Alternative to ballistic gelatin?

[gvnwst]

Recently, i have been wanting to test the terminal ballistics of some handloads/different types of ammo. Is there some homemade equivelant to ballistic gelatin? Not with the actual propertys, just something good enough to test with. Anything you may have learned over the years?

Thanks.

 

[Bruenor]

I've never tried it myself, but I heard that potters clay works well.

 

[powerhouse]

If your not trying to simulate tissue exactly, a wet phone book will do the trick.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Gallon milk jugs filled with water. I think the box o truth guy says it's about half the density of gello so divide your penetration by half to get an approximation of penetration depth in tissue (or gel). It's cheap, makes bullets expand, and plentiful if you have milk drinkers in your house.

 

[sharkhunter2018]

I've used magazines stuffed into a cardboard box and soaked with water. Not exactly tissue, but it gives you a general idea.

 

[Kind of Blued]

The deer you just shot is pretty accurately representative.

 

[Dr. Peter Venkman]

People.

 

[Lurp]

Not sure how good it is as I have yet to try it, but someone posted it a while back. Good luck.

http://www.myscienceproject.org/gelatin.html

 

[BL]

Here's a link to "The Bullet Test Tube" it's specifically made for measuring penetration and wound cavity size.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/productdetail.aspx?p=22956

 

[moooose102]

Not sure how good it is as I have yet to try it, but someone posted it a while back. Good luck

nice post Lurp. atta boy!

 

[Beatnik]

Here's the link, be prepared to read for several hours as this site is seriously fun.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/