Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Question for NULA Owners...

Fellas, I'm trying to work out the details on my upcoming order with Melvin. He and I have not spoken yet, as I'm still in the information-collecting stage. I'm leaning toward the following, and I'd be interested in some feedback from those who own NULAs:

- .284 Winchester, 7mm-08, or .280 Remington? The short action rifle goes 1/2 pound lighter, and I like the idea of the .284, but brass is a little tougher to come by (or must be necked up from 6.5-284). This will be a deer rifle almost exclusively, as I have others for larger game.

- I know I'm going with a stainless barrel, but, try as I might, I'm having trouble warming up to a button-rifled Douglas barrel when there are so many good cut-rifled barrels out there. Would you be inclined to let Melvin use what he wants, or would you opt for a Hart, Bartlein, etc?

- #1 or #2 contour? I'd be willing to give up a little weight savings for a #2 if it would serve me well in the balance or accuracy department. Thoughts?

Can't see the long action on a well thought out light deer rifle. Would also toss the 708 or one of the 6.5's in the running for a almost exclusive as you say deer rifle.

I'd go #2 stainless Douglas and I can't imagine not doing a 7mm08

When it comes to NULAs, you would get more value from talking to Mr. Forbes for 10 minutes than soliciting input via this venue for 10 years. There is only one actual expert when it comes to ULAs, NULAs, and CLR/NULA hybrids, Melvin Forbes.

I have a model 20 in the 284 winchester...

It has a #2 taper and I prefer it to a #1 I have models with both
tapers...douglas barrels get a bad rap here but it WILL shoot regardless of what others will say and Melvin will stand behind it...THEY SHOOT with all the other brands of barrels I have

As far as brass bullets.com has 284 brass made by Norma....buy all you want if this is what you want and be happy.....

Of course. And that will be the last conversation I have on the matter. In the interim, I'm looking for feedback from folks who don't happen to be Melvin Forbes.

Very helpful...thank you. If you were doing it again, would you still go with the .284, or would you go 7mm-08?

If you want a 7 mm for deer, I'd go with the 7-08. I went with a .260 Rem. in a #2 at 23" and it balances very well. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, or to go with the barrel manufacturer that he's settled on. I'm thinking he gets very few bad barrels from Douglas. And if he does, they go on the scrap heap.

Assuming you hand load, if brass makes a difference to you Lapua makes both now, and Norma 7-08 brass has been very good for a while.

7-08 NULA was my first one, but I also have a CLR/NULA hybrid in 7x57.

donsm70

I have a Nula in 30-06 with the #2 contour Douglas barrel. It is 24 inches long,and is stainless with cerrakote.

It is a tack driver,and balances great. I wanted it to be an all around rifle for anything in North America.

For a deer rifle,the 7mm-08 would be about perfect.

I wouldn't hesitate on a .284 Win if that is what you want, as far as barrel's go I have two ULA's with Brux barrels and one with a douglas...use whatever you want ! If I was going to call Melvin today and order a rifle I would just use the Douglas and be done with it especially if he had one in stock..

For what it's worth... I had a NULA 260 with a #1 Douglas stainless barrel. I could not shoot it worth a flip. I sold the gun to someone who proved it to be capable of sub .5 MOA. I likely would have been happier with a #2 barrel. I think that the light weight and "perfect" balance exposed my technique and possible flinch. I may order another in the future. If so, it will be a 7-08 or 284 Win. with a #2 barrel. I would probably do Douglas again. Bartlein and others will not make a #1 or #2 barrel in stainless. I loved the gun and wish I had spent more time working up loads and learning to shoot it. Melvin's stock fits me better than any other that I have owned.

Model 20 with a #1 for me, in 260 or 7-08, slam dunk.

Just FYI, Bullet.com carries Norma brand .284 win brass. It is their exclusive and in stock, so brass is no longer an hinderence for a .284. 100 rd or 1000 rd quantities.

Norma Brand .284 win brass

I would lean toward the .284 in a NULA since he has the extra mag space in a short action. It seems like a match made in heaven. Take this with a grain of salt since I don't have the cash to try it out. You can always down load a .284 to 7-08 specs, but you can't push a -08 to .284 specs if you have the mag space his rifles allow.

I've had three NULAs

308 with #1 contour, 30-06 #2, 257 Bob #2. All with Douglas barrels and all have shot very well. If you have any problems Melvin will make it right.

Personally, I would definitely do a Model 20 with #2 contour. It's a joy to carry. The 30-06 kicks too much for me to enjoy sitting around at the range shooting for fun but has never bothered me on game.

If Douglas barrels weren't accurate in his guns, Melvin wouldn't use them. However, he'll use whatever maker you won't.

I would talk to him about the 284 win. Last time he seemed to steer me towards the 708 because of brass which sounds like that it may be easier to find good 284 brass now. I would do the 708. For me, the difference in ballistics between the two is just a mental exercise. Practically it doesn't make a difference to me in the field because I don't shoot animals at long distances.

The model 20 has a three inch magazine so that gives a lot of flexibility when handloading. The 260 Remington with Lapua brass and a 3 inch magazine has all the right ingredients.

if I were to do it again I would go 284 winchester I load up the 120 grain ballistic tip to around 3000-3100, recoil is minimal and brass last longer...it kills whitetails just fine for me

if I want to throttle it up a bit i can always go up from there

I'm all about not wasting time on speculation and if there is anything that this place, and those like it, specialize in, it is speculation. A rifle is a pretty person thing, in that attributes that are optimal for me are likely to be sub-optimal for you or anyone else on this site. If you're going to spend $2K on a custom rifle, it seems to me that you'd get better, more useful, input from Mr. Forbes, despite his obvious bias, than from anybody here.

Mr. Forbes is probably the most pleasant and accessible custom rifle builder who I've spoken with, 180-degrees opposite his competition in Pleasanton, TX.

Richard

I currently have 4 of them. I like the balance of the 24" barrels. I have had no issues at all with the Douglas barrels. Accurate, clean up well. I have one Lilija on a .264 but can't say it's better than the Douglas barreled ones.

Lefty

richardca99,

I've probably owned or fooled with at least a dozen NULA's over the decades, and only one would not group three shots in half an inch or so with the standard Douglas barrel. I sent it back to Melvin for rebarreling with another Douglas, and it immediately started shooting tiny groups, long before most people would consider the barrel "properly" broken in.

Several of those barrels have been #1 contours, including the one on my wife's first NULA, a .270 Winchester, which would put three 130-grain Nosler Partitions under 2" at 300 yards. None of the barrels have been foulers, and in fact most haven't fouled much at all. But if you would feel better about another brand, then Melvin will be happy to put one on. (By the way, Hart barrels are button-rifled, not cut--though they're lapped, and Douglas barrels aren't.)

As somebody else already noted, Norma is making .284 brass. I hadn't heard it was an exclusive, but Melvin told me about it a couple months ago. Personally, I would lean toward the 7mm-08 for the purpose you describe.

Some people do prefer the forward balance provided by a slightly heavier barrel on NULA's. My own .257 Weatherby and .30-06, for example, have 24" #2 barrels and I prefer that on those rifles. But also had a Model 20 in 7x57 for a while with a 22" #1, and had no difficulty shooting it in the field, even offhand. It depends a lot on you.

I would try to get my mitts on a couple variations and see what suited me. A lot of money for a rifle, I would worry more about feel than barrel brand. If you trust Melvins reputation, let him pick the barrel maker.