I have the chance to purchase a NIB Weatherby Orion O/U 12ga, 28” for under $800. The shotgun is nice and well made, trim, swings well, etc., nice gun. It’s not a Beretta or Benelli, but appears to be a well made shotgun for the money. Any opinions?

It is a very well made shotgun. If the gun fits and swings well, it is a decent price. I would have no problem at all using one as my primary O/U shotgun.

Is it a Weatherby Orion 1 made in Turkey or one of the older Orion made by SKB in Japan?

If it's the SKB in Japan version jump on it.

Can’t comment too much on the price value of the Weatherby Orion you are looking at (budsgunshop has them starting at $735) but I know it is made by ATA for Weatherby in Turkey. That’s not necessary a bad thing at this price point (after all, it’s not a $2000 shotgun) and Weatherby does enjoy a good reputation for standing behind its products and controlling quality out of Turkey. My son’s SA-08 is a fine little auto loader and is finished better than the budget beretta a300.

It may need some trigger work but it does not have automatic safeties like a beretta or browning and that is a good thing IMO. One of these days, I may get the auto safety disengaged on my 686 and citori.

Bottom line, the Weatherby Orion is probably a solid choice for an entry level O/U shotgun.

I have a beater weatherby pa-08 that I’ve used for all sorts of stuff, it’s made in turkey and is a bit rough (dosent matter for my uses) but has worked well, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a Turkish shotgun.

I have several Weatherby Mark V rifles, old and new, and feel the quality is fantastic.
When my Son started to want guns I bought him a handgun. I told him the next have to have gun is a 12ga shotgun.
I saw the Weatherby tactical shotgun on sale for about $300 (made in Turkey)and convinced him to order it (CDNN). I felt Weatherby would NOT put there name on a piece of crap and a good shotgun for $300 would be a good buy.
It came and I borrowed it a few times, I was impressed. I bought one for myself as a beater, added an extended magazine, and could not be happier. Everybody that shoots it loves it.
I now see them on sale at CDNN for $240, unbelievable bargain.
It ain't my beater anymore.

Where on the Orion are the proof marks and "Made in" information? We looked all over and while there is a City and State on the side of the barrel for California, no where can I find where it was manufactured. Hoping it's Japan, but betting it is probably Turkey.

quote:

Originally posted by jcsabolt2:
Where on the Orion are the proof marks and "Made in" information? We looked all over and while there is a City and State on the side of the barrel for California, no where can I find where it was manufactured. Hoping it's Japan, but betting it is probably Turkey.

did you remove the barrels?

should be a manufacture mark or country on it somewhere,
sometimes they are under the handguard, or on the barrels where they are joined, and covered by the handguards and receiver

quote:

Originally posted by armored:
I have several Weatherby Mark V rifles, old and new, and feel the quality is fantastic.
When my Son started to want guns I bought him a handgun. I told him the next have to have gun is a 12ga shotgun.
I saw the Weatherby tactical shotgun on sale for about $300 (made in Turkey)and convinced him to order it (CDNN). I felt Weatherby would NOT put there name on a piece of crap and a good shotgun for $300 would be a good buy.
It came and I borrowed it a few times, I was impressed. I bought one for myself as a beater, added an extended magazine, and could not be happier. Everybody that shoots it loves it.
I now see them on sale at CDNN for $240, unbelievable bargain.
It ain't my beater anymore.

Those weatherby pump guns were quite the bargain. Last year I went to cold bay for a week and we hunted all sorts of stuff eiders, brandts, sucks and geese. The weatherby pa08 hung right there with my wingmaster and didn’t have a hiccup.

$800 is a good price on a new Orion, not much over current dealer cost. I'm not a huge fan of the lower/mid priced Turkish guns, but ATA seems to have a reputation as being one of the better mid priced Turkish guns.