Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters NULA's vs good old Patience/lessons in life...

Ain't it amazing that folks lament the maker of the barrel, and overlook that it's the guy that screws the rifle together that'll have the biggest impact on the rig?

I've handled and shot Melvin's rifles, and if the fella told me he used conduit for the barrel, I'd not care as his work speaks/shoots for itself. Ditto, same same with Mickey Coleman, and a few others that put together sterling work and can/could/will/have do/done so with any maker barrel they or you choose.

Dober: I would not hesitate to get the NULA in 270 or 280(my choices),and I suspect you will be a happy camper

bwinters,

Sorry I missed your post earlier. The NULA's are push feeds, the extractor a Sako-style.

One thing I have also neglected to mention is the stock. It's one of the most technologically advanced in the business, using epoxy's borrowed from the aeronatutics industry (some of Melvin's friends were actual "rocket scientists" at Hercules), as well as Kevlar fibers that run the entire length of the stock, instead of chunks of cloth being pasted in there every which way as they are on many lay-ups. Some NULA rifles have been rolled on by horses--and the stock remained intact while the barrel bent.

Oh, and by the way I have fired Mickey Coleman rifles with Douglas barrels. The only reason any bullets doesn't end he same hole is if the shooter screws up. I alays get a big laugh when anybody starts badmouthing Douglas Premiums, because not only have I shot a bunch of rifles with super-accurate DP barrels, but I have stuck a bore-scope down a bunch. They are not hand-lapped, but they are very well made.

Thats part of my "Issue" with Douglass tubes. The few that I've had (one was SUB-MOA, a 308) definately foul worse than barrels from better makers. They may shoot well for 20-40 before the groups open up. One 6.5 barrel I had from Lilja I cleaned every 150 rounds weather it needed it or not. A couple patches of Tetra Gun copper solvent and it was sparkly clean.

I think its funny that a custom builder (NULA) uses slightly above mediocre barrels on 3K guns. Granted we're talking about a hunting rifle here, but it bothers me that Melvin settles for Above Mediocre on one key part of his guns. The real issue there is that he doesn't want to wait on a real barrel maker, I think.

my $1000(1979) m700 .300winmag was made up with a douglas barrel... no regrets... still one of the most business like (and precise) rifles that i have ever used...

Dan,
Douglas is as good as any custom barrel I have on any rifle I own. Melvin is not settling for anything less than the best. Your point regarding a lapped barrel v: a non lapped barrel is a good point. A lapped barrel cleans up quicker than a non lapped piece no question but with the right chemicals and cleaning procedure ( I suspect practically all the men on this forum know how to clean a barrel) it isn't much of a hassle to clean a non lapped barrel. Just takes a little more time.
Melvin will put practically any barrel on his rifle you want on one. I suspect the reason he uses Douglas is that Douglas is in Cross Lanes, WV and Melvin's shop is in Granville, WV and that he has had a good relationship with them and been as are his customers well satisfied with the Douglas product.
Douglas uses only premium quality steel and tooling (buttons) and quality is priority #1. As with Mickey Coleman's rifles and JB I have shot and own several rifles with Douglas Premium barrels on them and cannot imagine how I could be more satisfied with a rifle barrel.

Dave

I have one of those "rough" Douglas barrels on a 6BR built by Mickey Coleman that's had about 200 rounds down the spout without cleaning and its still producing one hole groups.

I think the main point several posters were trying to make on here regarding other brands vs NULA is a quality hunting rifle can be had for far less than the NULAS's $3000+ price. No doubt NULA's are quality firearms, but there is more than one route other than going with a NULA.

If I were in Dober's shoes, I might go the NULA route. At least one knows Mel does and will back up his product. One can't say that for Remington or even Kimber. The NULA would be a surer bet though more $$.

As for myself, I'll keep spending $$ on Burris quality Remmies and and having exotic tubes screwed on by my 'smith. And have some change left over for other ventures.

MtnHtr

MtnHunter,
No question you can buy a or put together a quality hunting rifle for less than 3K but it will not have the features Melvin's rifles have and with the same contour barrel will not be as light. If you factor all the features of a ULA into a custom build it is hard to get it done for any less let alone get it done with a 30 day no questions asked money back guarantee.
If a guy has to have a 5# (or less) rifle that has all the qualities of one of Melvin's rifles where do you get it or how do you build it for 3 grand??
The rifle I picked up in August last year was only $2600. It has a chrome moly Douglas Premium on it which is $125.00 less than a SS barrel. Melvin's stock is as nice as anyones and probably stiffer which allows him to full length bed the action and the barrel. Timney triggers are standard and he adjusts all of them to 3#. Talley LW rings w/integral bases are furnished with each rifle.
Custom hunting grade actions all come in around $900 to $1000 and I am not positive but I don't think any are as light as Melvins. If you add it all up I think you will find what many have. $2600 to $3000 depending on options and barrel type for a NULA is a bargain.

Dave

Very true

Some however think Nulas are too expensive. When you factor in the made in house stock,receiver and bolt then compared to many other customs ...Borden,Brown,Jarret and a host of others its a very reasonable price to pay. For goodness gracious there are smiths out there charging 3K+ and using donor Remington actions and stocks they don't even make in house of NULA quality.

There is one other gunsmith down Mickeys way that swears by Douglas Barrels and his rifles are beyond reproach in the accuracy department. Isn't it amazing how "NAME" influences people, I have seen more HUNTING RIFLES that shot great using Douglas barrels then all other makes combined.

I'd rather have one $3k NULA chambered in a standard offering like 7-08/308,30/06/280/270,that see's a [bleep] of use every year.Then to have three or more rifles costing way less,that see very little use.Or that I had to spend another $500 on,to put an over priced Mickey stock on so they'd be even close to the quality of the nula.

I've lost track of the amount of gunsafes I've seen full of [bleep] that hasn't even seen the light of day for years.Or better yet wasted trips to walmart and home depot for [bleep] you never needed but bought never used..Any body with a new pickup in the drive way has pissed away more then 3 grand that they'll never get back.

OldelkHunter,
I am going out on a limb here but I would think that since GR Douglas started making barrels way back when that Douglas has manufactured and sold more barrels than all other barrel manufacturers combined. That's not saying that the other barrel manufacturers don't have fine products cause they do it's simply saying that Douglas has always lived by building quality barrels at an affordable price and it has worked pretty well for them. It's pretty tough to walk in down there and buy a barrel same day.

Dave

There is no way you can make that statement without seeing one of my custom barreled Remmies (or Winnies) in person, shooting them, and then disassembling them (and there are maybe 4 posters on here that have). And the (2) lightweights that I presently own are plenty light enough for my tastes.

If we wanted practicality in a rifle then we would all be shooting factory rifles and factory ammo like JY Jones (One man, One Rifle, One Land) or other similar hunters. But some of us don't, we are discriminating sportsmen who prefer an above average quality firearm for one reason or another. For myself when mountain hunting I prefer a lightweight rifle under 7.5lbs, which is dependable and accurate out to 400yds under rugged hunting conditions and weather. The Remmies and Winchesters in my safe have served me fine, I see no reason for change yet. Obviously one of Mel's rifles would work well too. But I don't have to spend $3000 to get there nor do quite a few other folks I know.

Now if I was in a mood to treat myself, (kinda like a fine dining experience though still different) then I might lay down (30) Bennie Frankies for Mel and be done with it. But I'm not at that point in my life nor do I know if I ever will be.

I guess in simpler terms, folks like SU35 and myself can get the job done just fine without a NULA, thank you.

MtnHtr

Thanks MD.

Boy, I bet you and SU really don't want to know what us completely factory rifle guys think...


PS- Hopefully, that is recieved in the spirit it was sent.

Having owned a few of Stacy's (mtn hunter) rifles, I can say they are some of the best built rifles I have ever owned, and if shoulder surgery did not throw me a curve a few years back, I'd still have more than a few in the safe.

I have owned NULA, ULA, Borden, Bansners, Jarett and a few other top names. I have spent more on their rifles, but am not sure I got more.

A few comments on the comments since I last posted:

I have shot a pile of Douglas barrels over the years, mostly on NULA's but also on others, and have only run into one that had to be cleaned every 30-40 rounds to continue to shoot well. I have shot quite a few Douglasess that will go 75 shots to almost infinity--once they get broken in, which in my experience doesn't take much, maybe 3 cleanings.

I have also probably owned as many Lilja barrels as Douglas on HUNTING rifles, and while they take less breaking in I can't say that they shoot any better than the Douglases I've had on Melvin's rifles.

Melvin is happy put any barrel you want on a NULA, if you want to pay the difference between that barrel and a Douglas. He uses Douglas partly because the company is close, which saves money on the overall cost of the rifle, and partly because 98% of his customers are completely happy with the accuracy Douglas barrels provide--usually at MOST 1/2" accuracy at 100 yards, and often more like 1-hole.

Aside from the barrels, the Timney triggers, and some screws and other minor parts, NULA's are built in Melvin's shop. One of the reasons Melvin decided to build his own actions is that he wa tired of spending dozens of hours "blueprinting" factory actions to his satisfaction. The actions are built not just light but precisely. They are also extremely strong. Both the precision and strength are the reason that Nosler has been using NULA actions for their test rifles for years--and says they last much longer than ANY other actions they've used, including all the commercial actions with reputations for great strength.

Don't get me wrong. Modern factory rifles are marvelous bargains, in my opinion, and I own a pile of them that I use a lot. When rebarreled with a top-flight barrel (say a Lilja, my personal favorite) by a good smith, they can be extremely accurate.

But there is always a difference between a rebuilt factory rifle and a NULA that is built to top-notch specs in every way from the ground up. Not all people think such a rifle is worth the price, and "worth the price" is a valid opinion.

Personally, after 20+ years of experience with NULA's I think are a screaming bargain at $3000, especially when compared to a bunch of other custom rifles that are essentially rebuilt Remingtons with an after-market barrel and stock--rifles that often cost $5000+. And yes, I have owned a bunch of those too.

There are a bunch of fine deals among factory rifles today, especially if the main criteria is accuracy: Savage, Weatherby Vanguard, Remington and Tikka come immediately to mind, though I have also had great results from a whole list of othersm such as Ruger and Winchester and others I can't remember right now.

I also have owned several custom rifles that originally cost $5000 or more up.

But there are darn few rifles out there made as precisely and carefully (and with as much knowledge of what makes a bolt-action rifle, especially a lightweight bolt-action rifle) as a NULA at anywhere near the same price.

If $3000 is too much for some people, believe me I understand. But even bargains are relative.

MD, good post as always. Now I have to ask, do you see any weak link in the NULA being a Sako style "pf" and not a "crf"?
Also I believe the safety is a modified two position?
Lastly, with heavy for caliber bullets, would you recommend a #2 24" barrel over the #1 22" barrel? I am thinking .270Win. or 30-06. Thanks.

If you want a CRF rifle, buy a CRF rifle. The NULA is a very reliable push-feed.

The safety is very much like the original Remington 700's, which in the rear position not only put the rifle on "safe" but locked the bolt down. The EXCEPTION with the NULA safety is that when in the rear position, if you push DOWN on the safety button (from above), the bolt can be opened with the rifle still on safe. So it is a different sort of 3-position safety.

As fas as barrel contour, I would be more concerned with the size of the hole in the muzzle than the weight of the bullet. A #1 .270 barrel has just about as much steel around the hole (about .142" on either side of the hole) as a #2 .30 barrel (.146 on either side of the hole).

But it also depends on the cartridge. In my experience a #1 .30 barrel will shoot extremely well when chambered in .308, but a #2 might work better in a .30-06.

The balance and overall weight you want is also a factor. If you really want a rifle that weighs 6 pounds with scope, then the #1 barrel is the only way to go. If you want a rifle with a little more weight forward, and don't mind over 6 pounds scoped, then the #2 barrel is the way to go.