Testing medium

Dale Gribble

Dale Gribble

Can't starve us out; Can't make us run
Charter Member
Multi-Factor Enabled
Joined
Dec 17, 2016
Messages
13,450
Location
Clemmons NC
Rating - 100%
30   0   0
If you do not have ballistic gelatin, what is an acceptable testing medium?

Criteria:

- Not looking for anything to determine wound channel, when the channel starts or penetration…just need to know does the bullet expand and to what extent.

- Of course, I need to be able to recover the bullet.

Cartridge: 5.56
Bullets: .224 75gr Speer Gold Dot
.224 75gr Speer TMJ

1D01AF28-94D6-4AD3-9110-7168E491F5AE.jpeg

Gotta hunch…gonna try it out and see if I’m right.
 
Last edited:
Dale Gribble said:
If you do not have ballistic gelatin, what is an acceptable testing medium?

Criteria:

- Not looking for anything to determine wound channel, when the channel starts or penetration…just need to know does the bullet expand and to what extent.

- Of course, I need to be able to recover the bullet.

Cartridge: 5.56
Bullets: .224 75gr Speer Gold Dot
.224 75gr Speer TMJ
Click to expand...
Plastic milk jugs full of water seem to work well.
 
Use to use phone books … soaked ‘em in water for about an hour … then stack ‘em in copier paper boxes. I am not sure but if you could bundle newspaper tight enough to wet and stack that might work.
 
Phone book what's that ?? oh that thing with names and phone number. that you turn pages
and need to know how to spell what your looking for...no spell check, but did get a Verizon
Yellow pages a while ago... Used phone books to "test loads" back then
Yep gone the wayside of The Sears "Wishbook" MonkeyWards (Montgomery Wards) Catalog
JC Penny's...man I'm showing my age....anybody remember someone wrong a song about "the
man on Page (don't remember page no.) Sears Catalog?

here's a link..
www.wikihow.com

4 Ways to Make Ballistics Gel - wikiHow

Ballistics gel is used by professional forensics teams to simulate the effects of bullet impact on flesh. Professional grade ballistics gel is expensive and difficult to obtain. By following this guide, you can create your own ballistics...
www.wikihow.com www.wikihow.com

Know a guy who makes it to test stuff, don't know his recipe though

-Snoopz
 
Last edited:
I generally use identical plastic jugs filled with water myself. One gallon milk,, or the larger cat litter jugs etc. A word of caution. Make sure you align them straight,, and place your shot a little low & left in general. A r/h twist seems to turn the bullets out the side of the jugs otherwise.

Ballistic gel is a good indicator of what a wound channel would possibly look like.
 
contender said:
I generally use identical plastic jugs filled with water myself. One gallon milk,, or the larger cat litter jugs etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks…just gave me an idea…

I’ll use a couple of milk jugs, but fill them with sand instead of water.
 
Hollow points tend to not expand in dirt.

Shane, get one of those silver metal trash cans, fill it with water, get on a ladder, shoot down into the trash can. I’ve shot everything between a .380 and .45 into one to see how the bullets expanded and weighed them afterwards. It was fun.
 
Burt Gummer said:
Hollow points tend to not expand in dirt.

Shane, get one of those silver metal trash cans, fill it with water, get on a ladder, shoot down into the trash can. I’ve shot everything between a .380 and .45 into one to see how the bullets expanded and weighed them afterwards. It was fun.
Click to expand...
Do you wear a raincoat? :)
 
I think the milk jugs of water are the best solution. No real mess, inexpensive, and recyclable. I'd use 16-20 of them placed maybe 8 jugs deep and flanked with more jugs on the sides after the 3rd jug back. Keep at least 4 in reserve to reset after the first shot.
 
This guy can show you several different methods. He's used milk jugs filled with water, cinder blocks, clay, and paper plates. Might give you a few ideas.

Not sure how scientific his results are but I find it interesting and fun to watch.




.
 
Timfoilhat said:
If I were to do this I'd cover the top with a tarp or something. Won't affect the result, but I'd stay dry.
Click to expand...
The AFT might classify that as an illegal suppressor!! :D

Srsly, tho... instead of the garbage can from a ladder (less stable shooter's platform), how about making a frame of PVC pipe or 2x4s that would hold the can at a reasonable angle? (Simulated forensic lab bullet recovery thingy.) You'd lose some H2O capacity (get a bigger vessel), but gain a more convenient and probably safer shooting position.
 
For 357 I have successfully used a 5 gallon bucket filled with saturated wet magazines, followed by a 18 inch lonn rubbermaid full of water, and then a 2x12 across the end just in case. Strapped all together with duct tape and on a table to elevate to shooting height.

Used for several shots with duct tape to seal holes and refill water as needed. Most bullets came to rest in water tub. One made it all the way and left minor dent in 2x12, recovered all rounds fired.
 
Homemade ballistic gel.

4 Ways to Make Ballistics Gel - wikiHow

Ballistics gel is used by professional forensics teams to simulate the effects of bullet impact on flesh. Professional grade ballistics gel is expensive and difficult to obtain. By following this guide, you can create your own ballistics...
www.wikihow.com www.wikihow.com
 
Chdamn said:
Homemade ballistic gel.

4 Ways to Make Ballistics Gel - wikiHow

Ballistics gel is used by professional forensics teams to simulate the effects of bullet impact on flesh. Professional grade ballistics gel is expensive and difficult to obtain. By following this guide, you can create your own ballistics...
www.wikihow.com www.wikihow.com
Click to expand...
HAHAHA!!!

What does ballistics gel do for a spy?
-crop-104-104-104px-CommunityAvatar2.png


Community Answer
Ballistics gel can be used by spies as building bricks for sniper hides, or to make a vest that will show them how much worse a bullet wound could have been once they've been shot. They would have to keep in mind, though that if it gets too hot it will liquefy. In a sniper hide, this really creates a difficult cleanup while covering their tracks, so they should make sure they bring plenty of ice and a fan to cool it back down for an easier cleanup. When used as a vest, the melt could make them appear to be nervous and blow their cover.
 
Windini said:
HAHAHA!!!

What does ballistics gel do for a spy?
-crop-104-104-104px-CommunityAvatar2.png


Community Answer
Ballistics gel can be used by spies as building bricks for sniper hides, or to make a vest that will show them how much worse a bullet wound could have been once they've been shot. They would have to keep in mind, though that if it gets too hot it will liquefy. In a sniper hide, this really creates a difficult cleanup while covering their tracks, so they should make sure they bring plenty of ice and a fan to cool it back down for an easier cleanup. When used as a vest, the melt could make them appear to be nervous and blow their cover.
Click to expand...
Apparently I didn’t read far enough. Lmao.
 
One thing to remember about using water is that water does not compress at all, whereas flesh does, so a bullet that opens in water may not open in a body. If that is the goal then I would use soaked magazines/newspapers for testing, or bite the bullet :) and buy the gel.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom