Forensic Ballistics

CRIMINOLOGY BOARD EXAM REVIEWER

Forensic ballistics - is the science of analyzing firearms usage in crimes. It involves analysis of
bullets and bullets impact to determin information of use to a court or other part of legal system.
Separately from the ballistics information, firearm andtool mark examinations also involves analyzing
firearm, ammunition and tool mark evidence in order to established whether a certain firearm or tool
was used in the commission of crime.

Ballistics -(ballein "to throw") - is the science of mechanics that deals with the flight,
behavior and effects of projectiles especially bullet, gravity bombs, rockets or the like.

Ballistic missile - is a missile, only guided during the relative briefinitial

powered phase of flight whose course is subsequently governed by the
laws of classical mechanics.

Flight - is the process by which an object moves through an atmosphere by

generating aerodynamic lift, propulsive thrust, aerostatically using buoyancy or by ballistic
movement without any direct solid mechanical support from the ground.

Firearms identification - the identification of fired bullets, cartridge cases or

other ammunition components as having been fired from a specific firearm.

Rifling - is the process of making helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or

firearm which imparts a spin to a projectile around its long axis.
This spin stabilize the projectile, improving its stability and accuracy.

Projectile - is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force.

Trajectory - is the path that a moving object follows through space as a function of time.

Firearm - is a weapon that launches one or many projectiles at high velocity through
confined burning of a propellant.

Ballistic fingerprinting - involves analyzing firearm, ammunition and

tool mark evidence in order to establish whether a certain firearm or tool was used
in the commission of a crime.

Gun ballistic - is the work of projectile from the time of shooting to the time of impact with the target.

Four categories of gun ballistics;

1. Internal/interior ballistic - the study of the processes originally accelerating the projectile. example -

the passage of a bullet through the barrel of a rifle.

2. Transition/intermediate ballistic - the study of the projectiles behavior when it

leaves the barrel and the pressure behind the projectile is equalized.

3. External/exterior ballistic - the study of the passage of the projectile through

a medium, most commonly the earths atmosphere.

 4. Terminal ballistic - is the study of the interaction of a projectile with its target.

Colonel Calvin Hooker Goddard - father of forensic ballistic.

Some Factors to be Considered in designing a Firearm;

1. reliability of firing
2. accuracy of projectile
3. force of projectile
4. speed of firing

Characteristics of a Muzzle Loader Firearm;

1. powder and bullet loaded from top of the barrel
2. smooth bore with a round lead ball.
3. limited range and accuracy

Accuracy is Increased;
1. by longer bore or length of metal tube
2. putting spiral grooves in the bore (riffling)

Breech loading firearm - is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or

loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel.

Sir Hiram Maxim - an American inventor of the machine gun or the maxim gun.

Richard Gatling - inventor of the Gatling gun, a machine gun with a six barrel

capable of firing 200 rounds per minute at the earliest stages of development.

Gatling Gun - a hand driven, crank operated multi barrel machine gun.

note: velocities of bullets are increased with the use of a jacket of a metal such as

copper or copper alloys that covers a lead core and allow the bullet to glide down the

barrel more easily than exposed lead. Such bullets are less likely to fragment on impact and

are more likely to traverse through a target while imparting less energy.

Fouling - deposits of unburned powder residue in the bore of a gun.

What is the indispensable tool of the firearm examiner?comparison microscope.

Firearms Terminology;
1. Action - the part of the firearm that loads, fires,
and ejects a cartridge.Includes lever action,pump
action, bolt action,and semi-automatic.The first
three are found in weapons that fire a single shot.
Firearms that can shoot multiple rounds "repeaters"
include all these types of actions but only the semi-
automatic does not require manual operation
between rounds.A truly automatic action is found
on a machine gun.
2. Barrel - the metal tube through which the bullet
is fired.
3. Black Powder - the old form of gun powder
invented over a thousand years ago and consisting
 of nitrate,charcoal,and sulfur.
4. Bore - the inside of the barrel.
5. Breech - the end of the barrel attach to the action
6. Bullets - is a projectile propelled by firearm,sling,
airgun.They are shaped or composed differently for
a variety of purposes.

 round nose - the end of the bullet is blunted.

 hollow point - there is a central cavity in the bullet nose not

covered by a metal jacket that creates expansion when a target is struck, creating more damage.

 action 4 - hollow point projectile made of non fragmenting brass with radiopaque plastic tip.
 hydra-Shock - hollow point projectile with soft deformable anterior and hard posterior core.
 Jacketed - the soft lead is surrounded by another metal, usually copper, that allows

the bullet to penetrate a target more easily.

 wad-cutter - the front of the bullet is flattened.

 semi-wad-cutter - intermediate between round nose and wad-cutter.

7. Butt or Buttstock - the portion of the gun which

is held or shouldered.
8. Caliber - the diameter of the bore measured from
land to land , usually expressed in hundredths of an
inch (.22 cal) or in millimeters (9mm).
9. Cartridge - also called a round - packages the
bullet, propellant and primer into a single unit within
a containing metallic case that is precisely made to
fit within the firing chamber of a firearm.

Parts of a cartridge;
a. bullet
b. case/shell
c. powder
d. primer

10. Centerfire - the cartridge contains the primer in

the center of the base where it can be struck by
firing pin of the action.
11. Chamber - the portion of the action that holds
the cartridge ready for firing.
12. Choke - a constriction of a shotgun bore at the
muzzle that determines the pattern of the fired
shot.
13. Double Action - Pulling the trigger both cocks
the hammer and fires the gun.
14. Double Barrel - two barrels side by side or one
on top of the other usually on a shotgun.
15. Gauge - refers to the diameter of the barrel on a
shotgun in terms of the number of lead balls the
size of the bore it would take to weigh one pound
(10 gauge,12 gauge etc) "410" gauge really refer
to caliber,but it is worded as such to refer to a
shotgun.
16. Hammer - a metal rod or plate that typically
drives a firing pin to strike the cartridge primer to
detonate the powder.
17. Ignition - the way in which powder is ignited.Old
 muzzle loading weapons used flintlock or
percussion caps.Modern guns use primers that are
rimfire or centerfire.
18. Lands and Grooves - lands are the metal inside
the barrel left after the spiral grooves are cut to
produce the rifling.
19. Magazine - this is a device for storing cartridges
in a repeating firearm for loading into the chamber.
20. Magnum - for rifles and handguns, an improved
version of a standard cartridge which uses the
same caliber and bullets,but has more powder,
giving the fired bullet more energy.For shotgun
loads,magnum shells have more powder and may
have increased length with more shot pellets.
21. Muzzle - the end of the barrel out of which the
bullet comes.
22. Pistol - synonym for a handgun that does not
have a revolving cylinder.
23. Powder - modern gun cartridges use smokeless
powder that is relatively stable,of uniform quality,
and leaves little residue when ignited.For centuries
black powder was used and was quite volatile
(ignited at low temperature or shock),was
composed of irregularly sized grains,and left a
heavy residue after ignition,requiring frequent
cleaning of bore.
24. Primer - a volatile substance that ignites when
struck to detonate the powder in a cartridge.

 Rimfire cartridges - have primer inside the base.

 Centerfire cartridges - have primer in a hole in the middle of the base of the cartridge case.

25. Revolver - handgun that has a cylinder with

holes to contain the cartridges.The cylinder
revolves to bring the cartridge into position to be
fired.This is a single action when the hammer must
be cocked before the trigger can fire the weapon.
It is double action when pulling the trigger both
cock and fires the gun.
26. Riffling - the spiral grooves cut inside a gun
barrel that give the bullet a spinning motion.The
metal between the grooves is called a land.
27. Rimfire - the cartridge has the primer distributed
around the periphery of the base.
28. Safety - a mechanism of an action to prevent
firing of the gun.
29. Shotgun - a gun with a smooth bore that shoots
cartridges that contain "shot" or small metal pellets
of lead or steel as the projectiles.
30. Smoothbore weapons - have no riflings,
typically shotguns.Most handguns and rifles have
riflings.
31. Sights - the device on top of the barrel that allow
the gun to be aimed.
32. Silencer - a device that fits over the muzzle of
the barrel to muffle the sound of a gunshot.Most
work by baffling the escape of gases.
33. Single Action - the hammer must be manually
cocked before the trigger can be pulled to fire the
gun
34. Smokeless Powder - refers to modern gun
 powder which is not really powder but flakes or
nitrocellulose and other substances.Not really
smokeless but much less so than black powder.
35. Stock - a wood,metal,or plastic frame that holds
the barrel and action and allows the gun to be held
firmly.

Composition of Gunpowder;
1. Sulfur
2. Charcoal
3. Saltpeter (potassium nitrate)
- gun powder first appeared in china but used
primarily in firecrackers.

Different Firing Mechanisms of Firearm;

1. Matchlock - employed a burning wick on a spring
that was "locked" back and released into a pan of
powder upon pulling a trigger. The powder in the
pan then ignited, sending flame through a small
hole into the barrel chamber of the weapon,
igniting a larger powder charge in the chamber and
sending the projectile (bullet) forward.
2 Wheellock - in the early 16th century, improvement
included the wheellock mechanism in which a
spinning wheel against a metal plate showered
sparks into the pan holding the priming powder.
3. Flintlock - developed in the early 17th century,
flint is released by the trigger mechanism that
strikes a steel plate to shower sparks into the pan
filled with powder.
4. Percussion - evolved in the 19th century,
consisted of a hammer that was locked and when
released, struck a cap containing a volatile
"primer" that ignites on impact, sending a flame
through a small tube into the barrel chamber.

wheellock
percussion
 matchlock
- next, inventors combined the individual components
including the bullet, powder charge and primer all in
a single cartridge which could be introduced directly
into the chamber

FORENSIC BALLISTICS

CRIMINOLOGY BOARD EXAM REVIEWER

Definition Of Terms;

Acetone - The simplest ketone. A solvent for gun powder.A highly

flammable,water-soluble solvent.

Action - the action of the gun consists of all the moving parts that facilitate
the loading,firing,discharging of the empty case and unloading of the gun.

Action, revolver - a firearm,usually a handgun with a cylinder having several

chambers so arrange as to rotate around an axis and be discharge successively by
the same firing mechanism.

Action, semi-automatic - a repeating firearm requiring a separate pull of the

trigger for each shot fired and which uses the energy of discharge to perform a
portion of the operating or firing cycle (usually the loading portion).

Actuator - part of the firing mechanism in certain automatic firearmsthat slides

forward and back in preparing each cartridge to be fired.Also called trigger
actuator.

Ammunition - one or more loaded cartridges consisting of a primed

case,propellant and with one or more projectiles.

Anvil marks - microscopic marks impressed on the forward face of the rim of a
rimfire cartridge case as it is forced against the breech end of the barrel by the
firing pin.These marks are characteristic of the breech under the firing pin and
have been used to identify firearm.

AP - abbreviation for armor-piercing ammunition.

Apogee - the maximum altitude a projectile will reach when shot in the air.

Assault rifle - automatic weapon designed to be fired by one man.Ammunition is

fed from a magazine.

Automatic - a firearm capable of ejecting a cartridge casing following discharge

and reloading the next cartridge from the magazine.

Automatic action - a firearm design that feeds cartridges,fires, and

ejects cartridge cases as long as the trigger is fully depressed and there
are cartridges available in the feed system.

Auto-safety - a locking device on some firearms designed to return to the on or

safe position when the firearm is opened.

Azo dye - a result of the Griess test where nitrates from gunpowder residues are
converted to an orange-red dye.
Ball ammunition - military small arms ammunition with full metal jacket
bullets,also known as hard ball.

Ballistics - the study of a projectile in motion,following the projectile travel from

primer ignition to barrel exit,to target entry and until motion is stopped.

Ballistics,exterior - The study of the motion of the projectile after it leaves the
barrel of the firearm.

Ballistics,Interior - the study of the motion of the projectile within the firearm
from the moment of ignition until it leaves the barrel.

Ballistics,terminal - the study of the projectiles impact on the target.

Barium - alkaline earth metal with chemical symbol Ba,atomic number 56.Present
as barium nitrate in the primer.

Barium nitrate - a common oxidizer of the primer compound used in

gun cartridges.

Barrel - that part of a firearm through which a projectile travels under the
impetus of powder gases,compressed air, or other like means,may be rifled or
smooth.

BB - air rifle projectile of 0.177 in. diameter or a shotgun pellet of 0.18 in.
diameter.
BBB shot - shotgun pellet of 0.19 in. diameter.

Beretta - is an Italian firearms manufacturer.It is the oldest

activefirearms manufacturer in the world.

Beveling - (external or internal) defects that occur when a projectile passes

through a flat bone.The perforation in the bone is typically larger and more cone
shaped as the bullet passes from the entrance through the bone to the exit.

Bipod - is an attachment for a weapon that creates a steady plane for whatever it
may be attached.
A two-legged rest or stand as for rifle or machine gun.

Black powder - the earliest form of propellant.It is a mechanical mixture of

potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate,charcoal and sulfur.

Blasting cap - a small explosive charge triggered by lighting a safety fuse or

applying an electric current used to detonate high explosives.

Blunderbuss - is a muzzle-loading firearm with a short,large caliber barrel which

is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore and used with
shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity and/or caliber.

Bolt action - is a type of firearm action in which the weapons bolt is operated
manually by opening and closing of the breech (barrel) with a small handle most
commonly placed on the right hand side of the weapon for (right hand users).
A firearm in which the breech closure is in line with the bore at all
times.It is manually reciprocated to load,unload and cock and is locked in place by
breech-bolt lugs and engaging abutments usually in the receiver.

Bore - the interior of a barrel,forward of the chamber.

Bore brush - A brush usually having brass,nylon,or plastic bristles which is used
to clean deposits from the bore of a firearm.

Bore diameter - in a rifled barrel,it is the minor diameter of a barrel which is the
diameter of a circle formed by the tops of the lands.In a shotgun,it is the interior
dimensions of the barrel forward of the chamber but before the choke.

Brass - a slang term sometimes used for fired cartridge cases.

Breech - the part of the firearm at the rear of the bore into which the cartridge of
propellant is inserted.

Breech block - the locking and cartridge head-supporting mechanism of a

firearm that does not operate in line with the axis of the bore.

Breech blot - the locking and cartridge head-supporting mechanism of a firearm

that operates in line with the axis of the bore.

Breech face - that part of the breech block or breech bolt that is against the head
of the cartridge case or shot shell during firing.

Breech face markings - negative impression of the breech face of the firearm
found on the head of the cartridge case after firing.

Breech-loading weapon - is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted

or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel.

Broach - rifling tool consisting of a series of circular cutting tools mounted on a

long rod.The rifling is cut in on pass of the broach through the gun barrel.
Browning arms co. - is a maker of firearms founded in Utah in 1927.

Buckshot - lead pellet ranging in size from 0.20 in. to 0.36 in. diameter.

Bullet - is a projectile propelled by a firearm,sling,or air gun.

Bullet-bearing surface - that part of the outer surface of a bullet that comes
into direct contact with the interior surface of the barrel.

Bullet creep - the movement of a bullet out of the cartridge case due to the
recoil of the firearm and the inertia of the bullet.Also called bullet starting.Also
known as popping.

Bullet,frangible - a projectile designed to disintegrate upon impact on a hard

surface in order to minimize ricochet or spatter.

Bullet jacket - usually a metallic cover over the core.

Bullet,lead - a standard lead bullet having a harder metal jacket over the nose
formed from a lead alloy,also known as metal-point bullet.This non spherical
projectiles is for use in a rifled barrel.

Bullet recovery system - any method that will allow the undamaged recovery of
a fired bullet.Water tanks and cotton boxes are most commonly in use.

Bullet wipe - a dark ring-shaped mark made up of lead,carbon,oil and dirt

brushed from a bullet as it enters the skin and found around the entry wound.The
discolored area on the immediate periphery of a bullet hole,caused by bullet
lubricant,lead,smoke bore debris or possibly,jacket material.Sometimes called
burnishing or leaded edge.

Burr striations - a roughness or rough edge especially one left on metal in

casting or cutting.A tool or device that raises a burr.

Butt - in handguns,the buttom part of the grip frame.In long guns,it is the rear of
shoulder end of the stock.
Caliber - the approximate diameter of the circle formed by the tops of the lands of
a rifled barrel.

Cannelure - a circumferential groove generally of a knurled or plain appearance

in a bullet or the head of a rimless cartridge case.

Carbine - a rifle of short length and lightweight originally designed for mounted
troops.

Cartridge - is also called a round, packages the bullet,propellant (usually

smokeless powder or gun powder) and primer into a single unit within a containing
metallic case that is precisely made to fit within the firing chamber of the firearm.

Cartridge case head - the base of the cartridge case which contains the primer.

Cartridge,centerfire - any cartridge that has its primer central to the axis in the
head of the case.

Cartridge,rimfire - a flange-headed cartridge containing the priming mixture

inside the rim cavity.

Center of impact - the points of impact of the projectiles being dispersed about a
single point.
Chamber - the rear part of the barrel bore that has been formed to accept a
specific cartridge.Revolver cylinders are multi-chambered.

Chamber mark - individual microscopic marks placed upon a cartridge case by

the chamber wall as a result of any or all of the following 1. chambering 2.
expansion during firing 3. extraction.

Choke - (shotgun) the constriction of the barrel of a shotgun to reduce the spread
of shot as it leaves the gun to increase its effective range.

Clip - a separate cartridge container used to rapidly reload the magazine of a

firearm.Also called stripper.

Coefficient of form - a numerical term indicating the general profile of a

projectile.

Combination gun - a multiple-barreled firearm designed to handle different

sizes or types of ammunition.

Concentric fractures - patterns of cracks in glass pierced by a missile like a

bullet which runs between the radial fractures and which originate on the side of
the glass from which the impact came.

Copper-clad steel - a composite structure of copper and steel used for the
manufacture of certain bullet jackets.Metallic element with the chemical symbol
Cu and atomic number 29 that commonly comprises "cartridge brass" that is
typically 70% copper and 30% zinc (Zn)

Centerfire - is a cartridge with a primer located in the center of the cartridge

case head.Unlike rimfire cartridges,the primer is a separate and replaceable
component.

Chamber - is that portion of the barrel or firing cylinder in which the cartridge is
inserted prior to being fired.

Clay pigeon shooting - (clay target shooting) formally known as inanimate bird
shooting is the art of shooting at special flying targets known as clay pigeons or
clay targets with a shotgun or any type of firearm.

Cylinder - rotating chambered breech of a revolver. Damascus barrel - an

obsolete barrel-making process.The barrel is formed by twisting or braiding
together steel and iron wires or bars.The resulting cable is then wound around a
mandrel and forged into a barrel tube.This type of barrel is also called a laminated
barrel.

Decant - the process of pouring off the supernatant during separation from a
pellet after a mixture has been centrifuged or left to settle.

Derringer - the generic term applied to many variations of pocket size pistols
either percussion or cartridge made by manufacturers other that Henry Derringer
up to present time.

Discharge - to cause a firearm to fire.

Disconnector - a device to prevent a semi-automatic firearm from firing full

automatic.Some pump action shotguns also have disconnectors.

Distance determination - the process of determining the distance from the

firearm, usually the muzzle, to the target based upon pattern of gunpowder or
gunshot residues deposited upon that target.Where multiple projectiles such as
shot have been fired,the spread of those projectiles is also indicative of distance.
Double action - a gun action where the pulling of trigger to fire a round recocks
the gun so that the next round is ready to be fired.

Drawback effect - the presence of blood in the barrel of a firearm that has been
drawn awkward due to the effect created by discharged gasses.This is seen
frequently in close-range contact gunshot injuries.

Driving edge,fired bullet - the driving edge of a fired bullet with a right twist is
the left edge of the groove impression or the right edge of the land
impression.The driving edge of a fired bullet with left twist is the right edge of the
groove impression or the left edge of the hand impression.

Ejection - the act of expelling a cartridge or cartridge cases from a firearm.

Ejection pattern - the charting of where a particular firearm ejects fired

cartridge cases.

Ejector - a portion of a firearms mechanism that ejects or expels cartridges or

cartridge cases from a firearm.

Ejector marks - tool marks provided upon a cartridge or cartridge case on the
head,generally at or near the rim from contact with the ejector.

Extractor - a mechanism for withdrawing a cartridge or cartridge case from the

chamber of a firearm.

Extraction mark - tool mark produced upon a cartridge or cartridge case from
contact with the extractor.These are always found on or just ahead of the rim.

Firearm identification - a discipline of forensic science that has as its primarily

concern determining whether a bullet,cartridge case or other ammunition
component was fired by a particular firearm.

Firing pin - that part of a firearm mechanism that strikes the primer of a
cartridge to initiate ignition.Sometimes called hammer nose or striker.

Firing pin drag marks - the tool mark produced when a projecting firing pin
comes into contact with a cartridge case or shot-shell during the extraction and
ejection cycle.

Firing pin impression - the indentation in the primer of a centerfire cartridge

case or in the rim of a rimfire cartridge case caused when it struck by the firing
pin.

Flash hole - vent leading from the primer pocket to the body of the cartridge
case.

Fouling - the residual deposits remaining in the bore of a firearm after

firing.Fouling can change the character of the identifiable striations imparted to
the projectile from one shot to another.

Fragment - a piece of solid metal resulting from an exploding or exploded bomb

or a piece of projectile from a firearm.

Gauge - the interior diameter of the barrel of a shotgun expressed by the number
or spherical lead bullets fitting it that are required to make a pound.Thus a 12
gauge in the diameter of a round lead ball using 1/12 of a pound.

Gas cutting - an erosive effect in a firearm caused by the high velocity,high

temperature propellant gases.
 - The erosion that occurs from the hot gases on the bearing surface
and base of a fired bullet.

General rifling characteristics - the number,width and direction of twist of the

rifling grooves in a barrel of a given caliber firearm.

Granules - the individual particles of propellant powder.

Griess test - a chemical test for the detection of nitrates.It is used by firearms
examiners to develop patterns of gunpowder residues (nitrates) around bullet
holes.

Grips - a pair of pieces designed to fit the frame of a weapon providing a form fit
gripping,usually plastic or wood.

Groove diameter - the major diameter in a barrel that is the diameter of a circle
circumscribed by the bottom of the grooves in a rifled barrel.

Grooves - spiral cuts along the bore of a firearm that cause a projectile to spin as
it travels through the barrel providing stability in flight.

Gun cotton (nitrocellulose) - the principal ingredient of a single base and

double base gunpowders. Also known as cellulose hexanitrate.

Gunpowder - any various powder used in firearms as a propellant charge.

An explosive consisting of a powdered mixture of saltpeter,sulfur,and
charcoal.

Gunpowder patterns - the spatial distribution of gunpowder residues deposited

upon a surface.- the test firing of a firearm for a muzzle to target distance
determination.

Gunpowder residue - unburned gunpowder,partially burned gunpowder,and

smoke from completely burned gunpowder.Gunpowder residues are the largest
part of gunshot residues.

Gunshot residue - the total residues resulting from the discharge of a firearm.It
includes both gunpowder and primer residues plus metallic residues from
projectiles,fouling etc.

Gyroscopic stability - the ability of a fired bullet to remain stable in flight due to
its spin.
Firearm - an assembly of a barrel and action from which a projectile is propelled
by products of combustion.

Flash suppressor - also known as a flash guard,flash eliminator,flash hider, or

flash cone, is a device attached to the muzzle of a rifle or other gun that reduces
the chances that the shooter will be blinded in dark conditions.

Frame or stock - The frame is the basic structure of the gun to which the other
major parts are attached.The stock is for rifles and
shotguns.Handguns do not have a stock but rather what is called a grip.

Game - is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated.

Griess test - is a chemical analysis test which detects the presence of organic
nitrate compounds.

Half-cock - the position of the hammer of a firearm when about half retracted
and held by the sear so that it can not be operated by a normal pull of the trigger.
Hammer - a component part of the firing mechanism that gives impulse to the
firing pin or primer.

Handguard - a wooden,plastic,or metal type of forend/forearm that generally

encircles the forward portion of the barrel to protect the hands from heat when
firing.

Handgun - a firearm designed to be held and fired with one hand.

Head,(cartridge case head) - the base of the cartridge case that contains the
primer.

Headspace - the distance from the face of the closed breech of a firearm to the
surface in the chamber on which the cartridge case bears.

Headspace Gage - an instrument for measuring the distance from the breech
face of a firearm to the portion of the chamber against which the cartridge bears.

Headstamp - numeral,letters,and symbols or combinations thereof stamped into

the head of a cartridge case or shot-shell to identify the
manufacturer,caliber,gauge,or give additional information.

Heel - the part of a rifle or shotgun stock at the top of the butt end.
- The rear portion of the bullet or its base.

Hinge frame - any of a large array of pistols,revolvers,shotguns,and rifles whose

frames are hinge to facilitate loading and ejection.Generally the barrel pivots
downward.

Holster stock - a holster,usually made of wood that attaches to the rear of the
pistol grip of certain handguns and serves as a shoulder stock.

Hydrochloric acid - a chemical reagent used in the sodium rhodizonate test for
lead and other primer residues.

IBIS (integrated ballistics information system) - a database used for

acquiring,storing ,and analyzing images of bullets and cartridge casings. Jacket -
cylinder of steel covering and strengthening the breech end of a gun;the envelope
enclosing the lead core.

Kinetics - a dynamic process involving motion.

Lacquer - a sealant used by some ammunition manufacturers to seal the primer

and/or bullet in the cartridge case.It is used as a waterproofing agent.

Land - the raised portion between the grooves in a rifled bore.

Land and groove impressions (right and left turn) - the negative
impressions on the surface of a bullet caused by the rifling in the barrel from
which it was fired.

Lead - element with the chemical symbol (Pb) and atomic number 82.Used in the
fabrication of bullet and shot for its formability and lubrication properties.

Leading - The accumulation of lead in the bore of a firearm from the passage of
lead shot or bullets.Also called metal fouling.

Lever action - is a type of firearm action which uses a lever located around the
trigger guard area (often including the trigger guard itself) to load fresh cartridges
into the chamber of the barrel when the lever is worked.
Luger - a German semi-automatic pistol widely used in Europe as a military
sidearm,manufactured in various calibers most commonly 7.65 mm and 9 mm.

Machine gun - Bipod or tripod mounted or handheld automatic weapon whose

ammunition is fed from a magazine or a belt.

Magazine - is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a

repeating firearm.

Magazine clip - a container for cartridges that has a spring and follower to feed
the cartridges into the chamber of a firearm.

Mannlicher type bolt - a bolt-action rifle that was designed for the receiver
bridge;has a gap at the top to allow passage of the bolt handle.

Mercury bath - a process using mercury for the removal of lead residue from a
barrel.

Metal fouling - metallic bullet material left in the bore after firing.

Microscopic marks - striae or patterns on minute lines or grooves in an object.In

firearm and toolmark identification,these marks are characteristics of the object
that produced them and are the basis for identification.

Misfire - failure of the primer mixture to ignite.

Mushroom - used to describe the expansion of a projectile upon impacting a

target.

Musket - is a muzzle-loading,smooth-bore long gun fired from the shoulder.

Muzzle - is the end of the barrel from which the projectile will exit.

Obliteration/Obliterated - most often used to refer to serial numbers of

firearms that are no longer readable.

Obturation - the act of sealing or preventing the escape of propellant gasses

from the breech of a gun.

Orient - the aligning of two bullets that were fired from the same barrel on the
comparison microscope so that the land and groove impressions on those bullets
which were produced by the same lands and grooves in the barrel are opposite
each other.Sometimes called phasing or indexing.

Parabellum - a Latin term meaning "for war" used as a cartridge designation.

Pattern - the distribution of a series of shots fired from one gun or a battery of
guns under conditions as nearly identical as possible to that which occured at the
crime scene.

Pellet - common name for the smooth,spherical projectiles loaded into shot-
shells, also referred to as shot.Also a non spherical projectile used in airguns.

Percussion cap - a small metal cap with a priming mix that is placed on the
nipple of a percussion lock.

Philadelphia derringer - is a small percussion handgun designed by Henry

Derringer and a a popular concealed carry handgun of the era.

Pinfire - is an obsolete type of metallic cartridge in which the priming compound

is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from hust above the base
of the cartridge.

Pistol - (automatic,semi-automatic,single-shot) a small firearm having a stock

that fits in the hand and contains a short barrel.A firearm designed to be fired with
one hand and with a chamber that is integral to the barrel.

Pistol Whipping - is the act of using a handgun as a blunt weapon,wielding it as

if it were a club.

Pitch,rifling - the angle at which the rifling is cut in relationship to the axis of the
bore.It is usually stated as the number of inches required for one revolution.Also
known as rate of twist.

Primer - the ignition component of the cartridge;any igniter that is used to initiate
the burning of a propellant.

Primer cratering - the extrusion of the primer into the firing pin hole,this
phenomenon can produce identifiable marks.Also known as primer flowback.

Primer/Fuse - any igniter that is used to initiate the burning of a propellant.

Proof mark - a stamp applied at or near the breech of a firearm after it has
passed a proof test.

Proof test - the firing of a deliberate overload to test the strength of a firearm
barrel and/or action.

Proof load - a cartridge loaded to specified pressure higher than service loads to
test firearms barrels during manufacture but before assembly,sometimes called
blue pill.

Propellant - the chemical composition which when ignited by a primer,generates

gas.The gas propels the projectile.Also called powder,gunpowder,powder,or
smokeless.

Propellant gases - the gases created by the burning powder that force the
projectile from the gun.

Pump-action - is a rifle or shotgun in which the hand-grip can be pump back and
forth in order to eject a spent round of ammunition and to chamber a fresh one.

Rate of trust - the distance required for the rifling to complete one revolution.

Recoil - the backward movement of thrust of a gun caused by the pressure of the
propellant gases in the process of pushing the projectile forward through the bore.

Recoil operation - an operating principle of automatic and semi-automatic

firearms.When the weapon is fired,the barrel and breechblock initially recoil
together.After traveling a short distance,the barrel and breechblock unlock and
the breechblock continues to travel to the rear,extracting and ejecting the
expended cartridge.

Reference collections - a collection of various types of firearms and ammunition

used by the firearms examiner for the purpose of test firing weapons for
identification of ammunition and firearms.

Reload - a cartridge that has been reassembled with a new primer

powder,projectile,or other components.Also,to place fresh ammunition into the
firearm.

Revolver - a type of pistol with a revolving cylinder in the breech chamber to hold
several cartridges so that the revolver may be fired in succession without
reloading.

Ricochet - the deflection of a projectile after impact.

Rifle - a firearm having rifling in the bore and designed to be fired from the
shoulder.

Rifle slug - a single projectile with spiral grooves and hollow base intended for
use in shotguns.The theory of the grooves is that after leaving the gun barrels
muzzle,the slug will rotate and this reach its target much more accurately.

Rifling - is the process of making helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or firearm
which imparts a spin to a projectile around its long axis.

Rim - the flanged portion of the head of a rimfire cartridge,certain types of

centerfire rifles and revolver cartridges and shot-shells.The flanged portion is
usually larger in diameter than the cartridge or shot-shells body diameter and
provides a projecting lip for the extractor to engage.In rimfire cartridge,the rim
provides a cavity into which the priming mixture is placed.

Rimfire - is a type of firearm cartridge.It is called a rimfire because instead of the

firing pin of a gun striking the primer cap at the center of the base of the cartridge
to ignite it,the pin strikes the base's rim.

Sabot - a device that ensures the correct positioning of a bullet or shell in the
barrel of a gun.
- a device,"shoe" which enables a sub-caliber projectile to be fired in a
larger caliber barrel.

Safety - a type of device that locks a weapon to prevent accidental discharge.

Seating lines - the circumferential striae parallel to the axis of the projectile
generated on the surface of the bullet by the cartridge case.

Semi-automatic/Self-loading firearm - is a weapon which perform all steps

necessary to prepare the weapon to fire again after firing assuming cartridges
remain in the weapons feed device or magazine.
- a firearm that uses the forces of
combustion to extract and eject a cartridge and to chamber a new cartridge from
the ammunition source with each pull of the trigger.

Shot - a spherical pellet used in loading shot-shells or cartridges.

Shot spread - the diameter of a shot pattern.

Shotgun - a smooth-bore shoulder firearm designed to fire shot-shells containing

numerous pellets or sometimes a single projectile.

Shot-shell - a cartridge containing projectile designed to be fired in a

shotgun.The cartridge body maybe metal,plastic,or paper.

Signatures - in forensic ballistics,represents the location of each feature and

mark on an image from the bullet or cartridge case.The acquired signatures can
then be correlated with the IBIS correlation engine.These signatures which are
mathematical representations of the images are sent along with compressed
images and demographics to a server for correlation.

Silencer - a tubular device attached to the muzzle of a firearm to reduce the

sound of the report.
Single-action - a type of revolver that needs to be cocked before each shot by
pulling back the hammer.Requires the firing mechanism (hammer or firing pin) to
be cocked before pressure on the trigger will release the mechanism.

Skeet shooting - is a recreational and competitive activity where the

participants,using shotguns attempt to break clay discs automatically flung in the
air from two fixed stations at high speed from a variety of angles.

Skid marks (slippage marks) - rifling marks formed on the bearing surface of
bullets as they enter the rifling of the barrel before rotation of the bullets
starts.Skid marks are typically produced by revolvers and have the appearance of
a widening of the land impression at their beginning point.

Slippage - mark on the surface of a fired bullet made when the bullet slides along
the tops of the lands on the riflings.Slippage marks appear when the rifling is worn
or when a sub-caliber bullet is fired.

Slug - is a heavy lead projectile that may have pre-cut rifling intended for use in a
shotgun and often used for hunting large game.
- a term applied to a single projectile for shot-shells.

Smokeless powder - propellant composed of nitrocellulose (single-base

powders) or nitrocellulose plus nitroglycerine (double-base powders) Smokeless
powders contain additives that increase shell life and enhance performance.They
are made in variety of shapes (rods,perforated rods,spheres,disks,perforated
disks,and flakes.

Smooth-bore - is one in which the gun barrel or bore is without a rifling.

Sporting clays - is a form of clay pigeon shooting often describe as a golf with a
shotgun because a typical course includes from 10 to 15 different shooting
stations laid out over natural terrain.

Stabilizer - additive to smokeless powder that reacts with acidic breakdown

products of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine.Diphenylamine and ethyl centralite
are common stabilizers.

Stippling - disposition of fragments of gunshot powder residue into the skin as

the result of a gunshot wound of relatively close range.

Striae - in firearms/toolsmarks - these are lines or grooves in an object that are

characteristics of the object that produced them and are the basis for an
identification.

Sulfur - a non-metallic yellow element.A constituent of blackpowder,burns easily

when in powder form.

Tattooing - a characteristic pattern in the skin caused by particles of unburned

and partially burned powder from a gun blast at very close range.Also called
stippling.

Test bullet - a bullet fired into a bullet recovery system in a laboratory for
comparison or analysis.

Test cartridge case - a cartridge case obtained while test-firing a firearm in a

laboratory that is to be used for comparison or analysis.

Test firing - the term used to designate the actual firing of a firearm in a
laboratory to obtain representative bullet and cartridge case for comparison or
analysis.Also used to test the functionality of a firearm.
TNT (trinitrotoluene) - a high explosive used as a component of some priming
mixture.

Tracer bullet - a bullet that contains a pyrotechnic component ignited by the

powder charge burn,leaving a visible trail of the flight path.

Trailing edge - the edge of a land or groove impression in a fired bullet that is
opposite to the driving edge of that same land or groove impression.Also called
the "following edge" when used in conjunction with the term leading edge.

Trajectory - the path of a projectile after leaving the muzzle of a firearm.

Trap shooting - is a shotgun shooting activity in which the gunner shoots at clay
target discs launch single or doubly from one location but at various angle into the
range field.

Trigger guard - a protective device consisting of a curved framework

surrounding the trigger.

Trigger pull - amount of force applied to the trigger of a firearm to cause it to

discharge.

Trigger pull gauge - the mechanism used to release the firing pin of a firearm by
applying pressure using a finger.
- instrument used to measure the needed amount of force to be
applied to the trigger of a firearm to cause it to fire.

Twist of rifling - inclination of the spiral grooves to the axis of the bore of a
weapon;it is expressed as the number of calibers of length in which the rifling
makes one complete turn.

Velocity - the speed of a projectile at a given point along its trajectory.

Wad, base - a cylindrical component that is assembled into the head end of a
shot-shell.

Wad, shot protector - various designs of shot cups made of plastic and designed
to reduce pellet deformation during barrel travel.

Walker test - the original chemical test for the detection of the spatial
distribution of nitrates in gunpowder residue.

Yaw - the angle between the longitudinal axis of a projectile and a line tangent to
the trajectory at the center of gravity of the projectile.

Yaw angle - angle between the axis of a bullet and its trajectory.

Zwilling - European term for a double-barreled shoulder arm with one rifled barrel
and one smooth-bored barrel.