The Weatherby Orion is a high-quality Japanese-made over-and-under shotgun that earned a strong reputation for its solid construction, attractive finish and dependable sporting performance. This example, serial number E017058, is chambered in 12 Gauge and is marked “Weatherby, Inc., Atascadero, Calif. – Made in Japan,” identifying it as an earlier Japanese-production Orion.
These earlier Orion shotguns were produced in Japan by SKB for Weatherby. SKB was a respected Japanese gunmaker with considerable experience manufacturing sporting shotguns and also produced guns for a number of major international brands. The Japanese Orions are particularly well regarded for their robust actions, good barrel regulation and generally high standard of machining and finish.
The shotgun uses a traditional break-action, over-and-under configuration, with a timber stock and fore-end complementing the classic sporting appearance. Its two-barrel arrangement provides a simple and reliable action while allowing the shooter to make use of different choke combinations between the upper and lower barrels.
The Atascadero, California address is also useful for identifying its period of manufacture. Weatherby's operations were based in Atascadero during this era, distinguishing these guns from both earlier Weatherby-marked firearms carrying different California addresses and the substantially later Orion shotguns manufactured in Turkey.
This shotgun is in good mechanical order with the timber having a nice finish and very little cosmetic damage. There is some pitting to the metal work in a couple of areas.
Key Features
- Manufacturer: Weatherby, Inc.
- Model: Orion
- Calibre: 12 Gauge
- Serial Number: E017058
- Action: Break-action
- Configuration: Over-and-under
- Country of Manufacture: Japan
- Japanese Manufacturer: SKB
- Weatherby Marking: Atascadero, California
Comes with hardcase, instruction manual and full set of chokes.
