120 Nosler BT effective on deer?

[firstshot425]

I've read a lot of post on various forums about the effectiveness of the 7mm 120 Ballistic Tip on deer. I've never hunted with these but just tried them out in my new custom 7mm-08 and the accuracy was incredible (groups 1/4" ctc @100 Yds).

In the post that I have read, folks either love or hate them. Most folks citing bullet "failure" included jacket separation, lack of complete pass through, or excessive expansion/minimal or no penetration. I also noticed that most of these "failures" seemed to result from excessive impact velocities. Other "failures" were from the time frame before Nosler toughened up the 120gr BT.

I'm considering using these for deer and hogs in central Texas. The vast majority of my shots will be right at 100 Yds. I haven't checked velocity on my chronograph yet, but am using a max book load of 50.5 gr H414 in a 24" barrel. Nosler's manual, using a 26" barrel list velocity at aprox 3,180 FPS. I figure that should put me in the 3,100+- FPS MV range and aprox 2,865 FPS @ 100 Yds. So I should be well within the operating parameters of this bullet.

So, my question to all of you that have experience with the 120 BT is how has this bullet performed for you in the past on deer and hogs?

 

[chains1240]

I know it is not entirely apples to apples. I have used the 150 grain NBT out of my .308 that the 7mm-08 was derived from. I harvested a mature doe here in Michigan at around 100 yards. The bullet entered just behind the shoulder blade and left a hole the size of a pencil. The bullet exited the rib cage with a hole the size of a golf ball. The deer expired right there. Spectacular damage to the ribs and complete pass through. The lungs were shredded.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Basically, the same as above....I have successfully used 150 gr Nosler BT out of a .30-06 for over 20 years. I have never had anything but a bang-flop experience.

 

[hoghunting]

I started using the 120 gr BT six years ago when my supply of Hornady 120 gr SSP dried up. I use a 14" T/C Contender in 7-30 Waters and have taken deer, hogs and coyotes with the BT. Largest hog with this pistol has been 310 lbs broadside at 135 yds, the bullet destroyed the lungs while penetrating both cartilage plates and stopped just under the skin on the off side. I'm not running the velocity you have, but the BT works perfectly for me.

 

[eastbank]

i use the nosler 120gr bullet in a 7-08 with 43grs varget and its a real deer killer and the nosler 165gr bullet in a 308 with the same charge of varget and also in a 3006 with 55grs of imr 4350 and they are good killers. eastbank

 

[critter]

I've had really, REALLY good luck from 150 gr BT's in .30 calibers. I also use 125 gr BT's in a 30-30 Contender super 14". I've taken deer and hogs from REALLY close to moderate ranges and all worked well. No really long range experience as I hunt in THICK stuff.

I think your choice would work wonderfully.

 

[HexHead]

At that distance and that velocity, try the 120gr Partition. 100 yards is a little short for the BT at 3100 fps. I shoot a .257 WBY.

 

[Patocazador]

If you use Ballistic Tips, don't hit the shoulder blade or the bullet will blow up and not penetrate. Ask me how I know.

 

[scottishkat]

I've never used the 120 NBT but the 140 will basically decapitate a 100 pound whitetail. I can't imagine the 120 being much different. Don't shoot big shoulder bones they can blow up. Center mass lung shots really perform well.

 

[firstshot425]

Thanks to all of you for your input. The 120 BT's are so accurate in my rifle I've just got to try them in the field. Since I have never hunted with them before, all of your input here has made me feel a lot better about doing so.

I also plan to work up a load for the 140 Accubonds. Assuming they are as accurate as the 120 BT's, I will pretty much have all bases covered.

I've got a Zeiss HD-5 5-25x50 with target knobs sitting on top which I plan to keep set up for the 120 BT's and then just dial in for the 140 accubonds when ever I feel the need.

 

[gamestalker]

I tried them a couple years ago on mule deer with 7 mag. and didn't really care for them. Mind you, we didn't lose any deer, but they sure didn't hold together well at all. On shoulder shots where the bullet hit shoulder bone, the bullet just exploded. Granted that was at extreme velocity, but there are other better light weight bullet choices for hunting deer sized game with a .284" projectile, IMO.

If I were going to use a light weight bullet again, and I have and still do depending on what, and where I'm planing to hunt. I go with a bonded or solid copper will hold together much better at velocities above 3K fps.. Me likes high velocity flat shooting stuff.

GS

 

[hardluk1]

The 120gr nosler ballistic tip is a tougher constructed bullet than a 140 and heavier. It can be driven harder and it will hold up well compared to a 140 at the same velocity. I have used a few but changed to the sst 139gr in the 7mm rm. Little more stable at longer ranges and my rifle like both.

Hard not to use them if your rifle likes the 120gr.

 

[eastbank]

their are better bullets for shoulder shots than 120gr nosler BT,s, but i don,t do shoulder shots. i like broadside double lung shots and 120gr nosler BT,s in my 7-08 does the job just fine with with a blood trail ray charles could follow with no wasted meat. eastbank.

 

[sage5907]

I personally don't like to use a bullet that is unpredictable. If the velocity is high and the bullet strikes heavy tissue or bone on impact it may fail to penetrate and create a shallow wound. If it finds light resistance on impact it may expand rapidly and create a large exit wound. I do taxidermy work and I see these results on animals. I like a bullet for deer that will leave a small entry hole and completely expend its energy inside the animal without shooting all the way through. The same bullet that will do that on a deer will usually completely penetrate a large hog. For my money you could do a lot better by using a standard boattail bullet like those made by Speer or Sierra.

 

[eastbank]

i have shot quite a few deer with the nosler BT bullets in .30cal(2700fps) and 7mm cal2800FPS) and i like pass thru,s on deer size animals, the only time i shot a deer that i didn,t get a pass thru in the chest,was with a .22-250 and i never used it again for deer. help me understand how the same bullet that would not go thru a deer, would go thru a hog? eastbank.

 

[X-Rap]

I'm a fan of the BT's for hunting. Have used them with success and confidence in calibers from .25-.338 for quite a few years.

 

[sage5907]

eastbank, apparently a hog is not as heavily constructed as a deer. I have been amazed to see standard boattail bullets that would be completely stopped by a deer to fly completely through a large hog, even with a shot through the shoulder bones. Also, unlike a deer, bullet holes in a hog can be plugged by fat. I have never been able to figure out why anyone would intentionally shoot a deer or hog through the lungs with a 270 or 30 caliber deer rifle when a shoulder shot is available, unless they just want to follow a blood trail. A hog's lungs are further forward than on a deer which makes a shoulder shot even more useful.

 

[eastbank]

a shoulder shot with just about any deer cartige will ruin quite a bit of meat and the bone splinters will cause more damage to the meat.a double lung shot will not ruin any meat to speak of and will kill just quickly as a full shoulder shot. i have shot my share of deer (close to 200) in 61 years of hunting and have shot them with many different guns and places. if i don,t have a good broadside shot i don,t shoot or wait for a better shot. but thats just me. eastbank.

 

[gamestalker]

I hunted with them at full tilt in a 7mm RM. They were deadly accurate, and I never lost a deer with them, but if they run into bone they explode, but that's getting into 3400 fps, so to be expected. Lung shots have been very good, through and through, large exit wound.

GS

 

[Chuck R.]

The Nosler BT is my favorite whitetail bullet.

I've used the 130s in .270 for about 27 years, probably 32-35 whitetails, couple black-tails, and 4 Chamois. Never lost an animal, 98% of my shots were heart-lung broadside. I did hit one spine that destroyed a good section of backstrap, and a couple frontal shots.

Every deer I hit (the way I like) ran a bit, but always piled up within 75 yards or so. Just about everyone had an exit wound except for the spine, and the frontals.

I think when Nosler changed from the 100 packs to the 50, the jacket thickness/taper might have changed.

Chuck

 

[627PCFan]

I have 3 deer under my belt with that bullet in 7mm Rem. 2700 FPS, so not humpin out but I havent had problems with it either. I dont eat the lungs.

 

[Sun Tzu warrior]

I have used 140 gr. NBT's for many years and taken a few dozen of deer with it.
The three most memorable are;
1) a doe (145 pounds) running straight away at 25 yards, shot one inch to the left of her exhaust pipe, the bullet crashed thru her pelvis, ran along her back bone to just above her heart......
Left a wound channel an inch and a quarter in diameter and about 26 inches long. When I recovered the bullet, it was still together, and weighed 114 grains.

2) shot a seven point (150 pounds) at 7 yards the bullet hit his elbow and left an entry and exit wound 3.5 inches in diameter. Ran about 30 yards pouring buckets out both sides.

3) shot a big twelve point ( 250 pounds) at ten yards, ten ringed him, and there was no blood for the 45 yards he ran, and no blood where he piled up at. field dressing him showed his heart was only 1/3 left.
I have always been impressed with Nosler ballistic tips until #3
STW

 

[firstshot425]

Thanks again to all for your input.

 

[natman]

Thanks to all of you for your input. The 120 BT's are so accurate in my rifle I've just got to try them in the field.

I realize it's tempting, but if your rifle will shoot 1/4" (wow!) with BTs, I'll bet you could get it to shoot 3/4" with Partitions. But they're not as accurate! you say. True, but they would be plenty accurate enough for hunting and terminal performance is more important that that last fraction of an inch in group size.

Highly frangible bullets like the BT can make spectacularly quick kills if you slip them between the ribs and they come apart in the vitals. The problem is that sometimes you'll get a bullet that's a bit more fragile than average and it will hit a rib and come apart on the surface, leaving a wounded animal to run off and die lost in the woods.

If a bullet is too fragile to take a shoulder shot on a deer, it's just too fragile.

 

[redbullitt]

They have worked well for low recoil loads at modest distance for me and mine. They also seem to do very well on neck shots as long as it is not too far of a shot. This is out of a 308 win btw. Velocity was 2300ish on the lower recoil loads and around 3000 on the top end neck shots.

They do a good job from the blackout as well as close distances on deer. Velocity around 2000 fps I believe.

Other than that I have had great luck with the 178 amax from the 308 (2500 fps) and 140 amax from the 260 rem (2750 fps)