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.
