On other guns the selector operates backward from the way it should and when the tab is all the way to the left, the bottom barrel (more open choke) fires first. Weatherby is not the first to house the barrel selector tab in the automatic safety slide but they are first to get it right. In comparison, my 20 gauge Browning Superposed measures 2.350 inches tall and 1.445 inches thick for a circumference of almost seven inches, while my SKB-built Athena measures 67„8 inches in girth. The 20 gauge action measures 2.250 inches tall and 1.410 inches thick for a circumference of 61„2 inches, making it trim enough through its midsection to allow the ends of my thumb and finger to overlap when I wrap my hand around it. Add to this its shallow depth and you have an extremely comfortable gun to carry with one hand. While the new Weatherby is not a genuine round-action gun, it feels a lot like one due to the absence of sharp edges along the bottom of its receiver. The old Browning Superposed action is famous for its ability to withstand thousands of firings without shooting loose and if anything, the Weatherby action is even stronger. The axial force that tries to push the barrels forward and away from the receiver when a double-barrel gun is fired is further resisted in the D'Italia action in two ways-by a pair of side lugs inside the receiver that engage recesses in the sides of the monobloc and by allowing the locking recess feet of the monobloc to extend into recesses in the floor of the receiver. Not so with the Weatherby receiver as its depth is kept relatively shallow by reducing the length of the locking recess feet extending from the bottom of the monobloc. Taking a peek inside the action, you'll see the barrels hinge on replaceable trunnions while primary breech lockup is accomplished by a wide Browning-style bolt that extends from the lower edge of the standing breech to engage recesses at the bottom of the monobloc.Ī disadvantage to this type of lockup is that it sometimes results in a rather deep receiver and the old Browning Superposed is a good example. I hunted Georgia bobwhites with the 28-gauge Athena IV and believe me when I say it is a sweet little gun. An ejector gun, the Weatherby D'Italia in all its variations is available in 12 and 20 gauge while the 28 gauge is presently offered only in the Orion II and Athena IV grades.