Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles NULA model 24 30-06

Wow.....


https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1022294313

Been there forever, won’t sell.

Guys looking for the same buyer as the seller of the serial number one and two Winchester model 70’s for 1.75M

No reserve auction on the gun might get 4k - maybe.

That is a lot of $$$ for that. Damn!

A guy could buy a lot of M700 Mtn rifles for that price…

You could buy a used NULA/ULA for around half that, including the scope. When Melvin sold the company to Bill Wilson a couple years ago, NEW NULAs were priced at $4000....

what is so special about the Springfield 1903 that he is selling also?

Here's the deal... what in the heck is so special about these rifles?
It's lightweight. Then what? You can clone one of these for 2 grand easy. Even people thinking they are getting a good deal at 3500 is beyond me.

I believe it’s the seller who is special.

You guys are totally missing it - that rifle is obviously gold plated.

I've often wondered if some of the sellers with crazy high priced items that appear to "sell" are actually just money laundering fronts? Fake item for sale at price no reasonable person would pay, but payment is made anyway and money is paid for other actual illegal good or service?

I'm even saying the new wilson combat models. The heck are they so expensive for? It's an action, barrel, and lightweight stock. Who cares? And the original Melvin deal....way overpriced

you wont clone that rifle or anything close to it for 2 grand and yes the price on some of these things is crazy I agree

It's a Bubba Jackknife original, that's what!

Rem 700 action 400
Shilen no. 1 stainless barrel 300
Carbon fiber stock 750
Smith work 550

Yea I can

Might weigh 5 or 6 oz. more. Wow.

15 or 16 oz?

Split the difference at 8 or 10 Oz. Is that worth 1500 bucks? Man up and carry the dam thing. You can get a fluted bolt, skeleton bolt handle, and drill the knob out for 150 bucks. There's your 4 Oz.

Besides the weight difference, which will still be fairly significant in like barrel contours, a major difference is having a consistently bedded rifle that is more likely to shoot well with multiple loads, and a manufacturer that stands behind the rifle. A parts rifle may or may not have those attributes. Plus it can be worth a lot to buy an off the shelf rifle versus dealing with a cranky gunsmith who takes longer than quoted. Plus resale value is higher on a production rifle.
The other part of the deal is that when the ULA came out and for a long time afterwards, there was very little in the way of other lightweight options on the market - whether completed rifles or lightweight stocks for the Rem 700. It's a situation where a custom maker built something unique, then larger manufacturers recognized the niche and copied it, such as with the Kimber Montana or Remington TI, and eventually cheaper options like the Howa Mini became available. It's kinda like how custom 1911 manufacturers started with all the options, then outfits like Wilson Combat came along, then manufacturers like Kimber built production 1911s with all the bells and whistles, and now a guy can buy a Tisas with those options for cheap.

Ahh, I see you're just a dense prick looking to argue. Carry on.

Correct.

May have seemed that way, but the issue of discussion is the price of some of these NULA rifles. Spend your money how you want, but common sense is eluding most people nowadays. Simply saying that the only reason for a NULA or Wilson is light weight. At what price are you willing to pay for weight savings? Maybe your the one who's dense?

There is more to them than just that one specification.

It'd be interesting to see what it really does cost to match Wilson/NULA with a 700 by the time it's all said and done.

Bedding, trigger, coating, fluting, trick moves on a bolt, shipping stuff around, etc adds up pretty quick these days.

No dog in this fight but that is why I have come around to the Montana's. I couldn't even come close to matching a Montana for 3X using a 70 action with all of the same features, even in their higher prices I am seeing now.

The new wilson 20s
Have a timney trigger, 8x40 screws, an aluminum floorplate, 416R barrel threaded at 5/8x24, and are available in 5 calibers.

Dang, what a bargain.

"No dog in this fight but that is why I have come around to the Montana's."

That's where I'm at.

Tough to get lighter for less; even with the recent price hike. Maybe some of the howa offerings.

Well it does have a cool paint job.

Wtf wants a 5lb 30-06 any way.? Easy to carry then beats the crap out of you when you pull the trigger. No thanks.

Just curious but is this a scam???????

6 1/2 pounds with a quality scope isn’t a bad place to be.

And you haven't cloned schidt

Me! And upon further review my wife apparently

Don't need to. Said I could. Didn't say I did.

a nula action isnt a remington action but more along the lines of a custom action so say 1000.00 not 400
havent seen a stainless barrel for 300.00 for some time now
what about the timney trigger
from what i have seen a stock installed will be pretty close to 1000.00
barrel work is at least 300.00
then around 200.00 in freight with the high prices these days
i guess you can look at it in multiple ways and different places dictate different pricing

I don't know. Definitely too rich for my blood but, if you want a super accurate 5 1/2 lb with a #2 24" barrel .30-06 with a bolt that locks down and have the $7k lying around? Not too many choices that fit that bill. I'm a backpacker and will pay up for ultra light gear. The gear today just enables me to do similar trips to what I could do 35 years ago. Couldn't do a week of 12-15mi days in the mountains today with 60lbs on my back. But, today's gear let's me cut that weight in half. And, dropping even a 1/2 lb off a rifle is a game-changer for me if I'm putting on the miles. And, I'll add that if the NULA stock fits you, it will help with the recoil. My 6 lb 7PRC Outkast CLR is a pussy cat (subjective of course but I can't help feeling that it should kick more than it does and I credit the stock). If I was in a different tax bracket, I'd buy it.

Possibly, but there’s a whole lot of better and safer ways to launder money….

He has this one buy now for 11k

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1017805351

10,500 buy now

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1027226215

Bought a shilen select match from midway the other day for 275. Smith will thread, chamber, and install for 275 and true your action up 125. The stock is the expensive part, but could easily be had for under 600.

A SS M700 receiver and bolt, straighten it up, mill some extra weight off, flute the bolt and skeltonize the handle. Weight comes darn close to NULA’s 7/8 copy of the Remington.
Skinny custom bbl.
Trigger assembly of our choice.
Aftermarket stock, even have somebody else bed, paint it and install a lightweight recoil pad if one doesn’t want to do it himself.

That can easily be done for less than $3500, maybe $3000 even at today’s “elevated” prices.

Purchased Rem 700 Mountain rifle with wood stock in 308, replaced the stock with McMillan Hunters Edge, Tally lightweight rings and Leupold VX3 4.5-14x40 30mm side focus scope, it weighs 6.75 lbs and shoots .5 inch three shot groups with Sierra 165 SBT, Hornady Interlock 165 SP and Barnes 130 TTSX. I can replace the scope with Leupold VX2 4-12x40 and save 5 oz.

Guy’s loonier than the folks on the Q thread.

True, but coyote had said 2 grand.

And that's the thing.....bunches of guys here have done it and know what they're talking about. Whether those builds were using 700 action or Rem TIs and clones, as well as owning the ultralights like the ULA/NULA/Forbes/Fieldcraft, and Kimber Montanas.
If going for a midweight, a Remington works great. If going for a true ultralight, starting out with a truly light action is a better route.
The other factor with "modern" builds is that reliable dialing scopes and suppressors add a lot of weight, so starting out with an ulralight like the Wilson Combat yields a nice midweight rifle by the time a heavy scope and can are attached.

That's pretty fuucckking looney!

Depends a lot on the cartridge and the individual.

My lightest Mtn rifle is 6lbs 9 ozs chambered in 30-06AI. A fullhouse load with a 200g NPt lets you know it’s there.

My 6lb 11oz 270W with a 150g NBT w/ RL26 at 3000fps is quite tolerable and I’d say even easy to shoot.

And I am far from being one of those recoil tolerant people.

The thing about light, skinny bbl rifles there is more muzzle jump and the butt will “rock” back on the shoulder, kind’ve pinching the shoulder. Keeping the weight off the butt in the form of a lighter recoil pad seems to create less weight at the rear and reduces the “pivot point”.

👍

And, I didn't know Timney made a "Timney one piece ring/base with built in bubble level"?

And, the weight of that NULA is "12lbs"?

Mistakes - ok. But, makes you wonder how legit this dude is.

Guess I didn’t catch that part.

I did say 2 grand or there abouts anyways. Where in the heck are you guys grabbing 3000 from?

There are few things different about ULA/NULA rifles than the typical 700-based "build":

First, the action's even stronger. This is because Melvin put the important structure where it made the most difference, in the length the locking lugs, and the receiver ring, and reduced it elsewhere--and used very good steel. There has been more than one bullet company that used an ULA/NULA action and reported that they lasted longer than any other action.

It's also built from the ground up with very precise machining, rather than being a "corrected" factory action. Plus, the actions are light enough that you can use a longer, heavier contour barrel, which makes the rifle balance a lot better than most other "ultra-light" rifles. Have watched my wife shoot more than one big game animal offhand at 150 yards or so with one--because as she noted, "It just held on the right spot."

Plus, the stock was designed with the help of one of Melvin's friends who's an actual rocket scientist. The materials and the way they're put together (especially in terms of fiber alignment and the stuff that holds them together) make them exceptionally stiff and strong. At least one of his rifles was rolled on by horse that decided to "scratch its back" while the rifle was still in a saddle scabbard. It did not break.

Plus, the stiffness allows the forend to be "fully bedded" under the barrels, instead of free-floated. This tends to result in even finer accuracy, as many ULA/NULA owners have discovered. (Another well-known "accuracy" gunsmith named Kenny Jarrett, once told me during a half-hour conversation that not only did Melvin "get more out of Douglas barrels than anybody else," but is one of the few people "who really knows how to actually build an accurate rifle," rather than just "blueprinting" of a factory action.

The action and the mounts are also so precisely made that you can center the reticle on a scope, mount it, then shoot the rifle at 100 yards and have the first shots land within a couple inches of the scope's aiming point.

Have also yet to shoot an ULA/NULA that wouldn't put three shots in a half-inch or less at 100 yards with decently constructed handloads--and often various bullet weights will also land in the same place, again due to the stiff forend and full-length bedding. My .30-06 Model 24, for instance, will put three shots with of 150 and 200-grain full-power handloads into under 3/4" at 100--a total of six shots, not just the three most shoot these days. In fact, the first ULA I ever "tested" was a Model 28 in .300 Winchester Magnum. I worked up accurate loads with 165, 180 and 200-grain bullets from three different manufacturers, then fired a 9-shot group with three of each that went into .9" at 100.

But am always interested to hear opinions from hunters/shooters who've never fired an ULA or NULA....

Just covering my butt. My gunsmith seems to be more expensive than most but despite the fact he’s a Classic, Grumpy, Curmudgeon of a gunsmith I like him and trust his work.
I know how to do most of the stuff on a rifle but I leave the lathe and milling to a professional who knows more and is better at it than me.

Won't ever fire one. Don't feel the need to spend 3500 to save a pound. Put the money in your optic. Lots of people buying a 3500 dollar wilson/Nula a slapping a 400 dollar vx3 8x on it. I'd rather have a 400 dollar rifle and a 3500 dollar scope.

If you’re paying $3500 you haven’t been looking very hard.

Seller probably got some heat from his wife cause he dropped a bundle on an expensive gun. Had to list a couple like this to convince her he made a good buy. He might get a temporary reprieve until she realizes it won’t sell. Hopefully he has a plan B by then. We should all root for him. 🫤

I bought what turned out to be a very early NULA in 1989. I had never heard of NULA or Melvin Forbes when I bought it. The guy who sold it to me received it to pay off a debt and mentioned “Melvin Fort”. Turns out I bought it really cheap even for back then.

Only after I owned the rifle for a time, asked around, then read about NULA in the outdoor magazines did I find out what I had.

The rifle and Var-X II 2-7 with Weaver bases and rings was VERY light. I could shoot from the bench fine, but offhand, sitting holding the rifle across my knee, or prone from my pack I found it difficult to shoot accurately.

Although it shot other bullets well, it didn’t shoot 150 or 160g NPt’s, which are the bullets I wanted to use.

I sold the rifle at a profit, built a M700 “faux” Mtn rifle and put an MPI stock on it.

Over the years I found, for me, rifles that weigh 6.5 to somewhere under 7 lbs are the ones I like to carry and I can shoot well.

That’s always a possibility but I prefer to think the guy is on an epic fishing expedition……😊

For nulas?

FWIW, it does seem that a big name gun can hold its value much better than a high quality gun without the name. I see lots of good, but no-name, custom builds heavily discounted on the used market.

Agreed. You can buy whole guns for the replacement cost of the custom stocks some of them wear.

Wilson/Nula as Yote referenced.

True. Customs don't bring schit on the used market. I'm not saying they aren't good rifles, I'm just [and this is just me] saying they are way overpriced. I'm guilty of the looney bug on my hunting rigs as well. A light rifle has its place. Got a mark v ultra light that is great to about 300, then it gets a little sketchy. It's a 5 3/4 pound 06, and it's not bad at all to shoot. I bought that rifle brand new in the box for 1200 bucks. Be hard to convince me a Nula is worth 3 times as much.

Copy. There were lots of drifts so 😂

I agree with you on the worth, and it relates back to what I mentioned earlier about manufacturers figuring out how to build custom features (in this case lightweight rifles) more cheaply than the semi-custom builders. Frankly I'd rather buy a Kimber and rebarrel with a bit heavier contour, as I don't care for the NULA stocks.

Same here. AKW is our local ULA/NULA maniac and he can lay on the temptation, but being a M70 guy, I like the firing controls on the Kimber, and the rifle just feels like a mini Model 70. I am sure they aren't a perfect match for the more expensive Wilson/ULA/NULA they do scratch that itch. Plus, like was mentioned, it is nice to start light so a good optic can be put on top and the whole package remains fairly light.

i always like when i go to deer camp and people say you paid how much for it!....I would never do that!... can I shoot it?

Casey,

You could get a NULA made any weight you wanted, depending on the action and barrel. The lightest action was named the Model 20, because that's how many ounces it weighed--just about a pound less than a short 700 action. The ".30-06" sized action was the Model 24, the action made for '06-length belted magnums the Model 28. The heaviest was the Model 40, two ounces heavier than the long 700 action--which was the action used on Ross Seyfried's .30/.416 Rigby ultra-long range rifle, "Miss America,"--which did NOT weigh 6-7 pounds, but if I recall correctly around 18.

Started buying them in 1991, when if I recall correctly the retail price was $2500. Found that I preferred them somewhat heavier than the lightest weight models, and in 1997 acquired the .30-06 I've since used on more big game animals than any of my other rifles. It has had various scopes on it over the years, but in genera hasl weighed in that 6.5-7 pound range your prefer. This is not just because of the 24-ounce action, but also because instead of the 22" #1 contour Douglas barrel that so many people specified when they order NULAs, I requested a 24" #2 contour. Have taken plenty of big game offhand, sitting and prone, and killed one of my two biggest caribou bulls (out of a dozen) with it rested over my pack at almost 500 yards.

But one of the things Melvin wouldn't vary was the stock dimensions, except for length-of-pull. The buttstock is straight "American classic," with no drop, and tends to fit most men pretty well--as it does me, because like the majority of men I have a relatively short neck and square shoulders.. However, it doesn't fit people with more sloping shoulders or longer necks very well, where some degree of Monte Carlo stock fits better. (Roy Weatherby had very sloping shoulders and a longer than average neck....)

But I agree that $7000 is a ridiculous price to ask for a used one, even in excellent condition. This is partly because I've purchased some Forbes NULAs since Bill Wilson bought the company a couple years ago. In 2023 I bought two, both of which have #1 22" barrels, and weigh considerably less. One was the .270 Winchester Eileen got in the early 90s and did most of her big game hunting with for over a decade, until developing recoil headaches. She sold it locally, and I got it back for $2000. It's also the NULA that she killed a mule deer with offhand at around 150 yards. It grouped into around an inch or so--at 300 yards, with both with 130-grain Partitions, and 140-grain Barnes TSXs when they appeared in 2004. In fact, she was the first person to call Coni Brooks with a field report from taking an elk with a TSX....

The other belonged to my late friend and fellow writer Tom McIntyre. It's a 6.5-284, which from all the evidence was unfired. I paid Tom's widow $3000 for it, partly because she needed the money (also bought a few of his other guns too), and partly because it was in such good condition. Like most NULAs, it'll put various bullets into the same group at 100 yards. One of the groups I've shot so far was from both the 127-grain Barnes LRX and the 129 Hornady Spire Point Interlock: A combined six shots (three with each bullet) went into .6.

The prices I've seen on other Forbes-made NULAs since he sold the company have also run between $2000 and $3000.

MD, the '06 I'm honored to own (only on loan from Mr. Forbes, of course... HA!) does the very same thing.
Please send Mrs McIntyre our well wishes from snowy New England!

If the warden allowed me to spring for a NULA I'd get it in 270. As it stands now I'll have to be content with my CLR 30-06

I bought a used LH early Forbes in 30-06 sent it to Melvin and had it re-barreled in 280 AI Melvin redid rifle. Very accurate rifle and perfect balance. Shoots like a heavier weight rifle easy to hold well.

What weight/length barrel did you have him use?

When I first started hanging out around here, I used to love reading Mr. Stick's posts about his "7 Wizzum Montuckys". Just seemed like a wicked combination. I hope you build something on a Kimber - I'll be very interested to see your take on it and what you come up with.


Ever see a NULA 32, John? I'm hoping Wilson will choose it for 7RM and 7PRC for the length - the 28 seems just a hair short for these with long bullets?

Glad the McIntyre 6.5-284 is a shooter!

Have only seen one Model 32. Hank Williams Jr. had a .300 H&H built on it, which he showed me during a short visit when I was passing through the Bitterroot on my way to Boise years ago.

Melvin also did some interesting things with shortened versions of his various actions. One of the other NULAs Tom McIntyre had was a .243 WSSM, which Eileen bought. I talked to Melvin about it shortly afterward--and it's the ONLY rifle he made for any WSSM round. The action is an extremely shortened Model 28--which per usual with Melvin, feeds perfectly.

I had a M24 with a 24" #2 barrel. I believe it had the best off hand balance of any rifle I've owned, except perhaps the following two: a factory Fieldcraft in the 24" 30-06 and a factory Fieldcraft in the 22" sporter 6.5 CM....these are much the same as the 24" #2 M24 NULA.

Yep, the Fieldcrafts were very similar to NULAs. I had one for a while, a .243 Winchester with a 1-7 twist barrel, and it balanced well too.

My little brother is boxing up a Kimber 270 WSM Classic along with a Schneider 338 barrel Dober gave to him and a Kimber Classic Select 308 along with a Krieger 1-7 .224 barrel that'll get made into a 22x47 Lapua. So he will beat me to the first in the family to build a Kimber, but, he might let me shoot them

Should be nice rifles when they are done.

Agreed JCMCUBIC. That 24" #2 NULA recipe is pretty sweet. I had Outkast put a 24" #2 on my CLR just based on Mule Deer's writing about his .30-06 while knowing I wasn't going to like it and planning on chopping 4 or maybe two inches off after confirming that I didn't like it. Well, I was wrong. That barrel/stock/action (though the CLR action adds 4oz) puts the mass in a sweet spot for off-hand shooting - hard to explain, a kind of hot and sour soup situation, quick but, locked on at the same time. She's staying at 24 inches.

That'll be a sweet matched pair. With those two rifles you really don't need anything else. I like the way your brother thinks!

I’d bet the 22x47 will get used quite a lot around home.

The 338 WSM should be a nice elk rifle for him.

Yeah, that’s going to be an awesome pair!

i have a m32 im looking to sell in 300 win mag with a 26 inch brux 1-10 twist in case anyone is interested. it will be in the classifieds very soon. with the m32 you can really stretch the 300win mag out, my 2 loads (168 berger vld hunter and 200gr eldx) are at 3.570 coal

That sounds like a great rifle. Set up the way a 300 Win is meant to be.

Love that stock!

Oh my goodness, ilikeguns. You're killing me. It'd be slated for a 7mm re-barrel eventually if it were mine. Maybe the Sharpe & Hart of my loony dreams. Or maybe it'd convince me that a 26inch 300 WM is where it's at. My rifle budget is still recovering from last year's beating but, know that your classified post is going to cause much anxiety in the Green Mountain State!

If all the nay sayers would borrow a Wilson NULA from their buddy and shoot it a few rounds , they probably change their opinion of the gun. Probably would not admit to the change of their minds but secretly would say " wish I had one". BTW for those that desire to have a custom Wilson NULA, Mr Bill Wilson has stated on another forum that you can get one.

I have a stock Wilson NULA in 308 Win and love it. I am 78 YO and every ounce that I don't have to tote is big plus to me. Thanks Daniel

Mr Wilson stated he'd build a custom one here as well for full retail.

That rifle of his would make a nice 7 Mashburn Super as well.

Or just use it as is and fill ruck sacks.

I've had a couple of Lilja duplicates of the factory Kimber MT profile installed on Montana actions/stocks. Both 1:8 twist finished @ 22". One in 270Win and the other in 22-250. They're both handy to shoot and carry. That 1:8 22-250 shooting 75gn A-Max has seen more use actually hunting the last 3yrs than any other rifle I own.

Both are topped w/2.5-10x42 NXS scopes. The 22-250 is just under 7# and the 270 right @ 7#.

A fool and his money………

Location on the Gunbroker ads says: "Big Piney, WY".

Isn't that the locale of some guy who's been booted several times and keeps creating sock-puppets to snoop the classifieds here?

I think he ded.

Mule Deer, std model 24 barrel contour, 24" 280 AI . I let Melvin decide, figured he knew what would work better than me, refinshed action, re-bedded stock and new stock finish.


Also have a Forbes LH 7-08 very nice rifle thought about sending it to Melvin to look it over but it shoots great with no issues.

Looks good!

Yep, Melvin could usually steer people right on what to order--if they asked!

Might also mention that Melvin did not build my 1997 Model 24 specifically for me, even after I ordered it. Instead it turned out a gun store in Germany had ordered two M24s with 24" #2 barrels and black stocks--and only sold one. After a year they returned the other, so Melvin called me and asked if I'd take that one, instead of him building one. Of course I said yes, and now have one of the very few ULA/NULAs with German proof-marks stamped on the barrel, which include a miniature red stag.....