Originally, I posted this in the shotgun section but no takers, so I moved it up here!

I was in a pawnshop today, and saw a Weatherby Centurion 12 ga. shotgun that had just jaw-droppingly gorgeous wood on it. All that i have been able to find is that it is earlier than the later "II" model and is so-marked, and that they may have been made by SKB. Anyone know anything about these guns? Are they reliable or just pretty junk?

Mine was nice. Good for a couple seasons of sustained weekly skeet league (12 gauge only of course) so I'd say reliable enough many thousands of shells fired. The same gun was sold by High Standard with an exotic stacked rib. Weatherby offered a shell catcher. I don't remember the maker but it's Japan and no secret -



There was some early gas venting scheme to handle low and high brass (not literally of course but so to speak lighter and heavier) loads. Handled well but I found the gas action distracting at the range. As I recall there was a pin in the gas piston action that could be trimmed back for a floating loose gas piston to make cleaning easier. Not hard to keep clean. Wisner's has lots of information and some parts - apparently like many gas guns operating rods can be bent or broken with poorly chosen loads - as noted with Skeet loads no issues and looked good after thousands and thousands of shots fired AA and equivalent handloads also used for birds no sweat not a duck blind gun.