Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 260rem 120gr Sierra ph vs Nosler bt

Picked up a clean ruger MK II in 260 recently getting ready to order some dies and can't decide which bullet to buy strictly for deer hunting. Between those two which is gonna be tougher? II can't help but think the sierra will be pretty well behaved at 2800 fps or so.

I think the Ballistic Tip would be a better all around bullet than the ProHunter.

They both get good reviews. I have not had difficulty getting the 120NBT to shoot well with multiple powders in my 260's including W760, H4350 and H4831SC. Have not shot near as many 120SPH but they shoot good too. The NBT is definitely a tougher bullet IME

Check the reviews on Midway. You have to wade through the NBT but there is plenty of info there for the 260 and similar cartridges.

Good luck and shoot straight y'all

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010525454?pid=517478

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010508373

I’m a fan of the Ballistic Tips in my .260 Remington.

I shot the 120 BT alot when I had my 260. It was a great bullet for deer. I'd figure the sierra would probably be pretty good too.

I love that 100 grain bt

260RemGuy may have some insight here too.

I can't speak for the nosler 120gr bt because I've never used it before but my daughter has killed a truck load of deer with her .260 and the Sierra 120gr pro hunter. Her shots have been from 50yds out to 300yds and only a couple have moved from the spot she shot them and those fell within sight. All the deer she has shot were pass thru's with the exception of one and it was lodged under the skin on the off side after going through both shoulders.

The Sierra worked great with h4350 and also imr4320. This is the only bullet she has used for deer and it's worked so well she's never used anything else. It worked in her rem model 7 and also in her rem 700.



Here's a link to a post I made on this bullet on the nosler forum.
https://forum.nosler.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=28223

Try them both, great on deer and pigs. Have you considered using a Barnes.

Not tried the 12o but have killed a lot of deer with the NBT 100 gr out of one of my 260's, it is a hammer

I have been using the Sierra 120 gr in my 264 mag & other 6.5's since back in the 1960's. Have taken several truck loads of muley's with them without any problems. What little I tried the Nosler BT I found them to be a bit fragile & tend to blow up destroying good meat. Rib cage shots with the Nosler some times cause the bullet to fragment to the point that shards of bullet punctured the gut. Never had that happen with a Sierra even at 264 mag velocity. For real toughness the 100gr mono's like the Barnes do a fantastic job on even heavy bodied muley's.

A few years back, Nosler made some changes in bullet jackets because of just what you described, Hesp. The newer Hunting Ballistic Tips have eliminated that problem. I don’t own a 260 Remington, but have shot the 120 Sierra PH out of my 6.5 Creedmoor. I settled on the 120 gr. Ballistic Tip because of slightly better accuracy and because of my experience with that bullet weight in my 7mm-08. I’ve never had a problem with the BT in 284 or 264. Shoot what shoots the best in your rifle.

Performance of the 120 g NBT in my .260 has always been excellent on several whitetails.

I shoot Ballistic tips out of many rifles, 264’s, 26 Nosler, 7 mags, great bullets. I shoot 120 Barnes in my Creedmoors, but wouldn’t hesitate to use a Ballistic tip or a Sierra.

Been hunting 260 for many years now. 140 Gameking driven modest speed is the greatest thing on this planet if you have the twist for it.

Will sound odd after that last statement but I have been shooting 120's instead for years now and used both the Nbt and PH. The two perform as if they were the same bullet in my use.. I stick with the 120 Pro Hunters because they are a bit more consistent than the Noslers. Neither penetrated quite like the 140- but I still have every confidence in both. They kill sh*t fast.

I got up early to load the last of them and finished about ten minutes ago then saw this post so had to respond..

My typical shot is inside 100 yd so I load very light.- which just adds to my enjoyment of the 260. If you want to race them I would go with the Nosler. between the two.
BTW - After finding my powder load I tested different seating depths by .04 ladder.. Did wonderful things for me.

Not a .260 but 117 Sierra PHs in my .257 Rob. have given stellar performance on deer for the past 25 (or so) years.

Your gun should be able to shoot either one of those in your 260. I have had great results in the 129 grin hornady as well in my 6.5x55. both tipped and older lead tip. M8x57

In a 260, I've used both on deer multiple times...if I was spending money for a new box, I'd be spending it on Ballistic Tips..

Traded off the last two boxes of Sierras I had for the Noslers...

Don't overlook the 125 grain Partition also...

I've also had experience of the same bullets on game out of 6.5 x 55, 6.5 x 57

I just use Nosler BTs in the 260. I used 120’s for a few years and then went to the 100 gr BTs. Then went back to mostly the 120s, thinking they’d kill the bigger hogs better. Truth be told, I can’t honestly say that the 120’s are more effective on the pigs. And though it goes against logic, just maybe the 100’s are more effective on deer. I can’t swear to it, but I do suspect it, after many ‘uses’. But right now I’m on the 120’s.

And I’d have no problem using the Sierra 120’s, but have been a Ballistic Tip fan for decades and a couple hundred deer with the 270 and the 260.

I've used both on deer in 6.5 x 55, they usually don't exit but there is no tracking.