I’ve used 165NABs out of a 30-06 and 140 NABs out of a .270 for years with great success on deer. Most are DRT, and I also always have an exit wound. Best of both worlds.
My daughter even used a .308 125 NAB youth load on her buck this year and had a DRT, but the bullet hit high shoulder and didn’t exit, so I switched to NBTs for that anemic load. Which leads to my next point...
I have been curious about “less-than-full-power” loads (2700-2800 MV) with NABs on deer, as I’ve been loading those for kids the past few years with NBTs. I wonder if the lower velocity NAB loads will expand as reliably on deer-sized game, with similar shock effect. Only one way to find out.