Ballistic Gelatin

[Mohawk]

For years I keep hearing how accurate it is simulating tissue. In my experience it really doesn't appear even close. I know it is only a "guideline" but it seems a little mis-leading. My last deer was killed with a bullet that in jello comes apart in 3 distinct pieces. Though on my deer it held together well and probably retained 80 percent of its weight. What are ya'lls experiences? Though deer are not humans it should not differ that much. In addition I was using a longer barrel which contadicts even more.

[LocnLod]

Properly prepared is the most accurate method of simulating human tissue so far.  It's tons better than newspaper dry or wet, milk jugs filled with water, mud, etc.  But it is still a simulation b/c there are the ho-hum legal reasons you can't test on humans.

Deer are different than humans.  They have fur and their muscles have a different density. 

Out of curiosity which bullet were you using?  One of those Quik-Shock ones?  Did it expand at all?

[Mohawk]

Buffalo Bore .38 SWC HP (20C) load. I undestand the different variables of bare, clothed. ribs etc that effect it. But all things being equal I can't see anything very accurate. You can see my pics on the Handgun Hunting forum. Opening Day.38 spl deer.

[LocnLod]

Good kill.  Actually, that's exactly the way I would have expected the 158 LSWCHP to perform - and I'm a little surprised it made it all the way to the other side of the deer.  I have not read of that bullet fragmenting.
 

[Mohawk]

I was very pleased with the performance. If you look close at the front leg of the full body photo of the deer the bloody spot is where I cut the slug out from underneath the skin. I googled the load and added the word ballistics and found a really good site testing all kinds of ammo in jello. But the jello test of the load had it fragmenting into 3 large pieces?? Nothing like my event. It did lose some weight for sure but not that bad. I would definately recommend this load for defense if they want a good .38 load. But even with 00 buckshot I have been surprised. Jello shows must more penetration than I have experienced. At 6 yds less than 5 pellets of it exited a small deer's rib cage broadside. Being a ballistics junky I wish there was something a little more accurate. 

[S.S.]

it is probably a fairly good substitute for internal organs.
but not muscle and bone covered with clothing. We never used it
as a simulation of flesh though. Our purpose was to have the same exact
impact medium shot after shot in testing. 

[LocnLod]

Yeah, that's odd that it fragmented in that test.  Maybe the jello wasn't the correct mixture or something, or maybe the speed they were pushing it to was too fast for the all-lead bullet.  Or could have been a defect in the individual bullet.  That would seem like a good load for personal defense, I'm going to stick with the 135gr+P Speer which is far most cost effective so I can practice more with it.  Next choice would be a flavor of that 158 LSWCHP though. 

As S.S. says, with gel made the same time everytime, is the best way to get consistent results across the board. 

[coyotejoe]

Gelatin is used to test bullets because it is a uniform test media, thus your test and my test, if we use the same recipe will produce similar results. But animals are not uniform.  Lungs are mostly air. So the bullet encounters the initial resistance of hide, a thin layer of muscle, perhaps a rib bone, then mostly air until it reaches the other chest wall. Results in your jello and my jello may be the same but your deer and my deer may be very different.