Ballistics is the area of Forensic Science that deals with firearms; how they are used, why they

are used and why they are used frequently in the practice of murder.
Identifying a Weapon
Most guns have their own unique identifying features and even if the gun has not been left at
the crime scene many degrees of information can be determined from the bullet, the nature of
the wound and any residue that is left around it.
Investigating
The field of ballistics is able to identify rifling patterns, marks made by using suppressors
(silencers), shell casings, powder burn and many other different areas relating to the use of
firearms and the evidence they leave behind.
Bullet Flight
Trajectory is the path shots or bullets take during flight. Several factors affect this path: gravity,
air resistance, velocity and mass.

Gravity pulls the bullet down as it is travelling forward. This results in a downward
curved path.
Air resistance holds back the passage of the bullet. This slows its flight.
Velocity is the speed of the bullet.
Mass is the weight of the bullet.
The trajectory of a bullet is slightly curved. If you sight in your firearm to hit a target at 200
yards, you will hit your target high at 100 yards. You will hit your target low at 300 yards.
1. To determine the gauge and length of the shell for a shotgun, look on the:
action.
barrel.
stock.
recoil pad.
2. How does a gun fire?

The firing pin strikes and explodes the primer which in turn ignites the powder
The gas from the burning powder expands in cartridge or shell and the bullet is pushed
out with force
The speeding bullet exits barrel and the bullet and escaping gases makes the "BANG"
All of the above
3. Ammunition should be:
locked up and stored separated from firearms.
sorted and stored by caliber or gauge.
matched and used with the appropriate firearm.
All of the above.
4. Which of the following are NOT dangerous around ammunition?
sharp objects
excessive heat
high impact
extreme cold
5. Which of the following components is NOT found in a centerfire rifle cartridge?
case
powder
primer
wad
6. When hunting for ducks you should use _________ shot?
lead
non-toxic
rubber
graphite
7. True or false: 300 Savage and 300 Win Magnum are the same rifle cartridge?

True
False
8. You have sighted in your hunting rifle using ammunition with a 150-grain bullet. You plan
to go moose hunting and have purchased new ammunition using a 180-grain bullet. Should
you re-sight your hunting rifle?
Yes, re-sight.
No, it isn't necessary.
In order to select the right caliber or gauge of ammunition for your firearm, you must locate the
data stamp. The data stamp will tell you the correct ammunition to usefor example, .300 Win
Mag ("Win" is short for Winchester. "Mag" is short for magnum). You must also decide on the
bullet size, expressed in grains (for example, 150 grain or shot size), that you will need to use for
the game you are hunting. If you do not match the ammunition to the firearm, the cartridge
could become lodged, explode and cause serious injury to firearm user or bystanders.
Data stamps can generally be found on the barrel of the firearm.

Some firearms made before 1964 or ex-military firearms may not have a data stamp. In this case,
a gunsmith can help you determine the correct ammunition for your firearm.

Sometimes the data stamp on a firearm may be given in European terms such as 7.62 x 51mm
(bullet diameter x case length).
Be very careful to make sure the ammunition matches the data stamp. .300 Savage, .300 Win
Magnum and 300 Weatherby Magnum have different cases and are not interchangeable.
Remember the basic rule: If the data stamp on the firearm does not match the data stamp on
the ammunition, do not use that ammunition.
Projectiles[edit]
A projectile is any object projected into space (empty or not) by the exertion of a force. Although
any object in motion through space (for example a thrown baseball) is a projectile, the term
most commonly refers to a ranged weapon.[6][7] Mathematical equations of motion are used to
analyze projectile trajectory.
Examples of projectiles include balls, arrows, bullets, artillery shells, rockets etc.
A gun is a normally tubular weapon or other device designed to discharge projectiles or other
material.[18] The projectile may be solid, liquid, gas, or energy and may be free, as with bullets
and artillery shells, or captive as with Taser probes and whaling harpoons. The means of
projection varies according to design but is usually effected by the action of gas pressure, either
produced through the rapid combustion of apropellant or compressed and stored by
mechanical means, operating on the projectile inside an open-ended tube in the fashion of a
piston. The confined gas accelerates the movable projectile down the length of the tube
imparting sufficient velocity to sustain the projectile's travel once the action of the gas ceases at
the end of the tube or muzzle. Alternatively, acceleration via electromagnetic field generation
may be employed in which case the tube may be dispensed with and a guide rail substituted.
PARAFFIN TEST
: a test in which a paraffin cast of the hand of a person suspected of firing a gun is subjected to
chemical analysis to determine the presence of powder particles
Gunshot residue (GSR), also known as cartridge discharge residue (CDR), or firearm
discharge residue (FDR), is residue deposited on the hands and clothes of someone who
discharges a firearm. It is principally composed of burnt and unburnt particles from
the explosive primer, the propellantand possibly fragments of the bullet, cartridge case, and
thefirearm.
Law enforcement investigators test the clothing and skin of people for GSR to determine if they
were near a gun when it discharged. Gunshot residue can travel over 35 feet (0.91.5 meters)
from the gun. At the farthest distance, only a few trace particles may be present.