Speer Gold Dot 180gr 40S&W Gel Test Results

plouffedaddy · February 19, 2013, 02:44 PM

Finished up the testing of the Speer Gold Dot 180gr 40 S&W (#53962) round. Here are the conditions and results.

Test conditions:
-Glock 35
-Test rounds fired from 10 feet
-"FBI spec" Clear Ballistics gel block
-4 layers of denim

Results:
-1036 FPS, 429 FT/LBS energy
-16'' of penetration
-Recovered weight: 180gr

Here's the video showing the test, the permanent cavity, and a discussion of the results:

Speer Gold Dot 180gr 40S&W Gel Test HD Video Link

9mm · February 20, 2013, 12:36 AM

Great video, could you test this with a Glock 27 and see how much difference from the barrels you get? Thanks!

plouffedaddy · February 20, 2013, 02:43 PM

Thanks. I'm eventually going to do some short barrel tests but I just wanted to get a baseline laid down first.

bt380 · February 20, 2013, 06:52 PM

I read that skin equates to aprox 4 inches of muscle. I don't recall the reference. So does that imply that 16" penetration of gel block is about 16" - 4" equivalence skin = 8" depth into a person? Or is the reason of 4 layers of denim is to equate clothing and the skin impact area? I am 5'10" @ 200 Lbs. I am 11" thick from chest to back. Assume no bones or cartilage was hit, does the 16" gel depth imply a pass thru of my 11" chest to back?

LockedBreech · February 20, 2013, 08:36 PM

Hey, neat, this is my nightstand load!

Thanks for testing it.

KyJim · February 22, 2013, 10:12 PM

Thanks for the review and thanks for including the chrono data. The Gold Dots sure look nice when they expand like that.

KO3422 · February 23, 2013, 12:39 AM

Great info, thank you for sharing. I'm glad I have a bunch of it.

M4Punisher · February 23, 2013, 02:49 PM

Excellent. I was considering some of these for my XDM. I think I will now.

plouffedaddy · February 24, 2013, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Excellent. I was considering some of these for my XDM. I think I will now.

Tough to go wrong with Gold Dots.

February 19, 2013, 02:44 PM	#1
plouffedaddy Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2011 Location: Carolina Posts: 2,960	Speer Gold Dot 180gr 40S&W Gel Test Results Finished up the testing of the Speer Gold Dot 180gr 40 S&W (#53962) round. Here are the conditions and results. Test conditions: -Glock 35 -Test rounds fired from 10 feet -"FBI spec" Clear Ballistics gel block -4 layers of denim Results: -1036 FPS, 429 FT/LBS energy -16'' of penetration -Recovered weight: 180gr Here's the video showing the test, the permanent cavity, and a discussion of the results: Speer Gold Dot 180gr 40S&W Gel Test HD Video Link __________________ Mrgunsngear's Youtube Channel Certified Glock Armorer

February 20, 2013, 12:36 AM	#2
9mm Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2011 Location: Land of the Free Posts: 2,648	Great video, could you test this with a Glock 27 and see how much difference from the barrels you get? Thanks! __________________ SHTF vs TEOTWAWKI you ask? SHTF, just some crap on the ceiling and walls, TEOTWAWKI end of the world as we know it. Orignally made by 9mm/®™©

February 20, 2013, 02:43 PM	#3
plouffedaddy Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2011 Location: Carolina Posts: 2,960	Thanks. I'm eventually going to do some short barrel tests but I just wanted to get a baseline laid down first. __________________ Mrgunsngear's Youtube Channel Certified Glock Armorer

February 20, 2013, 06:52 PM	#4
bt380 Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Posts: 72	I read that skin equates to aprox 4 inches of muscle. I don't recall the reference. So does that imply that 16" penetration of gel block is about 16" - 4" equivalence skin = 8" depth into a person? Or is the reason of 4 layers of denim is to equate clothing and the skin impact area? I am 5'10" @ 200 Lbs. I am 11" thick from chest to back. Assume no bones or cartilage was hit, does the 16" gel depth imply a pass thru of my 11" chest to back? Last edited by bt380; February 20, 2013 at 07:27 PM.

February 22, 2013, 10:12 PM	#6
KyJim Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2005 Location: The Bluegrass Posts: 6,518	Thanks for the review and thanks for including the chrono data. The Gold Dots sure look nice when they expand like that. __________________ Jim's Rules of Carry: 1. Any gun is better than no gun. 2. A gun that is reliable is better than a gun that is not. 3. A hole in the right place is better than a hole in the wrong place. 4. A bigger hole is a better hole.

February 20, 2013, 08:36 PM	#5
LockedBreech Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 2009 Location: Wyoming Posts: 2,308	Hey, neat, this is my nightstand load! Thanks for testing it. __________________ Beretta PX4 .40 - Colt 1968 Detective Special .38 Spc. - Ruger LCP .380 - Daniel Defense M4V1 Carbine 5.56 - Ruger 10/22 .22LR - Remington 870 Express Tactical 12GA

February 23, 2013, 12:39 AM	#7
KO3422 Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2011 Posts: 120	Great info, thank you for sharing. I'm glad I have a bunch of it.

February 23, 2013, 02:49 PM	#8
M4Punisher Junior Member Join Date: January 4, 2013 Location: Preston, Idaho Posts: 8	Excellent. I was considering some of these for my XDM. I think I will now.