VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Sept. 29, 2011) -

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO US NEWS AGENCIES

American Bonanza Gold Corp. (TSX:BZA)(OTCQX:ABGFF) (“Bonanza” or the “Company”) announces that it has closed the previously announced public offering (the “Offering”) of common shares of the Company (the “Shares”). A total of 11,500,000 Shares were sold under the Offering on a bought deal basis to National Bank Financial Inc., at a price of $0.53 per Share, for gross proceeds of $6,095,000, pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement dated September 14, 2011. The Company paid the Underwriter a cash commission equal to 6% of the gross proceeds of the Offering and issued to the Underwriter broker warrants to purchase that number of common shares of the Company equal to 6% of the Offering at a price of $0.61 per share, exercisable until March 29, 2013. The Underwriter holds an over-allotment option, exercisable at any time prior to 30 days following the closing of the Offering, to acquire up to an additional 1,725,000 Shares at a price of $0.53 per Share.

The Company will use the net proceeds of the Offering to accelerate the planned transition of the Copperstone Mine into an entirely owner-operated facility and to accelerate the Company’s exploration program at the Copperstone Mine, as more particularly described in the prospectus of the Company dated September 22, 2011 in respect of this Offering as filed on www.sedar.com.

The securities offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirement of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Bonanza

Bonanza is working to re-activate mining at the preproduction-stage Copperstone Mine in Arizona. Bonanza has approximately 196 million shares outstanding and has no debt. For more information please visit Bonanza’s website at www.americanbonanza.com.

AMERICAN BONANZA GOLD CORP.

Brian Kirwin, President & Chief Executive Officer

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, including the plans for the use of the net proceeds of the Offering, and the likelihood of commercial mining are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the inability of the Company to obtain a receipt for the short form prospectus, changes in market conditions, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in the price of gold, unanticipated changes in key management personnel and general economic conditions. Mining exploration and development is an inherently risky business. Accordingly the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Bonanza and the risks and challenges of its business, investors should review the Company’s prospectus dated September 22, 2011 in respect of this Offering as filed on www.sedar.com.

VMS Reports 3.95 m of 9.31% Cu at Reed North in the Super Zone Property, Near Snow Lake, Manitoba

Related Quotes

SymbolPriceChange VMS.V

0.33	0.00

{“s” : “vms.v”,”k” : “a00,a50,b00,b60,c10,g00,h00,l10,p20,t10,v00″,”o” : “”,”j” : “”}

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire -09/29/11)- VMS Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: VMS.V – News) (“VMS”) is pleased to announce follow-up results from the new copper zone discovery “Reed North” on its Super Zone property located 1.8 kilometres northeast of the Reed Copper deposit. The Super Zone is part of a parcel of four property packages adjacent to the Reed Copper deposit which are under option to HudBay Minerals Inc. (TSX: HBM.TO – News)(NYSE: HBM.TO – News) (“HudBay”). Reed North was previously referred to as the Super Zone Discovery.

HIGHLIGHTS

--  Hole RLE021 Intersects 3.95 m of 9.31% Cu, 1.87% Zn, 3.59 g/t Au, and    35.53 g/t Ag

--  Hole RLE022 Intersects 4.15 m of 2.16% Cu, 0.18% Zn, 0.71 g/t Au, and    8.01 g/t Ag

Neil Richardson, VMS’ Chief Operating Officer states: “The drilling results and the follow-up borehole pulse electromagnetic surveys on the Reed North discovery support our interpretation that this is a highly prospective area. The mineralization is at, and around, bimodal volcanism. This is especially encouraging as it is the setting in which the larger deposits tend to be located, in VMS camps around the world.”

The bimodal volcanism and the strong alteration over a large area suggest a large hydrothermal mineralizing system. HudBay has now drilled twelve (12) holes, for a total of 3,591 metres, on this discovery. Two mineralized horizons have been recognized and a possible third, a deeper target, has been identified by deep penetrating geophysical surveys over the area. Drilling will continue to focus on this area where the geophysical anomaly associated with the mineralization has been traced for more than 1 kilometre. The mineralization seen to date is semi-massive to stringer (remobilized) type sulphides. Variable amounts of pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite occur, with lesser amounts of sphalerite and magnetite.

PREVIOUSLY RELEASED SUPERZONE HIGHLIGHTS

--  Hole RLE004 Intersects 0.34 m of 5.41% Cu, 0.27% Zn, 1.58 g/t Au, and    7.57 g/t Ag (May 17, 2011)

--  Hole RLE006 Intersects 7.18 m of 7.44% Cu, 0.23% Zn, 0.48 g/t Au, and    7.57 g/t Ag and 44.9 m of 0.79% Cu, 0.39% Zn, 0.16 g/t Au and 1.58 g/t    Ag (May 17, 2011)

--  Hole RLE007 Intersects 2.23 m of 5.94% Cu, 0.27% Zn, 0.40 g/t Au and    5.50 g/t Ag and 24.70 m of 0.21% Cu, 1.18% Zn, 0.08 g/t Au and 0.79 g/t    Ag (August 9, 2011)

To view “Figure 1. VTEM EM Anomalies” and “Figure 2. VTEM Anomalies with Magnetic Tilt” accompanying this press release, please click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/vms929i.pdf

DRILL SUMMARY FOR THE HUDBAY JV AND OPTIONED PROPERTY PACKAGES: MARCHTHROUGH SEPTEMBER, 2011

--  Reed Lake joint venture: two holes were completed for a total of 724    metres,--  Super Zone option: nine holes were completed for a total of 2,482    metres,--  Tower Zone option: one hole for a total of 1,082 metres,--  Northwest option: three holes completed for a total of 820 metres and--  Northeast option: one hole for a total of 349 metres.

HudBay has the right to earn a 70% joint venture interest in the option properties. One drill will continue to explore the option properties concentrating on the Reed North discovery zone until winter freeze up.

OPTION PROPERTIES ASSAY DATA

---------------------------------------------------------------------------Hole           From        To    Length      Cu      Zn        Au        AgNumber           (m)       (m)       (m)      %       %      (g/t)     (g/t)---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE011                          No Significant Assays---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE012       184.80    193.55      8.75    0.07    0.21      0.00      0.74---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE013                          No Significant Assays---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------             751.06    753.85      2.79    0.03    2.58      0.05      1.44RLE014    -----------------------------------------------------------------             757.92    761.38      3.46    0.38    1.20      0.21      4.26---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------              67.00     73.00      6.00    0.03    0.99      0.00      0.11          -----------------------------------------------------------------RLE015       156.73    158.83      2.10    0.13    0.48      0.00      1.95          -----------------------------------------------------------------             166.66    169.51      2.85    0.08    0.36      0.00      1.46---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE016       182.73    193.07     10.34    0.12    0.24      0.01      1.76---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE017                          No Significant Assays---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE018                       Hole Abandoned - Rods Stuck---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE019                          No Significant Assays---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------             199.19    203.70      4.51    0.07    0.63       N/A      2.00RLE020    -----------------------------------------------------------------             235.52    237.96      2.44    0.67    0.02       N/A      2.86---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE021       139.15    143.10      3.95    9.31    1.87      3.59     35.53---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE022       130.54    134.69      4.15    2.16    0.18      0.71      8.01---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE023                          No Significant Assays---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE024                              Assays Pending---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE025       147.00    166.13     19.13    1.42    1.10      0.68      6.71---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE026                              Assays Pending---------------------------------------------------------------------------                            True widths unknown---------------------------------------------------------------------------

OPTION PROPERTIES COLLAR INFORMATION

---------------------------------------------------------------------------                                       UTMHole        UTM East  UTM North  Elevation    Azimuth                LengthNumber            (1)        (1)        (1)        (2)       Dip    (metres)---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE011        389600    6050535        295        180        -50     218.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE012        395030    6049955        295          8        -50     392.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE013        390850    6048790        290        180        -55     349.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE014        395075    6048460        295        180        -60    1082.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE015        394588    6049754        290        149        -60     356.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE016        394189    6050204        290        360        -60     299.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE017        392300    6051345        290        360        -60     198.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE018        394900    6050300        290        350        -55     128.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE019        394899    6050300        290        350        -55     503.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE020        390866    6050783        290        200        -67     404.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE021        394920    6050525        290        335        -60     290.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE022        394920    6050525        290        335        -50     198.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE023        394920    6050525        290        335        -70     317.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE024        394920    6050525        290         10        -60     248.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE025        394920    6050525        290        355        -65     296.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------RLE026        394920    6050525        290        310        -50     203.00---------------------------------------------------------------------------(1) Universal Transverse Mercator / North American Datum 1983 / Zone 14(2) "Azimuth" is degrees from True North

REED COPPER DEPOSIT JOINT VENTURE UPDATE

A preliminary economic assessment and technical activities required for permitting, including metallurgical and geotechnical testing and mine design, are underway with the expectation of a construction decision by year-end.

On July 6, 2010 VMS and HudBay announced they had entered into a joint venture agreement in which HudBay and VMS have 70% and 30% interests, respectively, in the Reed Copper deposit and two claims immediately south of the deposit. The parties have also entered into four option agreements which grant HudBay the right to earn a 70% interest in properties held by VMS and adjacent to the Reed Copper deposit property.

For additional details on the Reed Copper deposit, see VMS’ NI 43-101 compliant technical report entitled “Technical Report Reed Deposit, Central Manitoba, Canada” dated March 31, 2011, available at www.sedar.com.

QUALIFIED PERSON

All technical information in this release has been reviewed by Dr. Mark Fedikow, P.Geo., who is the Qualified Person for the Company and Vice President of Exploration and Technical Services, VMS Ventures Inc.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL

Exploration core drilling was NQ size. The core was logged and mineralized intersections were marked for sampling and assaying by geologists and geotechnicians employed by HudBay’s Hudson Bay Exploration and Development Company Limited (HBED) subsidiary. The marked intersections or intervals were sawn in half by a diamond saw and one half of the core was placed in plastic bags and tagged with unique sample numbers, while the second half was returned to the core box and stored. Each bagged core sample was transported to HudBay’s Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Limited (HBMS) subsidiary’s assay laboratory in Flin Flon, Manitoba where it was dried, crushed and pulverized and a 250-gram sample was prepared for assaying at Acme Analytical Laboratories Ltd., an independent company in Vancouver, B.C., or the HBMS assay laboratory. From each 250 gram sample 0.25 grams was removed and leached in aqua regia and analyzed by ICP-AES for Ag, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Ni and Fe. Also from the 250 gram sample, 30 grams were removed for gold determination by fire assaying with an ICP-AES or gravimetric finish at the Acme laboratory or an Atomic Absorption or gravimetric finish at the HBMS laboratory.

Assaying integrity is monitored internally with a quality control program, which includes the use of assay sample standards, blanks, duplicates and repeats and externally through national and international programs. In addition, within each group of 20 core samples, one core sample has a second 250 gram split collected that was check assayed at a different laboratory, either the HBMS laboratory in Flin Flon or at the Acme laboratory in Vancouver, B.C. This news release provides core lengths and estimates of vertical thickness only. True widths are not provided. Where metal assays are provided for intersections they are either a single assay of a sample of the entire intersection length or a composite of assays calculated from interval weighted assays over the intersection length.

ABOUT VMS VENTURES INC.

VMS Ventures Inc. is focused primarily on acquiring, exploring and developing copper-zinc-gold-silver massive sulphide deposits in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake VMS Belt of Manitoba. The Company’s VMS project property portfolio consists of the Reed Lake Project, Copper Project, McClarty Lake Project, Sails Lake Project, Puella Bay Project and Morton Lake Project. Outside of the Snow Lake camp, the Company holds massive sulphide prospective properties near the past producing Fox Lake and Ruttan copper-zinc mines, near the communities of Lynn Lake and Leaf Rapids in northern Manitoba. These properties are located in the mining friendly province of Manitoba, Canada. The Company also has optioned three properties in the Sudbury mining camp. They are Terra Incognita, Golden Pine and Black Creek.

VMS Ventures owns approximately 45% of North American Nickel Inc. (TSX-V: NAN.V – News). For more information on North American Nickel Inc., please visit www.northamericannickel.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

Some of the statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks. The following are important factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: changes in the world wide price of mineral commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risks associated with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events may differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. VMS Ventures Inc. undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements if circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John Roozendaal, President, VMS Ventures Inc.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

VMS Ventures Inc.Keith PateyDirector of Communications(604) 986-2020 or Toll Free: 1-866-816-0118www.vmsventures.comLaunch IRMatt Harrington(613) 882-7467Launch IRDean Hanisch(613) 882-7467