Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Removing NULA barreled action from stock

I’m headed to Africa with my 7-08 NULA on the 16th. I’m tempted to disassemble the rifle so I can transport it in the shorter case I normally use for breakdown shotguns. I believe I have seen Mule Deer suggest this as a way to make travel easier.

Of course there is a bit of concern about changing the point of impact from doing this. But it seems to me that of all the rifles in my collection, this one should be the least susceptible. Melvin Forbes fully beds these in a Kevlar stock. I know I can, and probably should, just experiment at home. But I wonder if anyone out there has done this with a NULA.

I've done it a bunch of times with NULAs, and they've always shot right to the same place they did back home.

Many thanks!

I started doing it after reading Mule Deer talking about it and haven’t had an issue yet

Tag and good luck on the hunt!

I took the barreled action out of the stock, put it back, and went to the range yesterday. Sure enough, as other posters said, yesterday’s shots would have gone into the same group that I fired a week earlier.

Something I do so that I know that the action screws are tightened to the same place when re-installed. This does away with the need for a torque wrench and also serves as a quick check to be sure that the screws haven't loosened over time. I know that theoretically in a perfectly bedded action the screws should just come to a stop at the same place everytime but this is just a way of knowing that everything is tight and in the same place, a dab of nail polish and about 30 seconds of time gives a fail-safe system.

Drover,

Have yet to see any NULA rifle change POI when the action's taken out of the stock--with the screws just tightened firmly, without using a torque driver/wrench. And I have done it MANY times.

Howdy and how are you doing?

Well Hi! I hope you are doing well! I own a lot of your handiwork and often think of you.

I’m doing very well for an old guy! I’ll be 80 in February and know how lucky I am that I can go hunting again in Africa next week instead of sitting in a corner drooling. 😃

On my last trip in 2015 I carried that wonderful 375 H&H that you worked up for me on a Whitworth. It turned out to be just exactly what I wanted. I took a Kudu, Black Wildebeest, and a Nyala with it.

I ‘ve been taking the custom 257 Roberts to the range lately and enjoying it. I’ll take it to my Mississippi property in November. 100 grain Ballistic Tips are really accurate in it.

What load will you be using in your 7-08 and what game are you planning to shoot?

Hope you have an amazing hunt.

Just FYI: Melvin doesn't abide torquing action screws to any specification with an instrument like a torque wrench. He beds them tight and snugs action screws by hand.

I’m shooting 140 grain Accubonds at 2750 fps. On the final sight in I was getting three shot groups of about 1.6” centered at 200 yds. I’ve practiced shooting off sticks and of course don’t do as well as from the bench. But I have confidence from that practice.

My main purpose on this hunt is to go to Africa again with my sons. That’s something very special. I’ve been twice before and taken 10 different animals, so my wish list for this trip is pretty short. It includes Waterbuck, Red Hartebeest, Steenbok, and Grey Duiker. I’m also totally out of room for more taxidermy. 😃

Thank you for your good wishes!

Yep.

I interviewed Melvin not long ago for a SPORTS AFIELD column about torquing action screws: Here's the paragraph distillation of what he said, as it appeared in the magazine:

"Melvin Forbes, owner of New Ultra Light Arms said he doesn’t bother with torque settings on his rifles, just tightening the screws until they stay firmly in place. He also only fits one pillar in his synthetic stocks, around the front screw to prevent customers from over-tightening and having the screw’s tip end up inside the bottom bolt-lug recess, preventing the bolt from turning."

Could you post a link to the article?

Nope, because is no link--though Sports Afield might eventually post it on the website. They do pick a few articles to post, but so far don't see that one.

Otherwise you'd have to subscribe either to the paper or on-line magazine, or buy a copy of that issue.

I'll keep an eye out.

It appeared in the july/August 2021 issue, so you might still find one on magazine racks.

Just a thought here and maybe a suggestion. Put a trigger guard back on the action in the case.

A friend of mine didn't and when we got to Africa found that his trigger shoe had broken off in the rifle case.

Easy fix to remove one from my spare Remington 700 and put it on his rifle but without a spare it would have created a pretty serious problem.

Yep, I always put the trigger guard back on--which is also a handy way to keep track of the action screws. Though since NULAs have blind magazines, only the rear action screw holds the trigger guard one.

One of the handiest "take-down" bolt action is a 98 Mauser with the the typical one-piece magazine/trigger guard. I just screw the entire magazine assembly back on after removing the stock.