hey guys,
i was sorting out files on my computer, and i found a couple pdf's about bullet ballistics / ballistic injury, etc. and i remembered that i wanted to test airgun pellets a while ago and never did.
so i started looking for improvised ballistics gel around my house. i ended up choosing teal light candles as their are the cheapest (5 bucks for 100 in ikea)
they are made up of parafin, a gamo sampler pack of .177 pellets had some info at the back, including penetration results when shot at parafin. this means that parafin is a good substance to test penetration on.
took about 10 candles, took the aluminum casing off and pulled the wick out. got an empty tuna can and melted the parafin the the tin/can. waited for it to dry, and prepared for my testing.
pellets used:
crosman copperhead domed 7.9gr
beeman gold hollow point 7.5gr
daisy pointed 7.2gr
gamo hunter (domed) 8.4gr
gamo magnum (pointed) 8.3gr
gamo match (wadcutter/flat) 7.6gr
gamo round (lead bb) 8.1gr
gun used:
marksman 2004 shooting consistantly at 415-420 with crosman domed. (didnt get a chance to check velocity of each of the above stated pellets)
predictions / opinions / notes:
- i like the double ring design and the extra sharp point and the lengh (longest out of all tested) on gamo magnums
- beeman hollowpoint have too small of a front / head (not enough for good expantion, if it will occur)
- crosman pellets are well made, consistant
- daisy pellets appear to be VERY dark, maybe the lead oxidised somehow. they also appear too light and too short (unlike gamo magnum which are long)
- gamo hunter do not have a nice and even front / head like crosman domed. gamo hunter's look like a wadcutter pellet rather than a domed one.
- gamo match pellets should make a big crater but have the lowest penetration.
- gamo round bb's should have the highest penetration but a narrow pathway and no crater)
testing results:
all shots were fired with an inch distance between guns muzzle and parafin
pellet - penetration test 1 - penetration test 2 - crater rating (III being highest) - deformation of pellet
crosman domed - 11mm - 11mm - III - none
beeman hollowpoint - 9mm - 10mm - I - none
daisy pointed - 10mm - 10mm - I - squished (1 mm shorter)
gamo hunter - 8mm - 8mm - III - squished (1.5mm shorter)
gamo magnum - 8mm - 9mm - III - double rings squished together (no visible expantion though)
gamo match - 10mm - 9mm - II - front caved in a bit
gamo round - 12mm - 11mm - I - none
opinion on findings:
- surprised that the hollowpoint had absolutely no deformation / expantion. i remember some website saying that after shooting a bird disection showed pellet being .41 of an inch. maybe parafin is bad for expantion testing, or 420fps is not enough.
- surprised that the double ring design on gamo magnum did not help expantion although it squished the pellet
- surprised that match pellets achieved high penetration
- round BB's did have a narrow pathway, and did achieve highest penetration (prediction came true, yay !) but i still think that the penetration difference is hit big enough
*** pellet pictures taken from Airgun Express
*** testing was done at room temperature, colder / warmer temperatures would affect testing dramatically
i will do more testing (including the muzzle velocity of all pellets) and shot other materials such as raw meat (well, i dont know about this one) or gel candles (read that it is a good substitute for ballistics gel) IF requested or i get bored any time soon.
hope this entertained / helped you in any way,
razpizdiay