Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats NULA vs Bansners vs Hill Country

Here is my personal review of these 3 rifles. Again just my opinion based off using these rifles for sometime now.

Of the ones I've currently owned I rank them in this order. 1-NULA, 2-Hill Country, 3-Bansners. I have all three. 1 NULA, 2 Bansners, and 3 Hill Country's The NULA is the most accurate of the 3 but Hill Country came in close 2nd. The Bansners (both .308's were really not any more accurate than a standard factory gun. I actually had to send 1 of them back 2 times to get it right. The NULA will consistently shoot 1/2" or better at 100 yards with a few different factory loads. Its a very impressive gun and has superb balance. I have 3 Hill Country rifles (rem action) and they are all very well made and accurate but have to give the nod to NULA. The Hill country's are .243, 7mm-08, and 300 win mag. As for Bansners I personally do not care for them. Maybe the newer ones with their custom action is ok but as for avg. fit and finish along with average accuracy I would look elsewhere. Hope this helps someone looking to make the plunge someday.

Agreed on the NULA but I have not handle the others. My will shoot moa or better with factory ammos (HSI - 140vld, Nosler AB, etc..)My NULA (6.5x284) weights 6.4# with 3 ammo loaded, Swarovski z3 3-10x42, 24" barrel. I replaced the recoiled pad with a flip flop pad. Though I don't like the way the safety is position (sticks out to the side) because of the short bolt handle I tend to bang my hand on it if not careful.

I have owned several HCR and two NULA's and the HCR were easily more accurate. Heavier but extremely accurate.....

Of the three, I only have personal experience with Bansner's, I have two as well, .300 WSM and .338 WM. Surprised to hear about the accuracy and the fit and finish of your Bansner's, as it is the opposite of my experience. Have heard good things about HCR and I know NULA has a big following here, probably cannot go wrong with any of the three.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the three. I own two of the three. Bansner and HCR. The fit and finish on the Bansner is second to none but I had a hard time working a load up for it and had to send it back because the firing pin was not striking the primer consistently which may attributed to the accuracy issues. It is a 300 win mag and took me longer than what I thought it should take to work up a accurate load but once I found the right combination it shoots better than I can shoot it. The HCR rifle is in 7 mag and was easy to get to shoot but the fit and finish on that rifle is no where near what the Bansner is. I have had other rifles with Lilja barrels that I had trouble getting to shoot. They are not my first choice when I need a new barrel.

I looked over several of Mark Banser's rifles at DSC last year and the fit and finish on those rifles were very good, like jetbrook said second to none, so I'm surprised too at your review. A friend just received his Banser rifle and it's pretty much perfect (fit and finish) along with some targets that showed 1/2" groups.

HCR folks are good people. I've owned and shot a couple of their rifles and they make a good accurate rifle. Another friend now has one of their guns in a 30-06. It shoots just about everything 1" or better. The nod would go to Banser for fit and finish, attention to detail, though.

I have one NULA in 7-08 and one CLR convert in 7x57. I have never owned a HCR or a Bansner, but I am very pleased with the NULA/CLR product.

donsm70

I've got a NULA in .257 Wby, a HCR in .338RUM and a 7mm-08 that Bansner built. All are awesome. Had to send the Bansner Rifle back for a feeding issue but they treated me perfect. All shoot excellent.

Hard to go wrong with any of these.

I've had 2 NULAs and 5 HCRs. They were all consistently accurate. The NULAs had the best hand-feel, balance and low weight. The HCRs had a little more heft, were great shooters and easy to steady. I've had great customer service at HCR and would recommend them to anyone. I also found Melvin Forbes to be very helpful and personable.

Buying a used custom is probably the easiest/lowest risk way of getting into one of these rifles.

Eric

Never had a NULA rifle but I do have a Bansner 280 that is possibly the most accurate rifle I have ever owned. I have had other Bansner rifles that were also extremely accurate. I just recently bought my 1st HCR and I am VERY impressed and satisfied with it. I think HCR is a great value.

I can only speak on the Bansners I have 2. A 7-08 and a 300 wm . Both shoot extremely well and I had no issues with either upon delivery or load work up . Both will shoot 1/2" or better with hand loads , never shot factory stuff in them.

I own an ULA in 7RM that is very accurate and a joy to carry. I've owned one HCR in 7WSM that was also very accurate. The stable was too full tho, and it was sold.
Both excellent rifles.

I have owned at least three from each of these builders. All were well finished, accurate rifles. I am a churner, though, and buy, sell and trade more than I should. Because of that, if I were to buy a rifle from one of the three makers today, it would probably be a NULA. They seem to hold their value the best, and there is usually a market for them, along with good customer service. However, overall, Hill Country was the best of the three to deal with, met deadlines the best and delivered a finished product each time that didnt require a trip back for some type of tweak.

I own no Bansner rifles but do have NULA and one HCR. I have had the worst CS experiences (for my gun and one for a customer who I advised against dealing with them) with HCR I can imagine and would never do business with them again. I find Melvin personable when you agree with him and knowledgeable regardless. His stocks feel better to me than any other sporter I have held. I'm also an ounce counter.

This post is a bunch of BS, no particulars on anything.

I have two Fords, three Chevy's, and one Dodge. The Fords Start even in cold weather, the Chevy's are great but get a tad less gas milage, and the Dodge is great, but the body and interior is falling apart.

What the heck are you talking about in your post?