FORENSIC BALLIST

ICS
 What is Ballistics?
A science that deals with the motion of projectiles.
Technically, it refers to the science of firearms
identification.
 Legal meaning:

It is the microscopic examination of fired cartridge

cases and bullets together with the recording and
presentation by means of photography of what is revealed
by the microscope.
 Origin
It was derived from the Greek word “ballo” or
“Ballien” which means “to throw”.

Its root was said to be derived from the Roman

weapon “ballista”.
What is Projectile?....

 metallic or non-metallic objects propelled from a firear

m.
 MOTION
..in relation to ballistics..
What is Motion?...
 movement or mobility of the projectile from one point to
another.

Ttypes of Motion:
Direct - forward motion of the bullet inside the barrel as a r
esult of gas expansion.
Translational- straight motion of the bullet where there is
no rotation.
* It includes the bouncing of the bullet after hitting a hard obj
ect.
 Rotary- spinning motion of the bullet as a result of the rifl
ings.

Gyroscopic Action
- stillness of the rotating motion and attained its hi
ghest momentum for stability in flight and penetrating pow
er.
 Branches of Ballistics

 Interior Ballistics
 Exterior Ballistics
 Terminal Ballistics
 Forensic Ballistics
 Shot Ballistics
 Wound Ballistics

9
 Interior Ballistics

- refers to the motion of projectiles while it is inside

the firearm.

(FICEPERVRE)

* the bullets occupies the muzzle of the firearm for only

0.01 sec.
* the explosion of the bullet is .0002 sec.
 Exterior Ballistics
- refers to the motion of projectiles from the time it leaves
the muzzle of the firearm and reaches the target.
Muzzle blast
Muzzle energy
Trajectory
Range (Effevtive Range)
(Maximum Range)
Velocity
Air resistance
Pull of gravity
Penetration
 Terminal Ballistics

- the study that deals with the effect of the impact of

the projectile on the target.

Terminal Energy
Terminal Velocity
Terminal Accuracy
Terminal Penetration
 Forensic Ballistics

- refers to the study of firearms identification by

means of examining bullet and cartridge case fired from
them.

Field investigation
Technical examinations
Legal Proceeding
 Shot Ballistics

- refers to the study of shots from smooth bore

firearms like shot guns and muskets.
Choke types
Musket

Flintlock

Matchlock
 Wound Ballistics
- refers to the study of projectile penetration on
tissues.

17
 Gunshot Wound - an open wound produced by the pe
netration of bullet
within the tissue of the body.

Kinds of GSW distinguished by the distance of th

e firearm:
Contact Discharge- gun muzzle pressed aga
inst the body ( within an inch or two )
Close Discharge - 6 to 24 inches
Distant Discharge - over 24 inches
GSW Characteristics

Blackening - caused by the deposition of smoke particle

s at close ranges.
Tattooing - caused by the embedding of unburnt or sem
i-burnt powders particles into the surface.
Scorching - caused by the flame or hot gasses.
Muzzle Pattern - edges are ragged (torn in comet-like) a
nd the wound is like an exit wound.
" odd even rule in gunshot wound "

If the number of gunshot wounds of entrance and exit fou

nd in the body of the victim is even, the presumption is t
hat no bullet is lodged in the body but if the number of g
unshot wounds of entrance and exit is odd, the presump
tion is that one or more bullets might have lodged in the
body.
 Firearms
Technically, it refers to any instrument that is used for
the propulsion of projectiles by means of expansive force
of gases coming from burning powder.
 Legally:
Section 877of revised Administrative code and
section 290 of National Internal Revenue;
“firearms or arms include rifles, muskets, carbines,
shotguns, pistols, revolvers, and all other deadly
weapons from which bullets, balls, shots, shells, or
other missiles may be discharged by means of
gunpowder or other explosives.

* The barrel of any firearm is considered a complete

firearm for all intents and purpose thereof”.
 Group of firearms
o Short arms or hand arms
o Long arms or shoulder arms
 Classes of firearms
According to gun barrel:
o Smooth-bore firearm
o Rifled bore firearm
According to Caliber:
o Artillery
o Small arms
According to Mechanical construction:
o Single shot firearm
o Repeating arms
o Bolt action type
o Automatic loading Type
o Slide action type
o Lever type
 Important persons
Col Calvin H Goddard – “Father of modern Ballistics”

In the late 1920’s, the work of Calvin Goddard brought the

FBI (formally named in 1932) even more fully into the
application of science to detective work.  Goddard, a
pioneer in forensic ballistics, was instrumental in the
opening of the Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory, then
affiliated with Northwestern University, in Chicago.  The
Bureau learned much from Goddard’s lab and it supported
many of the efforts made by this organization over the next
several years.
 Valentine’s Day Massacre

During the height of prohibition, gang warfare raged

over control of the illegal alcohol trade. One of the
bloodiest battles was between Al “Scarface” Capone and
George “Bugs” Moran. On Valentines night, 1929, seven
of Moran’s men were awaiting a shipment of stolen
alcohol. The shipment was actually a set up by Capone in
an attempt to kill his rival, Moran. Moran was supposed to
be at the warehouse but arrived late.
 Moran saw a “police car” pull up so he stayed back
and watched. The “police” entered the warehouse and a
barrage of machine gunfire was heard. Moran then saw
the “cops” come out and drive away. The real police
arrived and found each of the 7 inside shot numerous
times. 70 casings were recovered from the scene. Bullets
were later recovered from the victims.
 Goddard was called in and determined that the
casings were from Thompson submachine guns. Using
his comparison microscope, Goddard was able to prove
that none of the PD’s guns were the murder weapons.
Suspicion fell on Capone. Police later raided the home of
one of Capone’s hit men and found two Thompson’s that
were matched to the casings on the scene.
Philip Gravelle

- developed a split-image comparison microscope .

 John Fischer

" helixometer,” newly developed based on the medical cyt

oscope, and which could optically examine the interior of
a gun barrel which would confirm its caliber, determine th
e pitch of the rifling, and examine it for powder residue.
Alexander John Forsyth – father of percussion ignition.

John M. Browning – the wizard of modern firearm.

John T. Thompson – pioneered the making of thompson
sub – machine gun.
John C. Garand – invented the US Rifle. Cal. .30 M1
 Horace Smith – founded the great firm Smith and
Wesson pioneered the making of breech-loading rifles.
Daniel B. Wesson – partner of Horace Smith pioneered
the making of breech-loading rifles.

David “Carbine” Willliams – maker of the first known

carbine.

Samuel Colt – produced the first practical revolver.

The largest gun

The Gustav gun

The smallest gun

SwissMiniGun
The SwissMiniGun is the size of a key fob but fires tiny
270mph bullets powerful enough to kill at close range.
Officially the world's smallest working revolver, the gun is
being marketed as a collector's item and measures just
2.16 inches long (5.5cm). It can fire real 4.53 bullets up to
a range of 367ft (112m)
Ammunition

“Shall mean loaded shell for rifles, muskets, carbines, sh

otguns, revolvers and pistol from which a bullet, ball, shot,
shell or other missiles maybe fired by means of gunpowd
er or other explosives.”

(Chapter VII, Sec. 290 of the National Internal Revenu

e Code and in Sec. 877 of the Revised Administrative
Code)
 Cartridge

Technically:
It refers to a complete unfired unit consisting of a
bullet, cartridge case, propellant powder and primer.
 Etymology....

 derived from the word charta , Latin word for "paper",

 cartouche French word, meaning ''a rolled paper''

 Parts of cased ammunition

Bullet
Cartridge case
Gunpowder
Rim
Primer cup
Primer
 Bullet

- refers to metallic or non-metallic, cylindrical

projectile propelled from a firearm by means of expansive
force of gases coming from burning gunpowder. (slug)
 Etymology....

 from the French word “boulette” which means "a smal

l ball".
 Classification

Lead bullets – made of lead or alloys (tin, lead &

antimony).
Jacketed bullets – with core of lead covered by a jacket.
Tracer bullet – set fire when projected because of the
compound barium nitrates.
Incendiary bullet – can set on fire by impact.
Armor Piercing - used to penetrate armored car or
vehicles.
Pointed bullet – more effective than a round ball.
Dumdum bullet – outlawed for use in war, this includes all
soft bullet.
Soft point or mushroom bullet – will expand on striking
an object and produces more serious shock.
Hollow point bullet – with a cavity on its nose designed
to increase the expansion and sometimes called as the
express bullet.
X-bullet – a solid copper projectile that may form a four
razor edge petals.
Fragmentating bullet– the bullets will split into fragments
when hitting a soft tissue.
 Cartridge Cases

- refers to the tubular

metallic or non-metallic
container which holds
together the bullet,
gunpowder and primer.
 Parts of a Cartridge cases
Rim
Primer pocket
Vents or flash hole
The head and body
Neck
Cannelure
Crimp
Base
Shoulder
Extracting groove
 Classification according to:
Shape:
Straight
Bottle neck
Tapered
Head forms:
Rimmed
Semi-rimmed
Rimless
Rebated rimless
Belted
 Primer
- is a small, self-contained metallic ignition cup
containing highly sensitive mixture at the center of the
base of the ammunition case.
- commonly composed of lead styphnate, barium
nitrate and antimony sulfide.
- first conceived by Alexander John Forsyth in 1807.
Types of Cartridge according to primer:

 Percussion - Alexander john forsyth in 1807

 Pin-fire - Monsieur Le Facheux in 1836
 Rimfire - Louis Nicolas August Flobert in 1845
 Centerfire - Morse in 1858
 Parts of primer
Primer cup
Priming mixture
Anvil

According to types:
Boxer (USA)
Berdan (Europe)
 Gunpowder

- the chemical substances of various compositions,

particle, sizes, shapes, and colors that, on ignition, serves
as propellant.

Types of gunpowder:
Black powder
Smokeless powder
 Forerunners

Chinese - by their alchemists, gunpowder was invented on 9th

century with a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter.

Roger Bacon – 1242, the one who first record the actual
chemicals for gunpowder in his book Opus Magnusset.
- employed in military application during 13 th century.
Berthold Schwartz – first person who used the gunpowder for a
rifle.
SMOKELESS POWDER

PAUL VIEILLE

 Poudre B
Alfred E. Nobel

 BALLISTITE
Sir Frederick Abel ＆ James Dewar

 CORDITE

 nitroguanidine
 Barrel
- a barrel is made from a solid steel. Most of the hunting
rifle and military firearms are made of high alloy Crome
Molybdenum.
- 4140/4150/4340in USA
- EN 19 or EN 24 in Britain
- another one is the 416 type stainless steel.
 Process in barrel making

Drilling
Reaming
Rifling
Lapping
Chambering
 Rifling

- refers to the helical lines cut in the interior of the bore

of gun barrel.
- consists of grooves cut or formed in a spiral nature,
length of a firearm.
 Composition of a rifling

Number of lands
Number of grooves
Width of lands
Depth of grooves
Pitch of rifling
Twist of rifling
2 Characteristics of a Firearm

 Class Characteristics

 Individual Characteristics
 Class characteristics according to riflings

Steyr type – 4-R-G=L

Army type – 4-R-G3x
Carbine type - 4-R - G2x
Smith & Wesson type - 5-R-G=L
Winchester type - 6- R-G3x
Browning type – 6-R-G2x
Colt type – 6-L-G2x
Webley type – 7-R-G3x
 Marks found on a bullet

Land marks
Grooves marks
Skid marks
Stripping marks
Shaving Marks
Riffling Marks
 Marks found on a fired cartridge case:

Striated action marks

Chamber marks
Firing pin drag marks
Extractor marks
Shear marks/secondary firing pin marks

Impressed action marks

Firing pin impression
Breech marks
Ejector marks
Firing pin marks
Comparison micrograph of firing pin marks
Firing pin drag marks
Extractor marks
Ejector
 Marking of Physical Evidence

On fired bullets:
- mark on the ogive near the nose or on the base.
On fired cartridge case:
- mark on the side of the cartridge near the mouth or
inside the mouth.
 IBIS

A computerized identification system that stores ballistics

information on bullets and cartridge cases submitted as
evidence in connection of a crime.
 Firearms laws

 PD 1866 – Illegal possession of firearms

 RA 8294 – act amending the PD 1866
 Section 877of revised Administrative code
 Section 290 of National Internal Revenue
 RA 10591- Comprehensive Firearms and Amunition Act
 Good Day!!!!

PHILTOP_08