Date: Tue Sep 28 01:02:47 1999
From: murphy@MYBLUEHEAVEN.COM (Phil Murphy)
Subject: Poor Man's Ord-Gel (was: "Keeping the Faith")
To: AZRKBA@asu.edu


>Not in my .44. I've put a bunch of Cor-Bon's old style JHPs through phone
books,
>milk jugs, tin cans, gas tanks, etc. (it's amazing some of the stuff you find
>lying around in the desert ...), but not the new ones ... yet.
>
>I've used Triton's Hi-Vel in .45 ACP, and their Quick Shoks in 9 mm. Same
sort of
>targets, throw in some drywall and wood for good measure. Never did the
ballistic
>gel thing, I figure that's what gun rags are for. The Quick Shoks break up
nicely
>when they hit pretty much any solid surface, while the Hi-Vels cruise
through same
>like the proverbial hot knife. Nice expansion, but I would guess they
would over
>penetrate in most any typical self-defense scenario. I'd definitely go
with the
>Quick Shoks for a carry pistol.

Actually, the Hi-Vel Tritons don't overpenetrate, especially when it comes
to their rounds loaded with Rainer Funnel Points, but that's not why I'm
writing... again.   ;-)

Your home tests (and I appreciate your detailed response, Dave) are the
usual battery of what we poor gun slobs (I had to write that so the lurkers
would have something to talk about at the office wailing wall tomorrow)
have been left with when doing home-brew and load experimenting.
Unfortunately, they're absolutely rife with inherent physical -- and I do
mean that in a "physics" sort of way -- limitations and cannot be relied
upon in any substantive, A/B comparison sort of way.

I do have an answer to the proverbial "And just where the hell am I going
to get and/or mix up some ten percent ballistic ordinance gelatin with
which to do my home testing?" question of the ages, but the answer, my
friends, ain't blowin' in the wind...

        That's because watermelons don't fly.

No, no, no...!!! I'm not talking about taking watermelons out and blowing
them apart with the latest wundar-ammo! I'm talking about *specifically
prepared* watermelons.

atermelons are the only readily available, "fluid-enriched cadavers" we
have at hand with which we non-government types can use to reasonably
simulate human subjects, but if they're not properly prepared, all you've
done is cheat some kid out of a fun picnic treat by blowing it into ant
fodder.

Since human beings aren't made of wet paper, and we rarely wear plastic
shells out for an evening of raping and pillaging, the old "phone book and
water jug" song and dance just doesn't cut it as a test medium. What *does*
work -- and has made many so-called experts uncomfortable because of the
penetration and crush cavity similarities -- is the lowly watermelon.

        Here's the recipe:

Get several LARGE (meaning in excess of a foot-and-a-half long)
watermelons, some duct tape and some of your old clothes -- tee shirts,
Levis, thick flannel, and one old, *thin* piece of leather.

Cut both ENDS (about a five inch cross-section in "front" and an entire
width's-worth off the "exit side") off of a watermelon. Make sure your end
product is at least 18" in length after this surgical procedure. Why?

        Remember? People don't have rinds.

Duct tape your leather over both ends (you can cheat and only do this over
the front if you're shy of old leather goods) of the melon so it's as tight
as it can be. And, yes, this is the melon's "skin" and needs to be held
tightly in place.

Now, "dress" your watermelon to suit the weather (that's why I suggest more
than one melon; one for "summer wear" and one for "winer wear") by taping
a piece of tee shirt, flannel shirt, Levi material -- whatever suits your
testing needs.

Place the watermelon on a tray or box at the "universal" three-meter (or
21') mark with the smaller "dressed" cross-section facing the firing line.
Mark the "zero degree" top of the melon with a Sharpie for a reference
point. You might want to put one of those self-adhesive target dots in the
center of the melon's "entry" side so you don't screw up your aim and 86
your ballistic masterpiece in a shower of red gunk!

        And remember: FIRMLY TAPE THE WATERMELON DOWN!

Take very careful aim AT THE EXACT LEVEL of the watermelon's perch so
you're not shooting down (or up) at it at an angle... this procedure took
too long to type, much less how long it takes to actually do in the field.

After your initial, "My... that was damned uneventful," reaction (the
melons often "leave" their original position), carefully inspect the
surface of the watermelon. Its entrance and exit "wounds" may be a tad more
obious on the exit side... especially when shooting Dave's .44 Magnum.
`8-)

Now, if the cracks and fishers don't tell an obvious enough story for the
observing group of testers (I've found people just love watching back yard
science in action -- I think they believe they've been a part of history),
CAREFULLY cut *completely through* the melon *lengthwise* starting at the
mark and GENTLY pry the two halves apart. Sometimes this works, sometimes
it doesn't... especially with MagSafes.

If it's not over a hundred degrees outside, thi silly-looking procedure
seems to work pretty well, but *do* carry some hand cleaner and a towel or
two. Sometimes you can actually see an ersatz crush-cavity a la ord gel --
sometimes it's just a bunch of melon margarita mix in the making. (NOTE:
Don't eat the watermelon afterwards... too much lead makes Jack a *very*
dull boy!)

If everything works right (and you're not shooting hardball?!?), you'll end
up with a spent round that's mushroomed about as good as it's going to get
after slicing through clothes and without hitting a bone.

Regardless of the sticky mess, you're going to know how far your choice of
defensive ammo really penetrates (or overpenetrates) and (maybe) what its
tolerance of clothing vs. expansion looks like without having to bother
your local mortuary for a "re-hydrated" cadaver upon which you Young
Frankensteins can test your latest ballistic theories.

Besides... It's kind of fun!     `8-)


For what it's worth,

Phil

PS: I really need to get some pics of this and get it into the gun press.


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             Pil Murphy
           Brassroots, Inc.
              PMB #246
         9420 E. Golf Links
     Tucson, AZ  85730-1340
      Phone: (520) 750-1292
        Fax: (520) 750-0716
    http://www.brassroots.org
     murphy@brassroots.org
  murphy@myblueheaven.com

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