[Bezoar]

Does anyone have photos and documentation of ballistic gelatin tests using percussion revolvers versus the sub 9mm pocket guns in 25,.32,.380?

[Pulp]

I'd like to see something like that myself. Y'all take up a collection, send me the cash, and I'll buy some BG and try it out.:-)

[arcticap]

The website below has many ballistic gelatin tests, but none involving cap & ball revolvers although there is 1 test with a saboted BP bullet.

However, there's tests with .38 specials that have similar bullet weights and velocities, or even the .44 special for an expansion comparison with 200 grain BP conicals.
There's a .38 special test that involved shooting through 4 layers of denim placed in front of the ballistic gelatin to simulate shooting through heavy winter clothing too. :)


http://www.brassfetcher.com/index.html

[Omnivore]

For what it's worth, I chrono'ed my .44 Colt at an average of 841 FPS with 28 grains of FFF Goex and round ball. I recall looking into bullet weights and velocities of some standard cartridges, and found that the Colt's energy was between a .38 S&W and a .38 Special in terms of muzzle energy.

This issue of "stopping power" has come up here several times, and often we see the comment that the soft lead round ball in either .44 or .36 has terminal effects far beyond their numerical values. Some experienced gun fighters used the .36 Colts long after the development of cartridges with conical bullets.

Certainly, you get a Walker and push that soft ball to around 1,000 and you're going to get some pretty intense results, gel or no gel.

One comparison I did (and yes, this is getting a bit out of the range of the question) was shoot an aluminum can and a heavy 1 gallon antifreeze jug, filled with water, at 50 yards using a .223 Rem and a .50 muzzleloader rifle. The more "powerful" .223 jacketed spitzer at around 3,000 put a small hole in each, with a little bit of rupturing. The .50 soft lead ball at about 1,800 blew both targets wide open, and the can was blown into several pieces which flew about 15 yards, leaving the base of the can sitting right where it was placed. I'd describe the difference as that between a lead sledgehammer and a really hard ice pick. One has more penetration and long distance energy retention, and the other will smash its target at close range.

I was impressed with the .44 Colt the first time I fired it. I shot at an empty can lying on the ground. The ball hit the ground right under the can, splattered into a large irregular mess, and cut the can in two. No other handgun I've fired in my life ever did anything like that.

[Voodoochile]

I've never tried Ballistic Geletin but I have used an old timers reference of wet news print inside of a cardboard box, sorry no pictures "this was done about 18 years ago & none of us Red Neck Boys thought of any cameras at the time."

12"X12"X18" box with wet news print.

Pietta 1860 Army.
.457 144gr. Ball.
30gr. FFFG Goex.
#10 Remington caps.
861fps. 235ft. lbs.
15 yards. distance shot produced a 7-7/16" penetration with the ball completely flattened out.

.451 200gr. Lee cast & lubed bullets.
25gr. FFFG Goex.
#10 Remington caps.
817fps. 293ft. lbs.
15 yards. distance shot produced a 9-3/4" penetration with moderate deformation to the bullet.

Colt M1911A1 1942 manufacture, standard issue.
Remington factory ball ammo.
15 yards. distance shot produced a 11-1/4" penetration with practically no deformation to the bullet.

I know that this isn't what you are looking for but it does show that a .44 caliber C&B revolver although antiquated by todays standards could hold it's own in a fight & why it was still the preferred weapon of John Wesley Hardin well into the mid 1870's.