98Z5V Posted April 13 Report Share Posted April 13 Yep, fellas, we're about to get into Ballistic Gel Testing. I've always wanted to try it out, so it's getting figured out. First shots downrange in the next month-ish. I'll add to this as it gets going, but I'll discuss the research now, here - it's alot more complicated than it appears. I see why people drop the money to just buy a gel block, instead of making it at home. The most common size for a block is 16 x 6 x 6 inches. I found some suitable containers on Amazon to use as molds, and have two of them. That dimension holds 2 gallons of water. The prices for gel blocks is pretty crazy, anywhere from just under $100, to about $250, for that size block. Depends on what you find, and from where. There's a place called Clear Ballistics that has the FBI block for $90. It's gonna cost you about $40 to make one block. Obviously, 10% ballistics gel is 1 part gel mixture to 9 parts water, by weight. Water weighs 8lbs per gallon, so that's right at 130 ounces as a round number. Gotta have 13 ounces of gel powder to 117 ounces of water - per gallon. By weight, that comes up to 8.125 lbs. Good enough to mix. The 16 x 6 x 6 block molds will need 2 gallons of water. Knox gel, commonly used for this is about $20 per 16oz container, when you buy bulk. Found a 6 pack of that on Amazon for just under $120. You can't find 16oz containers in the grocery store... A ONE OUNCE little tiny box of this stuff will cost you about $3 at the grocery store... The 6-pack of 16oz containers = 96oz total / 13oz of gel mix per gallon = 7.38 gallons of this stuff I can mix up... almost 4 blocks of it, for just under $120... So, there's alot more to just making this and using it as Ballistic Gel than meets the eye. You measure everything out, heat the water to a certain degree, mix in the gel powder a certain way, stir it all in for a certain amount of time, pour it into your molds, then refrigerate it at a certain temp for a certain time... Yeah... I've seen times for refrigeration anywhere from 36~72 hours. THEN, when it's done, you need to KEEP it at 40* F until you're ready to use it / shoot it... According to FBI Protocol Testing, you shoot it from a distance of 10 feet from the muzzle. That's a tick more than 3 yards... Skin is tough, so the first 4" of penetration are supposed to equal the pressure of puncturing skin - and you ignore those first 4" when looking at the results, but trying to get a visualization of what the terminal ballistics are going to look like in real tissue... It's a pretty wild process. Here are a couple articles about it all: https://www.hornadyle.com/resources/fbi-test-protocol https://g9defense.com/blog/ballistic-gelatin-testing-5-things-to-understand-ballistic-gel-testing-a-comprehensive-guide/ It's coming... I promise you... and it's not going to be long from now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 First thing getting tested. 5.56mm Mk262 clone loads using Hornady 75gr HPBT projectiles. One from a 1:7" twist, and one from a 1:5" twist. Controls: Both barrels are made by KAK Industries, 12.5" midlength gas barrels, 5.56 NATO chambers. Won't get more comparative than that. The 7 twist barrel is steel, the 5 twist barrel is 416 stainless, otherwise, twins. Gonna be a good test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted April 13 Author Report Share Posted April 13 Found even more info and data, whilst tripping down this rabbit hole... https://press.hornady.com/release/2012/04/20/ballistic-gelatin-mixing-procedures-practiced-by-the-fbi/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
308USK Posted April 14 Report Share Posted April 14 Hopefully you have this process all dialed in by the time I get back to Shenanigan Alley! LOL. Do some 300BO and 8.6 Blackout gel-block fun (of course, I'll pay for the gel blocks)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted April 29 Author Report Share Posted April 29 Alright! All the stuff is here, and I'm making 2 gel blocks tomorrow night, to use this coming weekend. 2 blocks, 16" x 6" x 6". Takes 4 gallons of water for that, and 52 ounces of the gel powder, to brew these up. Gonna be a fun weekend. I hope I can slow down the GoPro vid enough to make it decent videos... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted May 2 Author Report Share Posted May 2 So, this process is WAY DIFFERENT than any online descriptions of what you need to do to make it. I dropped $80 to make two gel blocks. Amazon prices, cheap as fuk. Comparatively. Followed online instructions - garbage. Completely wasted enough materials to make the first gel block. Lumped up, blocky, didn't work for shiit. Wasted around $30~$35 of materials, for junk. Went a different route, ignored everything with the online instructions for B Gel, and just did it according to the package directions, minus the amounts that they use in those directions. You mix this shiit WAY THICKER than if you're making jello for a nursing home, in bulk. Learned. Hard way. $$$ way... FML. We're shooting this thing this weekend, 5.56 Mk 262 loads, 7 twist and 5 twist. Results after this weekend, on the twist rates, and differences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armed Eye Doc Posted May 2 Report Share Posted May 2 17 minutes ago, 98Z5V said: minus the amounts that they use in those directions. You mix this shiit WAY THICKER than if you're making jello for a nursing home, in bulk. Do you use half the water, or thereabouts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted May 2 Author Report Share Posted May 2 18 hours ago, Armed Eye Doc said: Do you use half the water, or thereabouts? No, you mix by weight. 1:10 ratio - that's the "10% ballistics gel." 9 parts water to 1 part powder, by weight. It's pretty close. A gallon of water is 124 ounces. Just call is 130 ounces, so you use 13 ounces of powder, and 117 ounces of water. These 16 x 6 x 6 molds hold 2 gallons each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sketch Posted May 3 Report Share Posted May 3 Simple mathematics. Looks like a block of gel! How will you keep it to temp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidAR10T Posted May 3 Report Share Posted May 3 (edited) Clear Ballistic Gel is for entertainment. Organic FBI 10% calibrated gel is for information. I'm still learning about NATO 20% gel from those that know. Best to all. Edited May 3 by DavidAR10T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted May 3 Report Share Posted May 3 On 5/2/2025 at 4:46 PM, 98Z5V said: No, you mix by weight. 1:10 ratio - that's the "10% ballistics gel." 9 parts water to 1 part powder, by weight. It's pretty close. A gallon of water is 124 ounces. Just call is 130 ounces, so you use 13 ounces of powder, and 117 ounces of water. These 16 x 6 x 6 molds hold 2 gallons each. You’re baking in a sense, weight is always the best way to bake. Because 1tsp sea salt is different that 1tsp table salt or kosher. But 1 gram is 1 gram no ifs and or buts about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianK Posted Sunday at 04:26 PM Report Share Posted Sunday at 04:26 PM The difficulty is precisely why I never tried it. Then after the block is made it's organic and needs to be used before it spoils. That's why I use 1 gallon milk jugs of water. And yes, I know it's not the same as B Gel. But B Gel isn't the same as flesh which it's supposed to sorta mimic (but doesn't). Too much effort for something that doesn't mimic what it's supposed to mimic. Water is lots easier to not mimic the intended medium. The other day I watched a video where the gent used parts of a dead cow. Now that was the right test medium IMO. I've also seen tests run on Boston Butt. Good luck with your testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted Sunday at 08:39 PM Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 08:39 PM Holy SHIIT! Testing 1:7" twist vs. 1:5" twist - the results are very, very devastatingly different! Ran the 75 Hornady HPBTs through both guns. The results are shocking, what that 1:5" does. For shiits, we ran some Barnes 70 TSX loads through both guns... The 70 TSX through the 1:5" tried to turn that block inside out... Coming up is blocks for nothing BUT the 70 TSX, through both guns. I'm working on vids now. I only have vids of the 75 HPBTs. Both times, the hydrostatic force was so great that it literally blew the GoPro off the table, and sent it flying, and shut it off. I haven't even pulled the vid material from the GoPro yet. Working now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted Sunday at 09:00 PM Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 09:00 PM (edited) Well, no usable vid came from that. Gonna have to figure out a tripod setup and get the GoPro off the same table as the gel block, and impact. We'll solve this quickly, and keep at this. The results of the 1:5" were pretty badass. The 75gr from the 1:7" traveled about 4" into the gel block, and made a pretty serious wound cavity. The 1:5" started it's would cavity about 2.75" into the block... The rotational velocity made an easy-to-see difference, in how the projectile performs. The would cavity from the 1:5" started earlier, was bigger, and longer, than what the 1:7" did. That 70 TSX, though - that fuqr was IMPRESSIVE from both barrels. It was unreal what it did through the 1:5". On 5/3/2025 at 6:54 AM, DavidAR10T said: Clear Ballistic Gel is for entertainment. Organic FBI 10% calibrated gel is for information. I'm still learning about NATO 20% gel from those that know. Best to all. Cool, get some work done on it. Let's see you mix some of that stuff up, test it, and get the feedback in here. Show us what the difference really is in the gel types. I'm looking forward to it - post what you know or you can find right here in this thread, and let's see it tried out. Edited Sunday at 09:04 PM by 98Z5V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted Sunday at 09:09 PM Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 09:09 PM So, 16 x 6 x 6 block. Hornady 75s. They DO come apart, break up, and they make a tremendous wound cavity - both twists. They were both contained in the block. The 70 TSX from the 1:7" was super impressive, and it was still contained in the block. The 70 TSX from the 1:5" gun went straight through the whole block, did it's mic drop, and left the building... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armed Eye Doc Posted Sunday at 09:48 PM Report Share Posted Sunday at 09:48 PM (edited) Awesome info. I would have loved to seen the video. Edited Sunday at 09:48 PM by Armed Eye Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted Sunday at 10:14 PM Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 10:14 PM 1 hour ago, Armed Eye Doc said: Awesome info. I would have loved to seen the video. We shot it at 7 yards. FBI Protocol is 7 feet - fuq that. 7 yards it is. From 7 yards, it was so fast that it shut the GoPro directly off, blew it off the table, and we didn't get anything. The GoPro was about 18" away from the side of the gel block. It just looks like I turned the camera off - which I did, by firing at the block. I can upload the video anyway, just for shiits, but in the end, it's pretty boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted Sunday at 10:15 PM Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 10:15 PM The violence of the impact into the gel, and the shockwave it sends - broke the end off my plastic table... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
308USK Posted Monday at 01:12 AM Report Share Posted Monday at 01:12 AM Sounds like you're getting the gel block dialed in! Look forward to putting some of my 8.6 Blackout into gel block! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted Monday at 01:31 AM Author Report Share Posted Monday at 01:31 AM 1 hour ago, 308USK said: Look forward to putting some of my 8.6 Blackout into gel block! LOL I've already seen 8.6 rip straight through 3 x 16" blocks, not slow down, and just pencil straight through them. We'll need ALOT of gel blocks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
308USK Posted Monday at 01:34 AM Report Share Posted Monday at 01:34 AM On 5/4/2025 at 7:31 PM, 98Z5V said: I've already seen 8.6 rip straight through 3 x 16" blocks, not slow down, and just pencil straight through them. We'll need ALOT of gel blocks... Supers or subs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted Monday at 01:36 AM Author Report Share Posted Monday at 01:36 AM 1 hour ago, 308USK said: Supers or subs? Yes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
308USK Posted Monday at 01:42 AM Report Share Posted Monday at 01:42 AM On 5/4/2025 at 7:36 PM, 98Z5V said: Yes... LOL Well okay then! Either way, I'll bring some 300gr SMK & 300gr BTHP subsonics next time I come to AZ. Still haven't got the 342gr pork shredders from Gorilla figured out. Letter sent to them with COAL measurements from random rounds across 4 boxes (10 measurements per box). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted Monday at 01:48 AM Author Report Share Posted Monday at 01:48 AM There are vids out there now of the 8.6 just shredding Lvl 4 armor. Supers, Subs, it just doesn't care. I'm sure someone is gonna dig them up now based on that statement, but if they don't - I'll find them again and post them. It's a monster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
308USK Posted Monday at 01:50 AM Report Share Posted Monday at 01:50 AM On 5/4/2025 at 7:48 PM, 98Z5V said: There are vids out there now of the 8.6 just shredding Lvl 4 armor. Supers, Subs, it just doesn't care. I'm sure someone is gonna dig them up now based on that statement, but if they don't - I'll find them again and post them. It's a monster. Might be a monster round...but you know all too well that mine doesn't kick at all! LOL (gentle monster). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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