We present simultaneous observations of the superluminal radio galaxy 3C 120 performed with the ASCA and GRO ( OSSE ) satellites on February-March 1994 , as well as an analysis of all the ROSAT archival data .
The ASCA spectrum of this object can be described by an absorbed ( N _ { H } = 1.6 \times 10 ^ { 21 } { cm } ^ { -2 } ) power law with photon index \Gamma _ { ASCA } = 2 and a very broad ( \sigma > 0.8 keV ) intense iron line ( EW > 400 eV ) at \sim 6 keV .

The combined ASCA–OSSE data do not exclude the presence of a narrower ( \sigma = 0.4 keV ) and less intense ( EW < 300 eV ) iron line plus a hard component , corresponding either to reflection from an accretion disk or to a flatter power law from a jet .
However a single power law plus broad Fe line is preferred from a statistical point of view by the ASCA data

The ROSAT data yield a column density in excess of the Galactic value .
The spectral slopes , ranging from \Gamma _ { ROSAT } = 2.5 to 3.3 , are steeper than that measured by ASCA , suggesting the presence of a soft excess .
The 0.1-2 keV power-law slope is variable and softer at higher intensity .

These results show that the combined soft and hard X-ray spectrum of 3C 120 is rather complex .
The intrinsic absorption , the soft excess , and the iron line indicate that the X-ray emission from this blazar-like radio galaxy is dominated by a Seyfert-like component , at least in the 0.1-10 keV energy band .
The jet contribution , if present , becomes important only at higher energies .