NOT A FINE DOUBLE BUT FINE FOR M E

[Steve Hodges]

So a recent issue with my right rotator cuff had me thinking that I could not shoot at Hausmann's next week. I would be relegated to pulling for my friends. But last week I had a thought when thinking about shooting my .410 turkey hunting this spring and not feeling any recoil from it. Maybe I could shoot a .410 at Hausmann's! But two issues. I did not own a .410 double, and I have never shot one at clays. The first I could solve, and the second will remain unsolved until I try it. So while on my quest for an inexpensive .410 double my friend from this forum, Clark, mentioned that Weatherby was making a .410 double called the Orion. Some internet research reveled that many reviewers liked the gun for the price point and that it had some good features. Well I ordered one last Saturday and it arrive at my FFL yesterday. Another issue. The LOP was 14 3/4", way longer than my 14 1/4" LOP. So a quick call to my gunsmith friend, Chet Matheson of White Mountain Classics, solved that issue at he said if I could get him the gun and a pad ASAP he would do the work for me. Great. But I had no pad. A trip to Clairmont, NH, to New England Custom Guns solved that. I purchased on of there pads they have made for them in Germany. Arrived at Chet's at 3:00 PM yesterday, and picked up my finished gun today at 11:00 Am.
Of course Chet did his usual great work and the gun looked very good. Now to the gun. It has 28" barrels with five extended choke tubes. Not usual for a SxS but not a deal breaker. Weatherby says they did that because Steel patterns better out of extended tubes and they wanted their guns to be suited to hunt upland areas where non toxic shot was required. There is a swamped rib, English stock with simple hand cut checkering, pretty decent Turkish walnut, articulated double triggers with very nice pulls, just over 5 lbs, and a matt finish. The gun weighs 6.1 Lbs, which does not feel whippy when you swing it. All for a whopping $975 delivered to my FFL. The jury is still out if I can hit a clay with it, but at least I can now shoot, and trying will be fun.