Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting ? on 7-08 120NBT on large body 200+ lb deer...

Any of you fellas have a good bit of experience with 120NBTs on large body deer? I'd like to pick your brain for a bit.

Thanks,

loder

Loder, I'm sure you'll get lots of positive feedback on that bullet.

Picture the 7mm 120 NBT as the 150 gr NBT, but shortened to preclude some of the thinner forward jacket, but with the same heavy rear jacket. I've used the 150 gr NBT from a 7mm-08 to penetrate 32" of a 700 lb bull elk. I have no doubt the 120 will do anything needed to a 200lb whitetail, and frankly would have no qualms using it on elk.

The biggest whitetail I ever shot was with a 150 gr Speer Hotcore from a 308. It punched through both scapula's and exited. Deer was around 240 lbs live weight (was 200 lbs dressed). I think the 7mm NBT is the full equal (or better) than a 150 Speer Hotcore.

Several posts on here about the 120 being used successfully on elk.

I was just going to say, he might want to ask Dogzapper on here(Steve Timm) he gave some detail a while back about this being a very tough bullet and using it in a .280 Ackley to take a multitude of game including elk. Send him a PM loader.

Thanks guys!!

The last two whitetails I’ve shot fit your category perfectly. Both over 200 live weight taken with a 7mm-08 and the 120 gr NBT. One at 130 yds, and the other at 225. I didn’t recover either bullet. Neither deer went more than 20 yds after being shot. Velocity at 12’ from the muzzle was 3100 fps. Use it with confidence.

Another really cool thing about the 120 grain Nosler BT is that it performs just as well at lower velocities as it does at higher.

I use this bullet in a 10.5" TC Encore in 7TCU with a muzzle velocity of around 2100 fps. I have taken 5 deer with that handgun and the 120 grain BT performed superbly on all of them. Shortest shot was about 25 yards. Longest was 137 according to my rangefinder.

The 120 may be well suited, not sure, what I can tell you is that the 140 at or above 2800 has let me down twice and will never do so again.

Now to be fair , I hunt from steep angles, climbing stand anywhere from 25-40 feet up with shots ranging from right under to 200 tops. Twice, I didn't get an exit wound thus the cork wasn't popped on the bottom of the barrel resulting in zero blood trail which is important for me in the swampy thickets we have here.

Personally I would opt for something more like the TTSX, LRX, GMX, E Tip or partition style on bigger bodied whitetails if you also shoot for lungs and not neck or high shoulder.

My daughter shot a old 3x4 muley that went over 200 lbs. 120 NBT factory load out of a 7-08 Rem youth rifle with a 20 in tube.

Range was 368 yards.

Buck was looking back over his shoulder. Bullet hit half way up the body at the back of the rib cage and exited just off the edge of the off shoulder.Left a quarter size exit hole. Buck ran 30 yards and fell over.

She normally shoots the 120 TTXS factory load but this bullet was extremely accurate at 300 yards.

You'll have absolutely no problem.

We use the 120gr TTSX (basically similar) Barnes Vortx in our 7mm-08.

Taken piles of Canadian deer & 1 bull moose.

This is deb's buck from last night. maybe not 200lbs, but close. Broadside ribs, heart, ribs. Ran 35 yards.



Mine from 2015;

They work just fine

Nice!

Beautiful Axis Dan !

120 NBT out of my 284 at about 200 yards.
Fair sized mule deer buck, pass thru the chest.
Stumble, crumble, tumble.

I'll second that. I've used it in a 7-30 Improved at around 2400 fps, two holes and blood trail a blind man could follow. Can't ask for more than that

Thanks guys.

It will work fine, have killed a deer that heavy, but have killed several 200 lb plus pigs with that bullet.

My 15 year old son shoots that bullet in his 7-08. While I admit to being surprised by this, we have yet to catch one.

Awesome buck pathfinder. Congrats to you guys.

JG, you can tell these guys about this bullet out of a 7-08.

DF

It'll lay 'em low that's for sure.

Yep, I have a bit of experience with the 120Ballistics on large deer, elk and moose.

They work.

Blessings,

Steve

I gotta try the 140 SGK HPBT in my 7-08. It’s just so accurate (.48” aggregate, three (3) shot groups) and reportedly a good WT killer.

Last years buck fell to a factory 120 NBT. Ran 20 yds and piled up. I’m planning to work up loads with the 120 NBT after Have StaBALL powder plus the usual suspects to try.

DF

This guys posts many years ago got me using the 120 NBT in my 7-08 and I have used it on ALLOT of feral hogs and deer. Stellar performance and accuracy. Thanks dogzapper!

Buddy’s 12 year old drilled a cow elk at 175 yards with the 120 NBT from a Ruger American youth compact. Broadside shot and it exited.

Gonna try to use some in my 7 WSM in just over a week during our antlerless season as long as I can get some loaded and sighted in.

May not push em full power but may if that's what it takes to get em shooting. Should be a hammer.

I've used the Nosler 120gr BT in my 7mm-08 NULA for a few years now with great results. I don't recall how many deer I've killed with it here in because once in awhile I take that .243 instead for a little change up. Last saturday I killed a 175lb dressed 9pt and collected both bullet jackets shot at the deer. The first shot was as he was slightly quartering away and running around 100 yards away. My shot hit him hard BEHIND the stomach and he went right down. I don't know why he went down in a heap as the spine seemed intact but he did. As he thrashed around I waited till he gave me a clear shot at the chest and put one right in the base of his chest, just behind the heart. The lungs were mush but the heart was fine. The lights went out quick, the entire thing didn't last but seconds after the first shot......

The next morning while skinning him out I recovered both bullet jackets and a few minor fragments of the core. I was surprised that I recovered both and that the cores were gone. I don't recall if I've ever recovered any other of these BT bullets?

The proof is in the pudding I guess; dead deer on the ground with no tracking but I think I'd like to see some of the core in those jackets??

Thoughts??

My thoughts? Beautiful buck!

Generally, those NBT's I've recovered have lost their cores. My thinking is if you want to keep a core, use an Accubond or Partition. But I just don't think it really matters, given how stout the NBT's jacket is.

Here's a 7mm/150 NBT (7-08) I recovered from an old 6pt bull... the bullet angled through 32" of elk, and was under the offside Scapula. It died faster than any elk I've ever shot.

Looks very similar to yours. Weight, 43 gr's, or 29% weight retention.

Thoughts? My thought is that I never want to find a bullet inside of a deer. I found those Nosler 120 grain BT's here on the shelves locally, but I had to look a lot harder for the 140 grain BT's that I'm running in my own 7mm-08.

I use them in my 7RM and They work fine. I’m pushing them at over 3400fps. Never seen one stay inside a deer.

What are your shortest ranges?

I've put deer in excess of 250 lbs easily using a 25_06 with 100 grain bullets. I see no reason a 7mm-08 120 grain BT wouldn't do the trick just fine.

75 yards

10-4. Gonna try working up a load in a 7 WSM.

75 yards may be long range!!

The only problem with them that close is you don’t get to hear the loud thwack on impact. It’s quite impressive even on coyotes.

Harvested this whitetail with 7mm 120 gr nbt yesterday morning.

Very much agreed. I'll never fire another 7mm 140NBT at a whitetail. Absolute garbage for a hunting bullet when the MV is up. I'll stick to the 120NBT or the 140NAB

120 at 3000-3100ish

What barrel length required? 22 gonna swing it or need 24?

I'm doing it with 23" Brux tube and a max load of Varget

My 24" does 3030 with a max dose of Varget and 2980 with a max dose of Hunter. I think I had more with R17, but I'd have to look back at my notes.