Pellet testing media

[Don.Chipmunk-slayer]

I know that many people use water, clay, wet newspaper and ballistic gel to test pellet expansion.

I was wondering though, if anyone has thought about using foam blocks (like couch cushion material) soaked with water as a test medium? It would have more resistance than plain water, and less than clay - I don't know how it would compare to ballistic gel though. It seems as though it would be similar to a small game animal in that the foam would have some elasticity to it (like skin and organs) and be a fairly decent media to try.

There is an upholstery shop close to my house that I could probably get some medium density foam blocks from them cheap (or even free if they are scrap pieces) soak them in a bucket of water with some old t-shirts at the bottom to catch any pass-through pellets. I figure 4" to 6" squares of foam could at least take a few hits each.

When I get my rifle and the pellets I want to test, I was planning on using clay and small thin-walled water bottles (about the size of a squirrel's torso) to test the pellets and I think the foam would be an interesting addition.

Thoughts?

 

[cea1960]

I tried those green foam blocks florists use to hold up flowers. They're designed to hold water, but even at 14" thick the pellet passed through. (30 fpe .22 @ 30 yds)

I have sheets of 4" memory foam and thought about using. Guess I could start with 20" thick and go from there.

 

[Don.Chipmunk-slayer]

I tried those green foam blocks florists use to hold up flowers. They're designed to hold water, but even at 14" thick the pellet passed through. (30 fpe .22 @ 30 yds)

I have sheets of 4" memory foam and thought about using. Guess I could start with 20" thick and go from there.

I'm going to be cutting an "X" into the tips of hollow point pellets because I did that in my 1377 and the pellets expanded massively in clay and small pest birds. My 392 is (at best) about am 18 FPE gun with 8 pumps and a 15.89 gr Barracuda Hunter Extreme pellet. "X" cutting the pellet makes it open into 4 "arms" with jagged edges that cut and snag material as it goes through, it also expands to almost twice its original size which uses a lot of energy to try and push through the target.

I'm supposed to be getting my rifle Tuesday and then I'll start ordering a few different hollow point pellets and test for accuracy before I go through the process of notching the pellets.

 

[Don.Chipmunk-slayer]

I know the green stuff you're talking about, it's very crumbly and not very resilient...it damages easily and doesn't "snap back" like tissue or ballistic gel does after being shot. Foam is more fibrous, like animal tissue so I'm thinking it just might be a plausible media.

 

[Spartan]

Personally, I don't think a proper analog exists that will reliably show how pellets will expand in the field. Only reliable method I know of is to recover as many pellets as you can from the game animals to observe how they performed relative to the animal itself, where the pellet struck it, and the range at which it was struck.

 

[Guest]

You could always buy a chicken and test your pellets on it.

 

[lenweber2]

I like starlings and ground squirrels. Only 10000 test subjects this year so far this year. Don't know how many more tests it will take this year. 

 

[cea1960]

You could always buy a chicken and test your pellets on it.

A meat market may have throw aways they will sell cheap or give you if explained what it will be used for. Being a meat market, I don't think you'd have problem with them being "anti hunting" 

 

[survivor45]

Every time I shoot a rat straight on through the head I always say to myself. 
“I’m going to cut that open and find that pellet”

Then I go and get it ..........and change my mind These were taken last Monday

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