Petals thru bone

Hopefully this will turn out to be a fun kinda thread, nothing really scientific and we'll see how bullets (ammunition) perform against some big, tough, bleached out range (as in open range) cow bones.

I'm going to start out with Winchester 127gr +P+ ammunition, baseline is using 1 gallon, soft plastic water bags to capture the bullet;



Just as there are mathematical formulas to calibrate loose/tight ballistic gel to a properly calibrated constant, same principle can be used to calibrate water to ballistic gel. According to Duncan MacPherson, bullets penetrating pig gut, ballistic gel and water expand to the same general diameter. Again according to Duncan MacPherson, beginning on page 251 (of his WTI book) and subsequent pages, there are tables, graphs and descriptions equating bullet performance in water to ballistic gel numbers. So, if one knows impact velocity, bullet weight and expansion diameter; ballistic gel numbers can be calculated.

(***where Vcav equals the lower velocity limit of the cavitation regime, Mw equals the predicted mass of the tissue within the wound cavity and Xcm equals the predicted penetration in soft tissue/calibrated 10% ordnance gelatin) by 481

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Winchester Ranger 9mm 127 gr. JHP (+P+) - no barrier
Vi = 1250 feet per second
Mr = 115 grains
Dr = 0.605 inch

Vcav = 404.644 feet per second
Mw = 37.113 grams (1.309 ounce)
Xcm = 28.696 centimeters (11.298 inches)

Large cow bone placed at a complex angle;



Now to learn how a lightweight RA9TA bullet will perform against such a barrier, plus the bone was placed at a complex (vertical/horizontal) angle;



Bullet retained more weight than it did during the baseline test;

Winchester Ranger 9mm 127 gr JHP +P+ (RA9TA) v. heavy bone
Vi = 1250 feet per second
Mr = 126.3 grains
Dr = 0.528 inch

Vcav = 417.458 feet per second
Mw = 40.593 grams (1.432 ounces)
Xcm = 38.668 centimeters (15.224 inches)


Same type experiment as above, this time shooting a Federal 165gr HST and 4 layers of denim;



Federal .40S&W 165 gr. HST JHP (P40HST3) v. four layers of denim
Vi = 1130 feet per second
Mr = 165.3 grains
Dr = 0.643 inch (1.61x cal)

Vcav = 397.316 feet per second
Mw = 50.993 grams (1.799 ounce)
Xcm = 33.807 centimeters (13.310 inches)

Now for the bone test;



Backside of bone, petals folded inward (riveted) as it penetrated a tough bone barrier;



Federal .40 S&W 165 gr. HST JHP (P40HST3) v. heavy bone
Vi = 1130 feet per second
Mr = 165.3 grains
Dr = 0.486 inch (1.215x caliber)

Vcav = 427.969 feet per second
Mw = 49.736 grams (1.754 ounces)
Xcm = 53.654 centimeters (21.123 inches)

Unlike simulated bone that has multiple examples of JHP cavities plugging up with material when placed in front of ballistic gel, I have not witnessed this phenomenom using cow bones.

The following post will show examples of JHP expansion against bone after first penetrating 3" of water.

Bob

Win RA45TP v 4LD

Baseline for Winchester's plus P 230gr Ranger JHP;



This bullet has one of the largest handgun crush cavities per penetration depth that I've tested, including a number of high velocity 10mm loads;

Winchester Ranger .45 ACP 230 gr. +P JHP (RA45TP) v. four layers of denim
Vi = 990 feet per second
Mr = 230.2 grains
Dr = 0.769 inch

Vcav = 372.928 feet per second
Mw = 68.886 grams (2.430 ounces)
Xcm = 31.951 centimeters (12.579 inches)

Now for the fun part, 3" of water in front of a cow rib, if you look closely you can see the Ranger star in the center;



Not only were there a number of bone fragments inside this exploded bottle, bone fragments were outside the trough on both sides and in front of the bone;



Excellent flat expansion;



990fps
0.6675" expansion
Retained weight 229.7grs
Bullet length 0.402"
Bone thickness 0.565"

481 will be along with his calculations

Bob

481 said:

OK, now I am in a "forty-five" kinda mood....

Sure, it is "economy" ammunition, but it really expanded well despite the barrier....


Winchester USA .45ACP 230 gr. JHP (USA45JHP)
Test Platform: HK USP45
Barrel Length: 4.41 inches
Caliber: .45ACP

Barrier: 4 layers of 1 ounce cotton T-shirt fabric

Test Media: Water

Muzzle Velocity: 870 feet per second
Impact Velocity: 865 feet per second
Kinetic Energy @ impact = 517.998 Joules

Test Distance: 21 feet

Recovered Projectile Data:
Average Expanded Diameter: 0.735 inch (1.628x caliber)
Retained Weight: 229.2 grains

MacPherson Predictive Analysis:
Cavitation Boundary (Vc) = 379.133 feet per second
Permanent Wound Cavity Mass (Mw) = 63.066 grams (2.225 ounces)
Penetration Depth (Xcm) = 32.096 cm (12.636 inches)

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At that distance, did you hit the target on your first shot? To ensure hits I get about 6ft away to enjoy those 'free' showers of water.

Bob

.40 S&W Speer 165gr GD #53970

The baseline test (handloaded) did well, actually the Gold Dot performed better than I expected. I attempted to achieve the 1150fps of the #53970 but ended up with 1127fps, not bad for first attempt.



Nice symetrical expansion. When loaded to .400Corbon/10mm velocities, given the large hollow cavity, this bullet blows up, shearing off the front part of the bullet.

test data;

.40 S&W 165 gr. Speer Gold Dot JHP v. 4 layers of denim

Vi = 1127 feet per second
Dr = 0.648 inch (1.62x cal)
Mr= 164.4 grains

Vc = 120.821 meters per second (396.394 feet per second)
Mw = 47.916 grams (1.690 ounces)
Xcm = 37.139 centimeters (14.622 inches)

I didn't know what to expect with today's bone test with Speer's #53970 ammunition.

A 20oz bottle placed in front of the cow bone yields 3" of water penetration that causes the bullet to expand prior to hitting the bone.

The 3" set-up that I refer to in these bone tests will look similar to this;



I did not expect the 20oz bottle to violently explode firing this ammunition. A plastic fragged part of the bottle that fits near the bottle's neck can be seen in the trough. A number of bone fragments were found in and outside the trough.



Bullet punched out a large hole as seen from the backside of the bone.



Nice symetrical expansion;



Numbers for the day shift to calculate.

1150fps
Expansion 0.599" (1.5x cal)
Weight 163.7grs (99.7%)
Bullet length 0.388"
Bone thickness 0.271"

Given the repeated failures of the 165gr GD at accelerated velocities like those observed in .400 Corbon and 10mm; these tests were very encouraging to witness what this bullet is capable of at factory design velocities.

This is good carry ammunition for those who choose to carry the .40 S&W in medium weights.

Bob

Standing Wolf said:

I'll second that, and add a question: would a fresh rather than dry cow bone make much difference?

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There is a local slaughter house nearby and I've looked into using 'fresh' bones (pig/cow) for testing instead of the bleached out open range bones. Given the number of tests I've done and am currently conducting, cost became an issue. I'll stop in again and see if there's a way to work things out so the tests can be done with fresh bones.

On the flip side, even soaking the range bones for several weeks did not soften them up any. Dried out bones make for a very tough barrier to penetrate, especially after the bullet has expanded.

I had planned on testing a handloaded 10mm/180gr Nosler earlier today, but I couldn't fit it into my schedule.

Since there was a request for testing against leg bones, I can post several results with both JHP and WFN loads.

Bob

481 said:

OK, now I am in a "forty-five" kinda mood....

Sure, it is "economy" ammunition, but it really expanded well despite the barrier....


Winchester USA .45ACP 230 gr. JHP (USA45JHP)
Test Platform: HK USP45
Barrel Length: 4.41 inches
Caliber: .45ACP

Barrier: 4 layers of 1 ounce cotton T-shirt fabric

Test Media: Water

Muzzle Velocity: 870 feet per second
Impact Velocity: 865 feet per second
Kinetic Energy @ impact = 517.998 Joules

Test Distance: 21 feet

Recovered Projectile Data:
Average Expanded Diameter: 0.735 inch (1.628x caliber)
Retained Weight: 229.2 grains

MacPherson Predictive Analysis:
Cavitation Boundary (Vc) = 379.133 feet per second
Permanent Wound Cavity Mass (Mw) = 63.066 grams (2.225 ounces)
Penetration Depth (Xcm) = 32.096 cm (12.636 inches)

Click to expand...

I tested this ammunition against a large cow bone, I don't have the MacPherson data for this bone test.



JHP riveted, flat/symetrical expansion was only a minimal 0.460", basically a .460" meplat;



Old tech bullet made a large hole.

CoRoMo said:

I wonder if soaking the bones in water for a day would change their consistency to the point of a measurable difference in a bullet's performance. Or maybe something other than water.

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I've soaked them for weeks on end, they don't soften.

Bob

10mm leg bones

Well, this morning's 10mm/180gr Nosler JHP was a bust. It doesn't appear the bullet expanded much in 3" of water, bullet hit edge of bone and deflected to the right and up, bullet was not recovered. The 1 gallon bottle opened up a little and there were no bone fragments inside. Basically, it's not worth my time to upload and post the pics.

Okay, leg bonez are tough, really tough. 10mm, 200gr WFNGC (.320" meplat), 1200fps, from left to right;



Backside of the 4" thick leg joint;



For those who hike/camp in bear country and choose to carry a 10mm pistol instead of a .44mag, the 200gr WFNGC is about as good as it gets.

A note on the 230gr WFNGC bullets/ammo from Double Tap; I weighed 10 bullets in a random sampling from a box of 100 bullets. There were some very serious QA issues ranging from a sporatic lack of lube in the lube grooves to bullet weights. The measured weights of all 10 bullets ranged from 221 grains to 223 grains.

Another issue with DT's 230gr WFNGC is that the bullets don't stablize in factory Glock barrels causing them to keyhole about 20yds to 30 yards after leaving the barrel.

Okay, with that out of the way; how did the 200gr XTP (1220fps) fair against a cow leg joint?

The set-up;



The leg joint fragged into a gazilion (technical word) pieces;



After sorting through all the pieces of bone in the trough and on the ground; this is all that I could find of the bullet;



Bob

10mm 180gr GD steel+steel+cow bone

While this morning's 10mm/180gr Nosler bone test was a flop; here's a test that went very, very well for the handloaded 10mm/180gr Gold Dot. Now that Double Tap ammunition no longer loads Gold Dot bullets, if one wants to carry a bonded bullet in 10mm, then it'll need to be handloaded.

The set-up for this test was a double 1.5mm steel barrier plus a cow bone;



Big bone, while not thick, very hard barrier;



Muzzle velocity of the 180gr Gold Dot was 1267fps, expansion 0.582"



Bullet held together (177.1grs), nice test;



Baseline 4LD for the 10mm/180gr Gold Dot was;

10mm 180 gr. Speer Gold Dot JHP v. 4 layers of denim
Vi = 1267 feet per second
Dr = 0.614 inch
Mr= 178.3 grains

Vc = 122.790 meters per second (402.855 feet per second)
Mw = 58.041 grams (2.047 ounces)
Xcm = 40.939 centimeters (16.118 inches)

Increase the velocity to ~1300fps and faster and the GD can come apart with reduced penetration. Not all bullets will come apart at these fast velocities, but reliable expansion comes at lower velocities. From another baseline test at a slightly faster MV;

Speer 10mm 180 gr. Gold Dot JHPImpact velocity: 1296 fps
Recovered weight: 118.7 gr. (65.9%)
Average recovered diameter: 0.565" (1.41x cal)

Vcav = 414.791 fps
Mw = 37.459 grams (1.321 ounces)
Xcm = 33.350 cm (13.130 inches)

In handloading the 10mm, one needs to remember that the bullets being loaded are designed for .40S&W velocities.

Bob