In 1979 a hunter traveled west to hunt elk. Caught in a dangerous blizzard and realizing he would have to walk nearly 5 miles to safety, the hunter reluctantly decided to leave his heavy bolt-action rifle leaning against a tree. When the storm blew over he recovered his rifle, and upon returning east went to see a gunsmith. Deep in the West Virginia hills, in a little shop behind the gunsmith’s home, the hunter requested the lightest 7 mm magnum that could be built. He was determined to never leave his rifle in the timber again.
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Several months later the gunsmith handed the hunter his version of a 7 mm Remington Magnum that, with scope attached, weighed less than 7 pounds. As the hunter and his friend were admiring the rifle like two bar buddies ogling a calendar girl, the gunsmith told them of his plans to build a 6 mm Remington that would weigh less than 6 pounds with a scope. The two hunters just laughed.
Two years later when the gunsmith arrived at deer camp, he had with him that very rifle. It did, indeed, weigh less than 6 pounds, including a 2-7X Leupold. The rifle was the talk of the camp all week, and when the gunsmith left he took with him the necessary capital to start a business and build more like it. The year was 1983, and the gunsmith was Melvin Forbes.
This phenomenal rifle was not assembled using parts from current production rifles. Forbes did copious research to design and machine his own action. He also engineered one of the strongest and most unique rifle stocks ever developed. The only parts Forbes did not make for the rifle were the barrel and the crisp-breaking Timney trigger.
He quit his job as a high-school shop teacher and began manufacturing these rifles under the name of Ultra Light Arms. Forbes’ plan was to introduce his rifles at the 1985 SHOT Show in Atlanta. It soon became clear the initial investment was short the necessary funds required to purchase magazine advertisements. Needing another good method to promote his creation, Forbes relied on good old hillbilly wisdom.
 Above: Weighing less than 6 pounds including the 2-7X Leupold scope, this 6 mm Remington was the first gun built by Forbes’ Ultra Light Arms. The rifle likely began the lightweight craze. |
Forbes read every gun magazine he could find and memorized the writers, what they wrote about and their likes and dislikes in hunting rifles. That January Forbes set out for the SHOT Show armed with the lightest hunting rifle in the world and everything he could know about the gun writers that would sell it for him. A captivating storyteller and conversationalist, he recalled his tactics: “Back then I knew that if I handed a gun writer a 5-pound rifle I had the hook in him, and all it would need was a gentle tug to set it.”
Within a week of the SHOT Show, Jim Carmichel, shooting editor at Outdoor Life, had an Ultra Light Arms rifle in hand and would be the first to mention it in print. It was the first of dozens of articles that would follow. Forbes’ life—and hunting rifles in general—would never be the same.
Forbes said he designed his rifle from the front action screw out. When you pick one up you will believe it, because that is where the rifle balances. The action is machined from bar stock to tolerances within .0005 inch. Amazingly, you can remove the bolt, which has opposing locking lugs, flip it 180 degrees, reinsert it in the action, and the fit is just as precise.
A Sako-style extractor muscles empty cases from the chamber, and ejection is accomplished with a plunger similar to that of the Remington Model 700. The magazine box is blind, and the follower is made from stainless steel. “Everything on this rifle was designed with light weight and dependability in mind,” explained Forbes. “It was not designed by a committee where one member compromised his vision to satisfy another. It was designed by me.”
The actions on Forbes’ rifles are not “turned down” from Remington Model 700s; they are a proprietary design. While their external dimensions are smaller than those of a Remington Model 700, wall thickness is the same. This means the action is stronger because when the wall thickness of a pressure vessel is unchanged and the diameter is reduced, strength increases. The actions are so rugged and durable that Nosler uses them in ammunition testing.
Forbes also engineered and patented a two-position, three-function safety. It outwardly resembles a standard Remington 700 safety, but in the rear “safe” position you can push down on the safety and open and close the bolt. The safety also locks the bolt when it is placed in the “safe” position.
All of this precision metal work was unique in 1985 and still is by today’s standards, but the feature of Forbes’ rifles that sets them apart is the stock. Try as hard as they might, other stock builders and major manufacturers cannot duplicate the light weight or strength of Forbes’ stock. Without a recoil pad and paint, it has a nominal weight of just 14 ounces!
 Weighing less than 5 pounds, the New Ultra Light Arms Model 209 inline muzzleloader is significantly lighter than most frontstuffers, yet can stand the abuse of both blackpowder and smokeless powder. The author took these two Mississippi hogs with the first prototype. |
Forbes has never disclosed the process by which his stock is built, and the barreled action is bedded from the tip of the tang to the end of the forearm. This full-length bedding serves to stiffen the action and barrel, which is one of the reasons these rifles shoot so well and often put all bullet weights in or near identical points of impact. Made from graphite and Aramid fiber, it is this classic-style, light-as-a-feather stock that distinguished these rifles in 1985. It has kept them ahead of the competition ever since.
During the last 20 years Forbes has introduced a rimfire action, an in-line muzzleloader and various-sized centerfire actions to accommodate most any commercially available cartridge. Beyond that, not much has changed at Ultra Light Arms except the name. There was a break in production from 1999 until 2001. This bump in the road was called “Colt.”
In 1999 Forbes sold Ultra Light Arms to Colt. The plan was for Colt to manufacture a less-expensive production rifle to Forbes’ specs—one that would closely emulate his famous rifle. Forbes would oversee this and continue to build rifles the way he always had, calling them the “Signature Series.” It was a great plan that would have put a lightweight hunting rifle in the hands of many. Colt took 6,000 orders during the SHOT Show.
It was not to be. Just before Christmas in 1999 Colt fell off the ladder, and Forbes, along with the team of talented craftsmen he assembled, were out of business and a job. The 4,000 Colt Light Rifles that finally hit the market were nothing like what Forbes envisioned. Forbes managed to buy the company back, hence the current name “New Ultra Light Arms.” He and his small crew of craftsmen still build the same rifle they always have.
Since Forbes introduced his rifle in 1985, other manufactures have tried to crowd his claim to the lightweight throne. They continue to fall short mostly because they cannot duplicate Forbes’ stock and partly because mass production can never rival the quality guaranteed by the meticulous attention Forbes gives every rifle.
Spend some time with Forbes talking about his rifles and you’ll hear a story or two—like the time a customer lost his rifle while hunting. It seems the rifle was so light, he forgot that he laid it down. Or the one about the dealer who sold a rifle case thinking it was empty. It had a New Ultra Light Arms rifle inside.
If you are looking to acquire a lightweight hunting rifle, another good idea would be to look to the mountains of West Virginia where Melvin Forbes still builds rifles in the little gun shop behind his house where 7,000 rifles just like them have been made. American firearms enthusiasts know the names of our greatest gun designers and are thankful that Col. Colt made all men equal; Winchester helped win the West; and John Browning designed the greatest fighting pistol ever. But when it comes to float-in-your-hand hunting rifles, Melvin Forbes will always be remembered as the man who made the idea of an accurate, dependable, truly lightweight hunting rifle a reality.
Timney Triggers |
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The only component of New Ultra Light Arms rifles that is not made in West Virginia is the Timney trigger. Timney has been manufacturing triggers since 1946 and currently offers more than 70 replacement triggers that will fit hundreds of different firearms. |
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New Ultra Light Arms Actions |
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Hunters wanting a lightweight rifle are afforded many caliber options in Forbes’ lineup. His centerfire actions are designated by a model number that equals the weight of the action in ounces. Model 20 Short .17 Remington, .222 Remington, .223 Remington, 7.62x39 mm |
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Douglas Barrels |
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When Forbes started looking for barrels to attach to his innovative action he went straight to Douglas Barrels in Charleston, WV. At first Douglas was reluctant to consider supporting Forbes’ project, mostly because the company—above anything else—wanted to continue to provide the level of quality and service to its current customers that had made its reputation. —RM |
