Anyone have opinions on a colt light rifle that has been rebuilt by Melvin? According to the owner the only original parts that were used are the action and bolt. Everything else was replaced. Would you invest in one of these? I have wanted a NULA for a while but seem to never have the cash when one pops up for sale. I may just have to keep shooting my kimber montanas.

Just as good as the originals slightly heavier.

They all used the magnum action I believe,so I would basically only be interested in one in something like a 7mm rem mag,if I wanted a mag caliber. I think if I wanted a lighter rifle in a short or non mag long action the Barrett FC is a better deal. Unless it's just a screaming deal.

The CLR is a NULA 28 sized action. CLR actions were machined by Colt. NULA actions are machined by hand and hand fitted in Melvin’s shop. Melvin states that he maintains a concentricity tolerance of 1/2 a 1000th of an inch (.0005).

I had a CLR done, retaining the original barrel and action. I’d picked up the CLR for a song though.

I don't have a CLR, but I have a NULA and a Forbes (luckily one of the good ones). If it were me after experiencing what happened with Forbes and hearing what happened to CLR, I would rather invest my money in a Barrett. Barrett has been around a while, and looks as if they have perfected what Forbes and CLR could not. I'm not sure what their asking, but i would spend twice as much on a sure thing (Barrett) before I'd roll the dice on a CLR. Also, theres the warm fuzzy if something were to go wrong you have Barrett to send the rifle back too.

I bought a CLR in 270 Win some years ago and it shot well as it was, but being a gun looney, I sent it off to Melvin to rebuild it into a 7x57.

I really like it now! He did a new stock, new barrel, new trigger and whatever else he does. It is a keeper.

It shoots 120 gr, 140 gr and 160 gr hand loads quite well.

donsm70

My early.one of the first two dozen Forbes 270's shoots like a precision rifle,less than dime sized,one hole 100 yard 5 shot groups. I would bet $20 bills all day long that I could hit dimes at 100 yards with the first cold bore shot. I would win far more than I lost. I don't think it's ever shot a 5 shot 100 yard group larger than 1" with any factory ammo.

I've been tempted to try a short action Barrett but I'm afraid It might not shoot as well as my Forbes,even though I suspect it would be excellent.

The one I looked at is chambered in 30-06AI and they want 1500.00 for it. It comes with dies and 75 pieces of fire formed brass. Thanks for the input so far.

Is it possible to shoot it? If it shot great and I liked the weight I wouldn't hesitate. A Barrett might be just as good though or better and even lighter, if it was just OK accuracy wise.

I wish I could shoot it but I saw it on gunbroker. I have had plenty of rifles that if I could have shot it first I probably would have changed my mind. Sometimes they aren't as good as the hype would lead you to believe.

30-06, stock barrel but otherwise Melvenized.

Three land rifling?

Haven't heard of one melvin worked over that shot just so-so personally.
If you want an 06AI buy it. If you just want a rifle of this type, buy a Barrett in the caliber you really want or rebarrel a Montana.
All three choices would get you what you're looking for.

Who would you all have a montana rebarrelled by? What would be a good estimate on the cost?

This makes real good sense.

i have a forbes Melvin reworked and it shoots like the NULA rifles he built from scratch....buy it if it works for you i doubt you will be unsatisfied

I did the same with my Forbes, but the only thing I had Melvin do was shorten the stock and repaint it. I have less than $1500 in the rifle and I bought it new.


Why would you pay $1500 for a CLR? By the time you pay Melvin to get it right, you will have more in a used rifle than just buying a new Barrett.

limabean,

I have both an ULA 7mm-08 and several CLR's that have gone back to Melvin for his "spa treatment!" I have been more than satisfied with the CLR's, my 7mm Mag being my favorite rifle for it's accuracy, capabilities, and balance. I don't think there is much out there that is any better value for ~$1300-1500 out there, especially having the "laying on of Melvin's hands!" I have another 7mm that I have considered having him re-barrel to 6.5 Rem. Mag ( I have squirreled away a lot of brass, ammo, etc.) but now wonder whether the 6.5 PRC might not be the smarter way to go. In the meantime, my 7mm Rem. Mag never disappoints!

I guess variables include fit, $, and desired caliber.

If $ is no object, get a NULA in whatever you desire. Melvin has legions of satisfied customers that forked over the $ and are very satisfied, even given the expense. If $ is an object, then consider the CLR or the Forbes. The CLR limits you to a 270, '06, 7mm RM, or 300 WinM unless you want to re-barrel. I like the metal finish better than what is on the Forbes and I don't care for the Forbes rendition of "fluting" but those are my tastes FWIW. With the Forbes, you get Melvin's stock already and the chance at a short action if that is what you desire (no magnums though!)

The Barrett sounds nice and people sound like they are happy with them. SS which is a big deal for a lot of people. I am not particularly interested in the shorter barrels, but again that is me. Still in the $1500-1700 range. No magnums.

I have always been intrigued by the Kimbers but have never had one. I do like the feel of their stocks. A used 8400 (325 WSM maybe?) re-barrelled to 6.5 PRC for that $1500-1700 range would be pretty special as well!!!

Finally, if you have not already, put the NULA/Forbes/CLR to your shoulder. They have a slightly different feel to them than the Kimber for sure. I can't speak for the Barrett but would guess that it is similar to the NULA family as well.

SU35 here on the fire recently had a "Melvinized" 7mm Mag CLR for sale for -$1500 if that interests you more than the '06AI.

The early Forbes rifles were jeweled, not fluted.

I have a Forbes in 6.5x55 that I only bought because it was cheap, $600, and have several CLR, none of which I paid over $550 for.

Folks seem to go one of two ways when they do CLR/NULA hybrids, either they do the stock and trigger upgrade or they go all out and add a new barrel.

The stock and trigger upgrade ran around $1,000 the last time that I asked and the comprehensive upgrade with a new barrel is probably in the $1,500 to $1,700 range.

I'm not significantly offended by the CLR stock or trigger, so I'm blissfully using a box stock CLR in 270 as my primary open country elk rifle.

260,

$600 for a Forbes, that was a deal!!! I traded into one for a friend at Scheels in 30-06 (1st year production w/o the fluffy flutes!) for ~$875 and thought that was a steal at the time.
I'll have to come out and visit Nebraska and go on the gunstore/pawnshop circuit with you and get a few tips!

I have paid anywhere from $375 to about $575 for NIB CLR's over the last 10 years since I sent my first one back to Melvin. I don't expect to find any more for the $375... those days are most likely gone. I did pick one up on GunBroker a few years ago for I think $875 that was advertised as being Jon Sundra's 30-06 that he received for a gun article introducing the Colts. It came with a copy of the magazine w/ pictures. Jon referenced the nice synthetic stock that the rifle came with which raised my hopes that the rifle indeed would be "special". Sure enough, it came with Melvin's ULA stock and is actually marked as such (Melvinized guns actually say "Colt Light Rifle" on the buttpad). It is also serial # 1011 IIRC with #1 being "1001" according to Melvin. It also has different tooling used for the lettering and numbering on the rifle. It did come with the typical CLR trigger which I may still change out though. Anyway, at $875, I thought it was unique and definitely a bargain given the stock. Melvin said these were actually pre-production rifles made for some of the gun writers. He said there were two or three prototypes but he still has all of those!

Kind of fun!

I bought the $600 Forbes at a well-known gun store in Maine that I happened to be visiting while on vacation. It was tagged at $1,000, but I asked the counter guy what their best price was and when he said $750, I told him that I'd put it back in the rack. So, he asked what I'd give and when I said $600, he said he'd take it.

I remember when CDNN was closing out the CLR with a scope for $399, but I didn't feel drawn to them until I traded into one and liked it enough to buy a few more. I've never had one in 300 WIN MAG, haven't shot the 7mm REM MAG much, but like both the 270s and 30-06s enough to recommend them to others. If I was in the market for a 270 or 3006 on a $500 budget, I think that a good used CLR is a better value than a new Remington 700 SPS or other similar rifles..