Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Talk me out of ordering a NULA

Having just bought a Forbes 24B 270 and seeing how well I can shoot it and how it shoots a variety of ammo well and to the same POI, I have a wild thought to sell a couple rifles and pistols and order a NULA 20B.

I don't know that I need the NULA since I have the Forbes that shoots so well. I can't afford to just buy it right now without selling some guns I would surly miss.I think Melvin getting older has a lot to do with me wanting one in a short action.

I would likely order a 7mm-08 or possibly 308 but the Forbes 270 will do the same job and I think it's just 4 ounces heavier,right?

Please tell me I don't need a NULA, and please think of a downside to selling some guns I no longer use but am attached to,to fund it. Tell me that I can buy a custom sometime later after I've saved the money, that will be even better. Tell me I won't miss out on owning one of the best hunting rifles made if I wait until Melvin is gone.

Or tell me to get busy selling and ordering.

i have few nula rifles and cant shoot them for a group on paper to save my soul ....will they shoot oh yeah and every time i pull the trigger on game they work...are they better than the forbes rifle probably not...but if you arent using some of your rifles move them on and make new memories with the nula in a configuration you want...they are great for what they were made for ...hunting

Nope. buy it. I love mine and if you want a ultralight weight rifle that will be perform amazing, hold value and is still king of the lightweights, then you have to do it. There are others that will do some of the things for less, but nothing feels, shoots, does everything well and IS a NULA.

I've owned both. My NULA was amazing, but for close to $4000 I would just get another Forbes or a Kimber. Another option is buy a Colt Light Rifle and send it to Melvin. His NULA's are great rifles but I think they are starting to get over priced.

That's the kind of reason I want to hear. I have a good shooting 7-08 Montana. I need help,I'm sort of an addict.

Get busy.

Life is short - enjoy it.

It depends on how much 4k means to you, for some 4k is no big deal but for this workin man 4k is a pile of money that i could buy a bunch of top quality hunting gear ( including multiple rifles and scopes) that i would enjoy more than just one single upscoped rifle............Hb

I'd wait to check out a Barrett myself.

you could just get a forbes 20b and if you dont like it melvin will re build it for you into what you want... dpending on the purchase price of the rifle you will still be under 2300.00 dollars

I just shot my new to me 20b 7-08 today. Three out of five touching with factory ammo. I'm certainly happy with it. Do I wish I had a NULA? Heck yeah! Semi custom, built to my specs, throated and twisted to my bullet/ liking etc. What's not to like! Except my three Forbes cost less than one NULA. But you get it exactly how you want it.

I sure wish I hadn't procrastinated when they were "cheap" Folks are making money on older ULA's and NULA's. You probably won't loose money on a NULA!!

The only thing- and I mean the ONLY thing that I'm not completely thrilled about with my NULA 260 is that the barrel doesn't have enough meat at the muzzle to be threaded for a suppressor. The Barrett Fieldcraft rifles will fix that, but I still love my NULA. Do it!

Both NULA rifles that I own shoot 1/2" 5 shot groups at 100yds with ease. The 257wby has a #2 contour and the 270wby has a #3 contour. I will tell you that the 270wby is likely the most accurate hunting rifle I will ever own, having built over 20 custom hunting rifles this is saying something. Buy a NULA, sell the rest!

Nothing wrong with thinning the herd and getting a NULA on it's way. I'm afraid that when Melvin is ready to turn out the lights, nobody else will be turning them back on. It's a shame but I think when he is done, NULA/ULA is done also.

Many will be regretting NOT buying when they could. Will the price of the used NULA/ULA guns soar? I doubt it but they'll certainly be coveted by those that own them.

As far as accuracy, most people have that own them haven't a complaint. Including me.....

Stole one off GB decade ago. 280AI ULA. $1500. Like a bonehead I tripped it when offered $1800. Only gun I regret selling for non personal reasons. I could have hunted that gun for 30 years and got my money back.

IMO you only want a NULA. Everybody only wants a NULA. Like all things not needed, how much do you not need some other things to feel better about it.

And forgiveness is a much tastier pill than permission. I say jump on the horn and talk to him. He is a great guy. You will have your answer after 30 minutes on the phone with him.

Do it...

W

My tastes have changed with age.

Nowadays, I'd pick a rifle or two that I like, buy a few spare barrel blanks for them and shoot the living piss out of them.

This is not the answer you likely are looking for...

But if you have some old rifles that you don't shoot, and you are enamoured with your Forbes, why not sell the rifles and go take a trip with the Forbes and make some new memories. 4000 bucks should get you a nice mule deer hunt or blacktail or some thing different.

Well, since he'll make the rifles with the barrel you specify, that's not a problem with the NULA.

woofer was that the gun from first stop a few years ago ?
that gun still haunts me for the price you got it for if thats the one

I bought a Nula model 24, loved it so much I bought a Forbes 24b, now I've got the urge to get a model 20/20b but trying to find a 20b in 7-08 or 260rem is like finding hens teeth. I might have to order another Nula.

Please don't.

I attended the SHOT show this week, and checked out the Barrett, which is a nice rifle.
I have 2 NULA's and a third almost finished, according to Melvin at the show. I ordered two more NULA's there, a .260 and a .22 LR.
Sorry, I can't talk you out of getting a NULA. You are also right that Melvin (and the rest of us) isn't getting any younger. Think how disappointed you would be if he retired before you got one! Sure, you can tweak, optimize, etc. something less, but it still is less.

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Gene, not sure who the seller was. No memory skills these days. I remember thinking how cool it was to get the badass AI in an original rifle. Could have tossed all the extra money over the years in the wife and had 2 of my favorite things to play with. Both lasting my lifetime....

W

The ULA and the silicone. Just to be clear...

W

I would just hunt the 24B. A light 270 will cut a big swath in BG hunting. I'd use the money to fund a hunt instead.

I think a Kimber 84M or L MT rebarreled with a no.2 contour (same shank, but tapering to .618" @ 22 to avoid opening the barrel channel) at Pacnor is a better hunting firearm than the Forbes. If they were the same price I'd still think that, but the rebarreled Kimber will be 1/2 the price. Better action. Better safety. Better trigger. The only thing the Forbes has better is the stock. "There's not enough there, there."

My .02

Brad
With your good shooting Montana's, will they shoot similar loads,different bullets very close to same POI? How do they do after they have a group or two through them without completely cooling?

I'm still testing my Montana since I bedded it but so far it much prefers one load aver another and it seems POI is changing when it warms up after about 3 shots. I can live with it since it won't prevent making a hunting shot but this Forbes is spoiling me more and more as I shoot it because of those qualities.

Before I answer, what does your Forbes mic at the muzzle?

I would recommend that you order the short action NULA in either Creedmoor or 7-08 (or 308 if that is your huckleberry). Either one should be twisted 7.5 if Melvin will do it.

Once you have that rifle in hand and ready to roll, then sell all the rest of the detritus including the Forbes, as you won't need them.

I don't know my friend,I don't yet own a mic. I can tell you for sure it's a good bit larger than the Montana. If that's a likely reason and a new barrel will possibly fix those issues,just tell me. I'm not some a hole that wants to argue just for the sake of arguing. You don't have to frame your response for defense.

Do you not reload RH?

I'll be set up in a couple weeks. I have Co Ax press, dies, powder,primers,bullets. Just need a beam scale, mic, and small tools.

I put it off for years because of room and my rifles shot MOA or better with factory ammo. I have hundreds and hundreds of rounds of brass I've saved.

The ULA/Nula was probably great 20 years ago. Owned a 284 version but never warmed up to it or the customer service I received. May have just been a fluke. That said, there are a lot of options for great lightweight rifles out there now. I'd look Kimber, Barrett, or Rem 700 in Mcmillan edge.

Have any of you ever rebarreled a Colt Light Rifle to a short action caliber?

.550" ish on my 20b's

Caliper

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-digital-caliper-47257.html

Get the NULA, I have a couple of Montanas and they are nice rifles for the price. Comparing a NULA to a Montana is kind of like comparing a Porsche 911 to a Toyota Corolla, it's utterly ridiculous, and usually only done by the boneheads who never owned and hunted a NULA.

Maybe comparing a NULA to 3 Kimber Montanas evens things out?

Usually only carrying one at a time when hunting though.........

Barrett Fieldcraft

This is my current state as well.

You don't need a NULA. We've all been killing animals without them, can keep doing so without them.

Dollar for dollar the Montana and possibly the Forbes is the best deal and it sounds like you have as close to a Nula as you will get without buying one. I wouldn't sell guns I would miss to get one.

The Nula still should be the winner if you are comparing all three as they come in the box. You can get the barrel dimensions you want by asking, and it should shoot better without additional fiddling around. How much better do you think necessary? And be less particular about what you want to shoot than the others.

However, do wish they had the Montana safety.

Wow, talk about jumping to conclusions and reaching the exact wrong one... are you always this passive-aggressive?

Mine was an honest question, the answer to which would help me frame my answer back to you better.

Some people can't be helped. Please refrain from PMing me anymore in the future.

Must have a different barrel on the long action Forbes? Or it's not the original barrel on RH Clarks as he says his muzzle diameter is a good bit larger yet your 20b is .550" while most Montanas finish .560" at the muzzle.

Wonder what's up with RH Clarks fatty barrel on the his Forbes.

Get one of each

If you have an itch, scratch it.

Wow, right back at you.I never meant to offend you and had no idea I would. I've never been anything except respectful to you, ever.
I was only speaking half in jest because I thought your reply of "I'll tell you ,if you first tell me," was a little strange.I honestly had no thought of any ill will toward you.

I've always considered you a friend, but I guess that sentiment wasn't returned. I've never blown up and and told a friend never to speak to me again over something so silly.

As to PMing you, I think I have about 4-6 times in the last 6 years. I won't do so again.You should have told me after the first one that I was bothering you.

I'll pick up one of those HF calipers next week and let you know for sure. It's hard to tell how much by my limited measuring means but my 24B barrel is larger diameter than my 84M Montana.I was just thinking it is because mine is a 24B instead of a 20B. I don't know if it makes any difference but mine was one of the first 20 made.

My 20B measures .550 and the 24B measures .615.

Perspective: (1) Echols Legend = (4) NULAs and some change.

some will outlay for the Legend without hesitation and I understand why,
so its all relative to ones hip pocket nerve.




I d be happy with a 5lb rifle that put the first group close together,
the second or third group doesnt mean much to how some people hunt.

I consider any big game rifle that consistently clusters the first 3 rounds from a cold barrel,
as good to go...some might like 5 shot groups..but its never meant anything to me in the field.




huh?


NULA and Montana have much in common; weight,compactness , xtra slim receiver, front locking turn-bolt

911 rear-engine, rear-drive (vs) Corolla front engine, front-drive.

I would agree with you about the first 3 shots shooting well makes it a good hunting rifle. My Montana is pretty consistent in that regard. It does however seem more sensitive to temperature changes when you don't let it completely cool back down before shooting another group.

I haven't tested it to this extreme yet but it does make me wonder if it would be inconsistent during extreme temperature swings just from weather. This year during deer season we had both 7 degree mornings and 80 degree afternoons.

Don't get one!

They're ugly,




And they don't shoot good either!

You'd have to talk me IN to ordering a NULA.

Those of you that have, what is the turn around on a Nula from time of deposit sent in?

Mine took about 11 months.

Those are debatable points. I'm running multiples of both and like them both.

Better action? I think you'll have a hard time finding that a Kimber action is as true as a NULA. Folks can go back/forth on CRF vs push feed, it doesn't matter to me. I do like the stainless of the Kimber, but the stainless barrel is a bigger concern for me. The short action mag box of the NULA can be really nice.



Safety? Neither really matter to me, preference.

Trigger? The Timney trigger on the NULAs seem great to me. Kimber's are fine as well. Both work great and I can't call one better.

I like the fit of the NULA stock better, but fit is individual. Both are good stocks.

The follower in the NULA is much better quality than the Kimber...but if there's not a problem with feeding it doesn't matter.

Barrel and chambering... This is where the NULA really pulls away. Exactly what you want contour, length, chamber, twist, etc...all bedded perfectly.

Kimbers are great but to say they are "better" is a hard line to defend.

Brad is still pussy hurt over Bernie Sanders.

Buy a Kimber Montana and use the rest for a DIY AK caribou or deer hunt.

New listing for a NULA in .257 Bob on Gun Bro