FORENSIC 6

Layson, Katleen Ann A.

BSCRIM 4A
EXERCISE # 10
AMMUNITIONS

OBJECTIVES: To sort ammunitions according to caliber, type, description and according to

firearm from which they are used.

KEYWORDS: Cartridge, ammunition, charta, cartouche, cartridge case, shotshell and metallics

MATERIALS: different types of cartridges

Activity 1

A. Label the four basic parts of the cartridge.

1. Bullet
2. Gunpowder
3. Cartridge case
4. Primer
 B. Classification of Cartridges

Provide a model for the following classes of cartridges.

1. According to the type of firearms used:

a. Revolver Cartridges

b. Pistol Cartridges
c. Rifle Cartridges

d. Shotgun Cartridges
2. According to location of primers

a. Pin-fire

b. Rim-fire
 c. Center-fire

Activity 3 Define or describe the following keywords:

1. Cartridge – This refers to the unit of ammunition that is made up of cartridge case,
gunpowder, primer, and a bullet.

2. Ammunition – This refers to the group of cartridges, and an unfired assembly of

cartridge case, gunpowder, primer, and projectile that is used in firearms.

3. Charta – This is a Latin word that means “paper” which derived to the word cartridge.

4. Cartouche –This is a French word that means “a roll of paper” in which indicates that
the original cartridges were not the brass gliding metal tipped units.

5. Cartridge case –The tubular metallic container for gunpowder, and it is also called as
shell or casting.
 6. Shotshell – This refers to the cartridges for shotguns that have a metal base and paper
or plastic sidewalls.

7. Metallics – This refers to all pistol and rifle cartridges that have primers in the center of
base.

EXERCISE # 11
BULLETS

OBJECTIVE: To appreciate the different types and kinds of bullets and their significance in
Forensic Ballistics.

Keywords: boullete, slug, bullet, lead bullet, jacketed, incendiary, tracer, armor piercing, ball,
fragmentation, ogive, meplat and bearing surface

MATERIALS: Cartridges and bullets

Activity 1 Bullet Nomenclature (Label the parts)

Activity 2

The following are familiar types of bullets according to mechanical construction, shape and
usage. Provide cut-out pictures for each type of bullet and place them on the box provided. Also
complete the following abbreviation identifying each bullet.
KINDS OF BULLETS

TMJ JHP FMJ SP JSP

Total metal Jacketed hollow Full metal Soft Point Jacketed soft
jacketed point jacket point

HBWC HP TCS L-SWC L-RN

Hollow Base Wad Hollow Point Truncated Lead Semi Lead Round
cutter cone Wad cutter Nose

Activity 3 Define or describe the following keywords:

1. Boullete – It is a French word which means “a small ball” where the word bullet
originated to.

2. Slug – It is a colloquial term for bullet in police parlance.

3. Bullet – This refers to the metallic or non-metallic body usually referred to as projectile
that is completely dependent upon an outside force for its power.
4. Lead Bullet – Those bullets that are made of lead or alloy of these metals such as lead,
tin and antimony.

5. Jacketed Bullet – Those bullets with a core of lead alloy covered jacket of harder metal
such as guiding metal and copper zinc.
 6. Incendiary Bullet – This contains a mixture such as phosphorus or other materials,
which can be set on fire by impact. They are used against target that will burn readily
such as aircraft.

7. Tracer Bullet – This contains compounds similar to barium nitrates which are set on fire
when the bullet is projected. The flash of this smoke from this burning permits the flight
of the bullet to be seen.

8. Armor Piercing Bullet – This has hardened steel cores and are fired against vehicles,
weapons, and armored targets in general.

9. Ball Bullet – These have soft cores and are used against personnel.

10. Explosive Bullet – This contains a high charge of high explosive and because of their
small size it is difficult to make a fuse that will work reliably in small arms ammunition.
The use of high explosive bullets is usually limited to 20mm and above.

11. Ogive – The curved portion of the bullet that is symmetrical and forms the head of the
projectile of ogival shape.

12. Meplat - It refers to the flat or open tip on the nose of a bullet. Understanding the meplat
shape helps to determine how the bullet moves through the air.

13. Bearing Surface – This refers to the part of the bullet which comes into contact with the
rifling of the barrel to give the bullet the necessary spin to stabilize it.

EXERCISE # 12
CARTRIDGE CASES

OBJECTIVES: To enumerate the purposes of a cartridge case; its functions and its
nomenclature.

Activity 1 Draw and label the parts of a “bottleneck type” cartridge case.
Activity 2 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What are the three-fold purposes of a cartridge case?

The three-fold purposes of a cartridge case are:

 It holds the bullet, gunpowder, and primer assembled in one unit.

 It serves as a waterproof container for the gunpowder.
 It prevents the escape of the gases to the rear as the sidewalls of the cartridge case are
forced against the walls of the chamber by the pressure, also serves as a gas seal at the
breech end of the barrel.

EXERCISE # 13
PRIMERS

OBJECTIVES: To identify the parts of the primer and recognize its purpose.

Keywords: primer, primer cup, priming mixture, anvil, disc, boxer and berdan

Activity 1

Supply the boxes below with the corresponding parts of the primer.

Primer cup Anvil Disc Priming mixture

Activity 2 Define or describe the following keywords:

1. Primers – It is an assembly which ignites the propellant.

2. Primer cup – It is the soft guiding metal which serves as the container of priming mixture,
paper disc and anvil.
3. Priming mixture – This contains a small amount of explosive mixture which is sufficiently
sensitive to result of chemical reaction being set up by the caused by a sudden blow.

4. Anvil – It is made of spring tempered brass place inside the primer and it is on this side or
point which the priming mixture is crushed.

5. Disc – This is made of thin shellacked paper disc that protects the priming mixture that will
cause its disintegration. Its two-fold purposes such as help hold the priming mixture in place and
exclude moisture.

Activity 3 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What are the two priming systems used in ammunitions?

The two priming systems used in ammunitions are the Boxer type or the American type
that was invented by Col. Edward Munier Boxer. This priming system may be identified
that the anvil is a separate piece of metal in the primer and contains only one flash hole and
this is the center of the primer cup, and it can be reloaded. On the other hand, Berdan type
or the European type that was invented by Col. Hiram Berdan, it is the opposite of the
Boxer type wherein the anvil is part of the cartridge case, it has two or three flash holes that
are not centered in the case’s base, and it is not generally reloaded.

2. Who is Col. Edward Boxer?

Col. Edward Boxer is the inventor of the Boxer type or American type priming system.

3. What was the contribution of Hiram Berdan in the development of primers?

The contribution of Hiram Berdan was inventing the Berdan Type or European type of
priming system.

4. What is the difference between the two priming system found in ammunitions?
Show the two differences by providing an image of the two primer systems.
 EXERCISE # 14
GUNPOWDER

OBJECTIVES: To give the significance of gunpowder in Forensic Ballistic Investigation.

Keywords: propellant, saltpeter, nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine, nitroguanidine

Activity 1 Show the shape or appearance of smokeless gunpowder.

Smokeless Gunpowder General Appearances

Disc Squares

Flakes Perforated Cylinders

 Pellets Strips

Activity 2 Define or describe the following keywords:

1. Propellant - These consist of nitrocellulose with other ingredients like modifiers and
stabilizers to control burn rate and other properties.

2. Saltpeter – It refers to the mineral form of potassium nitrate (KNO3), a compound. It may
also sometimes refer to: Sodium nitrate (NaNO3), a compound.

3. Nitrocellulose – It is also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton,
pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by
nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid.

4. Nitroglycerine – It is also known as nitroglycerine, trinitroglycerin, nitro, glyceryl trinitrate, or

1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by
nitrating glycerol with white fuming nitric acid under conditions appropriate to the formation of
the nitric acid ester.

5. Nitroguanidine – It refers to a colorless, crystalline solid that melts at 257 °C and

decomposes at 254 °C. This is an extremely insensitive but powerful high explosive. 
Activity 3 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is the composition of black powder?

The black powders are composed of 75% potassium nitrate, 10% sulfur, and 15% charcoal.

2. What is the composition of smokeless powder?

The smokeless powders are composed of mainly nitroglycerine, mixed with such centrallite,
Vaseline esters, inorganic salts and etc.

3. What are the differences between black powder and smokeless powder?

Black powder consists of irregular grains and have dull or shiny black surface, it produces
grayish smoke and considerable residue is left in the barrel, and it burns with reasonable great
rapidity when ignited. Meanwhile for Smokeless powder, it has gray, green to black in color and
grains are similar in size and shape to the single-based propellant, and it almost have a definite
shape such as small squares, discs, flakes, stripes, pellets, and perforated cylindrical grains.

4. What is the significance of the by-products of combustion in criminal cases involving

firearms?

Evidence relating to firearms can be utilized in relation to the main crime as well as in the
development of strong parallel criminal cases such as transnational firearms trafficking or
smuggling. However, a single piece of evidence can support both investigations. A ballistic
comparison, for example, can prove that a firearm was used in a murder case as well as other
crimes committed in another nation, which is already an indicative of the firearm’s routing.