3. Forensic Ballistics
• Deals with
1. the investigation of firearms and ammunition
2. Injuries caused by it and
3. the medico-legal problems associated with it
4. Internal ballistics External ballistics
Operation of a firearm and
the movement of the
projectile
Inside the firearm
Study of events
-after the discharge of the
projectile from the firearm
- Till it reaches the target
5. Terminal ballistics vs wound ballistics
• Terminal ballistics motion of the projectile
in the target
• Wound ballistics study of the injury caused
11. Rifling
• The internal surface of the barrel has been
scored by a number of spiral grooves
• More common number is 6
• Sometimes there can be microridges
• Projectile is usually called a bullet
14. • Projecting ridges are called lands
• The deep portions are called grooves
• Distance between diagonally opposite lands is
called calibre
15.
16. • In USA it is measured in Inches 0.22
• In Europe expressed in millimetres
17. Need for rifling???
• Spinning action to the bullet
• Stabilizes its flight/ straight trajectory path
• Prevents wobbling/ tumbling
• Penetrative power increased
• Increases accuracy and range (NEET PG)
18. How to increase the range of firing??
• By increasing the length of the barrel
• So according to that :
– (a) Short barrel firearms
– (b) Long barrel firearms
20. Pistols
Catridges in a vertical magazine
When fired, empty catridge case
falls at some distance away
New catridge slips into the
breach automatically by spring action
Should be reloaded again
Hence, “ Semi-automatic”
21. Revolvers
• In a metallic revolving cylinder
• After firing, the cases remain there
• After one round, it should be loaded manually
again
22. • AK47
• AK 74
• Automatic rifles fire using gases of the
previous
25. Choking???
• Reduction of diameter at the muzzle end of
the barrel.
• Reduces the dispersion of pellets and holds
the pellets together for a longer distance
• Can be non- choke bore/ choke-bore
28. GUAGE
• Indicates the diameter of the barrel
• Determined by no: of lead pellets which can
be made from one pound of pure lead
• Exactly fitting the bore of the shotgun
29. • Smaller the gauge greater the diameter
• Ranges from 10 to 28.
30. CATRIDGE
• Consists of a metallic case in which:
• Projectile pellet/bullet
• Propellant gunpowder
• Primer gives the impulsive spark to ignite
the propellant
31.
32. Functioning??
• Pulling the trigger and released
• Striker goes and hits the percussion cap
• Releases heat
• Primer inside the percussion cap ignites
• Explodes the gunpowder (propellant)
• Projectile is propelled
33. Purpose of wad??
• Plastic/ paper disc
• Acts like a piston
• Propells the pellets together
34. Primary marking and secondary
marking
• In all rifled firearms,
• Cartridges are usually larger than the barrel
• (for perfect obturation)
35. • Thus when a bullet passes through it,
• the markings of the lands on the bullet
–PRIMARY MARKINGS
–Reveal the manufacturer of the gun
• Unique markings typical to the weapon
–SECONDARY MARKINGS
37. Pellets???
• Lead large pellets buckshot/ mould shot
• Single large pellet in shot gun is called SLUG
• Smaller than bore diameter
• Base- hollow
• End-pointed
38. Bullet???
• Are of different sizes and shapes
• Varies from one firearm to another
39. Dum-dum bullet
• It is open at the nose and is covered with a
lead jacket.
• It expands on hitting the target
• Hence produces a larger wound
40. Frangible bullets
• They break into multiple pieces when they
enter the body
• Here, matching with the test bullet is difficult
41. Tandem bullets (Piggy tail/
piggy back bullet)
• It means two bullets come out from a single firing
shot
• Causes:
• (a) defective ammunition where one gets stuck
in the barrel and on subsequent firing the new
bullet comes along with the previous one
• (b) duplex/ tandem catridge manufactured in a
single catridge there will be two bullets one
behind the other
43. Ricochet bullet
• Bullet changes its direction by striking on
some surface or object
Bullets can get deformed
Speed is dampened and hence placed superficial
on the body
44. Types
• External ricochet
• Strikes an intermediate object before entering the body
• Entrance wound may be deformed
• May show foreign bodies from the striking object
• Usually in inferior weapons
46. Medico-legal significance
• In case of external ricochet, unintentional
firing may be used as a defence
• The entrance wound will be larger than the
expected
• Velocity is reduced and may produce a
keyhole injury on the skull
• Gutter fracture on the skull
• Grossly deformed, identification is difficult.
47. Souvenair bullet
• Bullets remain in the body silently
• Sometimes, they are made to remain like that
• Because intervention might cause more
damage.
• Seen encapsulated by fibrous tissue.
• c/c lead poisoning may be seen.
56. Flame = 30 cm Smoke= 45 cm
Unburnt gun powder=
60 to 80cm
57. Wounds caused by shotgun
Product of firing Distance up to
which it travels
Injury caused
Flame 30 cm Burning
Smoke 45 cm Blackening
Unburnt powder grains 60-80 cm Tattooing
Pellets move together Up to 2 metre Single hole
Pellets spread >2 metre Multiple holes
Wad travel Up to 5metres
Metallic fouling due to metals expelled by the discharge
58.
59.
60. Wiping ++
• Tattooing doesn’t go
• Smudging/blackening goes off
• Metal fouling does not go
61. Contact shot
• Explosive injury + Gross destruction of tissues
• Entrance wound:
• Muzzle imprint + Cherry red discoloration
• Burning, smoke and soot inside the track
62. Specific appearance of Contact Shot
• Muzzle/ recoil imprint mark
• Back spatter
• Blowback phenomenon or blast effect-
– Cruciate/ stellate/ragged laceration
– Especially if there is a bone underneath
63. • Clothes were present soot and burns on the
clothes +++
• Exit wounds- depends on the area of injury
• If its head, lesser space for the gas to
expand hence mutilated
• If it is chest or abdomen, a round entry wound
and an exit wound may be there
64.
65.
66. Close range < 30 cm
• Large entrance wound
• Burns singeing of hair
• Blackening / smudging due to smoke
• Tattooing in the periphery
67. 30- 45 cm range
• No burning
• Blackening and tattooing
68. > 45 cm - 80cm
• Only tattooing and central hole
69. 1- 2m
• Single entrance wound with irregular margins
• RAT HOLE APPEARANCE
70. > 2 metres
• Pellets begin to spread
• Central hole
• Surrounded by multiple wounds
• Scattered wounds
71. > 4 metres
• Scattered holes
• No central hole
• All of comparable sizes
72.
73. > 5metres
• Wad would produce a typical irregular
wound
• Dispersion of wounds caused by individual
pellets.
74. Exit wounds from a shotgun
• Contact and close range shots pellets do
make exit wound
• But otherwise they stay within the body
• Thinner body parts like limbs– will have exit
wounds
77. Close shot
• Burning
• Blackening
• Tattooing around the entrance wound
• Entrance wound usually circular
• edges- inverted
78. • Abrasion collar/ contusion collar
• the abrasion caused around the entry wound
due to the spinning action
• Grease collar/ bullet wipe
• dirt and grease on the bullet
85. SMOOTH BORE
CONTACT
SHOT
CLOSE NEAR INTERMEDI
ATE
DISTANT RANGE
< 1 metre 1-2
metre
2-4 metre >4 metre > 5 metre
Stellate
wound
Circular wound Irregular
wound
RAT
HOLE
Central hole
large +
satellite
holes
Individual
pellet
holes
Wad
wound +
individual
pellet
wounds
Muzzle
imprint ++
single Single Multiple
wounds
Multiple
Burns +
blackening+
Tattooing +
In the track
Burns + - upto 30 cm
Blackening +- upto 45 cm
Tattooing +-upto 80 cm
Around the wound
------ -------- ---------
86. Rifled firearm
CONTACT SHOT
Point blank
Close shot
(Range of flame)
Near range
(Range of
gunpowder)
Long range
(beyond that
range)
< 8cm <60 cm
Stellate wound
Muzzle imprint
Circular entrance
wound
Abrasion collar
Circular entrance
wound
Abrasion collar
Wound < bullet
Abrasion collar
Burns
Blackening
Tattooing
(in the track)
Burns +
Blackening+
Tattooing+
Burns –
Blackening—
Tattooing ++
Burns--
Blackening--
Tattooing ---
87. Note :
if there is external ricocheting
abrasion collar may be absent
Blackening, burning , tattooing ---
88. ENTRANCE WOUND vs EXIT WOUND
Character Entrance wound Exit wound
Size Smaller than the diameter Larger
edges inverted everted
Abrasion collar
and grease collar
Present Absent
Scorching,
smudging and
tattooing
Present Absent
Bleeding less more
Fat extrusion less more
Cherry red colour May be present absent
89. Yawing/ tembling
• At the last part of the flight,
• Bullet may rotate in a longitudinal axis. Base
comes in front
• Penetrating power is lost
• Irregular lacerated wound is caused
91. Shored exit wound
• If the body is protected at the point of exit
wound
• Wound will be circular
• With abrasion around
• Bullet will be in the vicinity
92. Entrance wound Exit wound
Size- smaller larger
Edges- inverted everted
Burning blackening tattooing + ---
Abrasion collar and grease collar + ----
Bleeding less more
Fat and other tissues – no protrusion protrusion
Metal ring +++ -----
98. One entrance wound + no exit wound
• Bullet in the body
• Enter the bowel and gets excreted
• May enter trachea and can be spitten out
• May enter the stomach and vomited out
• Deflected throught the same path
99. One entry and multiple exit wounds
• Bullets splitting into two inside the body
• Tandem bullet
• Bullet strikes on the bone comes out with
bone fragment
100. Multiple entry wounds
• Bullet striking and splitting before entering
• Intermediate object secondary missiles+
• Tandem bullets
101. Multiple entrance wounds + single
exit wound
• One may remain and other exit
• One excreted/ coughed
103. Detection of Gunshot residues
• 1. Dermal nitrate/ Paraffin test- non-specific test
• Residues are removed from the suspects hand by
paraffin cast or cotton swab
• Diphenylamine reagent
• Positive test : blue flecks ++
104. • 2. Harrison and Gilroy test
• Qualitative calorimetric test
• Not specific
• But detects antimony, barium and lead
residues
105. • 3. Neutron activation analysis
Detection and measurement of characteristic
isotopes
In a nuclear reactor
Antimony and copper residues from primer
106. • 4. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)
Or FAAS (Flameless spectrophotometry)
• 5. Scanning electron microscope- energy
dispersive X-ray spectrometry
even minute traces can be detected
• 6. Modified Greiss Test
• Specific For nitrites
• Alpha –naphthol to produce visual display