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Gel Tests FAQs |
What is this gel testing business all about?
This is the testing results of defense ammunition. It is not my intention to determine which one ammunition is "best." All I am attempting to do is provide additional information so that YOU can make an informed decision. The most important criteria for selecting a defense ammunition is reliability in YOUR weapon. The next most important thing is your ability to place your shots accurately, so practice practice, practice. Only after you satisfy the first two, does ammunition performance come into play. Ball rounds (fmj) have been included either as a baseline comparison, or because limited penetration of hollow point rounds may make ball rounds a better choice.
The idea was born on the Kel-Tec owners group. In order to find the best ammo for the marginal .32acp, several members pooled their resources to fund the experiment. They needed a sucker to... err... volunteer to conduct them and not being all that bright I stepped forward : ) On Sunday afternoon August 27, 2000 the first gel shots were fired. I continued the tests for almost two years and share them on my web page as one more (granted imperfect) piece of information for those selecting self defense ammunition to consider.
What do all these terms FPS, FPE, etc. mean?
Velocity - Readings are a running average of all shots I have chronographed of the particular brand of ammunition. A running average provides the greatest possible number of readings and averages out the effects of environmental conditions.
FPE - The foot pounds of energy calculated using the advertised weight.
(M x V x V / 450240)Penetration - Test rounds were fired through two layers of denim into 10% gelatin. Depth in inches, is measured in a straight line from point of entry to point of deepest penetration.
Expansion - Recovered rounds were measured at multiple points and then averaged to account for uneven expansion. Fragmenting rounds pattern of dispersion are given.
Weight - (.32acp only) Recovered rounds were rinsed, all denim removed, then allowed to dry before weighing.
OAL - (.32acp only) Over all length is listed because some shorter rounds can shift inside the magazine and become "rim locked".
The gelatin is 100% pure from Kind & Knox, but is not specifically labeled as ordinance gelatin. It is mixed to 10% and calibrated using a .177 BB at 590 fps and must fall within 7.5 - 9.5 cm of penetration. A minimum of 3 rounds are fired into the gel from a distance of 3 feet through two layers of loosely layered denim.
I've found that I simply no longer have the the large blocks of free time it takes to do the tests. Until I make a career change or retire, I'm afraid my gel testing days are behind me.