Lots of testimonials to the performance of the 120 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip.
From my documents file on this bullet:
Not sure who said this:
The 120 nbt is a very stout bullet it was redesigned by Gale Root of Nosler's Engineering staff. He basically thickened the bottom half of the bullet jacket because many of the handgun silhouette shooters whined that it was to explosive and did not give the dwell time on target to transfer the energy to knock down steel targets everytime cleanly. Because of the tough jacket it expands slowly on meat and usually exits.
John Barsness:
Its one of the BT's with a VERY heavy jacket, comprising around 2/3 of the total bullet weight. Generally these models retain at least 60% of their original weight, even if they lose the lead core. This is apparently what baffles some hunters, because they've long believed any bullet that loses won't penetrate deeply.
But all the "hunting" BT's (as opposed to varmint models) have far heavier jackets than other cup-and-core bullets. Those I've recovered retain around 50% of their weight, give or take 10%--about like the Hornady Interlocks I've recovered.
Steve Timm:
The 120Ballistic is one heck of a tough bullet. I've killed bull moose, a good number of mature bull elk, big-honking Northern Alberta whitetail & mules and quite a few American pronghorn with the 120. Maybe thirty++ kills in all and though the 7-08 Ackley (7SGLC) and my .270 Ackley Improved
Every single one of my 120Ballistic kills have been one-shot kills. The only 120s I've ever recovered were from two very-mature 6X6 bull elk … one at 375-ish in the vertical spine and one dead-center through the shoulders at 450-ish.
The two recovered bullets are around here somewhere in this mess. If memory serves, the bullets opened to .750"-.800" and both expanded bullets weighed about 100-grains.
I've told the story multiple times, in this forum, about how the 120Ballistic came to be. So I won't bore you.
Trust me, the 120Ballistic is all the 7mm bullet I've used for many, many years and it's always proved to be all the danged bullet I'll ever need … or use.
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I used it in a 7 Rem mag@ 3575 fps to flatten trajectory many years ago before there was much LR equipment, took some of the guesswork out of the equation. Killed several coues wt with it. Never found a bullet.
Currently have it screaming out of a 284 Win with RL-17 @ 3457 fps which is my walk around coyote/jackrabbit rig. Just point and shoot out to 250yds. .5" high at 100, 2.6" low at 250.
I will always have at least one rifle using this bullet.
