# Human Like Targets



## Itamar J (Aug 7, 2010)

well does anyone know any human like targets?
besides bolistics gelatine
well we all cant get our hands on it

i know shooting meat is a decent indicator of what a slingshot can do to you
and a coconut is a decent stand in for a skull (but its weaker than an actual skull)

oh wow 
well i didnt mean it like a phyco or some crazy dude
and i would never ever shoot at someone!!

i was just wondering
because ive seen on some tv shows they use super realistic targets
like gell covered skulls
and gell torsos that even have guts, lungs , and hearts(gross but pretty interesting)
but those look really expensive and messy
was wondering if there were cheapo alternatives


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## jmplsnt (Jan 1, 2010)

*I'm not even thinking about touching this one*


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## Itamar J (Aug 7, 2010)

jmplsnt said:


> *I'm not even thinking about touching this one*


haha


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

Testing on human-like targets would offer no practical advantage as I don't intend my slinghots to be shot at people. I wouldn't totally dismiss it though as it is relevant to safety (to develop slingshots that would humanely kill an animal but where a stray shot or a ricochet would be less likely to harm a person.) Plus, there is always the morbid fascination/ fantasy angle that has led to an entire genre of pirate/ zombie slaying knives on the knife forums.

My understanding is there is no difference between ballistics gelatin and regular cooking gelatin except that ballistics gelatin is labelled 'not fit for human consumption', comes in huge sacks and contains neither colouring nor flavourings. For the backyard scientist, all you need do is buy a bunch of 2lb packs of unflavoured gelatin powder and mix it up at 11% weight-for-weight with water and let it set. Avoid expensive sheet gelatin unless you have a huge trust fund or a bottomless research grant.


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## dgui (Jan 12, 2010)

In the area where I reside the one of the neighboring towns has like a police type weapons and gear store that sells bad guy full sized like cardboard stand up targets but thats about all I have seen. I do mail order ammo from a place called Cheaper Than Dirt I get Home Defence Shot Gun Shells from them. They do have lots of different targets there. Jorge seems to be our resident expert on gel type stuff to mimick what could double as a human like target. I would think you would tear up a load of gelatin real quick though, might be too costly to experiment with that. You can find some interesting targets. I do nearly daily. Just today I came across some new beer bottles in a canal that runs at the side of the super market where I shop for me and the krew and I might add we are certainly a motly krew. Anyways before I go into the store and shop I always check the canal for some new targets and somehow there are plenty new beer bottles from which I can choose from since the liquor store is some 100 or so feet from it. I do love the soud of cans and bottles popping and cracking. So go out and have some fun.


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## harpersgrace (Jan 28, 2010)

There are no cheap alternatives, the best is still balistic gelatin/ reg gelatin or a pig carcass. Anything more human looking than that...well lets just say the last thing the sport/hobby needs is for a bunch of videos to pop up on Youtube showing human like targets being shot up by slingshots.


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## USASlingshot (Feb 25, 2010)

I would say buy a big slab of meat


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## JoergS (Dec 17, 2009)

I think that gelatin tests are almost useless. A slingshot ball will easily shoot through a hole bunch of it, will penetrate deeper than some firearms due to the low speed and heavy ammo.

But when I shot at a pigs cheek, I could not even shoot through 4 inches of skin, meat and fat. The thick skin absorbed much of the power. A hit would have been very painful for the animal, but not lethal. Human skin is thinner, though.

Conclusion: A slingshot hit is dangerous as heck. It would inflict pain, penetrate skin and flesh and may even break bones. It may be fatal if you hit the head.

Beware! Never ever shoot against a person.

Jörg


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## bunnybuster (Dec 26, 2009)

JoergS said:


> I think that gelatin tests are almost useless. A slingshot ball will easily shoot through a hole bunch of it, will penetrate deeper than some firearms due to the low speed and heavy ammo.
> 
> But when I shot at a pigs cheek, I could not even shoot through 4 inches of skin, meat and fat. The thick skin absorbed much of the power. A hit would have been very painful for the animal, but not lethal. Human skin is thinner, though.
> 
> ...


 Pigs are tough animals.
I dont think it is possible to kill one with a slingshot. Hitting one in the cheek, would just make him mad.


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## Gandolphin (Jun 28, 2010)

I WON'T TOUCH THIS SUBJECT WITH A LASER


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

Think about the sport and what a post about human targets might cause! -- Tex


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## Sam (Jul 5, 2010)

Tex-Shooter said:


> Think about the sport and what a post about human targets might cause! -- Tex


My thoughts exactly, entertaining such fantasises is not healthy...


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## whipcrackdeadbunny (May 22, 2010)

Have a look at what happens when you shoot at a wooden block, it will show you how dangerous it can be.


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## Sam (Jul 5, 2010)

whipcrackdeadbunny said:


> Have a look at what happens when you shoot at a wooden block, it will show you how dangerous it can be.


I'd only recommend doing that using soft woods like pine, and shooting lead. Ricochets can be nasty, let alone expensive - Joerg can attest to that!


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## dgui (Jan 12, 2010)

I really like shooting cans and sometimes shooting cans with water in them can be very exhilarating.


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## BCLuxor (Aug 24, 2010)

I find children's play dough a good medium for skin like properties. A target i like to rig is an apple from my apple tree wrapped in a couple of Cm's of play dough.I then shoot from varying distances if the apple is damaged/bruised then its a kill shot (not on human scale though) i like to consider my play apples







as being wood pigeons. The thing with play dough is you can varie the thickness of the surface and wrap almost anything you like (heck I'd like to see Joerg shoot a skull wrapped in play dough in high speed). On a note if you realy want to take this to the extreme you can home brew your own play dough using non raising plain flour and water and again you can varie the consistency of the "skin" and then wrap what you like. My ultimate rig which i find shooting fun bits flying of and alike consists of one apple with the core removed inside there i stick a food zip bag with black current juice (call me sick) i then use cocktail sticks from the apple as legs and a neck and wrap the whole thing in a couple millimeters of play dough,then shape into a small ball for the head and a larger body with some podgy little legs. When you hit this with some 8mm/12mm balls you see how these slingshots can hurt.


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## bunnybuster (Dec 26, 2009)

Tex-Shooter said:


> Think about the sport and what a post about human targets might cause! -- Tex


Yes Bill,
Comments ,not agreeable to moderators...will be deleted.
So sad


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

Here's a video of a woman taking one straight to the face. The impact us at 0:25. There's slow-mo video too.






It's a hugely powerful slingshot using fixed posts. There's about 200 foot-pounds involved. It's a total red gory mess with sloppy bits splattered for yards in every direction. Not photoshop/ CG. It just goes to show you need to be careful.


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## USASlingshot (Feb 25, 2010)

That is horrible, but at the same time I can't help but laugh when it slaps back right into her face







Ik it's not nice but I got some humor out of it


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## JoergS (Dec 17, 2009)

Wow, that is scary, specifically because I was planning to do something comparable with shot put balls that weigh 7,5 kg... a hit in the face would kill me most likely.

Did you notice that the blonde tried to convince her to "finish" the tournament?


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

Ouch, I have seen this before, but never caught on film. This is one of the ways that I had mentioned that you could shoot yourself awhile back. The melon hung in the pouch! That is what can happen to a flip shooter if shooting a weight that is too heavy for his bands or is out of position (like shooting under a truck). I have seen this several times and they usually get hit in the rib cage. What happens is the shot is gets out of position with the forks and swing around before releasing. I think here it went low and swung around. It don't have to be off far for this to happen. Texas Charlie Anderson did this and left a black spot with a bloody center about 2 inches in diameter on his rib cage. -- Tex


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

JoergS said:


> Wow, that is scary, specifically because I was planning to do something comparable with shot put balls that weigh 7,5 kg... a hit in the face would kill me most likely.
> 
> Did you notice that the blonde tried to convince her to "finish" the tournament?


Yeah, I've seen it before with a basketball. If Bill's right and it happens with large items it could be a big risk. We wouldn't want to lose you.

I suspect the cupped pouch plays a part. My skinny pouches wouldn't be immune, but it'd be a lot less likely.


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## joseph_curwen (Feb 8, 2010)

Wow! I can't believe she was not knocked out!


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## Sam (Jul 5, 2010)

Wow, I can't believe she wasn't hurt more, also the rubber could have snapped and hit his face...


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## shot in the foot (Jan 3, 2010)

Good job it wasnt a shot put, or cannon ball, jeff


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## Sam (Jul 5, 2010)

shot in the foot said:


> Good job it wasnt a shot put, or cannon ball, jeff


Yeah!


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## danny (Aug 24, 2010)

do you know why?cz pouch design is not good. holding ammo looks like bag.


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

I think the video is also partial proof of something I've been saying for a very long time, and that is... Watermelons are NOT good simuloids for a human head, or any other part of the body... That woman got shot dead in the jaw and face and didn't suffer anything to major or even get knocked out.
Now imagine trying to base a ballistics or impact test on the ability to destroy a watermelon... we can see right there a watermelon isn't even NEAR as tough as a human head.


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## Sam (Jul 5, 2010)

Bill Hays said:


> I think the video is also partial proof of something I've been saying for a very long time, and that is... Watermelons are NOT good simuloids for a human head, or any other part of the body... That woman got shot dead in the jaw and face and didn't suffer anything to major or even get knocked out.
> Now imagine trying to base a ballistics or impact test on the ability to destroy a watermelon... we can see right there a watermelon isn't even NEAR as tough as a human head.


I don't think anyone even thought that mate, although I think if she had been shooting a coconut the results may have been very different...


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## NoSugarRob (Jun 3, 2010)

?


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## Itamar J (Aug 7, 2010)

ZDP-189 said:


> Here's a video of a woman taking one straight to the face. The impact us at 0:25. There's slow-mo video too.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


lucky she wasnt shooting coconuts or something heavier


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

harpersgrace said:


> There are no cheap alternatives, the best is still balistic gelatin/ reg gelatin or a pig carcass.


I beg to differ! A cardboard box filled with tightly stacked newspapers saturated with water simulates flesh quite well. It may not be translucent like gelatin but works well enough when gel is unobtainable. Bones can be added as well.

Wow, Tex, enough to make you think twice about flipshooting...never though of that.


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## Nico (Sep 10, 2010)

Itamar J said:


> well does anyone know any human like targets?
> besides bolistics gelatine
> well we all cant get our hands on it
> 
> ...


Ummmmmmmmmm..... Your not supposed to shoot humans, only rabbits and other animals that taste good on the grill or skillet


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## dragonmaster (Dec 24, 2009)

I always thought of my back stop as a human like target its life size made out of t-shirts.


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