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Questions and Answers
What does ballistics refer to?
Who is known as the Father of Modern Ballistics?
Calvin H. Goddard
Alexander John Forsyth is known as the father of Percussion ignition.
True
______ is the metallic or non-metallic object propelled from the firearm by means of heated gas.
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Match the inventor with their invention:
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What type of firearm is required for the transport of airsoft rifles/pistols from the place of residence to any game or exhibition site?
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Which firearm type is designed to slide back and forth by grasping the forearm located under the barrel?
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Ball bullets have a soft lead core inside a jacket and are used against vehicles.
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A _ is a projectile propelled through the barrel of a firearm by means of an expansive force of gases.
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Match the cartridge case types with their descriptions:
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What are class characteristics?
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What are individual/accidental characteristics?
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The ___ is the distance advanced by the rifling in one complete turn or a distance traveled by the bullet in one complete turn.
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Slippage marks are caused by the rotating resistance of the bullet upon entering the rifling of the breech end.
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Match the following rifling types with their descriptions:
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What type of microscope is used to determine the similarity and dissimilarity between two fired bullets or fired cartridge cases?
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What discipline of forensic science concerns determining if a tool mark was produced by a particular tool?
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What type of tool mark is left by a tool scrapping over a surface softer than itself?
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Which equipment is used to determine the weight of bullets, shots, and pellets?
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A Tool Mark Identification can determine the source tool of an impression mark left on a window frame.
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Study Notes
Ballistics
- The study of ballistics covers the motion of projectiles and the conditions affecting such motion, from the time the gunpowder explodes to the time the projectile strikes the target.
- Derived from the Greek word "Ballo" or "Ballein", meaning to throw.
- Also derived from the early Roman War machine "Ballista", which hurled missiles or large objects.
History of Ballistics
- Calvin H. Goddard - considered the Father of Modern Ballistics, invented the Bullet Comparison Microscope.
- Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson - founded Smith and Wesson and pioneered the making of breech-loading rifles and revolvers.
- John M. Browning - known as the Wizard of Modern Firearms, pioneered the breech-loading single-shot rifle.
- David Carbine Williams - invented the carbine firearm.
- Alexander John Forsyth - known as the father of Percussion ignition.
- Samuel Colt - produced the first practical revolver.
- Sir Hiram Maxim - invented the machine gun (Maxim gun).
- Richard Gatling - invented the Gatling gun, a machine gun with six barrels capable of firing 200 rounds per minute.
Ballistic Fingerprinting
- The study of firearm, ammunition, and tool mark evidence to establish whether a certain firearm or tool was used in the commission of a crime.
Interior Ballistics
- The study of the motion of the projectile while still inside the gun barrel.
- Covers the time from loading the firearm to the explosion and the movement of the bullet towards the muzzle end of the gun.
- Subjects of study include:
- Firing pin striking the primer
- Ignition of the propellant mixture
- Combustion of gunpowder
- Expansion of heated gas in the chamber
- Pressure developed
- Energy generated
- Recoil of the gun
Exterior Ballistics
- The study of the motion and traits of projectiles after leaving the muzzle of the gun.
- Covers the trajectory, range, and other aspects of the bullet's flight.
- Subjects of study include:
- Muzzle blast
- Muzzle energy
- Trajectory
- Range
- Air resistance
- Pull of gravity
- Gyroscopic stability
- Penetration
Terminal Ballistics
- The study of the effect of the impact of the bullet on the target.
- Subjects of study include:
- Terminal accuracy
- Terminal energy
- Terminal velocity
- Terminal penetration
Forensic Ballistics
- The investigation and identification of firearms by means of ammunition fired from the submitted suspected firearms.
- Phases include:
- Field investigation
- Preparation for court trial### Bullet Types
- Dum-Dum Bullet: invented by British Ordinance force at Dum-Dum, India
- Primer: metal cup containing sensitive priming mixture of chemical compound
- Composition:
- Potassium Chlorate (45%)
- Antimony Sulfide (23%)
- Fulminate of Mercury (32%)
- Composition:
- Classification of Cartridges according to Rim:
- Rimmed Type: diameter of rim greater than diameter of body
- Semi-Rimmed Type: diameter of rim slightly greater than diameter of body
- Rimless Type: diameter of rim equal to body
- Rebated Type: diameter of rim smaller than body
- Belled Type: protruding metal around body near rim
Cartridge Case Types
- Pin-Fire Cartridge: pin extends radially through bead of cartridge case into primer
- Rim-Fire Cartridge: priming mixture in cavity formed in rim of cartridge case
- Center-Fire Cartridge: primer cup in middle portion of head of cartridge case
- Percussion: means of ignition of propellant by mechanical blow against primer or percussion cap
Gunshot Residue (GSR) Tests
- Paraffin-Diphenylamine Test: used to determine presence of GSR
- Sodium Rhodizonate Test: chemical test to determine presence of lead styphnate
- Walker Test: chemical test for presence of nitrates/nitrites in unburned or partially burned propellants
- Marshal and Tiwari Test: used to determine firearm distance and detect nitrates/nitrites
Marking of Fired Bullets
- Initials or date of recovery marked on bullet or cartridge case
- No 'X' mark should be used to avoid confusion
Class Characteristics vs Individual Characteristics
- Class Characteristics: factory specifications, within control of manufacturer (e.g. bore diameter, number of lands, number of grooves, width of lands, twist of rifling)
- Individual/Accidental Characteristics: peculiar marks or striations that do not appear in all other firearms
Rifling Methods
- Broach, Gang: tool with series of cutting edges to cut spiral grooves in barrel
- Broach, Single: non-adjustable rifling cutter that cuts all grooves simultaneously
- Button: hardened metal plug with rifled cross-section configuration, pushed or pulled through drilled and reamed barrel
- Hook: cutting tool that cuts one groove at a time
- Scrape: cutting tool that cuts two opposing grooves at a time
- Swage: internal mandrel with rifling configuration that forms rifling in barrel by external hammering
Principles of Identification of a Bullet
- No two barrels are microscopically identical
- Every barrel leaves its unique marks on every bullet fired through it
- The firearm leaves its "fingerprints" or "thumb mark" on every cartridge case it fires
Types of Problems
- Type 1: determine caliber and type of firearm from a bullet
- Type 2: determine caliber and type of firearm from a fired cartridge case
- Type 3: determine whether a bullet was fired from a suspected firearm
- Type 4: determine whether a cartridge case was fired from a suspected firearm
- Type 5: determine whether two or more bullets were fired from the same firearm
- Type 6: determine whether two or more cartridge cases were fired from the same firearm
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Description
Explore the fundamentals of firearms and ballistics, including the definition of ballistics, key figures in its development, and essential concepts related to firearms.
