Has anyone or better yet does anyone use these 120grn bullets in 284, 280 or ai 7mm rm? This is my coyote round and since my teen ager adopted it with a muzzle break I was wondering how it works for whitetail, it seems that I get to use it while she is at school! Is this bullet highly explosive or will it get some pass thru;s ?
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nosler red tip hunting bullets 120grn 7mm
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scottishkat
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I shoot the 120 NBT in my 7MM-08 and it is a stellar performer. In your caliber choices I would go with the 140 NAB or the 150 NPT. I know from experience that the 140 NBT really can make a mess out of a deer at 7MM RM velocities.
I think the velocity differences are significant and something that's holds together better will prove better for you.
Good luck and shoot straight
Bob
I think the velocity differences are significant and something that's holds together better will prove better for you.
Good luck and shoot straight
Bob
scottishkat
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- Jul 19, 2014
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Red it's really good at 7MM-08 velocities. Check out this web site you can click on knowledge base and it covers all your caliber choices. .280 Remington
I killed several coues wt with the 120 nosler bt using a 284 and a 7 rem mag. Always had an exit.
I saved the comments from the gunwriter Steve Timm aka dogzapper on this bullet. It is long but worth reading.
To summarize:
I started using the Nosler .284" 120-grain Ballistic Tip several years ago. A friend of mine who worked at Nosler at the time told me that the bullet was a total flop with varmint hunters (duhhhhh ), but that the rifle metal silhouette shooters used a zillion of them.
Nosler got complaints from the rifle silhouette shooters because the bullet was too frangible to consistently tip over the 500 meter ram. Because the rifle silhouette use was seemingly the only market for the 7-120, Nosler made the jacket considerably heavier than the original design.
This change was intended to satisfy the silhouette shooters complaints, but an unintended consequence was that they unwittingly made one heck of a big game bullet.
The first I heard of it was my friend at Nosler was shooting California wild boars through both shoulders (both gristle plates) with the 120 in a 7-08. Full penetration and very dead pigs!!!
Please bear in mind that the silhouette story above is purely legend, but if you will split a 7-120, you will find the jacket is waaaay heavy. Actually, it resembles the .338 BTs, which are heavy and are sure killers on larger critters.
Down to your question, "What has Dogzapper shot with the 120s?" Answer: A bit of stuff.
I've killed a couple of 6X6 bull elk. Not big ones, but around 290 B&C and decent bodies for five year olds. One was shot from above, looking away at 375 yards, the bullet entered the spine behind the shoulder and was found under the hide of the chest. Expanded to .75" or so and the recovered bullet weighs about 100 grains (it's around here someplace and it's a big lead and copper ball.
Second bull was 400ish. Not to be fancy, I shot the bull through the center of the shoulder. The bullet broke both shoulders and was recovered under the far hide. The bullet is identical to the first bull's bullet.
Both of these were killed with the 7-08 Ackley.
Other kills with the gun and bullet were a large Montana mule buck at way too close, peeking though a juniper tree at first light. Horns were big and so was he and I had to hit the only open thing I could see ... an eyeball. And I did.
Bullet went clear through the head and didn't break the skull. Exited leaving a one-inch hole.
Another Montana muley was probably the largest-bodied mule deer I've ever shot in Montana. He was aged at 9 1/2 years in Great Falls game stop (by a PhD professor of big game). I knew the buck intimately and had not been able to kill him the three previous years. I caught him in a herd of over 100 does. Saw him at over 400 yards in the dusk and made a running open field stalk ... closed to 205 yards and shot him a little too high behind the shoulder. Spined him, dead right there, bullet fully penetrated leaving a 2" exit.
There's a few more deer with the 7-08 and some antelope, but the tale is always the same.
I've also used the 120 in the .280 Ackley @ 3,370 fps.
Shot a moose one morning with it. Range was 91 yards and the three year old dumbly stood in the middle of a farm two-track. I shot him under the chin, slightly to my right, trying to break the spine upon exit. One or both carotids were broken, C-2 vertebrae was totally missing and the bullet exited leaving a two-inch hole. For all I know, it may still be in low orbit of the earth.
Mickey Moose died right there.
I've shot many antelope with the bullet in the .280 Ackley. Ranges from 100 to over 500 yards. Never missed a goat with it and never shot twice. Total penetration from most any angle, except for one old and large buck that I shot fully in the chest and recovered the bullet (deadliest mushroom in the woods) right next to his bunghole. I guess you'd call it full-penetration of a goat, minus one-eighth inch.
Lotsa mule deer and whitetails. Normally full penetration. Don't remember ever recovering a bullet from a deer. Exits usually run one to two inches.
You ask about maximum recommended impact velocity on deer and elk. Heck I don't know, I just go out there and kill stuff.
Anyway, I've written way too much. Use it or don't, it's not a matter of honor or pride. I use the 120 and am not prejudiced and find it kills without ruining a lot of meat.
In truth, the 120 Ballistic is considerably "harder" and in my experience will out-penetrate the 140 Ballistic Tip.
Steve
I want to thank Steve Timm for this information taken from a thread on 24 hr campfire
I saved the comments from the gunwriter Steve Timm aka dogzapper on this bullet. It is long but worth reading.
To summarize:
I started using the Nosler .284" 120-grain Ballistic Tip several years ago. A friend of mine who worked at Nosler at the time told me that the bullet was a total flop with varmint hunters (duhhhhh ), but that the rifle metal silhouette shooters used a zillion of them.
Nosler got complaints from the rifle silhouette shooters because the bullet was too frangible to consistently tip over the 500 meter ram. Because the rifle silhouette use was seemingly the only market for the 7-120, Nosler made the jacket considerably heavier than the original design.
This change was intended to satisfy the silhouette shooters complaints, but an unintended consequence was that they unwittingly made one heck of a big game bullet.
The first I heard of it was my friend at Nosler was shooting California wild boars through both shoulders (both gristle plates) with the 120 in a 7-08. Full penetration and very dead pigs!!!
Please bear in mind that the silhouette story above is purely legend, but if you will split a 7-120, you will find the jacket is waaaay heavy. Actually, it resembles the .338 BTs, which are heavy and are sure killers on larger critters.
Down to your question, "What has Dogzapper shot with the 120s?" Answer: A bit of stuff.
I've killed a couple of 6X6 bull elk. Not big ones, but around 290 B&C and decent bodies for five year olds. One was shot from above, looking away at 375 yards, the bullet entered the spine behind the shoulder and was found under the hide of the chest. Expanded to .75" or so and the recovered bullet weighs about 100 grains (it's around here someplace and it's a big lead and copper ball.
Second bull was 400ish. Not to be fancy, I shot the bull through the center of the shoulder. The bullet broke both shoulders and was recovered under the far hide. The bullet is identical to the first bull's bullet.
Both of these were killed with the 7-08 Ackley.
Other kills with the gun and bullet were a large Montana mule buck at way too close, peeking though a juniper tree at first light. Horns were big and so was he and I had to hit the only open thing I could see ... an eyeball. And I did.
Bullet went clear through the head and didn't break the skull. Exited leaving a one-inch hole.
Another Montana muley was probably the largest-bodied mule deer I've ever shot in Montana. He was aged at 9 1/2 years in Great Falls game stop (by a PhD professor of big game). I knew the buck intimately and had not been able to kill him the three previous years. I caught him in a herd of over 100 does. Saw him at over 400 yards in the dusk and made a running open field stalk ... closed to 205 yards and shot him a little too high behind the shoulder. Spined him, dead right there, bullet fully penetrated leaving a 2" exit.
There's a few more deer with the 7-08 and some antelope, but the tale is always the same.
I've also used the 120 in the .280 Ackley @ 3,370 fps.
Shot a moose one morning with it. Range was 91 yards and the three year old dumbly stood in the middle of a farm two-track. I shot him under the chin, slightly to my right, trying to break the spine upon exit. One or both carotids were broken, C-2 vertebrae was totally missing and the bullet exited leaving a two-inch hole. For all I know, it may still be in low orbit of the earth.
Mickey Moose died right there.
I've shot many antelope with the bullet in the .280 Ackley. Ranges from 100 to over 500 yards. Never missed a goat with it and never shot twice. Total penetration from most any angle, except for one old and large buck that I shot fully in the chest and recovered the bullet (deadliest mushroom in the woods) right next to his bunghole. I guess you'd call it full-penetration of a goat, minus one-eighth inch.
Lotsa mule deer and whitetails. Normally full penetration. Don't remember ever recovering a bullet from a deer. Exits usually run one to two inches.
You ask about maximum recommended impact velocity on deer and elk. Heck I don't know, I just go out there and kill stuff.
Anyway, I've written way too much. Use it or don't, it's not a matter of honor or pride. I use the 120 and am not prejudiced and find it kills without ruining a lot of meat.
In truth, the 120 Ballistic is considerably "harder" and in my experience will out-penetrate the 140 Ballistic Tip.
Steve
I want to thank Steve Timm for this information taken from a thread on 24 hr campfire
frankinaustin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2013
- Messages
- 293
I load these 120 BT in my 7mm-08 with a reduced recoil load, per Hodgdon manual, at 35.2 gr of H4895. 2580 fps, I think. Leaves a ratty single hole at 100 yrds. No felt recoil and makes only a moderate bang. Very pleasant hunting tool. Kills everything, but does tear up any meat. What I like about it is if I get lucky and come across a turkey, there is still plenty left to take home and eat. (my family really loves fried wild turkey). Most important attribute is it allows my kids to be very successful hunters, and me to be a very proud dad:
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J E Custom
Well-Known Member
I also use the 120 ballistic tip for everything in the 7/08.
I did some testing with them in a 7 STW just to see how they performed, They did well over 500 yards where the velocity was lower.
I had read where Nosler had complaints from the long range varmint shooters about to much pelt damage with the 120 BT (It was designed for varmint hunting not pelt hunting. So according to these guys, Nosler thickened the jackets because they were the only one using them in quantity.
The fact that the 120 performed better than the 140 on game was interesting and I decided to do a jacket thickness test on the 120 and the 140.
The results were surprising. the jacket of the 120 averaged .010 thicker than the 140. This explained why it held up better in big game shooting the same velocity as the 140 BT.
Most bullets have a range of velocity that they perform best at and if used should be adhered to
for best results.
I find that the 120 performs best at a POI velocity of 2400 to 3000 ft/sec. so if you use it in a magnum, look for the downrange velocity and try to keep it in that yardage range.
Just my opinion
J E CUSTOM
Thanks for all the Info on the red tip 120's they are cheap and also easy to get seated and shoot very well in my daughters gun, I'm really glad she hates december to febuary temps so I can make sure that this gun gets to make road trips to a couple large cattle farms where yotes feel safer! lOl thanks guy's I learned a bit from all of you Darin
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
One other thing, I do have one complaint with Nosler, they don't make a 120 Accubond. don't know if it would out perform the 120 BT in the 7/08, but it would be good to see if it would.
The Accubonds have a very good performance range with both velocity and range. Velocity seems to be much less important. I have had very predictable results with them from 1800 to 3200 ft/sec POI velocities.
Wish they made the 120 in an Accubond.
J E CUSTOM
The Accubonds have a very good performance range with both velocity and range. Velocity seems to be much less important. I have had very predictable results with them from 1800 to 3200 ft/sec POI velocities.
Wish they made the 120 in an Accubond.
J E CUSTOM
J E I would love to see a 120 grain vld in 284 also might be a little harsh on fur especially bobcat or fox but in yote's I dont care if I could put my hat in the entrance or exit , But if its not rainy or foggy I will test the red tip tomorrow
