Weatherby Inc. made two very smart moves in 2019. Firstly, the manufacturer made an actual move from Second Amendment sinkhole known as California to the 2A-friendly open plains of Wyoming. After that, Weatherby joined us at the 2019 Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous in Idaho. We got a look at several goodies, like the Weatherby Mark V Accumark Elite Rifle and the Mark V Backcountry Rifle. However, we also got a look at the Weatherby 18i semi-auto shotgun series, which very well may be Weatherby’s pièce de résistance.

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Weatherby 18i Details

The 18i series features three different shotguns models and four in total (one is available in two different colors). Weatherby brought all of them to the Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous. The series includes the 18i Synthetic, 18i Deluxe, and the 18i Waterfowler (available in both Mossy Oak and Realtree).

Weatherby built all of the guns in the series on its proven inertia system. The Synthetic and Waterfowler models are the first 3.5-inch magnum-capable shotguns produced by Weatherby; that’s not the case for the 18i Deluxe, which features a 3-inch chamber. All models, however, have a 4+1 capacity.

What makes the Deluxe variant “deluxe”? One look should tell you, but it features nickel metalwork and a gorgeous walnut stock. It really felt great in our hands while out on the range. On that note, we shot all of the variants quite a bit — mostly at sporting clays —and they all performed as expected.

Last on the list is cost. The 18i Synthetic has an MSRP of $1,099, while the two 18i Waterfowler models both retail for $1,199. Lastly, the 18i Deluxe has an MSRP of $1,899. Watch the video above for a quick rundown on the 18i series. For more information, please visit Weatherby.com.