Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters New Ultra Light Arms

Daveh,

I'd think the barrel length won't make any difference at all. I suspect Forbes makes them all balance right at the front action screw, if it's at all possible.

I recall him telling me that the rifle was built around that front screw - whatever weight he put in front of it, he also put behind it.

Very nice rifle. I love the 338/06 and that would no doubt be the next NULA I would get! I have a SBGM 338-06 that I just love.

Here is a LH 257 Weatherby, with a 24" barrel.



I couldn't even tell you what barrel contour it is; I just asked Melvin to put on the one he would choose. With the 4.5x14 Leupold, it weighs 6 # 14 oz. It is a steady 3/4 inch gun. It kinda made everything in my battery below .30 caliber redundant. It accounted for a one-shot kill at 365 yards for my son this fall on a solid mule deer buck.



Other companies have jumped on the lightweight gun bandwagon, but I don't know anyone who has mastered it better that Melvin.

Besides who else do you know that answers the phone at the company he founded?

Geez DZ, if I lived closer I'd take you out for a road hunt. Whack an ole wiley with your truck gun!

Take care,

MtnHtr

Ya I was kind of suprised when I called. You wouldn't know it though, A very down to earth and great guy.
Nice gun by the way...

It sounds like there are some folks in this thread that admire and have knowledge about ULA firearms. I have been thinking of selling mine but have no idea what to ask for it. It is a ULA (not NULA) Model 20 handgun made in 1995. The original barrel was a .222 Rem that had been punched out to .223 Rem and a brake added. The .223 barrel literally shot one hole 5 shot groups at 100 yards, scary accurate. I later had Dan Dowling put on a Lilja in .221FB, utilizing the original brake. It too is scary accurate. What is something like this worth these days? I still have the original .223 barrel as well. Does Melvin still make handguns?

No, Melvin doesn't make handguns anymore.

Neither the BLUE BOOK OF GUN VALUES or STANDARD CATALOG OF FIREARMS even lists the handgun. It might have some collector's value, but you'd have to find the right collector!

Sorry to hear that Steve.
I've never seen or touched a NULA rifle. But, just based on their design features, particularly their light weight and their muzzle heavy design, makes me think they'd be the last word in rifles for me. If/when I get tried of "tweaking" my custom and semi-custom rifles, I might fall victim to the siren call of one. If I do, it's going to be alot more expensive for me than for some. You see, I know me well enough to know that I will not stop at just one. True Rifle Looneys will understand, I'm sure. E

There was a used ULA in new condition at the gunshop that has kept me broke for years, last summer. It was a .223 and I was very impressed by it, had it been a .284W, .280R or .270W, I would have bought it, no question and I already have a LOT of highend light rifles.

For we "geezers" past 60, who still hung the high country, albeit SLOWER than we once did, I doubt that ANY rifle made would be superior to a NULA and I might get one yet, a nice .284W throated for 160NPs.

I haven't seen a "Reb Hunter" (I think that's what Mel called it) in years. No idea the value, nice "handgun"...

Dont do it E.You cant own just one.I bought a used ULA last year and im already planning on building one.That with piles of customs laying around.
dave

Now, John. Everybody knows Douglas barrels won't shoot (unless you specified another brand that's what Melvin used.) Ready for anothe CARE package???

In one of his article's, John Barsness showed a pic of his ULA in 30-06. Black stock with titanium nitride (sp?) coating on a CM barreld action. Looked plain and simple but I dare say it's the plain and simple you'd want for any kind of hunting where the land tilted alot and the weather wanted you off the hill!

Had to be another "gun writer special" built by Melvin. grin

I have noticed that some have mentioned that he will come down a little off of the $3,000. I have talked to him twice and asked if there was any movement on the price. He didn't act like it.
Which I understand with a 6month wait.
Is there a code word? LOL!

Am now thinking I will need a matching 22LR.
Any preditions on if he will make a combo price? Don't want to offend but am always up for saving a few $$

Why does Melvin Forbes favor the .284 so much? The more I think about this the more I think about an all around NULA in 30-06 or 280 AI instead of buying another Kimber. Thanks Mule Deer for that 280 AI article in Handloader. With 6 months to build it does he take a down payment and then the rest on completion?

I asked him about the 280AI and he said to get the most out of it you need a 24"BBL. He said the 284 has a 150FPS advantage on the 7mm-08. I am wanting somewhere around a 21" BBL and have probably 600pcs of brass already so probably will go with it.
I think it is 50% down.

A little discourse on why the 24" barrel in the NULA is a good choice follows, but first the why. My wife is a lefty, and she tried all the factory LH guns in the 90s when she was shopping for a bolt gun. She used a M88 Win lever gun in .308 until then. We used to see Craig Boddington at social events, and she and CB would always talk about LH guns and issues. Craig told her the LH Winchester Classic M70 was imminent (IIRC that was in '96), so we went down and ordered one. She had been reading his Safari Rifles, and had decided she wanted a .30-'06. That rifle came with a 24" barrel.

That is the long way around to part of the reason I specified a 24" barrel on my NULA M24 .30-'06 when I ordered it last year. Another part is John B. has been running one for several years, and the combination was obviously working well. The final part is my 6.5-'06 and .280 Rem have 23.6" (600 mm) barrels, so I already knew that length was not a problem for me hunting. So don't worry about the 24" barrel length in the standard action length NULA rifles.

You can print out the order form from the website, and the specified deposit on order is 50% down.

jim

I like a 22 inch barrel, they seem to work best for me but 24 is not a problem. Where do you find 284 brass these days???

Jimmy, I may have a box of 100 Winchester .284 brass (new) in the shop. If I can remember to check tomorrow you can have it.
Mickey