Perma-Gel bullet test!!!

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Doohan

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Good after noon all! I gotta say I just got done with a quick range session in the back yard and boy was it fun!!

This past Friday I made it home before my wife and found a box on the porch.... Well, I didn't order anything so I went to investigate. COOOL, it's from Cabelas.... It is the Perma-Gel kit.. woo hooo!! This Tuesday is my b-day and my wife was gonna surprise me.... ( she thought it would come in a more discreet box) Well, she did surprise me anyhow.

I tell ya, my wife is just the best !! :prayer:

Anywhoo, I prepped the stuff Friday/Saturday. I didn't do the best job but I got the clarity I needed. I have a few unwanted air bubbles but I'll do better next time..

This afternoon, I set up a target in the back yard in front of the dead tree I keep swearing I'll cut down some day... :roll: The bullets I want to try were the 250 Shockwave, 250 Bonded Shockwave & the 275 Parker Ballistic Extreme. My gun was already zero'd with the 250 Bonded SW's so I fired the other 2 bullets into a target at 52 yds...

The Parker was 1" high and the 250 SW was a tad lower and a bit left:

Perma-Gel009.jpg


Ok, I set up the Perma-Gel and get ready for some action!!

Perma-Gel011.jpg

Perma-Gel012.jpg


Gun: NULA .50 topped with a 3x10x42 Swaro A-Line (My best MZ ever! )

Perma-Gel007.jpg



The Bullets/Load: 275 Parker BE, 250 Bonded SW, 250 SW over 42gr 4759

Perma-Gel008.jpg


First up, the 250gr Bonded. My ULA just loves these things...
The bullet hits dead center of the Perma-Gel and mushrooms perfectly! Penetration is right at 21.5" The wound channel is very nice... the first 10.5" are very defined. The bullet comes to rest in the second block of media... In the first pic you can see the blue tip about 6-8" in then the bullet resting a few inches into the second block...

Here are a few photos of the 250 Bonded SW

Perma-Gel013.jpg

Perma-Gel016.jpg

Perma-Gel027.jpg


Next up is the standard 250gr SW. I have never hunted with these bullets mostly because of the mixed stories I have heard... But I have shot loads of them at the range... boy do they shoot good!

Well..... I was actually surprised at the results. The bullet was all but gone in the first 6"!! The yellow tip was there and a small pc of lead made it 12" and the bullet never reached the second block of media.

Here are a few pics of the 250 SW ( The darker wound channel in the background was from the 250 Bonded, the 250 SW's wound channel is clear and is angling down in the following photos )

Perma-Gel025.jpg

Perma-Gel020.jpg


In this photo you can see a small pc of lead to the left of the frame.. this is the farthest penetrating fragment from the 250 SW... 11.5" max. Most of the bullet stays within the first 6" of media.

Perma-Gel019.jpg


Next up is the 275 Parker Ballistic Extreme. I hunted the early MZ season in KY last year with these bullets and they performed very well. I expected the same results in the Perma-Gel...

After rotating the media 180 degrees, I shot a 275 Parker into some fresh media.. Upon inspecion, I was not able to find the bullet. I THOUGHT it had fragged. Penetration made it to the second block but I was not able to find the bullet. Confused, I fired another... The second bullet performed well and came to rest in the second block of media after 19.5" of penetration. I then dug the second bullet from the media and started cleaning up. I'm not sure what it is about these Parker's but the Hydro-static shock was amazing! Both shots seriously moved the blocks of gel and the second blew it off the table. The 250 bonded moved them a bit but the Parkers were just amazing on impact. Are these bullets designed to do this or did the extra 25 gr make THAT much difference??

As my little guy and I cleaned up after the shooting was over..... Alex saw the first Parker at the END of the second block of media. The Penetration was right at 32" !!


2nd Parker-19.5" Penetration

Perma-Gel040.jpg

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FOUND!! the first Parker after 32" of penetration!

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My 3 Parkers: 275 BE(back), Shot 2 (left) , Shot 1(right) The Hollowpoint got plugged on shot one.. Part of the plastic tip was still lodged in the bullet as it came to rest. I believe this is the reason for the 32" of penetration....

Perma-Gel063.jpg


250 Bonded SW / 275 Parker ( shot 2)

Perma-Gel054.jpg


Carnage: Here are a few pics of the post shot shock to the gel and table after the Parkers... No pics were taken after the SW shots because they were really not as noteworthy.. Also note the damage to the plywood and saw horses.. Damage to the wood and sawhorses happened after each shot...

Parker shot 1

Perma-Gel031.jpg


Parker shot 2, gel blown clear from the table..

Perma-Gel037.jpg


Carnage:

Perma-Gel051.jpg


Conclusion:

It should be noted that these are pretty much ONE OFF RESULTS. Further testing will continue. Only a limited amount of shots can be made per session... When the media is cleaned and ready, we will try again.

I had also planned on chronographing each load but my battery was DOA.. :cry:

250 Bonded SW

I was pleasantly surprised with the overall performance of the250 Bonded SW. Penetration and weight retainage was exceptional at 21.5" and 234.4gr respectively. I would not hesitate to recommed the Bonded SW for smokeless applications. I'll buy more!

250 SW

Well, should I really be surprised??? I have quite a few on hand and will test a few more... but this bullet does not look promising at smokeless speeds.. Groundhogs BEWARE!!


275 Parker Ballistic Exteme

I already liked the way this bullet shoots, it is VERY accurate in a variety of guns. This bullet just BLEW up the first block of media.. It was like a grenade hitting the stuff.... just amazing energy transfer. Penetration and weight retainage were acceptable as well...

Shot 1 : 32" penetration, 251.7 gr retained

Shot 2 : 19.5" penetration, 193.9 gr retained


Well, there ya go. Thanks for reading!!

J.J.
 
Great post, you wouldn't happen to have any Parker 250 BE's would you, would love to see how they compare to the Bonded SW.
 
Doohan: A nice write up and photos. I met his wife and family at a shoot some time ago. His wife is an excellent cook and everyone in the family are great people.
A nice backyard to shoot from and this Sunday was a fine day to be outdoors.
If you ever want to get practice shooting on a down hill range like you would out of a tree stand let me know and you can shoot at my range.
 
Well James as soon as they start making deer out of ballistic gelatin this test will really tell us something. :shock: :D
Nah really just funnin you, I know that you are aware the gelatin tests enable one to compare bullets in a controlled enviroment but dont always reflect what real world hunting performance is. But, you know what? Amazingly your results with the 250SW is quite inline with my actual results on deer with that same bullet at a MV of 2500 fps, which is of course why I no longer hunt with it. However that bullet will kill deer quite rapidly as long as the bullet makes it into the vitals. The 2 deer I shot with it both dropped quick, the first a 150 or so lb buck shot at 135 yds in the chest and a small yearling shot intentionally through the shoulder blade at 40yds to determine if the bullet will penetrate. It did but in both cases complete fragmentation was the result.
SW reported last year his son lost a nice buck shot in the shoulder with this bullet at fairly high velocity. Undoubtly proper penetration did not occur. Some folks like a bullet with this type of performance for deer due to the massive trauma inflicted, and in certain situations it might be just the ticket. But I am kinda old school and look for complete penetration in case I need to make a raking shot, like I did 2 years ago with the Barnes 300 grainer.
Anyway very cool test and looks like you had alot fo fun, that gelatin probably was more expensive then your usual pumpkins but at least you can reuse it.
Also your post was a great example on how to make an informative report. Details given in a logical order accompanied with enough pics to make it interesting. Very good job James!
 
Great report, looks like the lumber could get expensive :)

How long does it take to rework the Gel?

edge.
 
Hey JJ!
You're having my kind of fun now!

First up, the 250gr Bonded. My ULA just loves these things...
The bullet hits dead center of the Perma-Gel and mushrooms perfectly! Penetration is right at 21.5" The wound channel is very nice... the first 10.5" are very defined. The bullet comes to rest in the second block of media...

To be honest, I am surprised at how well this bullet did in the media. That's really about as good as a bullet can be expected to do. That's extremely good weight retention and if it shoots good for you, more power to you! 8) I'd use this bullet!


250 SW

Well, should I really be surprised??? I have quite a few on hand and will test a few more... but this bullet does not look promising at smokeless speeds.. Groundhogs BEWARE!!

I was EQUALLY surprised at how POORLY this bullet did! :x I can't see how anyone could look at this COMPARISON and say anthing other than this bullet performed poorly in this test. That's fragmentation folks. Pitiful, poor, awful, yucky, bullet performance. I've shoot more deer with this bullet than any other, but I've shot my last after seeing this. And is really SHOULDN'T have surprised me, I've never recovered a 250gr SST/SW intact from a deer. Usually only the jacket is recovered and sometimes a seperated jacket/core.


275 Parker Ballistic Exteme

I already liked the way this bullet shoots, it is VERY accurate in a variety of guns. This bullet just BLEW up the first block of media.. It was like a grenade hitting the stuff.... just amazing energy transfer. Penetration and weight retainage were acceptable as well...

Although this IS good performace, I thought the Parker 275 would do better. I thought the retained weight would be a little higher, at least as good as a Bonded Shockwave. Still the Parker made a good showing of itself and I'll continue to use it. To this date it is still one of THE most accurate muzzleloading bullets I've ever used.

Gun: NULA .50 topped with a 3x10x42 Swaro A-Line (My best MZ ever! )

...and I've betting it will REMAIN so for a long time!


I had also planned on chronographing each load but my battery was DOA..

My best guess...2200fps MV for the 275gr and 2300fps for the 250gr..

Way to go JJ and thanks for a sharing your shooting results. I KNOW how much time is involved in doing this right and you certainly did. :yeah:
 
you wouldn't happen to have any Parker 250 BE's would you

Yes, I do. I hope to try those next round. :!:

Doohan: A nice write up and photos. I met his wife and family at a shoot some time ago. His wife is an excellent cook and everyone in the family are great people.
A nice backyard to shoot from and this Sunday was a fine day to be outdoors.
If you ever want to get practice shooting on a down hill range like you would out of a tree stand let me know and you can shoot at my range.

Thanks for the kind words Jim! I may have to take you up on that one of these days. :lol:

Dwight, I am working on a Perma-Gel Glen-Del :mrgreen:



Edge,

The Perma-Gel sits in a roaster at about 250 F for about 6 hours to fully melt and let the bubbles rise to the top. At that time I will put the gel in the fridge for a several hours to chill then add a dab of water and pull the gel from the pans.. Once the gel is room temp, it is ready to shoot.

Turn around is about 16 hrs . Once shot I will insert the media into a pair of R-man's panty hose before it goes back into the roaster... :lol: This will catch all the bullet fragments.



Chuck,

I'm kind of on the fence when it comes to Bonded SW vs. Parker BE...

This test was at close range... If the target were say 200 yds out, I believe the Parker would be a better bullet. I still believe the Bonded SW is a VERY tough bullet. I would not be afraid to take the toughest raking shots with it. I was also glad to see the Parker stay together at close range. If you saw the gelatin explode off the table with the parkers while the bonded sw just moved it a bit... You may feel differently.

I have more confidence with both bullets now. It's great to have choices!
 
Very nice report JJ. 8)

I like my position after your testing. The Savage loaded with the 250grn bonded. And the NULA loaded with the parker. :)
 
Let me know when you need them JJ and I will get a fresh set of pantyhose mailed out, however you may find them in a wad, as I get them that way quite often. Also I am sure you will need more gel to fill the rear end then you have on hand. I really don't know why you just don't use your own as I am sure they all ready are full of holes in the back from all the hot gas released. :lol:
 
What an excellent post! This took time, money, and good procedures. This is the type of info people need to make informed choices and is certainly a service to all. Even those of us who like more explosive bullet performance can easily see where that is as well as the more time tested/ and some say proven classic performance that is well shown also. Parkers came thru as we all knew they would. Bonded SW did well for itself also.
 
I've hunted almost excusively with the 250 SST. Last year I saw a box of 250 bonded SW's and bought them to try. Used them on a nice whitetail buck. I'm was of the opinion that they hold together better than the SST and your test confirmed it. Now the 250 SST is a great deer killer and does it efficiently but I just like the preformance of the bonded SW better. Only problem I have is getting more. I check regularly and they have a shelf full of 300's but I want the 250. I'll just have to keep my eyes open.
 
Doohan,
Great Thread & Great Information!
Thanks very much for your time, efforts, and sharing with everyone here!
Looking forward to reading your next findings,
Ridge
 
Excellent post, looking forward to more tests. I have been enlightend,. I thought that stuff was only good for one shot. Didnt know it could be reworked.
 
Please test the following:
250 Parker BE
300 Barnes Original
350 Barnes-X
250 Barnes Spit-Fire TMZ
290 Barnes Spitfire TMZ
285 Barnes Spitfire MZ
250 Barnes Expander MZ
300 Barnes Expander MZ
200 Barnes XPB
275 Barnes XPB
250 Hornady XTP
300 Hornady XTP

Contact me via PM for powder types and grain weights.
It would be advantagous if you could do this all before ambient air temperature exceeds 72 Deg. Farhenheit.

Thanks :lol:
 
Venisoneatr: Even though Doohan is your friend I think you are asking alot of him, he will probably even have to supply the powder, bullets etc.
Doohan: When you get all those tests ran I do have a few or more I would like for you to test for me also. No hurry, at your convenience, as long as you could have them done by this Thursday. I am thanking you in advance.
 
WOW. JJ, great report :applause: :applause: :applause:
Did you think about testing same bullets at different ranges i.e. 10, 100, 200 yards?
 
VENISONEATR said:
Please test the following:
250 Parker BE
300 Barnes Original
350 Barnes-X
250 Barnes Spit-Fire TMZ
290 Barnes Spitfire TMZ
285 Barnes Spitfire MZ
250 Barnes Expander MZ
300 Barnes Expander MZ
200 Barnes XPB
275 Barnes XPB
250 Hornady XTP
300 Hornady XTP

Contact me via PM for powder types and grain weights.
It would be advantagous if you could do this all before ambient air temperature exceeds 72 Deg. Farhenheit.

Thanks :lol:
Also JJ, if time allows, please consider testing a 375 SSB
It is really sad...... I admit I have all those bullets! :roll:


... and Jimmy, Let me know when you will be available.... I need a competent Gel holder! :drinkers:
 
So many bullets, so little time. That has been a problem I have had over the years also.
 

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