Weatherby Orion Review

[huntineveryday]

I've been looking for an o/u for a while and picked up a Weatherby Orion yesterday. I was in the $1000-$1300 ballpark for budget and was looking for a used Citori or Beretta 686, or a new Weatherby Orion, Franchi Instinct L, or Winchester 101. I have not owned an o/u before. I will be using it for upland hunting, shooting in a trap league over the summer, and some hunt tests with my dog. I was looking for a steel receiver gun with 28" barrels, and I need to be able to shoot steel as I frequently hunt WPA's that are non-tox only.

I've watched used prices for a while and think I could have gotten a good citori in my budget, but I am tired of waiting and it could be a while to find one in the shape I want. I was able to shoulder a new Beretta, Citori, Franchi, and Weatherby over the weekend. The Citori and Weatherby seemed to fit the best, both just naturally aimed right where I'm looking when I shoulder them. No one had the 101 in stock and hadn't seen them regularly, so it looked like I could be waiting a while to get my hands on one I could handle without buying first.

I settled on the Weatherby Orion, with the glossy finish. The gun was the cheapest and is a Turkish o/u, but it checks a lot of boxes with changeable choke tubes, chrome lined barrels, 5 year warranty from Weatherby, and an action that seems built to handle some trap shooting. It seemed to fit me about the same as the citori's and better than the others I handled, which was the main reason I went with it. I figure I'll either love it or I'll learn what I really want in a o/u while I save up to upgrade to a different gun.

The Scheels I bought it from had 3 glossy 12 gauges with 28" barrels in stock, and a matte version with 28" barrels. Fit and finish seemed good and was consistent across all of them, and wood was pretty consistent. They all felt smooth and tight in the action. The safety had more play than the citoris and Beretta, but not excessive like I found in some Mossberg and Stevens that I handled. Triggers don't have very much creep and seem better than the ones in Randy Wakeman's review seemed to have. The gun balances at the trigger side of the hinge pin. When I got it home, the choke tube threads felt pretty dry and rough initially, but I couldn't find anything abnormal and after I cleaned the threads out and applied some choke tube grease they felt smooth and normal. My gun weighs 7 lb 7oz (heavier than the listed 7lb weight).

My impression on the first hunt this morning was pretty good. One shot, 1 rooster! I intend to update this after hunting with the gun for a month, then again after shooting it in trap league this summer. Good or bad, just trying to put some real world experience with the gun out there.

 

[CVACascade.308]

What's the update? Also looking at the Orion.

 

[huntineveryday]

Overall, it's been a pretty good gun for the money. I've hunted it for doves, pheasants, quail, and grouse. I shot trap with it last summer and am again this summer.

Pros: It still shoulders as good as any gun I mess around with in the store. It's pretty easy to carry, comes to my shoulder well, and points quickly. I haven't had any mechanical issues with the gun, and the action still feels as tight as the first weekend I hunted with it.

Cons: I got the glossy finish. I was worried about the mat finish not handling moisture as well, but figured the glossy would show scratches more easily. The wood on mine does scratch and dent somewhat easily, but I hunt hard and bust brush, so my guns are going to have some character. The metal finish has wore through some from carrying it, around the sharp edges, which surprised and annoyed me. I haven't noticed any sensitivity to moisture in those areas, they just wore to more of a gunmetal surface through the black in those spots. It's noticeable and makes the gun look more used than I think it should be, however.

The safety is commonly reported as being loose or having some play in it. It is. It has cost me opportunities at birds several times, moreso earlier in the season. I would bump the safety from right to left, kind of in between the barrel selection, unknowingly. Then when a bird flushed, I wouldn't be able to get the safety all the way forward and the gun wouldn't fire. It's pretty easy to work around, I am just used to checking it once the dogs get birdy to make sure it is clear left or clear right. It annoys me and will occasionally be a problem on a wild flush, but like I said, an easy thing to work around.

Overall: the gun shoulders well, points well, and fires when I pull the trigger. It's been a fun gun to shoot. It's still a <$1000 Turkish o/u, and the play in the safety and the finish of the metal and wood is where that shows. I still think it's a great gun for the money. I don't regret the purchase.

 

[Side-Swipe]

What chokes does it take?

 

[sndmn11]

What chokes does it take?

gauge dependant ---> I had the element thread pattern in mind

IMC for the Orion OU

Choke Tube Guide - Weatherby, Inc.

CRIO® Plus Choke Models that use this choke pattern: 18i Synthetic 18i Deluxe 18i Waterfowler Models SORIX CRIO®. The trademark CRIO® is a registered trademark of Benelli Armi Spa Suggested aftermarket choke tube manufacturers: Briley, Carlson’s, Kicks, Muller Choke Tubes and Trulock...

weatherby.com

 

[CVACascade.308]

Thanks - helpful summary! I have the same worry about the matte "field" finish version, but I think I'm going to go that route.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

fwiw - I put turkish guns in the same category as toyota trucks. maybe less polished and fewer bells and whistles but they flat out work.

If finish is a concern take a hard look at CZ All terrain series. They have them both O/U and SXS. They're huglu (another turkish maker) and have a very good reputation of durability. The added cerakote on the all terrain series might solve some of your finish concerns. Buddy hunts northwoods ruff grouse with one of their O/Us and gun looks pretty darn impressive given the amount of abuse he's put his through.

 

[TSAMP]

Anybody try the sxs version of this gun? I handled one over the weekend and wanted to compare it to the CZ bobwhite.

Looking for a first time SxS purchase and wanting to stay fairly cheap. My biggest take away was the gun felt a touch heavy, the above mentioned safety slop, and the giant weatherby logo on the action kind of turned me off. So I left it on the shelf.

 

[Mtncowboy]

I have a Weatherby Orion o/u and I really like it and recommend it! I shoot the 20 gauge with 26" barrels, matte version. I hunt pheasants and chuckars with it and it's worked great. Because my wife and kids got it for me as a gift I have only used it the last couple seasons and it's been great. I have a Browning O/U in 12 gauge, and I haven't missed it.

 

[CVACascade.308]

Little update on my end - bought a new Orion in 26", 12 ga, Matte Blue. Cleaned it and applied some light oil to the action. As expected, breaking it open took some effort- not "slam it over your knee", but really exerting some grip strength and pulling down pretty hard - would estimate maybe 10-15 lbs of effort. Total guess haha.

But I bought some white lithium grease at the auto parts store, applied it to the hinge points, and that alone significantly eased up the action - probably about 25% easier to open now.

Weatherby's official line is "it takes about 200 rounds to loosen up the action", so I bought a big box of cheap ammo and will run it through as I find time, and update after that.

Overall, love the fit and finish, love the feel and the look. For the record, zero slop in the safety on mine.