August 02, 2023
By Joe Ferronato
Break-action shotguns are a favorite of those who take to field behind good pointers and flushers. They’re a personal favorite of mine, and I have long history with hunting with a side-by-side versus the ever-popular over/under.
My first shotgun as a kid, passed down from my grandfather, was a stylish 20-gauge side-by-side fitted with a European-style stock, splinter forend and fixed chokes in the barrel. Until recently, that was my go-to gun for any trip to the field with my bird dogs. I have an affinity for the platform, and I am excited to announce that today, Weatherby has released a side-by-side shotgun in the Orion line .
At first glance, the new Orion brings a classic look and style with the straight English stock and splinter forend. Looking down the barrel there is a swamp rib fitted with a brass bead for easy sight acquisition and accuracy. The traditional styling is also functional; the lightweight and sleek stock allows for easy maneuverability and pointing. Total weight is a mere 6.2 pounds.
Shooting side-by-sides can sometimes be intimidating for many shooters; instead of having two barrels stacked on top of each other, the side-by-side positioning of the barrels can take come serious adjustment. Once used to it, I find side-by-sides to point naturally and, once mastered, are lethally accurate.
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A great feature of the new Orion: interchangeable chokes utilizing the Yildiz choke system. The package comes with five extended chokes including SK, IC, Mod, IM and Full. With the different chokes you can truly setup the shotgun for an individualized shooting experience for your next hunt.
Fitted with a double mechanical trigger—a foreign feeling to many shooters, but easy to get used to—you can easily pick the barrel you want to fire first. The front trigger fires the right barrel and the rear trigger the left. Put a close-range choke in your first barrel and an extended range in the other, and you’ll put more birds in your bag rather than watching them flutter over the next ridge.
After the shot, you’ll notice that the action features extractors rather than ejectors so you can control the removal of shot hulls to keep the landscape clean without having to search in the brush for ejected shells.
The new Orion side-by-side is available in both 12 and 20 gauges initially. If you’re looking for a new break-action shotgun for your upland hunts this year, make sure to check out the Orion side-by-side for a comfortable, accurate scattergun that will also capture the glances of your hunting partners.
$1,099; weatherby.com
