Weatherby PA-08 thoughts/reviews?

Power Pill

Power Pill

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I'm looking into buying a new shotgun and i've decided on getting a combo with a rifled and smooth bore barrel.
I came across the Weatherby PA-08 combo at a decent price, but i know next to nothing about Weatherby firearms.
Id love to hear what other people think of them.

Thanks in advance!
 
They are made in turkey and are re-branded by Weatherby. They are attractively made and in general are BASED on the 870 trigger and bolt designs, but the parts do not interchange. Aluminum receiver. Decent turkish walnut stocks. These guns rely on looking nicer than they actually are to boost sales.

Parts are hard to come by, so I consider them disposable guns, as do most gunsmiths I know.

For the same money, you could get an 870 express combo. It won't look as pretty but will still be running long after the PA-08's out there are turned in for scrap over broken and irreplaceable parts.

If you use your pump guns a lot and tend to repair instead of replace, I would get something that has been made for a long time and made in very large numbers. Parts will always be inexpensive, readily available, and lots of people will work on them if you cannot. Examples:

Remington 870
Ithaca 37
Mossberg 500
Mossberg 590
Winchester Model 12
Winchester Model 97

You get the idea.
 
I have an SA-08 Deluxe and it's a great shotgun. If you have parts break you can always go through the Weatherby warranty centre.

As Claven2 mentioned the Remington 870 is the ubiquitous pump action shotgun. However, Remington firearms are just not what they used to be. If you go the 870 route, get an older used one.
 
Honestly, I am not in the camp that an older 870 is necessarily better. The express models have a cheaper finish. They come off the machines, go into a parts tumbler to remove burrs, then are sandblasted, hot dip blued, and assembled. The stocks are either laminate or synthetic these days, which is functional and works well.

The difference between an express and a Wingmaster are (generally):

Wingmaster guns come off the machines, then get an extra machining operation along the top to put in a recess for the sighting line. Then they get a sighting line roll-pressed into the steel. The guns are then power-sanded and polished (by skilled labourers) on metal sanding machines and buffing wheels in varying grits to get them smooth. Finally, a nice Wingmaster roll-stamp is applied.

Internally the receivers of both variants are identical. On the slide/action bar assemblies, the Wingmaster versions are polished, while the Express ones are not. Express guns will smooth out to equal a Wingmaster in feel, given enough use.

Wingmaster AND Express guns nowadays both get divots in the mag tube. The Wingmaster guns get a chrome plated bolt, the Express gets a blued one. They are both the same part though, jus a different finish applied. The express guns get a cheaper MIM extractor that everyone on CGN hates, but I've never seen one break in use.

Express trigger groups can be either plastic or sintered aluminum, depending on the version and year. Ringmaster guns also use sintered (MIM) aluminum TG's now too. You have to go back to the 80's or earlier to get a cast aluminum trigger plate (trigger guard). I have not data to prove this, but I'd lay money on the plastic polymer units being more resilient under hard use than the aluminum ones that are brittle and can break. I've replaced several for people who have broken them in the field. I've yet to see a plastic one broken.

The Wingmaster barrels are finely polished and get a nicer rib. Functionally the Express guns work just as well, but less effort is put into making them look nice. The barrel blanks for both models come out of the same bin.

As for an older Wingmaster, yes, it will be hand fitted and nice, but if you want a modern 3" version that takes choke tubes, you could sink a lot of $ into an older Wingmaster to get there. I ought to know, I have converted many to modern specs for people and it is not cheap to do (plus I'm an expensive SOB to hire).

I would still take a new express and polish it up where it matters over a $200 Uzkon re-branded as a "Weatherby". YMMV.
 
X2 on Claven2 comment and opinion. I shoot a Remington express in 16 gauge and it is as smooth as any Wing Master. Having said that it is not pretty but at my age I look beyond pretty for tough and take a beating performance.

Darryl
 
madtrapper143 said:
X2 on Claven2 comment and opinion. I shoot a Remington express in 16 gauge and it is as smooth as any Wing Master. Having said that it is not pretty but at my age I look beyond pretty for tough and take a beating performance.

Darryl
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Sounds like a nice gun. I'd like to find one of the recent manufacture 870's in 16 with chokes tubes, but sadly they are not made anymore and have grown somewhat scarce. I have a couple of early 16g WM's that are beautiful, but the choke tube feature would be a nice touch.

I'd also love to find a recent manufacture Ithaca 37 in 16g, while I'm dreaming...
 
madtrapper143 said:
X2 on Claven2 comment and opinion. I shoot a Remington express in 16 gauge and it is as smooth as any Wing Master. Having said that it is not pretty but at my age I look beyond pretty for tough and take a beating performance.

Darryl
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For what it is worth I have both in 16ga and no way is the express as smooth as the wingmaster out of the box and that is a vintage 16ga wingmaster and a 2nd gen choke tubed version also if one wants to compare. Both are smoother than the express when new.
Nor is the pairs of 28ga or 410 I have to do the same comparison with, express vs wingmaster
Not saying they the express are not Ok but one can tell the difference in cycling if you have them side by side
Cheers
 
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Claven2 said:
Sounds like a nice gun. I'd like to find one of the recent manufacture 870's in 16 with chokes tubes, but sadly they are not made anymore and have grown somewhat scarce. I have a couple of early 16g WM's that are beautiful, but the choke tube feature would be a nice touch.

I'd also love to find a recent manufacture Ithaca 37 in 16g, while I'm dreaming...
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They were scarce even when reintroduced in canada , very very few it seemed. Express yes in 16ga where around but not wingmasters same for the 1100's. I grabbed a 2nd gen stalker choke tubed version 16ga no problem but never found a 2nd gen wood version
 
3macs1 said:
For what it is worth I have both in 16ga and no way is the express as smooth as the wingmaster out of the box and that is a vintage wingmaster and a 2nd gen choke tubed version also bot are smoother than the express.
nor is the pairs of 28ga or 410 I have to do the same comparison, express vs wingmaster
Cheers
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I would agree with this. That said, if a fellow puts a few thousand hulls through an express, it will be very very smooth after that. Or if you know where to apply a little emery paper, that process can be sped up.

Of course, a new WM also costs more than double an Express version!
 
I have a PA-08 (20 gauge) - also have a couple of 870's (and neither is newer than 30 years old) - I carry the Wby a lot.

Disposable gun? I don't think so - any issue you just call or email Weatherby and they will get on it "immediately" - trying to get anything from Remington or Mossberg is an exercise in patience - so while you can be critical about many things, the warranty and customer service from Weatherby is NOT one of them.

Yes, they are made in Turkey, just like the Beretta's and Mossbergs.

For your money you get far more gun than you get from an 870 Express and better customer service if you do have an issue. To get similar fit and finish you would have to buy a Wingmaster at double the cost.

In the past two years Weatherby has outsold Rem by over 5 to 1 (at our store) and nothing, zip, nada, has come back for any reason. The only thing that outsells Wby shotguns is Mossberg.

If I was considering another shotgun in the sub-600 buck range Weatherby would be at the top followed by Winchester SXP's then Mossberg with Remington coming in a pretty far last place - they are priced higher and only kick in one choke - ok, no big deal you say, but everyone else tosses in at least 3 with some including 4 - that's another $150 to Rem if you want the same options that they give you "included in the cost".
 
Claven2 said:
I would agree with this. That said, if a fellow puts a few thousand hulls through an express, it will be very very smooth after that. Or if you know where to apply a little emery paper, that process can be sped up.

Of course, a new WM also costs more than double an Express version!
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See unlike Darryl I like pretty guns even if I am old.:) and think they are worth the extra cash
Not too many guys I know will put a couple 1000 rounds through a 16ga any more , 12ga yes
 
galamb said:
I have a PA-08 (20 gauge) - also have a couple of 870's (and neither is newer than 30 years old) - I carry the Wby a lot.

Disposable gun? I don't think so - any issue you just call or email Weatherby and they will get on it "immediately" - trying to get anything from Remington or Mossberg is an exercise in patience - so while you can be critical about many things, the warranty and customer service from Weatherby is NOT one of them.

Yes, they are made in Turkey, just like the Beretta's and Mossbergs.

For your money you get far more gun than you get from an 870 Express and better customer service if you do have an issue. To get similar fit and finish you would have to buy a Wingmaster at double the cost.

In the past two years Weatherby has outsold Rem by over 5 to 1 (at our store) and nothing, zip, nada, has come back for any reason. The only thing that outsells Wby shotguns is Mossberg.

If I was considering another shotgun in the sub-600 buck range Weatherby would be at the top followed by Winchester SXP's then Mossberg with Remington coming in a pretty far last place - they are priced higher and only kick in one choke - ok, no big deal you say, but everyone else tosses in at least 3 with some including 4 - that's another $150 to Rem if you want the same options that they give you "included in the cost".
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Been a while since I used one but there is no denying the weatherby gun has good looks and an excellent purchase price. However I sure hope they worked on the rough action and unreal heavy trigger pull since introduced
Cheers
 
The SXP is also made in turkey and also hard to get parts for.

Beretta is made in Italy, not turkey, and Mossberg is made in either USA or Mexico depending on model, not turkey.

The only beretta product I know of made in turkey is the barrels (only) on the low end 3091 that Stoeger specs for low end retailers.

The closest thing to turkey on a Mossberg is that they make a turkey gun for gobblers.
 
3macs1 said:
Been a while since I used one but there is no denying the weatherby gun has good looks and an excellent purchase price. However I sure hope they worked on the rough action and unreal heavy trigger pull since introduced
Cheers
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The appearance and price point is why these guns sell. I don't know anyone shooting thousands of rounds through them, but I stand by to be corrected.
 
Guys im not really interested in reading about the quality of the 870 express.....looking for info on the Weatherby.
 
Power Pill said:
Guys im not really interested in reading about the quality of the 870 express.....looking for info on the Weatherby.
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If you are looking for someone to tell you how wonderful they are that is not me Sorry and yes I maybe a pump snob but not too many I didnot own or try over the years . In fact still own examples of wingmaster, express, bps, browning model 12, win model 12, high standard, ithaca, akkar and had a weatherby and every model mossy made but no weatherby now.
My experience with the pa-08
Heavy trigger, rough cycling, have to make sure they fit you ( which it didnot for me, seemed my arms were too short) and many say they are not balanced but I didnot notice that as much
Pretty to look at and cheap to buy. Made by the same turkey company that makes the Akkar which I still have one of those and would never buy another and still have it only because it is a 28ga
My comments are as always compared to a wingmaster and if one never owned a wingmaster ( or cleaned their wingmaster :) )and bought a weatherby would probaly think it was great if it didnot have the heavy trigger and maybe that has been fixed on today's new weatherby's I don't know
Also looks like old chucky pretty much had the same or similar experience I did when they came out take that for what it is worth
You want a quality pump buy a wingmaster, bps or ithaca. The rest will go bang and work but are all in the econo group IMO which again is fine pending what you expect out of it.Just hunting it would work fine if it fits you but regular clay shooting NOT so much
Bottom line like like most stuff you get what you pay for and pump actions are a fine example of this
http://www.chuckhawks.com/wby_PA-08_first.html

In fact I recall the selling write up quite well as below so based on that for a hunting gun it should be fine but not worth a dam for any form of clays shooter banging off 5000-20,000 a year

Weatherby’s product development procedure for the PA-08 pump shotgun went something like this: Shoot it until something breaks, fix the problem and repeat. The company continued this process until it ended up with a gun that fired more than 6,000 rounds – what the company equates to 10 to 20 years of normal field use – without a failure.
Cheers
 
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madtrapper143 said:
Right now I have about 400 rounds through my 870 16 gauge Express and it is smooth. By the way Claven there is an Express 16 in the EE right now.

Darryl
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Factory as supplied ???and you have never polished it or debured it?? No jamming at all
Maybe I am too hard on them but smooth to me is model 31's or that 12ga 870 factory skeet I bought from you
Now we are talking some serious SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOth :)
Cheers
 
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