Three parts. Part 1 is the history, Part 2 is the test, Part 3 is the analysis.
https://www.police1.com/police-products ... Hw79F9s0a/
https://www.police1.com/police-products ... SxRFxBwTL/
https://www.police1.com/police-products ... 93TAd5o6J/
There were two significant findings from this test.
First, none of the factory fresh, clear synthetic blocks passed FBI calibration, despite the fact that the included warranty cards indicated they would. Each of the four new blocks had warranty cards that indicated that calibration BBs had penetrated 3.5 inches in sister samples from the same lot, but when we tested the blocks, we recorded BB penetrations ranging between 4.625” and 4.875”. Due to the elastic nature of the material, the BB would penetrate, then spring back to a final resting place that was short of the overall penetration depth (the same happens in organic gelatin). The FBI measures the overall penetration depth, but even the shorter resting distance of our calibration BBs ranged between 4.0” and 4.125” in the clear blocks, which is beyond the FBI’s acceptable maximum overall penetration of 3.74”.
Second, our test of six different 9mm cartridges from five different manufacturers indicated that bullets tend to under expand and over-penetrate in the clear synthetic gelatin, compared to 10% calibrated gelatin. There was an insignificant difference in retained weight between the two test mediums, with the bullets fired into the clear synthetic losing the smallest fraction of their weight.
Now, we're well aware of the fact that aim is more important than ammunition. What's worth noting is that they aren't even comfortable with a simple conversion factor between gel types, like "subtract 6" of penetration" to compare clear gel results to FBI standards.Looking first at the bare gelatin results, on average, the sampled bullets penetrated 35.5% deeper into the clear synthetic product than they did in the organic, 10% calibrated gelatin, with a range between 34.4% (the 135+P Hornady Critical Duty) and 36.3% (the standard pressure, 124 grain Federal HST).
When we added the FBI heavy clothing layer in front, the bullets fired into the clear synthetic continued to penetrate deeper than they did in the organic gelatin, by a startling average of 48.1% for all the tested cartridges. The highest difference in penetration was 56.1% more in the clear synthetic than the organic (the standard pressure, 124 grain Federal HST), and the lowest difference was 38.2% more in the clear synthetic than the organic (the 135+P Hornady Critical Duty).
The percentages are fine, but to put things into better perspective, the 48.1% average increase in penetration for the six loads fired into the clear synthetic gelatin, covered in heavy clothing, represents a little more than 6” of extra penetration in the clear synthetic product, compared to the organic product.
There are other people testing with 10% gel - BrassFetcher comes to mind. It's a terrible website from a design perspective, but has some data and video.
https://www.brassfetcher.com/Handguns/Handguns.html