anything I put into it. Plan and simple!

Biggest question I have is shooting trap on the line. Want to find a shell catcher that works like the TS not interested in the wire and double sided sticky tape thing on line. I would like a simple clip. Buddys don't like getting hit in the face and like shooting versamax on trap. Is their a modifacation I can do? Drill holes wire? Right now using a rubber band but would like to upgrade:)

PS have a new friend and her name is VERSAMAX!


I went to the wire and double stick tape for the shell catcher. It does not consistently catch the shells. It catches very few, but it slows them down so they land near me feet instead of bouncing off the person at the next station, so I use it.

I had the operating handle fall out for the first time yesterday and was unable to find it. Having trouble finding the factory handle online.

Re: Remington VESA MAX Autoloader Troubleshooting

PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:37 pm
by mauser9
No reason for this BS. Gee been using my old 1100 since 80 for trap. Never had these ridiculous problems. What the heck is the problem? lousy QC or design?