Ballistics Gel
Just about everyone has seen the CSI series on CBS and the various other shows dealing with forensics, as well as shows like Myth Busters. Within the episodes of theses iconic shows, you will see the use of ballistics gel to help determine the specifics of traumatic wounds or show the effects of various “high kinetic energy” experiments or terminal effects of ammunition. Looks like cool stuff but where do you get it. Well I’ll give you a hint “gel” is short for gelatin. That’s right folks, there’s always room for Jello. Of course let’s not waste the tasty treat on something that is being made to be destroyed. For this homebrew project go look for the unflavored raw gelatin. It’s usually on the baking isle of your local mega mart. OK folks, now here’s the magic ratio. You want 1lb/gal of water. That’s 16oz/gal, 4oz/quart, 1oz/cup. Now the ounces, are in weight not volume. The common ballistic gel mixes are made by the same people who make brand name edible gelatin, it’s just slightly tweaked so that when mixed per directions, it comes out near the ideal calibration point needed by forensic labs. However, each batch made must be calibrated by firing a projectile into it and measuring the penetration. I was not looking for something that scientific out of a homemade project. I just wanted to know the general difference of impact between my .45 230gr FMJ rounds and my .45 230gr Hydra-shok JHP rounds that I keep around for home defense. Unfortunately I left the camera behind when I shot this stuff up. On top of that the test batch I made was just to see if I could do it. Despite their lack of size, I was convinced of the effectiveness of my defense rounds. “Daddy like.” This is real simple folks, but it stinks to high heaven to do this. If you are sensitive to smells, beware. When I try this again, it will happen outside. Why? Go read about gelatin. I’ll give you the short version. It’s made from animal parts. That will make you think the next time you go to enjoy Jello. The unflavored version has nothing to mask the raw smell when you cook it. Trust me, do this in a shop, garage, or outside. From what I could tell most suggest that you dump the gelatin in cold while mixing (usually with a drill attachment) and let it “hydrate”. Well it was late at night and I made a small batch so I just dumped it into the pot with the flame on the stove set as low as it would go. Most recipe’s I found don’t want you bringing the mixture above 130-140*F while cooking. When you dump it in hot, it instantly begins to thicken, which slows down the water absorbtion of the mixture. In other words, it gets in its own way. This didn’t ruin my batch, it just took a while to “hydrate” everything. You can see in the picture as I’m waiting for the clumps to dissolve.
Cooking Ballistics Gel
Once it is dissolved, you will need something to pour it into. Notice the disposable loaf pan in the picture. I used this as my mold. You could make your own mold, just make sure you grease it so you can release the gelatin. I used a napkin and a Teflon mechanics spray smeared around, followed by non-stick cooking spray to coat my molds. Once you have your mold release in place, pour in the mixture then place in the fridge and to let it set up. Now this is not calibrated ballistics gel when done, and should not be used for any official forensics purpose. But it sure is a good way to get an idea of new ammunition performance, or hand load performance as it should end up a close approximation. The mixture can have some additives placed in it to prevent mold growth over long term storage, and you should be able to remelt the mass and recast it if you desire. I just wanted to test so I didn’t bother with these considerations. This mix was used the next day. After setting in the fridge, keep in a cooler while in transport. The blocks should not be given the opportunity to warm up until they are ready for use.
Ballistics Gel Blocks
As you can see these blocks were not very large or deep. But they were still fun to shoot, and still gave a very basic idea of bullet performance. If you take your ammo seriously, whether you load it yourself, or buy it and want proof of it’s performance, I challenge you to go try this yourself.
Champion Animal Prairie Dog large Paper Shooting Target, 8.5×11 - 12pk
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