Wilson Combat NULA Review: Continuing A Legacy

We test out a Wilson Combat NULA Model 20 rifle and discuss how the company is continuing Melvin Forbes’ legacy.

In 1985, a West Virginia gunsmith named Melvin Forbes introduced the world to the lightest and most accurate bolt-action hunting rifle ever made. Not only was this rifle light and accurate, but it also earned the distinction of being the pound-for-pound most accurate rifle of all time. In 2022, the company Forbes started—New Ultra Light Arms/NULA—was purchased by Wilson Combat. It marked the end of a nearly 40-year dynasty of lightweight hunting rifles. But now Wilson Combat is continuing the legacy with a modernized version of Forbes’ famous rifle and carrying on the NULA name.

original-NULA-rifle-vs-Wilson-Combat — Top: Original NULA Model 20 with a 24-inch barrel. Bottom: Wilson Combat NULA Model 20 with a 20-inch barrel.

The Wilson Combat NULA

Forbes machined Original NULA rifles by hand. Wilson Combat NULA actions are CNC/EDM cut. Just like the originals, they’re cylindrical and slim at only 1.22 inches in diameter and made of 4140 steel. The bolt has two lugs and is CNC machined from 4340 barstock, and just like with the originals the bolt is only 0.585 inch in diameter. Perfectly sized and no larger than necessary. The bolt has a Sako-style extractor and a plunger ejector and is fitted with a swappable and grooved bolt knob that’s slightly oversized. There’s also a red “cocked” indicator visible at the rear of the bolt.

WC-NULA-bolt — Unlike many modern bolt-action rifles, the bolt on the Wilson Combat NULA is—just like with the originals—no larger than it needs to be.

Timney made the triggers for the original NULAs, and Wilson Combat worked with Timney to adapt one of their Elite Hunter triggers to their NULA. Just as with the original, the safety—when placed on “safe”—locks the bolt handle down. Another change Wilson Combat made was to drill and tap the action for 8×40 screws as opposed to 6×40. But the action still accepts the same style of one-piece scope rings designed by Forbes and now made by Talley. They only weigh 1.5 ounces per set.

WC-NULA-cocked-indicator — There’s a red “cocked” indicator on the bolt of the Wilson Combat NULA rifle.

Wilson Combat makes their own barrels from 416R stainless steel. They’re lean and trim and unusually tapered. As opposed to using set contours, Wilson Combat tapers barrels so they all have the same wall thickness at the muzzle. This shaves weight from the original NULA standard contoured Douglas barrels, and every caliber barrel has its unique contour. I know of no other manufacturer doing this. Threading at 5/8×24 is an option for all calibers and barrel lengths.

Wilson-Combat-Model-20-threaded-muzzle — If you opt for a threaded muzzle on your Wilson Combat NULA Model 20, it’ll come with a thread protector.

The barreled action is placed in a pillar bedded AG Composites carbon-fiber stock that’s also fitted with a featherlight (2.6 ounce) hard anodized aluminum floorplate. The barrel is free-floated, and the stock is finished in one of two camo patterns or a speckled charcoal gray. Finally, a Limbsaver recoil pad is expertly fitted and complete, the stock weighs less than 25 ounces. A complete rifle—less scope rings—weighs only 5.17 pounds. Of course, weight will vary slightly depending on barrel length and cartridge. Just the other day I received a new Wilson Combat NULA in .358 Winchester, and with its 16.25-inch barrel, it weighs only 4.94 pounds.

WC-NULA-AG-composite-stock — Here you can see the pillar bedding used by AG Composites on the stock for the Wilson Combat NULA rifles.

Wilson Combat NULA Model 20 Specs

Website: WilsonCombat.com
Type: Bolt-action centerfire
Chamberings: .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Remington (tested), .308 Winchester, .358 Winchester
Barrel: 16.25, 20 (tested) and 22 inches
Trigger: Timney Elite Hunter, 2.75-pound pull weight
Safety: Two-position, bolt locking
Magazines: Internal box with floor plate, 4+1
Sights: None, drilled and tapped for scope mounts
Stock: AG Composites carbon fiber
Finish: Armorlube DLC
Overall Length: 38.0 to 43.75 inches, 40.25 inches (as tested)
Length of Pull: 13.5 inches
Weight: 4.94 to 5.25 pounds, 5.125 pounds (as tested)
MSRP: $2,995

Shooting Results

The 7mm-08 is the third new NULA rifle from Wilson Combat I’ve thoroughly evaluated. The first two were a 6.5 Creedmoor and a .308 Winchester. All were tested with multiple hunting loads from a bench rest at 100 yards, and all three rifles averaged between 1.02 and 1.07 inches when every group fired was considered. This is noteworthy because when it comes to precision, most rifle reviews in gun magazines represent the evaluation of an example of one. It clearly demonstrates that you can expect MOA performance with any new NULA Model 20 rifle for five-shot groups, and less than that for three-shot groups. These rifles will shoot!

Wilson-Combat-NULA-Model-20-rifle — Wilson Combat Model 20 NULA. Photo credit: Wilson Combat

But more importantly for the hunter, these rifles handle well. The 20-inch barreled 7mm-08 balanced right at the front guard screw, which puts the weight right between your hands. This is ideal for a rifle that will be shot in field conditions, because it offers the best equilibrium between handling and shootability. Now, adding a suppressor will make the rifle a bit muzzle heavy, which isn’t ideal for shooting running game or snap shooting. But, if that’s the type of shooting you expect to do when hunting, you might want to consider the shorter 16.25-inch barrel option.

The addition of the hinged floorplate Wilson Combat chose to include on their version of the NULA Model 20 is a nice touch on the range and in the field. Thank goodness they didn’t opt for a detachable magazine, which I think is somewhat foolish and even a bad idea on any straight-up hunting rifle. The hinged floor plate makes unloading the rifle much faster, easier and safer than cycling all the loaded cartridges through the action.

WC-Model-20-magazine — The hinged floor plate is one of the modernizations Wilson Combat applied to the NULA rifle after acquiring the design from Melvin Forbes.

I can’t say I loved everything about the rifle. Though the ribbed bolt handle provided a solid grip for positive functioning, I prefer the round handle of the original. As for the stock, I think AG Composites currently make the best carbon-fiber stocks. However, I would’ve preferred Wilson Combat to have carried on with the hand-laid carbon-fiber/Kevlar stock Forbes pioneered. It was the lightest and most stable synthetic rifle stock ever created.

LOAD TESTED	VELOCITY	ENERGY	PRECISION
Hornady 139-grain SST American Whitetail	2,802	2,423	1.280
Nosler Trophy Grade 140-grain AccuBond	2,788	2,416	0.972
Lehigh Defense 142-grain Controlled Chaos	2,740	2,367	0.881
			AVERAGE: 1.044

In the Field with the Wilson Combat NULA

I’ve hunted all over the world with original NULA rifles, and I’m carrying on that tradition with the Wilson Combat version. In early 2024, I took the Model 20 in 7mm-08 Remington to Texas on a Whitetail deer hunt. This was a hunt hosted by Trijicon, and I mounted a Trijicon AccuPoint 3-18X50 riflescope on the NULA in 30mm Talley rings. This was a high-end hunt; we set in fancy box blinds, and there was no walking and little hunting involved. On the third day, I took a nice buck, but it wasn’t much of a test of the rifle. However, the outfitter had a 600-yard range, and after my hunt, I proceeded to ring 8-inch steel plates from 100 out to 600 yards and never missed a shot.

Wilson-Combat-NULA-hunt-3 — Photographer/videographer Sabastian “Bat” Mann with a blesbok ram he took with the 7mm-08 Wilson Combat NULA.

In March of this year, I embarked on a six-week safari in Africa. During the first week, I was in the Eastern Cape with my wife. She used the Wilson Combat NULA in 7mm-08 to take a blue wildebeest, two black wildebeest, an impala, a warthog, a jackal and several rock hyraxes. She never missed, and even with the large Swarovski Z8i 2-16×50 P riflescope and a Silencer Central Banish Backcountry suppressor attached, the rifle was a joy to carry.

jackal-hunt-Wilson-Combat-Model-20 — The author’s wife, Drema Mann, with her first jackal. It was taken with the 7mm-08 Wilson Combat NULA and a 142-grain Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos bullet.

Several weeks later, my son joined me in the Northern Cape. He was there on a photography assignment but had a few days to hunt. He latched on to the NULA in 7mm-08, mostly because I think it was so similar to his original NULA in 6.5 Creedmoor. He took one blesbok ram on the other side of 300 yards, another at about half that distance and used the rifle to whack several warthogs during eradication operations.

As Good as the Best?

In 2021, I authored an article about Forbes’ custom NULA rifles for Gun Digest and proclaimed them the best bolt-action hunting rifles ever made. My opinion hasn’t changed. However, Wilson Combat’s purchase of New Ultra Light Arms brought the production of those rifles with their magical stocks to an end. The new NULA rifles are slightly modernized and very similar to the originals, and—very importantly—they’re $1,500 cheaper. Are they as good as the originals? I’d not go that far. But since the originals are no longer in production, with confidence, I’ll say the Wilson Combat NULA is now the best bolt-action hunting rifle in production.

Melvin-Forbes-NULA — Melvin Forbes at the workbench with one of his original NULA rifles.

Forbes often said his NULA rifles—the originals—were like his children and that the people who sent him money for them were just renting them, because they’d always be his. If Bill Wilson and Wilson Combat take that same approach with their modernized NULAs, they’ll do just fine at crafting the legendary rifle Forbes created.

Pros

Incredibly light and accurate
$1,500 less expensive than an original
Some useful modernizations like its hinged floorplate

Cons

The author preferred the original round bolt handle to Wilson Combat’s ribbed version
Stock isn’t quite as nice as what Forbes used on original NULA rifles

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.