About to start Ballistic Gel Testing

[98Z5V]

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...  

[98Z5V]

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. 

[98Z5V]

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/

[308USK]

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)...