Q. What is Ballistics?

• is the science of the motion of projectile

• is the science that deals with the motion,
behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially
bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like;
the science or art of designing and hurling
projectiles so as to achieve a desired
performance.
Origin of Ballistics

The word “ Ballistics”

originated from the
Greek word “Ballein”
which means “to
throw” and from the
Roman word Ballista
which is machine to
hurl a stone.
Branches of Ballistics
• A. Interior ballistics – traits of the motion of the
projectiles while still in the firearm, namely the
studies of combustion of the powder, pressure
developed and velocity.
• B. Exterior ballistics- traits of the motion of the
projectiles after leaving the muzzle namely trajectory,
velocity, range, penetration, etc.
• C. Terminal ballistics – traits of the effects of the
projectile on impact on the target.
• D. Forensic Ballistics – the science of firearm
identification by means of the ammunition fired
through them.
A. Interior (internal) Ballistics –refers to the properties
and attributes of the projectile while still inside the
gun. This extends from the “breech” to the “muzzle” of
the gun. It involves all reactions that take place while
the bullet is still in the gun.
These include the following:

1. Firing pin hitting the primer

2. Ignition of the priming mixture
3. Combustion of the gunpowder
4. Expansion of the heated gas
5. Pressure developed
6. Energy generated
7. Recoil of the gun
8. Velocity of the bullet in the barrel
9. Rotation of the bullet in the barrel
10. Engraving of the cylindrical surface of the bullet
• 1. Firing pin hitting the primer – Upon squeezing the
trigger, release the hammer that cause the firing pin to hit
the base portion of the cartridge where the primer is
located.
2. Ignition of the priming mixture – The priming mixture
(composing of the KNO3, sulfur and carbon) located
either at the cavity rim or at the center of the primer the
firing pin. The action is known as “Percussion action.”
3. Combustion of the gunpowder – After ignition of the
priming mixture the ignition will be imparted to the
gunpowder by passing through the vent or flash hole
converting the powder into gas.
4. Expansion of the heated gas – Powder charge once
burned will convert into a heated gas which has a more
elastic property being its particles far apart that will fills the
shell with expanded gasses.
5. Pressure developed – Outward push of the gasses to the
burned powder pressure is developed due to the great
amount of gas that is expanding within the shell causing the
withdrawal of the bullet from the shell.
6. Energy generated – It is the measure of force in foot-
pound necessary for an action.
7. Recoil of the gun ­– It is the equal and opposite reaction of
the gun against the forward movement of the bullet
upon explosion. The backward or rearward movement of the
gun in relation to the forward movement of the bullet which
may first occurs while the bullet is still inside the barrel and
which is relatively small in intensity and second, which occurs
just after the bullet leaves the muzzle of the gun and this is a
much violent backward impulse when the hot gases rush
up-out of the muzzle and set against the gun.
Jump is another portion of the recoil action
characterized as the backward and upward movement
that takes place before the bullet leaves the muzzle.
8. Velocity of the bullet in the barrel – It is the
relative speed of the bullet per unit of time while it is
still inside the barrel expressed in feet per second.
9. Rotation of the bullet in the barrel – It refers to the
twist of the bullet caused by the cylindrical grooved
portion of the barrel of most firearms.
10. Engraving of the cylindrical surface of the
bullet – Once the bullet passed through the barrel of
any firearm whether rifled or not will leave its mark to
the cylindrical surface of the bullet serving as its
thumbprints.
B. Exterior (external) Ballistics
– refers to the attributes and
movements of the bullet after it has left the gun
muzzle.

This branch involves the following:

1. Muzzle blast
2. Muzzle energy
3. Trajectory
4. Range
5. Velocity
6. Air resistance
7. Pull of gravity
8. Penetration
C. Terminal Ballistics
– refers to the effects of
the impact of the projectile (bullet)
on the target. This involves the
following:

1. Terminal Accuracy
2. Terminal energy
3. Terminal velocity
4. Terminal penetration
DEFINITIONS OF TERMS:
1) Percussion – action when the priming mixture of
chemical compound hit or struck by firing pin would
ignite.
2) Juxtaposition – two objects evidence bullet and test
bullet are examined, and compared under the bullet
comparison microscope. Includes also the
examination of fired shells.
3) Ballo or Ballein – Greek words where ballistics was
derived from which means “to throw”.
4) Ballista – the early Roman wars Machine – a
gigantic bow or catapult.
5) Ballistics – science of the motion of projectiles.
6) Forum – a Greek word of forensic which means
debatable, argumentation in relation to the court
justice.
7) Forensic Ballistics – the study of firearm
identification by means of ammunition fired from
them.
8) Ballistician – person whose knowledge in
identification is accepted by the courts and other
and investigation agencies
9) Abrasion – (in the world) scratches caused by
using improper cleaning material was adhering.
Normal enlargement of the bore and wearing away
of lands due to the abrasive action of the bullets.
10. Black Powder – a mechanical mixture of charcoal,
sulfur and saltpetre. Burned with considerable white
smoke.
11. Cartridge – is a complete unfired unit of bullets,
cartridge case, gunpowder and primer.
12. Ammunition (legal) – Section 877 of the RAC –
shall mean “ loaded shell” for rifles, muskets,
carbines, shot guns, revolvers and pistols which a
ball, bulletshot, shell or other missile maybe
discharges by means of gun powder or other
explosives. The term include ammunition for air
rifles as mentioned else where in the code.
Ammunition (technical) – refer to a group of
cartridge or to a single unit cartridges, meaning a
complete unfired unit consisting of bullets, cartridges
case , gunpowder and primer. The term may also
refer to a single round.
13. Ball Bullets – Bullets have soft lead cores
inside a jacket.
14. Round – one single complete cartridge
15. Bullet Energy – The powder possessed by a
moving bullet, or in other words it’s ability to
keep going when it meets an obstacle of
immense importance, for obviously, the more
powder a bullet has and the harder it is to stop
the, more effective it can be as a weapon.
16. Bullets Recovery Box – consist of a wooden
box, 12’’ x 12’’ x 96’’, with a hinged to cover and
with one end open. This long box is filled with
ordinary cotton and separated into section by
cardboard partitions.
17. Caliber – is the diameter of the inner surface
of the barrel that is measured from land to land.
18. Dumdum Bullet – “Dumdum” is an out model
and generally misused term. It was an unofficial
name first applied to hollow point bullets made at
the British arsenal at Dumdum, India.
19.Erosion – the mechanical wear and tear of the
inner surface of the gun barrel due to
mechanical abrasion of sliding friction.
20. Corrosion – the mechanical wear and tear of
the inside of the gun barrel due to rust formation
or chemical action of the by products of
combustion after firing.
21. Cannelure (bullet) – A knurled ring or serrated
grooved around the body of the bullet which contains
wax for lubrication in order to minimize friction during the
passage of the bullet inside the bore.
22. Caliper – A instrument used for making measurement
such as bullet, diameter and bore diameter.
23. Chilled Shot – shotgun pellets made from lead
especially by the addition of a slight amount of antimony.
24. Class characteristics - Are those that are
determinable even before the manufacture of the
firearm. It is categorized into caliber or gauge number of
lands and grooves, width of land and grooves, twist of
rifling, patch of rifling and depth of grooves.
25. Range – the straight distance between muzzle and
target.
26.Point Blank Range – Popularity used to indicate the distance
the bullet will travel before it drops enough to require sight
adjustment. A shot fired so closed to the target that no sighting is
necessary for effective aiming.
27. Maximum range – the farthest distance that projectile can be
propelled form a firearm.
28. Gallery Range – the indoor targets ranges on properly con
strutted indoor ranges, firing maybe conducted with center fire
pistols and revolvers at ranges of 25 years and 50 years. Such
installation are generally referred to as indoors ranges the term
gallery being applied usually only to short rage .22 caliber
installation.
29. Extreme range – the greatest distance the bullet will travel the
cartridge is fired.
30. Effective range – the maximum distance at which a bullet may
reasonable be expected to travel accurately and skill a particular
types of live target.
31. Accurate Range – the distance with in which the shooter has
control of his shots.
32. Fouling – the accumulation of a deposit with in the
bore of a firearm caused by solid by products remaining
a cartridge is fired.
33. Gum Cotton – a very powerful explosive, like
nitroglycerine, which is a chemical compound and not a
mixture. This is formed by the action of nitric and sulfuric
acid on cotton or may other kind of cellulose.
34. Lands – the raised portion between the grooves in the
interior surface of the gun barrel.
35. Lapping – is the smoothening of the testing the
accuracy of a firearm.
36. Machine rest – a machine used for testing the
accuracy of a firearm.
37. Knocking power – Power of the bullet which believer a
very paralyzing blow that put the victim down and may
then recover if the wound inflicted upon is not fatal.
38. Stopping power – power of the bullet, which
put the victim out of the action instantly. So it
should be understood that stopping power is not
necessarily the same thing as killing power.
However, stopping power depends very largely
on the location of the shot.
39. Primer – the complete assembly of cup,
priming composition, paper disc and anvil
40. Cartouche - French word of cartridge which
means rool of paper.
41. Charta – Latin words for cartridges which
means paper.
Division of forensic ballistics

• FIELD INVESTIGATION – refers to the work of an

investigator in the shooting scene incident. It concerns
mostly with the collection, marking, preservation, packing
and transmission of firearm evidences. It includes the study
of class characteristics of firearms and bullets.

• TECHNICAL EXAMINATION OF THE BALLISTICS

EXHIBITS – refers to the examination conducted by the
examiners to the bullets/ or shells recovered from the crime
scene, whether fired from also whether or not cartridges
were loaded and ejected made by the suspected firearm
submitted. Reports are made by the examiners and testify in
court regarding their report.

• LEGAL PROCEEDINGS – COURT TRIALS – wherein the

ballistics report of the firearm examiner and the ballistics
exhibits are presented during the trial of the case in a court of
justice.
Origin of firearm
• 13th Century – development of firearm
followed the invention of gunpowder in the
Western Europe.
• Berthold Schwartz – A German Monk and
Roger Bacon, an English Monk are both
credited with gunpowder invention.
- most reference books credit Roger
Bacon, English Monk and Scientist with the
invention of gunpowder in 1248 and Berthold
Schwartz, with the application of gunpowder
to the propelling of a missile in the early
1300’s. This powder was that we now call
“black powder”
• 1245 – Gen. Batu, the Tartar leader, used
artillery in Leignits when he defeated the poles,
Hungarians and Russians.
- it is also often stated that gunpowder was first
invented by Chinese, were of gunpowder and its
use as propellant long before its advantages
became recognized in Europe.
- It may also assume the Arabs with their
advance knowledge of Chemistry at that time.
1247 – One of the earliest recorded uses of firearms in
warfare was that of an attack on Seville, Spain.
1335 – Mohammed II of turkey in his famous conquest of
Constantinople.
First firearms were inefficient, large and heavy and were
not capable of being carried by an individual soldier;
hence the development of cannons preceded that of
small arm weapons by almost 50 years.
Man never satisfies to himself. He is always trying to
improve himself and his surrounding. He created some
rule crude or primitive weapons that were subsequently
developed into sophisticated firearms of modern times.
1346 – Cannons used by King Edward II of England at
Crecy.
The following are the stages of
development
– Knives
of man’s weapon;
– Spears and Darts
– Sling shots to hurl objects
– Stones
– Cubs
– Bows and Arrows
– Cross- bows
– Guns
– Missiles
• Col. Calvin H. Goddard M.D. US Army – Father of
Men behind
Modern the firearm
Ballistics
• Horace Smith – founded the great firm Smith and
weapon and pioneered the making of breech –
loading rifles.
• Eugene Stoner – designed the U.S. M16 Armalite
under licensed by colt company from July 1959
onwards.
• Daniel B. Wesson – An associate or partner of
smith in making revolver.
• Carl Walter – designed Walter MP38.
• John M. Browning – Wizard of modern firearms
and pioneered breech loading single shot rifle
which was adopted by Winchester.
• John T. Thompson – developed the course of
WW1 the Thompson M1A1 and model 1928 A1
(USA). Pioneered the making of Thompson sub
Machine.
• David “Carbine” Williams – maker of first known
carbine.
• Alexander John Forsyth – the Father of the
percussion system or powder.
• Major Uziel Gal – an Israeli army who designed
UZI (Israel) in the year 1950.
• George Hyde – A well known expert in the field of
SMG, (also known as grease gun) developed in
1941. M3A1 (USA).
• Micheal Kalashnikov – designed the AK (Automatic
Kalashnikov) 47 (Soviet Union) adopted by the
Russian Army in the year 1951.
• Gordon Ingrams – Invented the Ingrams (USA).
• George Luger designed the Luger MP08
(Germany).
• Elisha King Root – designed machinery of making
colt firearms.
• Eliphalet Remington – one of the first rifle makers.
• Peter Paul Mauser - designed Mauser M1912
(Germany)
• John Malon Wolfe Marlin - founder of Marlin
Firearm Company.
• James Wolfe Ripley – stimulated the development
of the model 1855 riffled – musket.
• Samuel Colt – (1814 – 1862) – Patented the first
practical revolver and maker of the Colt Peace
Maker, a famous revolver in the history.
• Henry Derringer – he gave his name to a whole
classes of firearms.
• John C. Garand – designed and invented the semi-
automatic US Rifle, Cal. 30. M1 garand.
• Oliver F. Winchester – one of the earliest rifles and
pistol makers.
IMPORTANT DATES IN FIREARMS
HISTORY
• 1313 – gunpowder as a propellant. The age
of gunpowder began with outs’ first use as
propellant for a projectile. Such use has been
recorded as early as 1313.
• 1350 - Small arms, gunpowder was first used
only in cannons. It was in the middle of the
14th century that portable hand F.A. was
introduces. These guns were ignited by a
hand – held wire or lighted match.
• 1498 – Rifling, the first reference to rifled barrels appeared.
Although it’s important as an aid to accuracy was
recognized by some, it was many years after before rifling
was generally used.
• 1575 – Cartridges, Paper cartridges combining both
powder and ball were developed. This greatly speeded
loading and reduced the hazards of carrying loose powder.
• 1807 – Percussion system, the discovery of Forsythe in
1807 that certain compounds detonated by a blow would
be used to ignite the charge in a firearm, for the basis for
all-later percussion and cartridge development.
• 1835 – Samuel Colt – patented the first practical revolvers
in which the cylinder was rotated by cocking the hammer.
• 1836 – Pin fire, Cartridge. Developed by Le Faucheux in
1836, was probably the first self really the first rim fire
cartridge.
• 1858 – Center fires cartridge. The Morse Cartridge of
1858 marked the beginning of the rapid development of
the center, fire cartridge.
• 1884 – Automatic Machine Gun. Hiram Maxim built the
first fully Automatic gun, utilizing the recoil of the piece to
load and fire the next charge.
• 1885 – Smokeless Powder. In France,Veille, developed
the first satisfactory smokeless powder, a new propellant
which not only lacked the smoke characteristics of black
powder, but also more powerful.
• 1845 – Rimfire Cartridge. In France, Flobert develop a
“bullet” “breech cap” which was the first rim fire cartridge.
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