Don't let the subject throw you off, I'm talking about bullets here. I was just wondering what some of you use to test the expansion and penetration of different bullets. I have used jugs of water, wet newspaper and sand. Any other methods that are easy and cheap? Ballistics Gel is more than I want to get into but someday I will make some. Has anybody used the Bullet Test Tube?

i just use wet sand. Its free so and does good.

I just buy a few Black Angus hindquarters and use that. (I sometimes recover bullets from the damp sandy loam behind the 100 yard target on our range, but its got so many bullets in it now that its hard to find one that hasn't impacted other bullets.)

I used to try and recover lead from the trap. I finally decided it was not worth my time to pick it, clean it, remelt it, clean it, and then use it again. I just look for more lead. Although it is getting hard to find. When you find it you have to snap up on it.

Semisane was talking about using jello instead of ballistic jel but said the wiggle would make him dizzy. And no one wants to be dizzy and semisane..

i still have 4 1/2lbs of recovered powerbelt lead waiting to be melted down and made into .54 and 58cal round balls.
Damn 58 is going to eat up that supply in no time.

I just got another 40 to 50 lbs of lead roof jacks from my roofing buddy. Still have something like 30 lbs. left from hislast donation. Got to get the burner going and melt it down into ingots. The stuff is starting to back up. Ican't shoot it up fast enough. As ol` Martha Stewart would say "that's a good thing".

well if you need any help getting rid of 20lbs or so just let me know

I did try Jello Cayugad. It didn't work out well. Had a heck of a time trying to nail it to the target board.

I just shoot a few deer with it and see what happens...

I use a 5 gallon bucket of packed top soil mixed with sand. See here:

http://www.the-gleasons.com/bullets_penetration_tests_for_mu.htm

Chap