You’ve heard the time period “This ain’t my first rodeo”, I’m positive. Effectively, I’m right here to let you know that, with gel blocks, this IS my first rodeo. I’ve, for many years, wished to shoot into them to check my handloads and forged bullet efficiency, however I actually couldn’t justify the expense.
Enter Clear Ballistics. They despatched me a block to strive, as a part of an association with them. I used to be actually grateful to get it… my first block ever, over proper at 50 years of capturing. So you may learn into that that I’m nonetheless studying about what to shoot, and the right way to shoot it, into the block.
The block they despatched was their 10% F.B.I. block. This 16”x6”x6” block has one benefit, in my view, over competing merchandise available on the market… It’s clear. (I do know, that’s what the corporate is named, CLEAR Ballistics, I get it), however it’s nonetheless good which you can see into it simply.
The Assessments
I like to hold a 2-inch Diamondback SDR .357 Magnum. (You possibly can learn my assessment of this revolver right here.) Since I acquired that gun, and since Black Hills Ammunition is supplying me with assessment ammo, I’ve usually questioned if their .38 Particular HoneyBadger load would provide sufficient penetration to make carrying it, as a substitute of the ouch-inducing .357 Magnum hundreds, a viable possibility. A gel block is the right place to verify penetration and wound channel traits.
So, I grabbed some HoneyBadger ammo and went to the block. I acquired again the required 10 ft and shot the .38 load. It penetrated 12 inches.
Right here’s a shot, minus the ruler that I moved. You possibly can see the place the bullet stopped and its monitor. I’ve discovered that HoneyBadger ammo tends to go straight by no matter it hits with zero variation, and wound channels have a tendency to not be overly enormous, however are constant.
Talking of that bullet, right here it’s:
No deformation in any respect… only a very sharp corkscrew that reduce by the gel.
OK. Now for the .357. I shot that block 3 times as a result of I hoped to catch a bullet, however that was to not be. All of them penetrated the block and departed for one more zip code. That taught me one thing… the HoneyBadger .357 load is ferocious, even out of a 2-inch barrel. You’d need to train a little bit of warning when capturing it, to be careful for over-penetration. It’s a very efficient load, to make certain.
The true enjoyable got here when my son unboxed his H&R Handi Rifle in .45-70…
We knew that the bullets from it will penetrate throughout the block, all proper, however we wished to observe the present as they did.
So, he shot two hundreds.
First, a HoneyBadger 325-grain, copper machined bullet, after which a 325-grain Hornady LeverEvolution FTX load.
Right here’s what we discovered, after we picked the block up off the bottom and his two small sons picked up the items of the shattered plastic stand I’d put the block on…
The HoneyBadger load traveled straight by, making a small to medium-sized wound channel all the best way. This may be the one to make use of on powerful critters, or should you solely have a frontal or rear shot at a deer – the penetration would get the job completed.
Right here’s the LeverEvolution end result:
We discovered the polymer tip from the bullet, however no different bullet items remained within the block. Each of the pictures knocked the block off the stand and desk. This wound channel is one thing actually spectacular.
Entrance holes and the purple poly tip of the bullet
Do You Want Ballistic Gel Blocks?
Solely you may reply that. However, should you’re a reloader particularly, or should you solely shoot manufacturing unit ammo however have all the time questioned about bullet efficiency, gel blocks may be informative. I had guessed at what bullets have been doing inside the sport I used to be looking for a long time… capturing into the bottom or a pile of sand doesn’t reduce it. And, regardless that gel blocks aren’t the true equal to a deer (or a nasty man), a minimum of you’ll get a reasonably good thought about terminal ballistics.
As soon as I might see the outcomes on this clear block, even when the bullets did depart for elements unknown, I used to be capable of perceive extra in regards to the hundreds. Like I mentioned above, you may tailor hundreds to particular sport or looking situations when you perceive what the bullet goes to do when it hits no matter it hits.
So, to reply the query I requested above, I might say a professional “sure”. Whenever you issue within the potential to re-use the blocks a number of instances, it turns into apparent that the price of the block retains dropping every time you utilize it.
Listed here are some hyperlinks that can present extra details about the merchandise talked about right here.
Clear Ballistics Gel Blocks
Hornady LeverEvolution Ammunition
Black Hills HoneyBadger Ammunition
MTM Case-Gard Excessive-Low Capturing Desk
