Homemade Ballistic Gelatin: Part 2 — On the Range

Your ballistic gelatin is finally ready, and you want to pack up and head to the range. How do you shoot ballistic gelatin correctly? Is there a procedure for shooting gelatin? Can I reuse ballistic gelatin after I’ve shot it? Some of these questions have probably crossed your mind at one time or another if you read Part 1 of this series. This article will try to answer those and any other questions that might come up. Before delving into the ins and outs of shooting ballistic gel on the range, let’s discuss the history behind ballistic gelatin and the standards for conducting proper testing.

Ballistic Gelatin and the FBI Standard

The FBI standard for ballistic gelatin was developed largely in response to the tragic but historically important lessons of the 1986 FBI Miami Shootout. This standard developed a consistent medium for testing bullet performance in a tissue analog. The FBI standard consists of a 10% concentration of 250-bloom, Class A gelatin mixed with water. Most store-bought gelatins have a lower bloom content compared to the FBI standard. As a result, the mixtures for homemade ballistic gelatin require at least a 1:8 mixture, compared to the FBI’s 1:9 ratio.

According to the FBI standard, ballistic gelatin must be chilled to 39°F and maintained at that temperature for consistent results. Before shooting the gelatin with the test projectile, the gelatin must be “calibrated.” Calibration involves shooting the gelatin with a .177-caliber steel BB, traveling at 590 ±15 feet per second (fps). The BB should penetrate between 2.90 and 3.74 inches. If outside of these ranges, the ballistic gelatin doesn’t meet the FBI standard.

After reading all that, it’s pretty easy to get confused. Overall, though, it’s not that hard to calibrate gelatin — or get extremely close to the FBI standard. The process for keeping the gelatin at temperature isn’t as bad as you might think. Here are some tricks I’ve learned from others and what’s worked for me.

Keep it Cool

If you’re not lucky enough to have a backyard range, you have to transport the gelatin to a shooting spot. Once there, you have to set up your shooting gear, a table for the gelatin, cameras, and/or video equipment, load your firearm, and, if desired, position your chronograph. However, gelatin doesn’t fair well when it heats up to normal room temperature. The longer gelatin sits in warm or hot temperatures, the poorer it will perform. Fortunately, there are ways around this problem.

Before delving further, here are a couple of warnings. First, don’t freeze a gelatin block. It hardens the gelatin and makes it useless for testing. Second, don’t transport the gelatin in ice; ice causes inconsistent temperatures throughout the gelatin block.

For transport, I recommend freezing water jugs or bottles or using cold packs. However, to avoid inadvertently freezing the block, separate the mold and gelatin from anything frozen. A couple of pieces of cardboard or other buffer between the gelatin and frozen pack should work.

If you want to keep the temperature even more consistent throughout, lower the cooler’s interior temperature before placing the gelatin inside. This reduces or eliminates temperature fluctuations while transporting the gelatin. Some folks pre-cool their cooler with ice packs or frozen bottles, remove them, and then place the block inside. This method prevents any issues with overcooling the block in some areas but isn’t as resilient to long drives or periods from the refrigerator to the bench.

Ballistic Gelatin and Range Setup

I keep my gelatin range setup pretty simple. A folding table works great for shooting gelatin. The table stays in a climate-controlled location. Once outside, try to position the table in shade or a covered area during shooting. Don’t put the gelatin block on a hot surface.

If so inclined, you can mount your phone on a tripod with the camera set to the slowest slow-motion setting. I highly recommend spending some time orienting your camera as perpendicular to the block as possible. While it’s not a $2,000 slow-motion camera, modern smartphones produce some amazing images of temporary wound channels in ballistic gelatin.

Since the ballistic gelatin has a yellow tint, it provides some contrast against most backgrounds. However, some cardboard covered with butcher paper and a couple of vice clamps produce a nice background. I clamp the cardboard to the table on the side opposite the camera. While it may seem ridiculous, I’ve obtained some fantastic video footage and still images of temporary wound channels through gelatin with just a cell phone.

At this point, set up a chronograph or any other desired equipment. I ensure all of my equipment, firearms, and gear are set up before exposing the ballistic gelatin to the day’s temperatures. I position the ballistic gelatin immediately before testing to minimize temperature variation.

Once placed, make sure your chronograph, camera, and any other testing equipment are properly aligned. Variances in height or direction between the camera, gelatin block, and chronograph could, at a minimum, allow a bullet to escape the gelatin and produce undesirable results.

Some Important Words of Caution

A final but important point on your ballistic gelatin testing setup: Be aware of scope-over-bore offset. AR-15s, or any rifle equipped with an optic, have an offset between the scope and bore. I normally shoot ballistic gelatin from 10 feet away. With a rifle at those distances, the bullet impacts at least a couple of inches low from my aim point. At best, you miss the block. At worst, you shoot the table or your chronograph. If need be, shoot your rifle from 10 feet and measure the bullet impact compared to the reticle’s aiming point. It’ll save you a headache and some money.

Calibrating Ballistic Gelatin

You can “calibrate” the gelatin block according to FBI standards with a .177-caliber BB rifle. I purchased a Crossman 760 variable pump BB rifle for about $45. With seven pumps, the rifle consistently chronographs at the required velocity (590 ± 15 fps) for the calibration test.

If you don’t have a BB rifle, I highly recommend using some kind of subsonic solid, non-expanding .22 LR bullet to verify your blocks are consistent from test to test. At a minimum, this ensures results remain consistent between tests. It may not be the FBI’s standard, but it will at least be a standard to judge your bullet’s terminal performance.

I try to conduct calibration shots from approximately 10 feet away. Ideally, I aim for the block’s corner to avoid damaging the center for the later test shot. The pellet should be at least an inch from the block’s edge.

Taking the Shot

Most pistol cartridges require at least 20 inches of gelatin blocks to stop the round. Rifle rounds require at least 30 inches to stop the round. I haven’t tested any cartridges above .308 Winchester, so penetration may exceed this depth with higher caliber, magnum rounds, and non-expanding cartridges. Overall, block dimensions — width and height — must be greater, with larger caliber rounds. What worked for 9mm won’t necessarily work for a .300 Winchester Magnum.

When firing at the gelatin block, maintain several feet of standoff between the block and the tested firearm. If too close, the rifle or pistol ejects the muzzle blast into the block, affecting your results. Maintaining a standard distance of 10 to 20 feet produces consistent results while balancing the damage from a misplaced shot. If you remain consistent with your testing and take a little extra time with each step, the results will impress, fascinate, and amaze just about anyone.

After the Shot

The ballistic gelatin blocks I produce are good for one, maybe two, well-placed shots, depending on caliber. Luckily, ballistic gelatin is reusable. I strongly recommend removing any pieces of the projectile, including the calibration shot, as soon as possible. Gelatin corrodes metal quickly, degrading and discoloring the surrounding gelatin. Remove and discard any surrounding corroded ballistic gelatin as soon as possible before beginning the process of recycling the block.

After shooting the gelatin, you can melt it down in a slow cooker or roaster as you did after blooming the gelatin when initially making the block. The gelatin returns to its liquid form slowly. If you’re impatient, you can tear down the block into small chunks to speed up the melting process. DO NOT allow temperatures to exceed 175°F; this degrades the gelatin’s quality. Before pouring into the mold, strain the gelatin through a fine strainer and/or cheesecloth. Cheesecloth is reusable with a good rinse and does a great job of capturing fine particles and debris if folded over several times.

Ballistic gelatin is somewhat time-consuming, but it’s a fantastic medium for understanding a projectile’s terminal ballistics. If you’re patient, the results provide quite an education. Furthermore, they’re bound to raise more questions and curiosity about how bullets behave. At a minimum, you’ve personally witnessed how your defensive or hunting cartridge performs in a calibrated tissue analog. Have fun, be patient, and enjoy the process!

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