The bottlenose is, I believe, the most agile gunboat-class ship in the mod, the only other that can really stand up to it in terms of agility is the kusari gunboat.
Problem is, with only 4 forward firing turrets, it lacks firepower, and a half decent bomber pilot can kill on his own - though it takes a long time to do so =P
The only way to really pvp effectively with the bottlenose, IMO, is to go with a pulse + 3 razor loadout, and maybe put missiles on the back. You have to instakill the fighter or bomber you're engaging, because with 4 standard turrets you'll never put out enough damage to win the fight.
The bullhead I havent flown, but I can say from my experience fighting it, and from it's stats/equipment, that it's the best standard battlecruiser available right now. It has a thruster, and that alone puts it ahead of the IMG or Liberty battlecruisers. The Order Geb Carrier can mop the floor with it, just through sheer weapons power and shielding/hull, but a pair of good bullheads can take out a geb if they work together.