NULA Model 20 Rifle

Soon after receiving a NULA Model 20 rifle in 308 Winchester from Wilson Combat, I checked out its accuracy with a couple of Vihtavuori powders and bullets ranging in weight from the Lehigh Defense 125-grain Controlled Chaos to the 210-grain Berger VLD Hunting. For those who do not know, I will mention that Vihtavuori has been making propellants since 1922 at a plant located in Vihtavuori, Finland. 

According to my count, 16 of those powders are for loading in rifle cartridges ranging from the 22 Hornet to the 50 BMG. All are extruded propellants with the N100 series of single-base composition. The N500 series are double base with nitroglycerine added for energy increase. In addition to containing a de-coppering agent, all Vihtavuori rifle and pistol powders are insensitive to wide swings in ambient temperature, and they exhibit minimal lot-to-lot variation in burn rate. Vihtavuori powders are imported and distributed by Capstone Precision Group of Sedalia, Missouri. This is the same company that imports Lapua bullets, ammunition and cartridge cases.

The lightweight, bolt-action rifle we know today as the NULA Model 20 was introduced by Wilson Combat in 2023, but its roots reach back almost four decades to the introduction of the Ultra Light Arms Model 20 rifle by West Virginia gunsmith Melvin Forbes. I met Melvin at the 1985 SHOT Show, where he first displayed his new rifle, and to simply say that I was impressed by its quality and its feathery heft would be an understatement. A couple of years prior to creating that rifle, Melvin had trimmed ounces from the wood and metal of a Remington Model 700 for a customer who desired something quite a bit lighter. While doing so, it dawned on him that drastically reducing the dimensions of the Remington action and building a new action from scratch, along with attaching a light barrel, and replacing the wood stock with a graphite-reinforced Kevlar stock of his making, might sell to serious sheep hunters and others who hunted the high country. Melvin was right, and he and his assistants eventually built around 7,000 rifles in several different model variations. When I first met Melvin, a new Remington Model 700 BDL was selling for $475, and while the Model 20 cost almost four times as much, it was worth every

A Talley two-piece mount adds only two ounces to the weight of the rifle. As seen at far left, the barrel is marked with its rifling twist rate.

penny to those who needed a top-quality, mosquito-weight rifle that was plenty accurate and easy to shoot accurately. Within reason, each Model 20 rifle was built to a customer’s specifications.

The Ultra Light Model 20 was available with a right-hand or left-hand action. It had a 22-inch Douglas Premium barrel, and it was initially offered in 22-250, 243 Winchester, 6mm Remington, 257 Roberts, 7x57mm Mauser, 284 Winchester and 308 Winchester. Others, including several of P.O. Ackley’s improved cartridges, were available on special order. The action of the Model 24 rifle was a bit longer to handle the 25-06, 270 Winchester, 280 Remington and 30-06. Moving to the Model 28, its 

initial options were 264 Winchester Magnum and 300 Winchester Magnum, and it came with either a KDF muzzle brake attached to the barrel or with Melvin’s own integral brake. That model weighed 5.5 pounds. Chambering options for the Model 40 ranged from the 300 H&H Magnum to the 416 Rigby. A number of custom options were available for all models.

Soon after returning from the 1985 SHOT show, I received a Model 20 in 284 Winchester from Melvin, along with a note asking me to give it a try on a hunt. In addition to its considerably smaller size, the new action differed from the Model 700 action by a Sako-style extractor and a Winchester Model 70-style bolt release. Initially averaging just over an inch for three shots at 100 yards, the little rifle soon settled

down by shooting three, 140-grain Ballistic Tip bullets (introduced by Nosler the previous year) into groups measuring less than an inch. Months later, I took the rifle to Wyoming, where it dropped a very nice mule deer at just over 300 yards. The temptation to buy the rifle was great, but since I already owned a beautiful little lightweight rifle in 284 Winchester built by Texan Jim Hill, who owned Alpha Arms, the Model 20 was boxed up and returned to its home in the hills of West Virginia.

Several years thereafter, I used a Model 20 in 7x57mm Mauser on another hunt, and while it was not quite as accurate as the 284, it was accurate enough to take one of my best Texas whitetails. Buying it was also tempting, but a custom rifle in 7x57mm Mauser built on a 1903 Springfield rifle during the 1930s in my gun room told me to return that one to Melvin as well. Moving forward to 1987, I received an invitation to hunt moose in Sweden with friends at Norma, and upon deciding to use a rifle in 358 Norma Magnum, I asked Melvin to

chamber a Model 28 rifle for it. That rifle accounted for two moose. I decided to buy it, but a long-time customer who had purchased a dozen or so of Melvin’s rifles learned of the rifle I had on loan and wanted to buy it for a brown bear hunt in Russia. So, that one also went back to Melvin. 

In 1999, Forbes sold Ultra Light Arms to Colt Mfg. Co., but the arrangement did not work out as planned, so about two years later, he regained ownership and renamed the company New Ultra Light Arms, or NULA, for short. Then came a 2013 business arrangement with Titan Machine Products of West Brook, Maine, that resulted in Forbes Rifle LLC. It too was short-lived. For the benefit of those

who are in need of servicing for rifles built by Melvin or Colt, I will mention that it is available from a shop in Granville, West Virginia, called OutKast Arms (OutKastArms.com), owned by his former employees. The telephone number is (304) 614-5600. 

Melvin’s boat finally arrived in 2022 when Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat agreed to purchase the manufacturing rights to the Model 20 rifle. For several years, Melvin had wanted to retire, and he was extremely happy with the sale. He had agreed to assist in the transition and was there when the very first of the next generation of his rifle was assembled. It was a sad day for me and many other friends and admirers around the world to learn that Melvin Forbes had passed away in 2024 at the age of 77.

The NULA Model 20 built by Wilson Combat is available in 243 Winchester (20- or 22-inch barrel), 6.5 Creedmoor (20 or 22 inch), 7mm-08 Remington (16 or 20 inch), 308 Winchester (16.25 or 20 inch), and 358 Winchester (16.25 or 20 inch). Rifling twist rates are 1:8 for the 243 and 6.5 Creedmoor, 1:9 for the 7mm-08, 1:11.25 for the 308 and 1:14 for the 358. Each barrel is marked with its twist rate just forward of the receiver ring. For those who are surprised to see the 358 in the lineup, I will add that it is one of Bill Wilson’s favorite cartridges, one he has used to take a variety of North American and African game. Bill also owns Lehigh Defense (LehighDefense.com), and to make sure those who purchase Model 20 rifles in 358 have a reliable source of ammunition, three loads are always in stock. I recently tried them in my Winchester Model 88 as well as a NULA 20, and accuracy was quite good from both. Regardless of the caliber, all Model 20 rifles depart the factory with a minute-of-angle accuracy guarantee when ammunition capable of delivering that level of precision is used. 

The cylindrical receiver is EDM-profiled from 4140 chrome-moly bar stock. It measures 1.22 inches in diameter, 7.50 inches long and is pillar-bedded in the stock. The receiver is drilled and tapped with 8x40 holes for a Talley two-piece lightweight mount that adds a mere two ounces to the weight of the rifle. Machined from type 4340 bar stock, the two-lug bolt has a Sako-style extractor and a spring-loaded, plunger-style ejector. A counterbored bolt face encloses .130 inch of the rear end of a chambered round, although it has to be slotted for travel of the extractor claw. The bolt handle of the Model 20 rifle built by Melvin Forbes was attached by brazing, and mechanically attaching the handle is a big improvement on rifles built by Wilson Combat. On the negative side, I have always cycled the bolt of a rifle by “palming” its handle, and the tactical-style knob with its aggressive surface quickly becomes quite uncomfortable. All springs in the action are of Type 17-7 stainless steel.

The bolt glides to and fro in the receiver quite smoothly with very little wobble and no binding. Bolt throw is three inches. Pressing down on the exposed tab of a Model 70-style stop at the left side of the receiver tang frees the bolt for removal. Finishes are ArmorLube Diamond-Like Carbon on the bolt and the receiver and Armor-Tuff on the barrel. A .385-inch wide finger lever on the Timney Elite Hunter trigger made it feel considerably lighter than the 3.25 pounds indicated by a Lyman digital gauge. It has an adjustment range of two to four pounds. Moving the two-

position safety lever to its engaged position blocks bolt rotation. As to be expected on a fly-weight rifle, the bottom assembly is aluminum, and it wears a durable hardcoat finish. Pushing a button at the inside front of the trigger guard releases the hinged floor plate for loading or unloading the steel magazine. The magazine holds four rounds, and it has an internal length of three inches. 

Wilson Combat has been making top-quality barrels for 1911 pistols and AR-15 rifles for several decades, so it came as no surprise to learn that all Model 20 rifles have Type 416R stainless steel barrels made at the Arkansas factory. Button rifled and double stress relieved, bores are lapped for smoothness and dimensional uniformity. The 20-inch barrel of the rifle in 308 Winchester sent to me for this report measures 1.095 inches at the front of the receiver. From there, it tapers to .645 inch and then increases to .740 inch for its final .620 inch, where it received 5/8"-24 threads for suppressor or brake attachment. A thread protector is included, and opposing flats make it easy to tighten or loosen with a small adjustable wrench. A precision-ground .205-inch thick recoil lug is sandwiched between the front of the receiver and a shoulder on the barrel.

The carbon fiber stock is made by AG Composites, and it is of excellent quality. Quite trim, it measured five inches around at the small of the grip and 3.75 inches around at the center of the forearm. The one-inch Pachmayr Decelerator pad does a great job of soaking up recoil. Length of pull was 13.5 inches. Posts at front and rear for quick-detach sling swivels are nitride-coated for rust resistance. My digital scale put the weight of the stock at 28.5 ounces, and it measured 29.25 inches overall. Several different camoflauge patterns are available. The overall length of the rifle was 39.75 inches.

The NULA Model 20 in 308 Winchester received for this report was accompanied by a 3-shot test group fired at 100 yards with Lehigh Defense ammunition loaded with the 152-grain Controlled Chaos bullet. Two shots measured .332-inch, and the third bullet increased the group size to .912 inch. When shooting that load, I managed to keep groups slightly smaller with a three-group average of 0.86 inch. The winner at an average of 0.55 inch was the Lehigh Defense load with the 165-grain Tipped Maximum Expansion, although the Black Hills Ammunitionload was quite close. Four of the seven handloads tried also averaged less than an inch at 100 yards. Such a thin barrel begs to be water-cooled between each group, and to keep the rifle happy, I did just that. All loads tried were plenty accurate for taking deer and other game as far away as most other hunters, and I attempted. 

As previously mentioned, the Model 20 action was designed to handle short cartridges such as the 243 Winchester and 7mm-08 Remington, and since even shorter cartridges have become rather popular, the Model 20S with a bit shorter action was introduced in 2024. Presently available in 223 Wylde with a 22-inch barrel and 300 HAM’R, 300 Blackout and 350 Legend, all in 16-inch barrels. The Model 20S averages a couple of ounces lighter than the Model 20. Receiver diameters of the two are the same at 1.22 inches, but receiver lengths are 6.95 inches for the Model 20S and 7.50 inches for the Model 20. Respective internal magazine lengths are 2.45 inches and 3 inches. Respective bolt travels are 2.44 inches and 3 inches. A friend who is addicted to shooting feral pigs with night-vision equipment sometimes uses a Model 20S in 300 HAM’R, and he invited me to punch paper at 100 yards with his favorite handload. Not a single group exceeded an inch.

As can be seen in my Model 20 NULA rifle accuracy results table, I chose N540 and N550 for loading various bullets, and accuracy ranged from acceptable for a big-game rifle to quite good. According to Vihtavuori, the burn rate for N540 is similar to that of H-414, while N550 is close to Reloder 19 and IMR-4350. Moving to those that I did not use, N530 is comparable to BL-C(2), N560 mimics Norma MRP and Reloder 22, and N570 is just the ticket for cartridges such as the 300 Remington Ultra Mag and 338 Lapua Magnum. Vihtavuori describes the grains of all of its powders as cylindrical, single-perforated stick type.