Weatherby Orion I: A Top-Selling Over-Under Shotgun

by
posted on April 17, 2021
weatherby-orion-i.jpg

Weatherby introduced its over-under Orion I shotgun six years ago, and it has methodically gained the attention of sportsmen—for good reason, too. It features the distinctive Weatherby lines and look, and the performance to match. A visit to the company website indicates MSRP is currenly $999, a pleasant pocketbook surprise, since it wore a $1,099 price tag when it hit U.S. shelves in 2015.

The Orion I is manufactured in Turkey by ATA, a company with a well-deserved reputation for crafting firearms that outperform their price. In the case of this shotgun, the firm also delivered looks befitting Weatherby.

Grade A walnut is used in the straight stock—with rounded Prince of Wales grip—and fore-end. Each are polished to a high-gloss finish and checkering on the fore-end is befitting for a field and sporting gun.

Barrels and receiver have the kind of high-gloss finish that give the shotgun a classy look. The black recoil pad matches nicely. A matte ventilated rib and brass bead up front get shooters on target in fast and traditional style.

There’s more than just looks to this over-under shotgun, though. Enthusiasts can choose a model wearing either 26" or 28" barrels. Both chamber 3" 12-ga. shotshells, bores are chrome-lined, and barrels are threaded to accept choke tubes. The guns ship with three.

A tang-mounted safety also functions as barrel selector, and the automatic ejector throws empty hulls clear. Length of pull is 14 5/8". Drop at comb and drop at heel, in inches, are 1 5/8" and 2 3/8", respectively. Overall length for the 26" barreled version is 43 3/4". Weight runs roughly 7 lbs.

Last year, Weatherby’s Orion I claimed second-place honors in the 10-best-selling over-under shotgun list compiled annually by GunBroker.com. The year before, it placed a distant eighth.

 

Latest

Century BFT 01
Century BFT 01

New For 2024: Century Arms BFT74 & BFT556

Century Arms expanded its AK-style BFT rifle line in 2024 with two new models chambered for 5.56 NATO and 5.45x39 mm, respectively.

Preview: Armaspec SRS AR-15 Kit

This Armaspec upgrade to the AR-15’s standard buffer and spring includes a trio of interchangeable buffer weights that allow the user to tune it to his or her rifle/load.

Gun Of The Week: Davidson’s Exclusive KelTec KS7

Join American Rifleman staff on the range this week with a unique version of KelTec's KS7 bullpup shotgun.

The Armed Citizen® Nov. 1, 2024

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Hydra Weaponry Expands To New Facility

Hydra Weaponry—the designer and manufacturer of the modular Marck-15 Hydra Weapon System and Maine’s largest firearm employer—has expanded into a larger facility.

Review: Bushmaster M4A2 Patrolman's Carbine

The M4A2 Patrolman’s Carbine from Bushmaster Firearms is the first in a line of AR-15s designed to bring back the standard, carbine-length firearms that have long been a staple of American shooting enthusiasts.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.