.223 gel test: Fiocchi 55 gr PSP (soft point)

**AndrewWiggin** · 10-17-14, 12:08

Fiocchi 55 gr PSP fired from 16" and 11.5" AR pattern rifles into calibrated 10% gelatin. Both rifles are 1:9" twist rates and both had a Surefire FA556AR attached.

BB calibration: 596.1 fps, 3.7"

16" barrel results:

Impact velocity: 2,951 fps
Penetration: 12.3"
Retained weight: 28.0 gr
Max expansion: 0.493"
Min expansion: 0.315"

11.5" barrel results:

Impact velocity: 2,572 fps
Penetration: 11.6"
Retained weight: 36.1 gr
Max expansion: 0.483"
Min expansion: 0.382"

Using Hornady's online ballistic calculator and the BC for a Hornady 55 gr soft point (I can't find the BC for this bullet), the 11.5" numbers represent what you should see at about 100 yards from a 16" rifle.

**markm** · 10-17-14, 12:28

These are cool threads.... Where do you get your gel? Is it a pain to do? or expensive??

I've always just blasted water jugs for ease and cheap....

Can I give you some 77 SMK Markm262 handloads to do this with some time???

**AndrewWiggin** · 10-17-14, 13:02

This is where I bought my last batch

It is a bit of a pain to prepare and recover. I start by mixing approximately 1 cup of cold water per oz of gelatin. I'll add a few drops of cinnamon oil and a couple drops of bleach to the water before mixing to prevent mold and bacteria and a couple drops of Jet Dry to prevent foaming. Let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple hours to bloom. I then heat it in a double boiler (actually just a plastic bucket in a big stock pot) until melted and pour into plastic Sterlite tubs. It then goes in the fridge for a couple days to ensure the blocks are at 39°F all the way through to the center. On the test day, I transport them in a cooler to keep them as close to 39°F as possible and calibrate with a .177 BB at 590 fps +/- 15 fps. If the BB penetration is above 2.95" and below 3.74", the block is within range. I do the calibration and test as quickly as I can to ensure the blocks don't heat up too much, then they go back in the cooler. Once I get home, I cut them parallel to the shot to get good photos of the wound track, measure the wound track, measure and weigh the projectiles, then remelt the gelatin in the double boiler. I pour it through a coarse strainer (actually a grease spatter screen) and then a fine strainer (actually a mesh coffee filter) to remove denim fibers and bullet fragments, then I pour back into the molds and back into the fridge. After all is said and done, I put about 8 hours of work into each test.

I'd love to test it, but why not just come out with me next time if you live in the Phoenix area? I go almost every Friday, but I could go on Saturday if you can't make a Friday. I prefer Fridays because the range isn't packed with retards. If it's not convenient, then let me know and you can either send me the rounds or we can meet up.

**TiroFijo** · 10-17-14, 13:04

Andrew, is this 10% gelatin prepared according to FBI specs, or some sort of perma gel?

**AndrewWiggin** · 10-17-14, 13:08

It is 10% gelatin prepared as closely to the FBI specs as is feasible for an amateur like myself. My procedure is detailed above. It is calibrated by BB immediately before each test, in accordance with the FBI protocol. Strictly speaking, the FBI advises that gelatin should be discarded after one test but that would be prohibitively expensive. I believe that for informal testing like my own, it is sufficient that it passes BB calibration. It's also worth noting that when I've tested other, more widely documented loads, I get results that are consistent with what the professionals have produced.

**TiroFijo** · 10-17-14, 13:37

Thanks, Andrew!

Are all your tests like this, or sometimes you use some kind of perma gel for handgun ammo?

**AndrewWiggin** · 10-17-14, 13:50

Nope. I've never bought any of the clear gel. Each of my tests has been conducted with real gelatin and the BB calibration results are posted in the description section for the respective video. I did one test of a 12 ga wax slug with out of spec gelatin but I noted that in the title. I like watching the clear gel tests but I had suspected they showed inaccurate penetration results before brassfetcher posted the comparison video. That video clinched it and unless they are somehow able to produce a clear gel that is actually consistent with real gelatin across a wide range of velocity, I will never use it.