Testing defense rounds, any suggestions?

[Goosebuster]

I have bought several different boxes of ammo and i plan in testing them this coming week. I don't plan on just shooting them into ballistics gel and making a decision based on how it performs in gelatin. Ive have ballistics gel, but i plan on adding pork ribs or bone to the front of it and and also clothing. I want to set up a test that will show how the bullet will perform in a real world scenario. I dont care how fast the bullet is traveling i just want to see how much penetration & expansion each bullet has. The ammo i will be using in 9mm is 115 gr. Corbon DPX, 65 gr. +p Novx , 124 gr. +p Speer Gold Dot, Winchester Ranger T series 147 gr., & 115 gr. Sig elite V crown.
Does anyone have any suggestions for what i shoot through or variables to add to the testing? What else can i do to make my test as realistic as possible?

I am going to test .40 cal ammo after the 9mm...... I am still waiting for the .40 cal ammo to get here and still trying to find some of it in stock.

 

[shootsacanon]

Please take lots of pics & video.

 

[Megawolf]

I have made decisions based on Paul Harvelll videos on shooting similated targets

 

[greg vess]

That will be cool to see the difference in the gel.

 

[fattboyzz]

Lots of answers can be had by watching tnoutdoors9 on YouTube

 

[Horsehat]

Pig carcasses seem to be the most common analog for human cadavers in trauma testing. Although bone density might be a bit different they are quite similar in their basic structural impediment to projectiles and should closely mirror the effect. Being bled out and and having organs and fluids removed they would perform differently than living animals, especially with some of the newer loading that employ fluid dynamics rather than hydrostatic shock to incapacitate the target. Much research has already been done in this area. Hope you share your results. I am particularly interested in the Novx rounds.

 

[sovietak474u]

Needs HST included .

 

[kuduman]

HST is the standard to compare against in 9mm, .40 and .45. Any of the weights and +P or regular...

I did a lot of this in the 90s, when it was just ignorant writers in gun mags doing uncontrolled "tests". But now? It's been done 12 ways from Sunday and the results are readily available (for now anyway!) on Youtube. Why not smoke the ribs and watch videos?

It is fun to recover bullets, but nowadays since most of the designs actually perform as advertised, it's a lot less interesting. I still have a box of the bullets from the 90s that would not expand-- Hydrashoks, Golden Sabers, Silvertips, Gold Dots, etc. All garbage prior to about 1996. Wouldn't expand in water, unobstructed, 5" barrel Beretta 92FS. Neither would much of anything from a 2" .38-- 110 gr. Nyclad and 158 gr. lead SWC "FBI load" being the exceptions, and they didn't expand very much. Things are so much better today. Oh-- what did I learn in 1994? Buy a .45. Today? Buy a nine.

If you just want nice pretty expanded bullets-- get a 55 gallon drum, fill it up with water, and shoot straight down into it. You and your gun(s) will get wet. It is unlikely that you will damage the barrel. Sink a towel or something to the bottom if you want to be sure. I did manage to cause a leak in the bottom of a rusty barrel one time. It was almost rusted through anyway, but one of my unexpanded HPs hit it hard enough to crack the rust. I mention that for completeness.

In any case, good luck and have fun! Do include HSTs though-- they really are the standard to compare against.

 

[MRH]

I have made decisions based on Paul Harvelll videos on shooting similated targets

Paul Harrell's testing videos have been a real eye opener for me. He is thorough, unbiased, creative, and intelligent. I recommend his videos.

 

[Goosebuster]

Paul Harrell is where ive got 90% of my testing ideas from, i think he has the best videos online. I will take a lot of pictures and try to record, but my video quality will be limited to an iPhone & iPad. Im doing these test where I can see how each bullet performs with my own eyes & no bias. Horsehat Thanks for the info, i will see if i can get a pig carcass, i would love to fill it up with ballistics gelatin & put a heart in the gel.

kuduman HST has crossed my mind, i know about the bullet but i have not seen any testing (other than just shooting a block of gelatin) that shows the bullet doing anything except over penetrating and not expanding. Basically every test ive seen with the HST & Hornady Critical Duty shows the bullet not expanding & seriously over penetrating. However, because HST is so popular i may grab a box and include it in my test. I am aware of the HST & critical duty's ability to go through glass & barriers but i don't see that being beneficial to anyone outside of law enforcement.
I really want this test to offer some insight on how each bullet will perform in a target that is as close as possible to a human body. I know there will always be variables & exceptions but i figure every defense load will have to encounter clothing, bone, & muscle regardless of the scenario. The one thing that weighs on my mind and has contributed to me not wanting to consider HST & Critical duty is over penetration without expansion. I picture a scenario where an attacker is between me & my wife or daughters and having to worry about a bullet blowing through and hurting one of them. Maybe thats an unreasonable fear but i cant shake the idea of it being a very real possibility. If the HST showed good expansion maybe i could test the poser it has after passing through the intended target, but i haven't seen good expansion with HST in anything other than gel..... and every bullet looks good in gel.

I really hope the Novx perform well, those bullets are so light it almost feels like you don't even have a mag in the gun. That would be a major plus for CC. The Corbon DPX are also much lighter than a JHP but the Novx are by far the lightest bullet ive ever held. Im skeptical about how well they will work but id be lying if i said i wasn't rooting for them.