Versa Max Tactical with Mesa Tactical Side Saddle

Who doesn’t love a nice autoloading 12 gauge? They are versatile, fun, affordable to shoot, and are now invaluable tools to three gun shooters around the world. The Remington Versa Max is no exception, and I must say that it was a really pleasure to be able to test one.

I like shotguns as much as the next sportsman. They can be used for hunting migratory birds, fowl, turkey, deer, and even larger game with slugs. You can use them for home defense, and they are still in use by armies and police forces everywhere. And of course they are essential for any three gun competitor. For the latter, the Versa Max really could shine bright. It comes with some great accessories including multiple cheek combs, chokes (including the nifty one pictured), fiber optic sights, an extended charging handle, and a large bolt release button that makes operating the Versa Max Tactical a breeze.

Before I get too far into the review, I would like to state that the first gun I received from Remington had to be sent back. When I tried to mate the receiver and barrel together, there was an excessive amount of play and I deemed the gun unsafe to shoot (I did not want to risk shooting a gun where the bolt may not potentially be able to lock properly). Our policy here at The Firearm Blog is that we give the company a chance to make it right before we review the product. In this case, the test mule I received had already been sent to many other evaluators such as magazines, blogs, etc. so it was very worn and whoever tried to disassemble and reassemble the gun may have stripped something. Regardless I found out that a third party reconditions the guns for Remington and that they had failed to notice. I sent the gun back and got a new one in a week or so that was flawless. Many people assume that manufacturers set aside the best guns for people like us to review in order to stack the odds in their favor, but I assure you that this is simply not true as most of what we receive has been really run through the ringer.

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Anyways, on with the show. The Versa Max Tactical is a very cool looking scattergun, and the Mesa Tactical side saddle is a great accessory that comes in 4, 6, or 8 shell capacity. I opted for the 6 shell model because I thought the 8 shell model made the side of the gun a little too busy. The side saddle also includes a picatinny rail on top so competitive shooters can mount an optic of their choice. The saddle also installed in about 2 minutes and required only a hex key that is included. The plug screws on top of the Versa Max are removed, and the saddle is put on with new screws included with the unit (no removal of trigger pins or anything else is necessary!).