9mm fmj ballistics gel test? help.

[bullseyebob47]

im wondering how far a fmj 9mm will penetrate gel but i can't seem to find videos on that. there are a few but its with one short block that pass through. i want to see just how far they go.

there are lots of .380 fmj videos going from 18" to 26" which isn't too bad imo. but what does a 9mm fmj do? 30"? 40"?

 

[beamon]

ShootingThe Bull410 does tons of gel penetration tests but I think they're mainly, if not entirely, with hollow point defense loads. Suffice to say, the fmj bullets will penetrate farther than the FBI suggested 12-18 inches for hollow point defense loads.

 

[LeonCarr]

30-40 inches in gelatin sounds about right for 9mm Ball.

It is a poor choice for self defense, with it most likely overpenetrating the body and providing very skinny non disruptive wound channels.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Here's one which shows Aguila 124 gr. 9mm FMJ penetrating 28 inches:

 

[kokapelli]

interestingly 9mm fmj in ballistic gel dosen't do much better than 380.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DOQjIOlSuI&spfreload=10

 

[FireInCairo]

Wouldn't that depend on bullet placement?

While FMJ going through soft tissue would do as you suggest,surely, an FMJ going through center mass would be devastating (breaking bone and disrupting organs necessary for life).

 

[moxie]

Not nearly as devastating as a well-designed JHP that expands to ~150% its original diameter.

The FMJ, as evidenced by the tests, also tends to overpenetrate and often pass right through.

 

[kokapelli]

Wouldn't that depend on bullet placement?

While FMJ going through soft tissue would do as you suggest,surely, an FMJ going through center mass would be devastating (breaking bone and disrupting organs necessary for life).

Absolutely and that's why I personally believe that handgun caliber is much less important than most people believe.

Check this out. 22 hits to the upper body and eleven of them in center mass from a cop's 40 cal Glock still did not immediately stop this guy.
http://www.lawofficer.com/article/training/officer-down-peter-soulis-inci

 

[481]

im wondering how far a fmj 9mm will penetrate gel but i can't seem to find videos on that. there are a few but its with one short block that pass through. i want to see just how far they go.

there are lots of .380 fmj videos going from 18" to 26" which isn't too bad imo. but what does a 9mm fmj do? 30"? 40"?

You can always look to mathematical bullet penetration models for the answer, too. There are two bullet penetration models, one by Charles Schwartz, one by Duncan MacPherson, that take into account a bullet's diameter, weight, and speed to predict the penetration depth of a bullet.

For example, the penetration of a 9mm 115 grain FMJ striking a gel block at 1155 fps can be predicted by either model. The Schwartz bullet penetration model says that the 115 grain 9mm FMJ would penetrate to a depth of 26.4 inches and the MacPherson bullet penetration model says that it would penetrate to a depth of 28.2 inches. Of course, if the bullet tumbles, penetration will be reduced and neither model can account for that sort of behavior.