Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Nosler Ballistic tip 7mm 120 grain

This isn't 1985 Korea. Majority of those places have been shut down. You have to go way out of your way to find a place that sells dog meat. They say the Korean government did a big shutdown of those places in Seoul prior to 1988 Olympic Games.

I'm pretty sure that the third picture has been posted here numerous times and it is used as an example to show the current 150 vs. 120. They (Nosler) basically used the same jacket, just cut it down a bit to make it a 120, that's what causes the thicker jacket. The pic can be deceiving though.

Correct me if I'm wrong...

I don't believe they make a longer jacket and cut it down. Rather, they start with the same amount of material in the blank as would be used for a heavier/longer bullet. Then by not drawing it as far the same material is distributed over a shorter span, and hence the thickness is greater.

True. You worded it way better than I could.

Dogzapper rules !!!! Much enjoy anything he has to say.

I heard they use the 140 jacket, not 150, to make the 120. Can anyone confirm?







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My belief is that they use the same blank to make the 120 and 140 jackets.

Shot a pile of Nebraska deer with those bullets out of a 280 and two 7mm-08s. Love them.Also use the 6.5 120s out of a 6.5x55 and a 260

Sorry for dragging this up from the basement but......anyway.

I just bought my first Nosler 120gr .284 ballistic tips, basically because of MD's post quoted.

While there is a photo of the thick jacket online, the one thing I saw that verifies it without shaving one down is the fact that the Nosler 120gr BT is exactly the same length as my Remington Core Lokt .284 140gr PSP. 1.145-1.15" . The BT is a boat tail, of course, and the Core Lokt is not but not a huge factor since the boat tail not a radical one.

Makes perfect sense with less lead, more jacket........but I wasn't expecting there to be enough difference to make it similar in size to 140 grain cup and core standard bullets.

Just fyi The 120gr BT 's BC is reported to be .417 The Remington 140gr Core Lokt's .388

It should be one to load up to screamer stage and not worry about bullet blow - up.........IMO.

God Bless
Steve

I've shot a number of deer and antelope with the 120 BT from my 7-08. Always great performance and always an exit from 30-yds out to about 400 yds. Hard not to like them.

This is my understanding and also what I have heard from various authorities. Wish I had a photo but the 120 BT looks just like you had trimmed a 140 BT jacket down from the nose end. So the 120 has a higher percentage of cupro-nickle to lead than the 140. Maybe some enterprising person will do the meltdown test and weigh the jackets, some one probably already has. I saw a comparison doing this in Handloader's Digest but don't believe both BTs were included, I'll try to find it.

Anyway if I ever whittle down my stock pile of Accubonds and Interbonds the BT will get a chance. Got them ready to go in 6mm & 6.5 so a 7mm trifecta would be a good way to go.

The jackets are gilding metal, not cupronickel.

The Nosler jackets are extruded, so I do not believe it's a blank made into a 140 jacket and then trimmed to the 120 length. Rather I believe it's the same blank to start, but it doesn't get extruded to the same length. Hence it remains thicker to the tip end of the side walls.

I think, IIRC, MD did melt out the core before? His earlier post on the first page of this thread indicates the jacket is around 60 percent of the weight.

Most have but for those whom have not seen the photo of one shaved down on the side, a photo is shown in MD's article below just past half way down.

https://gunsmagazine.com/hypervelocity-hunting/

Some enterprising soul could maybe clip the photo to post here........if desired.

God Bless

Here it is. It's been my go to bullet in the 7-08. Amazing results

Whatever it is, it is a deer killing machine.

Little background info here. Maybe some of the guys that have been around here awhile may remember, maybe not.

The 120 NBT was originally developed in the 7MM for silhouette shooting. Didn't have enough weight to knock over rams, so Nosler beefed up the jacket to add weight and strength. Thus the thicker jacket. Just so happens, it turned out to be an awesome hunting bullet. (At least that's the story that was going around 10 years ago)

Those of you that remember when I used to post alot, remember many pictures of many different types of game...expired because of my 708(The Ram Slammer) and a 120 NBT.

I still shoot them, and they still kill just as effectively as ever.

Sure is, I've seen your posts.

We killed a slug of deer with the 7 rm with the 120g Nosler bT
72-73g of R22
cci 250*****
Rem case
seat bullet to touch the lands
expect tiny groups
Bullets NEVER blow up! Close or Far!

I guess I'm the odd man out, I got completed different results last year shooting it at 2975 fps out of a 7mm-08. Shot a average W/T Doe broadside through the lungs at 200 yards across an open field. There was no sign of a hit. I was afraid to shoot again, as the shot was so steady I felt the scope was off and I couldn't trust my sight. I watch her walking about 200 yard till she was out of sight. I immediately went to where she stood when I shot, and could find any blood or any other sign, now it was at dusk. I walked her path and found her not far from where she went out of sight dead. My buddy came over in just a few minutes. I was looking and honestly could not find an entrance or exit hole. The second I started to core her butt, blood just gushed out. My friend had some choice adjectives. Field dressing her it looked like she had been shot with a varmint bullet, every organ was a mess and fragments everywhere. I found the bullet hole from the inside was right where I aimed, as I was sighted in for 200 yards. I should have taken a lot of pictures, as I've never seen anything like it and I've killed a lot of deer with a lot of different weapons. In this particular rifle I've mostly used Barnes and Partitions, and it's always been DRT. I decided to try the 120 grain BT due to it's glowing recommendations here, but the example of one is enough for me. I'd never use it again. I know read others who reported similar experiences were always shouted down that they used "old" bullets before they beefed them up. Well I purchased the bullets from Midway in 2017, so I'd say they were new. Honestly if I didn't see it and someone described this to me, I'd probably think it was BS, but I that's what happened. I would have liked to have loved that bullet as it consistently shot 1/2 groups, but I've found I can get 2930 with a 140 grain Partition max load of Big Game and 1 inch groups so I'm good.

I wish I had thousands of the Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets. They are the most accurate bullet I’ve ever used in my 7mm-08s and work great on whitetails. Two years ago at 120 yds. and last year at 225. Couldn’t ask for better performance at 3100 fps. Also worked pretty well on a coyote at a little over 300 yds. After the shot, both deer went about 20 yds. and dropped. The coyote was DRT. Never used on anything bigger, but I have every confidence in this bullet!