Gun Digest – August 2019

(^14) | GunDigest the magazine AUGUST 2019 gundigest.com
DEFENSIVE HANDGUNNING // RICHARD MANN
A
block of ordnance gela-
tin is not a “bad guy,”
but bad guys don’t show
up at test labs asking to
be shot.
Because of that inargu-
able fact, in the late 1980s, the FBI es-
tablished 10 percent ordnance gelatin
as its soft-tissue stimulant. Since then,
most bullet manufactures have ad-
opted 10 percent ordnance gelatin as a
test medium. This does not mean ord-
nance gelatin at any mix ratio. Ten or
20 percent exactly simulates human or
animal tissue. Nor does it mean it’s the
only media used by bullet manufactur-
ers. It is, however, the most common
terminal ballistics testing media.
Ordnance Gelatin Prep
Gelatin (type B) is obtained by the
partial hydrolysis of collagen derived
from the skin, white connective tissue
and bones of animals. Gelatin consists
approximately of 86 percent protein,
12 percent moisture and 2 percent ash
(“mineral salt”). Typical food-grade
gelatin will not provide the consisten-
cy required for ballistic testing. Ord-
nance gelatin provides a repeatable
medium for testing a bullet’s penetra-
tion, expansion and integrity, all of
which infl uence the bullet’s terminal
performance.
Most shooters mix the gelatin in
open molds placed in a refrigerator.
Gelatin doesn’t have an appealing
odor and, until it sets up, it can spill.
I found that an easy way to make ord-
nance gelatin is to use half-gallon card-
board milk or orange juice containers
with a screw-off top for a mold. (No,
this does not conform to FBI testing
standards, but because I don’t work for
the FBI, I don’t care. If you’re conduct-
ing your own terminal ballistics tests,
you shouldn’t care either.)
To contain the bullets from most
defensive handgun cartridges, you
will need three 4.66-pound blocks
Working With Ordnance Gelatin at Home
It’s not hard. It’s not easy. But it is quite involved.
percentordnancegelatinthatweighs
about 4.66pounds. This means that
for each block,you will need 0.
pound (7.45 ounces) of gelatin and
4.2pounds(4pounds,3.2ounces)of
formed in these half-gallon contain-
ers. If you place them end to end on a
fl at surface, you will have 24 inches of
gelatin to shoot into.
It’s generally rather easy to shoot
twice into one end of the three blocks
and twice into the other end. This
procedure allows you to test at least
four bullets with three gelatin blocks;
and the center gelatin block becomes
the catch block. As long as bullet
paths do not cross, your results should
be sound. Actually, tests have shown
that even when they do cross, results
vary by such a minimal amount that
it’s statistically irrelevant.
What You’ll Need
and How to Make It
Ten percent ordnance gelatin is called
“10 percent ordnance gelatin” be-
cause it is mixed at a 9-to-1 by weight
ratio with water. One of these half-gal-
lon containers will make a block of 10
These items and a stove top are all you need to mix ordnance gelatin. A drill with a stirring insert
helps with mixing, and some oil of cinnamon helps with the odor.
If there’s an industry standard when it comes to
a bullet-testing medium, it’s ordnance gelatin.
Most often, a 10 percent gelatin mixture is
used. Kits are available from Custom Collagen
(CustomCollagen.com).