Versatile and adaptable, the Orion Sporting is fit with a four-way adjustable comb that greatly assists in making the shotgun come to shoulder perfectly each and every time. The Sporting’s longer 30″ barrels make for a much more deliberate swing and are ported to help reduce recoil and aid in transitioning to a second clay target. The vented rib helps dissipate heat and optical distortion when shooting volume climbs, and a fiber optic bead glows brightly in the sunlight. Automatic ejectors kick spent hulls from the chambers, and the extended and knurled chokes are easily swapped depending on the target presentation. Built to crush clays, the Orion Sporting can be purchased in 12 or 20-gauge.
FINISH
Stock – High gloss finish “A” grade walnut stock with diamond point checkering
Receiver / Barrel / Top Rib – High gloss blue
Top Rib – Tappered ventilated top rib (10mm x 6mm)
CHOKES
Full, Improved Modified, Modified, Improved Cylinder, Skeet
Choke Tube Guide
James Adams –
I won my Weatherby in a raffle. I already had two Browning’s ,a Beretta and a Benelli. I shoot every week. The Weatherby is my preferred gun to shoot. I had no idea you could buy a great shotgun at such a reasonable price.
willpelkey –
This shotgun is beautiful and effective. I bought the 20 gauge, and its easily my favorite long gun. The fit, function, and features, combined with the overall quality, have left me incredibly happy with my choice, and at the price, it feels like a bargain. I’m a casual trap shooter, may hunt once a year, so this Orion suits my needs perfectly – crush clays and bag a bird.
Al Ruggiero –
I bought an Orion in 1985 , I shot everything from geese to clays sometime three days a week . I put countless rounds through it . Well I finally wore it out . I had it rebuilt for its second time and figured it’s time for a new one . It’s workmanship an build integrity is quit good plus it fits me real well . This gun will outlive me for sure .
Andy Y –
When I tried to buy one in September-October of 2023 they were out of stock so I had my firearms dealer order one for me. It arrived in mid November. I didn’t need another shotgun but I am a long time Weatherby customer having bought a Mark V 300 Weatherby Magnum back in the 70’s at their HQ at the time in South Gate, California. I bagged an elk on a hunt in Wyoming with that rifle in 1973. Weatherby to me meant quality which is why I purchased the Orion. I compared my Orion to my $4k Browning. I found the quality, chromed, vented barrels to be every bit the quality of the Browning. I have used it in several shoots since without one misfire. I am extremely pleased with the Orion. It’s an over performer for the price.
Greg Hoffman –
Bought the gun in August is now November and about 1500 rounds later am very pleased with my purchase. Just started shooting trap when I bought this gun but hope to be shooting in the 90s soon.
Corvette 99 –
I purchased my Orion Sporting 12ga November 2019 and as of October 2023 have fired 10,250 rounds through it with no malfunctions.
This firearm is great for skeet and sporting clays. I highly recommend this firearm based on the Weatherby quality, feel and swing of the firearm. It’s my first choice firearm for skeet and sporting clays.
Camillo –
Purchased my 30” 12 gauge Orion Sporting 15 months ago. I shoot a lot of trap and skeet, well over 3000 rounds through this gun. It is flawless, precise and a pleasure to shoot. Worth much more than the $1100.00 that I purchased it for.
Brad Pollard –
Just purchased the Orion 12ga on Thursday of this week to take with me for doves in south Texas. I originally planned to give to our oldest son but after this weekend, this one might just be staying in my safe. Have 2 Citori’s that are fine guns and the Orion performed just as well. Really enjoyed it and plan to purchase the Orion Sporting next. High recommendation.
BRIAN D. Burke –
I bought my Orion 20 Ga. sporting at the beginning of August this year and I really love it! Fits great, swings well an has such beautiful wood. I feel that it is a real bargain at the price. I smashed a number of clays with ease.
Ronnie Reese –
Just shot my Orion 20 gauge Sporting last night for the first time. Shot skeet and wow, what a great shotgun!! My friends were so impressed with the fit and finish of my Orion that they had a tough time believing what I paid for this gun. They ALL loved it and when I finished two rounds of skeet, THEY LOVED IT EVEN MORE!! It is an amazingly beautiful shotgun that REALLY does the job. Thanks Weatherby, you did a great job on this shotgun and the 20 gauge is TRULY EXCELLENT!! If you are a skeet shooter, you MUST try this shotgun!!! This light, beautiful and ACCURATE little 20 gauge will do its job on the skeet field as long as you do yours!
Mike Seay –
I have an Orion Sporting that is over 20 years old and performs like new. Can’t count how many rounds have been through it. Would not trade it for another costing more.
OldRandy –
A few owners complain about the sights. Shotgunning requires a hard focus on the target, not the sights. Establish a good mount and proper cheek weld [don’t forget the adjustable comb, a $300+ standard feature], and focus on the target! The sights will quickly become less important. Owners who have a problem opening the gun after firing should carefully examine the breech face for flat-and-true! I saw one that had a Q.C. issue. Obviously very rare. BUT, not all guns like all ammo! I like my ORION Sporting 12.
jules michel –
love the 20 gauge sporting. have shot several rounds of skeet and trap and my scores were the same as with my Beretta 682 skeet gun. I wanted a lighter field gun for bird hunting and it did a great job on quail two w eeks ago 8out of 10. lookimg forward to turkey and dove and more clays.
My 4 was because of no middle bead on the sporting model and the gun just does not open easily with high brass and especially steel/tin base shells. all brass base shells load and eject perfectly with normal break open effort. If anyone knows why mine does not eject or open easily with steel ased shells which are becoming the only one available let me know
John Hammond –
I have the Orion in both 20 and 12 gauge with no problems. If Weatherby would bring out the Orion in 28 gauge I would buy that too.
OldRandy –
I have discovered a video that shows how to lighten the trigger pull by the simple(?) moving of a pin from one hole to the other. It does require removal of the buttstock, which will also allow a visual inspection and lubrication of the action. So even if Wby. does not include what I consider to be a comprehensive owner’s manual, there is info online about this popular shotgun. I like mine!
Jon –
Absolutely fantastic gun and well worth a lot more than it costs. I shoot trap, sporting, super sporting, 5 stand and FITASC with this and it works flawlessly.
OldRandy –
This is my third comment on this product. I am increasingly glad I did not spend another $800-$1,000+ on a more expensive shotgun. But I have not yet shot it enough to give it 5 stars. We’ll see…
OldRandy –
First two rounds of trap, with no adjustments, shot 16 and 17, which is good performance for this old shooter. Trigger is a little heavy. Caused me to “flinch” (?) on a couple targets. Gun mounts nicely. I think it will prove to be well worth its price!
OldRandy –
I bought my new Orion Sporting 12 gauge today (9/14/2022) at a northern PA retailer. Preliminary observations: Gun appears in excellent, new condition. My wife said it’s pretty. My complaints so far: 1. FIVE choke tubes supplied, but only ONE Skeet tube. Skeet is a game of doubles as most clay target shooters know. I realize this is a “Sporting” model, but still… 2. No mid-bead? 3. I prefer a plain bead front sight. 4. Forearm latch does not seem very “positive”. 5. Instruction manual provided is for the Field model Orion. It does not include info that might be important for the Sporting model. Nothing about adjusting the comb/cheekpiece! 6. The locking bolts are not cone-shaped like Beretta; they are little rods with flat faces. Gun shoulders nicely. I plan to trapshoot Thursday 9/15/2022 and Saturday 9/17/2022. I might update…
Samuel Branch –
I love this shotgun I shoot trap for my high school and am nationally ranked my only problem with this gun is there is very little to no aftermarket, so chokes stocks and ribs are harder if not impossible to find.
Happy Grandparents –
We bought this shotgun for our grandson as a step up from a 20 ga for trapshooting. It is everything we wanted and then some for an entry level over under that won’t break the bank. He was nervous at first, but after shooting 200 thru it
his first time he was surprised that the recoil was minimal. We absolutely love this shotgun. Thank you Weatherby!
Willboat –
I’ve only been shooting sporting clays for three years and love the sport. I’m not a kid (75) and hadn’t fired a shotgun in decades. A little over a year ago I bought my Orion Sporting to replace a 20 ga that wasn’t seeing much improvement. After a couple of cheek adjustments, I’m consistently shooting in the 90s. The price was right. The fit and finish are great and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a lot of gun for the money.
Hoyden –
Another nice feature on the Orions is the Anson style forend release. It doesn’t get hot under your hand like a Deeley and Edge fastener found on most OU shotguns. Useful when shooting high volumes (skeet/trap) and NOT getting a wasp sting from a hot release.
Gary in NY –
I was looking to get into trap shooting without breaking the bank and looked at a number of models. I was impressed with the Orion Sporting immediately. It has features found on other models that cost 3-4 times as much. It’s classic design is easy on the eyes and it is a little lighter than some other models. I have been shooting trap for just a few weeks and already have some scores in the 20’s. Soon hope to give skeet and sporting clays a try. Could not be happier with this purchase.
SonOfAGun –
The LPA Fiber Optic sight is to small, also needs a mid bead preferably an ivory one, wish a left handed model was offered, also scale back the cost by only including a Full Choke as most folks go to aftermarket chokes when they want to get serious about getting the best patterns. In my finding for 16 yard trap I am getting the best patterns using Winchester AA #8’s and Patternmaster Anaconda Shooting Sport Series (SSS) Mid Trap choke in the top and Sporting Clays choke in the bottom. NO DOUBT I WOULD PURCHASE AGAIN !
old woody –
I purchased the shotgun for trapshooting & I am very pleased !!
ClayBuster –
The slim differences between the Sporting Model which cost $900 and the Barrett Sovereign B-XPro which cost $2600 is Coin Finish and made in Italy. So buying the Sporting is a Brilliant Move. For dependability/handling I would match the Sporting with the Krieghoff K-80.
TheAmerican –
Weatherby hit a Triple with the Sporting Model, all the high-end features that can be had for under a grand. If I had to throw shade it would be that Weatherby did not have the foresight to partner with MullerChokes now that would have been a Grand Slam. Imagine getting U0-U4 Muller Chokes with the gun instead of the 5 crappy steel chokes that loosen and not great patterns. We Can Only Hope ….
Rick –
I use it for trap and hunting. I haven’t had any issues.
I would recommend this shotgun to anyone looking for an over and under. I really like the extended chokes,and the five they supply with the gun.
Jp –
After paper tuning and stock adjustment this gun fits and shoots amazing love it. It has features of guns twice the price.
woody –
delighted.
John in MI –
To be honest, this gun was an impulse buy. I have shot trap for 5 years with a single barrel from the 70’s and love the gun. In the last two years I started getting in to get into sporting clays and trap doubles with my dad and brother and always shot a pump. They always tried to get me to buy either a semi-auto or an O/U. I was hesitant because of the cost of getting a sporting gun that fit and shot great. I’ve shot Benelli’s, Citori’s, Ithaca’s, but I could never afford a gun that nice. Well until that is, I stopped in at my local gun shop to pick up a choke for my buddy and the salesman asked me if I was looking for anything else. I opened my mouth and said I was in the market for an O/U. He handed me the Orion, I closed it and it found it’s place on my shoulder. I knew before I even set it down that I was walking out with it in my possession. Around a thousand rounds later, I’ve tacked 6 birds on to my doubles average, my sporting clays, I’m finally in the 30’s as for trap… I’m sticking with my single barrel for now.
This has to be the best impulse buy I’ve ever made. The Prince of Wales stock fits my frame perfectly and the thing shoots so flat I had to change my shooting style. This is the best shotgun I own.
MickyB –
I purchased my Orion a bit capriciously; I thought if felt good, it looked great, and the salesman convinced me that the Turkish managers at the new plant were aware of the reputation for modest quality of regional manufacturers and wanted to build a good o/u shotgun along with a better reputation.
I also have a Citori that has worked flawlessly for many thousands of rounds and have no intention to replace it; well, perhaps a good Red Label. My view has always been that a good quality o/u shotgun for less than $3K would be made in Japan. However, I have now shot more than 2000 rounds through my Orion without any issues and my belief is changing; I like the way it is balanced, I enjoy shooting it, and it is still tight. I think the Orion is a very good value.
Maverick –
This is one great shotgun! This o/u can’t be beat for the money. It has many features that guns twice the price have. I am very happy with this gun.
Ric –
Purchased this shotgun after comparing many guns over a few years.When I saw the sporting I was by interested. All I had to do was find one! Found at Shydas in Lebanon Pa. Very impressed with fit and build quality.Wood seems nicer than many guns costing much more. Took to range today. Fit perfect,hit well overall a great gun at a great price
BAM –
A truly beautiful gun that I will eventually hand down to my child when I am too old to shoot.
Billys –
I own a total of 9 Weatherby shotguns, 12 Weatherby Vanguards and 5 Marks!
All are of impeccable quality! Buy one!
I am a registered shooter and shoot over 5k rounds per year!
Hammer –
Great wood fit. Very nice lockup. Very nice wood finish. For the little extra money over the standard Orion you can’t go wrong
Rob –
Great bargain and well made shotgun. Purchased through Galleryofguns.com and delivered to local FFL gunshop for background check and final payment.
Great shooter – 4 rounds of skeet, trap and wobble trap over the weekend and it performed flawlessly. Several 23 of 25 round scores!