S&W 38 Spl Water + Denim Test

El Chivato · August 10, 2007, 12:46 AM

Handgun: Rossi M68, 1-5/8" barrel
Ammo: S&W 158gr +P LSWCHP

A while back I did a bare water jug test on some old S&W "FBI load" rounds. I got back good penetration and good expansion.

Today I set out to see what would happen when it passed through four layers of denim before entering the water.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...sidesetup1.jpg
The usual setup, but with four layers of denim.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Frontview.jpg
A front view...

Here I've been including a movie of the shot. Unfortunately I was shooting by myself today and didn't have someone to run the camera.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...o/After1-1.jpg
This is the front jug after the shot. Not much disruption compared to the bare jug I shot before. Hmmm...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...o/After2-1.jpg
The second and third jugs seem relatively unaffected. When shooting without denim, the second jug showed quite a bit of disruption - about as much as the first jug in this test.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Stopped-1.jpg
As it turns out, the bullet did pass through all jugs, stopping in the fifth, making a small hole and creating a leak.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../FullSheet.jpg
Here is my revolver, a dime, the fired bullet and an unfired round for reference.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...omparison2.jpg
A closer look at the bullets. Notice the fired bullet is missing quite a bit of its nose. Upon closer inspection it looks as if it was chewed away by "something."

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...comparison.jpg
And another view.

When I went into this test I wasn't sure what the outcome would be. Modern bullets are designed to prove themselves against accepted testing protocol, but though this is an "old technology" round, I kind of expected a bit more to happen since water tends to cause cause the most bullet upset when compared to 10% gelatin and wetpack.

While I'd like to test further, perhaps against another manufacturer of the same style bullet, I don't feel too handicapped. First, this was a short barrel. Second, I have penetration, which is a good thing. Lastly, this bullet did a bit better against four layer denim covered jugs than a 125gr +P round that I tested did against bare water jugs. Though that round expanded a bit, it didn't penetrate well.

Josh <><

Kreyzhorse · August 10, 2007, 06:17 AM

Thanks for posting this. Interesting to see the effects and recovered round.

jakeswensonmt · August 12, 2007, 12:31 AM

Love the old PC chassis you're using to hold up your targets! What else are they good for....

August 10, 2007, 12:46 AM	#1
El Chivato Senior Member Join Date: November 5, 2000 Posts: 286	S&W 38 Spl Water + Denim Test Handgun: Rossi M68, 1-5/8" barrel Ammo: S&W 158gr +P LSWCHP A while back I did a bare water jug test on some old S&W "FBI load" rounds. I got back good penetration and good expansion. Today I set out to see what would happen when it passed through four layers of denim before entering the water. http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...sidesetup1.jpg The usual setup, but with four layers of denim. http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Frontview.jpg A front view... Here I've been including a movie of the shot. Unfortunately I was shooting by myself today and didn't have someone to run the camera. http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...o/After1-1.jpg This is the front jug after the shot. Not much disruption compared to the bare jug I shot before. Hmmm... http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...o/After2-1.jpg The second and third jugs seem relatively unaffected. When shooting without denim, the second jug showed quite a bit of disruption - about as much as the first jug in this test. http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../Stopped-1.jpg As it turns out, the bullet did pass through all jugs, stopping in the fifth, making a small hole and creating a leak. http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../FullSheet.jpg Here is my revolver, a dime, the fired bullet and an unfired round for reference. http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...omparison2.jpg A closer look at the bullets. Notice the fired bullet is missing quite a bit of its nose. Upon closer inspection it looks as if it was chewed away by "something." http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...comparison.jpg And another view. When I went into this test I wasn't sure what the outcome would be. Modern bullets are designed to prove themselves against accepted testing protocol, but though this is an "old technology" round, I kind of expected a bit more to happen since water tends to cause cause the most bullet upset when compared to 10% gelatin and wetpack. While I'd like to test further, perhaps against another manufacturer of the same style bullet, I don't feel too handicapped. First, this was a short barrel. Second, I have penetration, which is a good thing. Lastly, this bullet did a bit better against four layer denim covered jugs than a 125gr +P round that I tested did against bare water jugs. Though that round expanded a bit, it didn't penetrate well. Josh <><

August 10, 2007, 06:17 AM	#2
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 5,661	Thanks for posting this. Interesting to see the effects and recovered round. __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

August 12, 2007, 12:31 AM	#3
jakeswensonmt Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2006 Location: Western Montana Posts: 913	Love the old PC chassis you're using to hold up your targets! What else are they good for....