where can i get ballistic gelatin ????

U

uzi4me

New member
i was wondering where i can get some balistic gelatin .. or .. what would be a good method to use with water to test penetration ... ?... i saw one time a trough made of wood in the shape of a letter U ....with open ends so one can shoot length wise thru ziplock bags filled with water .. this is to estimate penetration ...
can anyone tell me where i can get some gelatin and how much it is, or how can i make it myself or .. does anyone have a BETTER and possibly funner way to test my bullets penatration ?...
i saw one time in a magazine how the .454 casuals penetration power was tested with 1 gallon plastic milk jugs filled with water, and placed together and shot at lengthwise ... the .454 casaul penetrated 4 gallons, and entered the 5th but sunk to the bottom in the 5th ... i believe the round was fired out of the ruger redhawk ..
anyway ..
keep in mind, this will be for pistol rounds shot thru pistols only ..

thanks everyone ..
 
Um, no....playdough ... I don't know of a...playdough ... different playdough testing medium......


I, too, would like to find a reliable source for ballistic gelatin. I may test someone's frangibles and take a few snapshots for 'em.
 
HOLY COW !!! 260 dollars for a good sized block of balistic gelatin ???.. ill make my own gelatin from the kind i can pick up at the store ..
and who can keep it at 4 degrees C... forget it .. ill stick with my water jugs and or ziplock filled water bags .. sheesh ..
BUT .. thankyou very much for your effort in posting the link .. it at least has given me insight into what it is about .. :D
 
uzi,
Ballistic gelatin must be prepared properly and it is not an easy process as it must also be calibrated once it has set for 24hrs.

In the event that it does not calibrate it must be melted down and prepared all over again.

I have a website with Evan Marshall over at www.ammolab.com and I do take requests. The ammo is provided by most of the ammo makers for me and you are welcome to join us and I will add your requests to the testing cycle.

The average costs for testing 30 loads at 5 rounds each is about $4k and you need to be very careful in your preparation to ensure that your test results are accurate.

A great deal of the results posted at many places are not accurate. If you prepare your own gelatin please try to be as accurate as possible.
 
This month's S.W.A.T. magazine features an article describing an inexpensive ($200) system to test your ammo called the "Fackler" Box:
Building a “Fackler” Box: Performance Testing Your Own Ammunition
Robert M. Smith
When it comes to ammunition performance, ballistic charts and manufacturer’s specifications are a good starting point, but have you ever wondered how your carry ammunition will perform from your firearm? By following the instructions in this simple “how-to” article you can be sure if the load you have selected is right for you.
Click to expand...

Fackler - according to Taylor's Combat Handgunnery - had, by 1991, achieved the goal of correlating bullet performance in living tissue and ballistic gelatin, thus saving the lives of many goats.
 
HOLY COW !!! 260 dollars for a good sized block of balistic gelatin ???.. ill make my own gelatin from the kind i can pick up at the store ..
.
Click to expand...


:D I do believe that is 25 pounds of the Kind & Knox powder you'd mix with your own water to create the ballistic gelatin.
25 pounds of dry gelatin mix would make a sight more than a "25 pound block".
 
*edited as I just reread the above and saw that he said (25) pounds. 25lbs should make about 8 16" blocks depending on what width and height you make them.
 
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Everyone wants to know what to do with the fruitcakes that seem to collect during the holiday season. Put a small table beside your street with a sign saying you'll take fruitcake off your neighbor's hands.

Fruitcakes come in handy, brick-sized chuncks. Stacks easily. Biodegradable. Smells better than professional BG.

Only problem is you can't see through it. Oh, well!
 
"What is your test procedure?

The gelatine is 100% pure from Kind & Knox, but is not specifically labeled as ordinance gelatine. It is mixed to 10% and calibrated using a .177 BB at 590 fps and must fall within 7.5 - 9.5 cm of penetration. A minimum of 3 rounds are fired into the gel from a distance of 3 feet through two layers of loosely layered denim."


More detailed directions on how this guy makes his gelatin here:

http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/make/makegel.htm
 
I seem to recall reading in a gun rag several years ago that the Nosler people had switched to a product called animal glue, because it was easier to handle than ballistic gelatin. You might do a web search, or even call Nosler for some info.
 
I read the SWAT article about the Fackler Box and I'm skeptical of the author's penetration depths. They're too shallow.

I published A Simplified 10% Ordnance Gelatin Preparation and Test Procedure a couple of years ago. Many of the other procedures I've come across on the internet are more complicated than is necessary.

There are two companies in which you can purchase Type 250A ordnance gelatin powder. Kind & Knox is one. Vyse Gelatin Company is another. The Vyse produce is about 1/3 the cost of the Kind & Knox product, but the minimum purchase is 50#.

Here's an inexpensive method that produces reasonably accurate results:

A Simple Method for Testing Bullets with Your Guns

A quick and easy method to determine bullet or shotshell performance out of any handgun or shotgun is to gather several (and we mean several -- about 30) cardboard half-gallon milk cartons (plastic won't do).

Fill them full of water, line them up side-by-side three abreast, in three rows of 10 (each carton should be in contact with its neighbor). Back-up several feet and shoot a bullet from your handgun into the center row of cartons. (In most cases you can get by with just a single row of milk cartons. But lining them up three abreast will minimize the number of bad shots caused by a bullet exiting out the side of a carton.)

Count the number of water filled cartons the bullet penetrated, including the carton where the bullet came to rest. Multiply the number of cartons times 2.5 to determine penetration depth in inches. This will give you a SWAG (scientific wild-@ss gauge) of how your gun/cartridge combination will perform in soft tissue (both bullet expansion and penetration).

(To conserve milk cartons, I often line them with light-weight plastic produce bags from the grocery store. This way, a milk carton that has a hole or crack in it can still be filled with water and used.)

The data obtained and averaged from three test shots should give you a fairly accurate SWAG. Remember to observe all safety rules when handling your firearm.

Cheers!
 
I would have to agree with Shawn as I have read several articles recently with questionable penetration numbers both in Fackler boxes and in gelatin that was supposed to be properly calibrated 10% ordinance gelatin.

I believe the other gentleman’s material he was referencing is mucilage.
Mucilage is very inexpensive as a by product of making dog food and cat food I believe
from horse cartilage, tendons, and ligaments if my memory serves me correctly.
 
Play dough is not a valid substitute for calibrated ordinance gelatin.
Dr. Fackler has done extensive research on tissue simulants and has proven that 10% gelatin is the most valid testing medium.
 
Check out the new February issue of the American Rifleman magazine. They have an article that covers just this topic. The author uses a 6 foot tank filled with water bags to aproximate the effects of ballistic gelatin. According to the mag "the ratio between water penetration and gelatin penetration is 3.5:1. What a bullet will do in 35" of water ,it will also do in approximately 10" of gelatin."
 
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