Before you buy any gelatin, get an idea of the mold size you want to make or use. ( 16 oz per gallon, 20 ounces per 1.25 gallons, etc. 8oz of gelatin powder per 2 quarts of water. After a few test batches, the following mix rates seemed to work the best for me. ( which is supposed to simulate swine muscle tissue ). I looked at a few of them, and their outcomes, and decided to go with a modification of some of the most common instructions.įirst, you want to try to keep your water and gelatin mix at the correct ratio to mimic the 10% ballistic gelatin. If you look online, I have even seen 24-ounce packages.ĭepending on who's product you are using, or where you look on the internet, you will find a few different methods of preparing the gelatin. You can buy the powder in 8oz boxes ( inside separate packets ), or in 1 pound tubs. Preferably a large multi-gallon stock pot, a large mixing bowl, refrigerator space ( not freezer ) sufficient to hold your gelatin mix during preparation while in a bowl, and when in a form, cinnamon oil ( optional ), propionic acid 5ml per liter can be added to inhibit mold growth ( optional ), water measuring device, kitchen scale ( possibly optional ), cardboard or other form material, duct tape, a liner bag that is watertight for your mold, mold release spray, a food grade pot coating will work, cooking thermometer capable of reading in the 100-150' F range. A paint stir stick or plastic spoon to stir with. Both gelatin's calibrated approximately the same and I feel the food grade gelatin if you follow good procedures making it and testing it, will be a good medium for the average hobbyist wishing to test their ammunition without breaking the bank. I was skeptical at first but recently tried an A/B test with some of the commercial gelatin and food grade using a. ) With a little searching on the internet, you can find places online selling kits such as these.Īnother option is to use commercially available food grade gelatin.
( They also sold cardboard fold together molds and bag liners for the molds.
No manufacturer info, just some photocopied directions, and bags of powder. I have found bulk bagged ballistic gelatin kits sold at gun shows before. More exhaustive searches may turn up other products. Good stuff, and as expected, not super cheap. When shopping for ballistic gelatin, most internet searches point to VYSE or Custom Collagen. They seem to be rather expensive, and limited chances for re-use. but where are you going to get it?Ī brief look online shows some clear pre-formed synthetic ballistic blocks that you can buy. Just go to the range and shoot up a block of ballistic gelatin, right? Sure. So you want to see what might really go on with the self-defense ammo you have purchased, or how your hand loaded ammunition stands up head to head vs commercial products. Fun to shoot, not too difficult for the hobbyist to make, and if you follow the directions and calibration procedure closely, you can get fairly accurate test results.