Test firing cast bullets

[Reddot]

Here is an interesting experiment. How much cornstarch and water in a 5 gal bucket would you need to stop a 9mm shot from a Keltec Sub2000 going 1200 fps and not deform the bullet?

Cornstarch and water mixed in the right proportions makes silly putty. Mixing a lighter mixture might just work. Whatcha think? Will it work?

[454PB]

You are on the cutting edge!

Give it a try and let us all know how it works.

[buck1]

Someones been watching too much mythbusters!LOL

[44man]

Years ago we found a bank on the river full of the most beautiful blue clay. We packed off buckets of it and split it between us. I had to go to work but my friend could not wait so he mixed a bunch with water. The thing was, he made it WET instead of a putty.
He set it up in a bucket and proceeded to blast it with his .44 mag, IN HIS BASEMENT! :mrgreen:
I will leave it up to you to imagine what the ceiling, floor and walls looked like! :bigsmyl2:

[1Shirt]

As a potter who goes thru maybe 2 tons of clay a year, what 44Mans friend shot into was slip which is liquified clay. If you are going to try using clay as a testing medium, it needs to be relatively hard moist clay. The friend must have been single, had a big basement, lived in the country, or a combination of same. However, I have done dumb things as I was going thru the learning curve of blt testing as well. Can't be all bad if you don't get hurt, learn from the experiance, and can laugh at yourself.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[Shiloh]

Here is an interesting experiment. How much cornstarch and water in a 5 gal bucket would you need to stop a 9mm shot from a Keltec Sub2000 going 1200 fps and not deform the bullet?

Cornstarch and water mixed in the right proportions makes silly putty. Mixing a lighter mixture might just work. Whatcha think? Will it work?

The trick is going be finding the "Sweet Spot". That is, the consistency to not deform the boolit yet thick enough to absorb and disperse the energy without splattering all over the place. Take notes if you want to repeat this and as 454PB said, let us know.

Shiloh

[Reddot]

Are you telling me that a TV show stole my idea? I got rid of my TV a few years ago because I just found it boring. The result has been coming up with hair brained ideas such as this. I'm so glad that I have been warned before implementing this experiment because I was thinking about shooting down into that 5 gal bucket. What a sight I would be all covered with water and corn starch. At least I was thinking of doing this experiment outside. Truth be told, that was only because I don't have a basement.:oops:

So, since it is the beginning of winter I still have time to come up with a way to shoot into a 5 gal. bucket without ending up wearing the slurry. The first thought that comes to mind is to protect myself with a big plastic bag. I have a friend who would delight in photographing me making a fool of myself, that is if he could control his hysterical laughter long enough.

[lunicy]

Mythbusters never shot into it. They made it thick enough to walk on. Their "ninja" episode.

I have shot into a phonebook in my shop (.22)

I live with a wife and kids. (But they weren't home and don't know about it)[smilie=1:

I am the boss of my house!!!! (Please don't tell them I said that) :-D:-D:-D

[leftiye]

IIRC mythbusters also considered their silly putty in their episode on stopping boolits, but didn't use it. If you just want to stop a bu/oolit use dirt. If you want to recover it without deforming it, use just enough bullseye to get it out of the barrel, and fire it into a bag of cloth (maybe hang up the bag). I see this ussue of mud, slurry, ballistic gel, cooked rice etc as most useful in testing for expansion. Anything liquid will experience shock waves when struck by a boolit. A bladder or bag (hopefully a tough one will be very useful in stopping your medium drom departing in all directions. As Bruce B experienced, these shock waves will destroy a wooden trough or box.

[dolang1]

Be careful shooting phone books in your garage.

Never shoot the same phone book more than a couple of times.
I back my phone books up with 10 gauge metal.
I shoot light loads, the factory 45s will ricochet
Always pick up your casings off of your wifes car.
Always warn your wife in advance of garage shooting.

Just a few lessons I have learned. Later Don

[Shiloh]

Be careful shooting phone books in your garage.

Never shoot the same phone book more than a couple of times.
I back my phone books up with 10 gauge metal.
I shoot light loads, the factory 45s will ricochet
Always pick up your casings off of your wifes car.
Always warn your wife in advance of garage shooting.

Just a few lessons I have learned. Later Don

We have something in common.

We lived in a neighborhood with old houses. My neighbor's house had a part of the basement with a partial foundation supports of granite blocks, with dirt right under the porch. We shot into a box of recycle phone books. set on the sloping bank with 1911's

His wife found some of the the shell casings we missed. Fortunately she gets over things quicky. She was less forgiving in than Murv forgot to put the dog out before we did this and she fouled the floor. That was the give-a-way.

Geez, That was 25+ years ago and you reminded me of it.

Shiloh

[yondering]

How much cornstarch and water in a 5 gal bucket would you need to stop a 9mm shot from a Keltec Sub2000 going 1200 fps and not deform the bullet?



Doesn't matter what mixture of cornstarch and water you use, you aren't going to stop a 9mm carbine bullet in a 5 gallon bucket without deforming it. A few years back I tested a bunch of brands of hollow point bullets in .45 and .40 (didn't waste my time with a 9mm :-D[smilie=1: but it shouldn't be too different). Part of the testing involved shooting into a 5 gallon bucket of wet newspaper. Many of the expanded bullets penetrated to the bottom of the bucket. Shot a few FMJ bullets too (wasn't casting yet at that time) and all of them penetrated through the bucket. To slow the bullet down without deforming it, you would need a lot more distance than a 5 gallon bucket.

[copdills]

Someones been watching too much mythbusters!LOL

I know thats RIGHT LOL

[Tom W.]

Pleeeze set up the video camera on a tripod....

[Hardcast416taylor]

Hey there 44man, long time no hear from. Your story about the clay reminded me of a friend, yes I do have a friend, and his tests. He had a new .45 mold for his T/C and was trying to make sp boolits with it. Well a couple rolling rocks later he decided to shoot some into a garbage can full of water. From a height of 3 ft above the can he fired a loaded sp round down into the can. He remarked the water spout was about 4 ft high. The resulting hydro action blew the bottom out of the can! He did recover the slug, nicely mushroomed, from the soil under the very dead can. He had to quickly hide the exploded can and replace it before the honey - bunch wife got home. Why do good ideas and television shows not mix? Hope Christmas was kind to you, my young friend - a belated Happy Birthday also. :D [smilie=1: Robert

[montana_charlie]

I got rid of my TV a few years ago because I just found it boring.
My wife and I just bought a new one as 'our' Christmas present...because we had already seen all the shows on the old one.
I think we're about ready for a new radio, too.
CM

[fecmech]

Reddot--If you get snow in your neck of the woods wait till it it's about a foot deep and shoot almost parallel to the ground. When the snow melts pick up the boolits off the ground. Depending on the density of the snow they will travel 10-20' but they will look just like when they left the barrel.

[bobk]

Here in the vicinity of Williamsport, PA, we have the Original 1000 Yard Benchrest Club, or used to. They had a range up in Bodines, PA (more my neck of the woods). There were several talented gunsmiths who were trying different things, 50 years ago. and the .50 BMG was tried for a while. One of these 'smiths was the father of a friend of mine. Anyway, his dad was doing something with a live round, and ADed it right into the cellar wall! Caused a little excitement in the family.

Later, everyone jumped on the 6.5X300 Weatherby. In 1970, I think, a local woman named Mary Louise Devito held the record. Now, things seem to have progressed quite a bit. But the guns don't look much like rifles anymore.

Bob K

[runfiverun]

don't do it charley i got a new radio and it still only got one a.m. and one f.m. station.
i thought they would have built another one by now.

[MT Gianni]

don't do it charley i got a new radio and it still only got one a.m. and one f.m. station.
i thought they would have built another one by now.

Do they still play the same programs on both? Gianni w/fond and notso fond memories of Soda.

[Echo]

That's why God invented satellite radio. I have a Sirius receiver that I move around with me, to the RV, or to the Reloading Laboratory, so I can hear some good music, sometimes. And there are 20+ radio stations in the environs I could listen to...

[georgeld]

since I cast, it don't matter whether the boolits are deformed or not.
happened to have a 2ft section of 9" steel pipe with 3/8" walls.
Welded a 1 1/2" thick disc into the base and a short leg on front, stuffed the front of it with foam rubber and shoot most anything I desire in the shop into it. I hit the side so it bounces against the bottom. Even 7mmags dont' damage anything, but, it's sure LOUD inside that shop!
So far, I haven't had any neighbors complain, but, I fire six and quit, then come back in an hour or two for a few more. and keep it before 10pm.

Sure am glad I've got that fine bullet trap, saved at least 200 miles driving to the range so far.

[odoh]

Guess I'm fortunate (?) to have a huge outcropping of granite boulders in the back yrd. Its a jumbled affair w/several locations offering a trap like inverted slanted surface to enhance safety.

I like to test out a load/handgun w/one shot to see how it prints and lazer boresight correction before going to the local range. In that there are plenty of ranches around, I do hold to my oneshot rule and do it after most are gone to city jobs.

Having recently acqiured a 475L FA 83, I waited until my wife was to depart for her morning constitutional at the seniors center in town. She instead decided to take a 3mile walk ~ I thot that'll still work out.

So, I set up my standing shooters sticks (one shot so have to make it count) at the corner of the garage where no one could see me and to protect me from anything untoward. I peeped around the corner and ripped off a shot. Put my stuff away etc and looking/feeling pretty innocent as the missus returned. She started in on me and she was shaking all over. Seems that she was 3/8mile away (crows flt) or 1/2mile by road and the sound hurt her ears, those nearby homes w/animals became vocal ~ everyone of'em. Our closest neighbor is always too busy to come over to visit now and can't help but think thet handcannon had affected our relationship. The missus had commented about his donkeys reaction to that one shot heard around the neighborhood. So now I'm a confirmed shooting range toad and no longer 'thet colorful neighbor'.