Why doesn't Nosler offer these?
Not sure but with as good as the reviews are for the 125 gr AB in .308, maybe they will before too long. The 7mm 120 gr NBT is a pretty tough bullet.
I'd love to have either of them in a 120gr. I'm a bit leery on how tough the 120 NBT is after last season. My daughter took a doe with a reduced 7-08 load (120NBT @2200 fps)at 65yds. Not the best shot selection, uphill, quartering to us and she hit it just behind the shoulder instead of inside/in front of the shoulder. Bullet hit a rib on entry and blew a golf ball+ size entry hole then turned thirty degrees right and the remains of the separated jacket and a couple pieces of lead ended up just where the hip starts, so about 12-14" inches of penetration along the paunch. I recovered ~75gr of bullet parts. Bullet and/or bone fragments perforated the liver and she ran about 100yds and I had to give her a second one.
So yes, not the best shot and deer is in the freezer, but I didn't expect the bullet to come apart so much at that reduced velocity after hitting a little rib. I'd like a tougher lead-core alternative in the 120gr class for reduced recoil loads. I'm going to try some traditional cup and cores this year and also see if she can handle the recoil from a 140NP since she's grown a bit.
Older 120BTs were not constructed as tough as the current model. Are you shooting the older ones famous for blowing up????
I shoot the new 120BTs out of 7x57 and 284 Win at much higher velocity and they have performed well for me on whitetails, mulies and speed goats.
jmho
Tim
Older 120BTs were not constructed as tough as the current model. Are you shooting the older ones famous for blowing up????
I shoot the new 120BTs out of 7x57 and 284 Win at much higher velocity and they have performed well for me on whitetails, mulies and speed goats.
jmho
Tim
Nope, current production bought at the beginning of 2015. I don't doubt they perform great if they slip between or just catch a rib. She hit this one square and the bullet ended up in four pieces. Just not sure what it would do penetration-wise with a square shoulder or upper leg hit. If I was pushing them 3000+ fps it would be one thing, but the muzzle velocity was less than 2200 fps.
I punch shoulders with them at 3500fps mv.....have never kept one inside a critter
Could have been just "one of those things" weird stuff happens on occasion.
Hear folks say Partitions blow up or don't expand...,.
Just saying