Product Review: Weatherby Orion 20g

I remember buying this shotgun towards the tail end of COVID. At the time I was primarily shooting 16 and 12 gauge but ammo had become scarce during the pandemic and towards the end of the season I ran out. After running out of both 12 and 16, I was left with a few dozen boxes of 20 gauge shells but lacked a decent chukar gun to shoot them out of. 

Since I was initially just looking for a gun to get me through to the end of the season, I was trying to keep it cheap. After looking at a few guns, I ended up landing on the Weatherby Orion 20g in matte blue which set me back around a thousand bucks. Not only was it was very affordable, but it also had all the attributes needed to be a great chukar gun. It was light (6lbs) and snappy with 26" barrels, a great length for carrying in the mountains and chasing fast moving birds. The wood and matte blue receiver aren't anything fancy but you also won't feel bad inevitably beating it up. It is understated but still looks great and as I found out quickly, it shot great as well.

The first trip with this gun told me one thing, I felt fantastic. I went 9 for 11 on valley quail the first time I took it out of the box. It carried and swung with ease and after a couple hours of knocking down almost everything I pointed at, I was oozing confidence. I ended up finishing out that season on a hell of a run shooting wise, I felt like I just couldn't miss. How could a cheaper gun shoot better than my fancier guns? It just felt wrong.

Since that first season with it several years ago, I have now put this gun through hundreds of rounds. It has been dropped, scraped, used as a trekking pole, put away wet and rusted, and probably only cleaned twice in a few years...yet still, it just works and continues to be one of the best shooting shotguns in my quiver.

The only 'issue' I've had with it was with the barrel/safety selectors. The tolerances were a bit loose on the selector and on occasion it would move diagonally instead of the intended N/E/S/W. Meaning the safety didn't come off and you've missed your chukar. That said, when you did slide it in the N/E/S/W directions it worked work perfectly.

Considering the price, the reliability and the feel of this shotgun, it's an easy one to recommend to someone looking for a chukar gun in the $1,000 range. Do I have nicer 20 gauges now, yes. Do I still use the Orion, absolutely. I'm putting this one in the good, cheap, fun category. 

Overall ★★★★☆

Product as tested: Weatherby Orion 20 gauge (Matte Blue)

Barrels: 26"

Weight: 6lbs

Grip: Prince of Wales

Chokes: IC/Mod/Full

Chamber: 3"

MSRP: ~$1,199