Weatherby Orion Sporting?

TPayn

TPayn

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Hey all, I’m a new member and want to get into shooting clays. Looking for my first O/U to test the waters. After a bunch of research, I’ve narrowed my pick down to the Weatherby Orion sporting. Reasons being: budget, I want something that will last, a brand with customer service. I’ve also been reading to stay away from the budget friendly Turkish guns.

Is this a solid pick for a first O/U? Lemme know!
Thanks
 
Where's it made? I know a lot of Weatherby shotguns are Turkish but not sure about this one in particular.

With gloss-finished metalwork and glossy Turkish walnut stock, the Orion Sporting is sure to catch some eyes at the local gun club.
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Turkish walnut makes me think Turkish gun. For $1700 there should be some really good options on the used market.
 
Suther said:
Where's it made? I know a lot of Weatherby shotguns are Turkish but not sure about this one in particular.



Turkish walnut makes me think Turkish gun. For $1700 there should be some really good options on the used market.
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Looked online, American company, sourced and manufactured outside the US (probably turkey lol)
 
The Orion is presently made by Yildiz in Turkey, previously they were made by Fausti in Italy and prior to that SKB in Japan.
Given the choice I'd take an SKB Orion over any of the others and the Fausti made Orion second. Yildiz has come a long way since they first appeared here about 20 years ago but they have had more than their fair share of problems.
 
Falconflyer said:
The Orion is presently made by Yildiz in Turkey, previously they were made by Fausti in Italy and prior to that SKB in Japan.
Given the choice I'd take an SKB Orion over any of the others and the Fausti made Orion second. Yildiz has come a long way since they first appeared here about 20 years ago but they have had more than their fair share of problems.
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So did fausti.
 
Weatherby out sources its shotguns to the lowest bidder for their specs. While they are a step up from the very entry level doubles they haven't escaped quality defects from any of the makers
On a whole the Turkish guns are getting better and there are some Turkish made guns that rival big names
Theres also absolute trash but thats not a country of origin thing thats we as consumers push for the race to the bottom

If you were to look at new Turkish guns huglu and Churchill have solid reputations. The couple weatherby orions at my local club have done well where the semis have all failed
 
Have one in 20g worked great both on ducks and pheasants. My only ##### is the safety/barrel switch mechanism ,twice got hung up pushing safety off and it got crossed with barrel selector so nothing worked. The B guns have a much more defined slide so it is not an issue as much to me anyhow. Like the SKB with the selector on the trigger much better. For 1k I think it is a pretty nice 20g and the Prince of Wales grip works fine for as well. Have shot skeet with it and all good. My .02
 
I am in the same boat and glad this thread came up. Looking for a 20 o/u, preferably Italian made with neutral cast. Need to test the water with the daughter but she’s a lefty so thinking about a neutral cast that it can be used by wife or someone else if the daughter doesn’t like it.
 
TPayn said:
Hey all, I’m a new member and want to get into shooting clays. Looking for my first O/U to test the waters. After a bunch of research, I’ve narrowed my pick down to the Weatherby Orion sporting. Reasons being: budget, I want something that will last, a brand with customer service. I’ve also been reading to stay away from the budget friendly Turkish guns.

Is this a solid pick for a first O/U? Lemme know!
Thanks
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I was looking at those wheathby as well. Until I heard of some reviews on the Cabelas web site. Lot of guys not happy with them
Wood is cracking etc
I would suggest just buying an older Browning Citori built around 1984. You can buy them around $900 - $1400 for a queen safe.
I just sold kine after owning it for a year . If did have full choke on top and mod on bottom.
But if you shoot number 8 instead of 7.5 you will not miss a clay
I only tried shooting clays 3 times. Never missed a shot with mine. I just bought it more for grouse hunting .
But the grouse was full of lead no matter what load I picked.
Sold shot gun in Oct and bought a 22. Now I do head shots and have clean meat .
The older browning also fit much better than the newer Browning's and are made in Germany.
The Weatherby are made in Turkey I believe. I might be wrong
I sold mine for $1400. Only had 7 boxes of shells threw it since 1984 And I included 3 boxes in the sale gun had zero scratches and blueing was 100 %.
I also looked at the Steven 555.
But I shot one at the range and got lots of cheek slap.
The older browning shoot very smooth . Keep looking for one till you find a nice one in mint shape. Well worth it
 
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brybenn said:
Weatherby out sources its shotguns to the lowest bidder for their specs. While they are a step up from the very entry level doubles they haven't escaped quality defects from any of the makers
On a whole the Turkish guns are getting better and there are some Turkish made guns that rival big names
Theres also absolute trash but thats not a country of origin thing thats we as consumers push for the race to the bottom

If you were to look at new Turkish guns huglu and Churchill have solid reputations. The couple weatherby orions at my local club have done well where the semis have all failed
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I find that interesting about the Weatherby Semi's. I've owned their gas operated SA-08 in both 12 & 20ga for a while now and have found them very reliable. Even friends with semi-auto's considered to be higher quality would have issues with cycling lighter loads (1oz) or ammo from specific manufacturers that I did not with my less expensive Turkish gun.
I admit, I have no personal experience with their inertia guns yet but would recommend Weatherby highly based on my experience with the ones I own.

To the OP, the Orion does come standard with some nice features for an O/U in that price point such as chrome lined barrels. As others have said, you will be able to find a used O/U in the same price point from manufacturers like Browning & Beretta which will hold their value better than the Orion will and have a proven track record for longevity. While I think highly of Weatherby, I would still recommend the used option first.

Good luck in your search.
 
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If you shoot your Sa-08 long enough it will break.
I'm not trying to burst your bubble or ruin anyone's days but Sa-08's that get used a fair bit tend to break the bolt locking block and although I haven't seen one for a couple of years, parts were pretty much unobtainable at that time.
They are what they are, an affordable throw away gun that runs well for a while for the person that doesn't shoot a whole bunch.
 
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