A Treasure Trove of Handgun Ballistic Data

The Lucky Gunner Labs team just wrapped up a massive experiment that makes 117 handgun loads worth of data accessible to the shooting public at large.

In detail, the project tested various 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 ACP and 380 ACP hollow point rounds into fresh Clear Ballistics gelatin and meticulously recorded the results. From there, the team published the data in a public repository that might be the most complete collection of user-friendly ballistic data around. Each round tested includes a number of high-resolution photos as well as high speed video so users can plainly see what happened when each load was fired into ballistic gelatin.

The test team collected data on five rounds into the gelatin for each handgun load included in the experiment. Fired through four barriers of denim before entering the synthetic gelatin block, experimenters found a number of rounds that did not meet the FBI’s 12 to 18-inch standard for penetration.

While not all shooters will be interested in holding their personal choice of ammunition true to the FBI standard, this data point should be a useful one for handgun shooters all over the country for years to come.

From here, Lucky Gunner intends to add several other calibers to the database and will continue to grow out each existing caliber as manufacturers add new lines of ammunition.