Concepts of Forensic Ballistics

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CONCEPTS OF FORENSIC BALLISTICS

WHAT IS FORENSIC BALLISTICS
 The science of studying projectiles in motion, ballistics, being applied to law. Ballistics on firearm
projectiles, such as bullets, include the study of what happens inside the weapon, during the
flight of the projectile, and when the projectile strikes the target, such as body tissue.
 ballistics applied in the determination of legal evidence especially as concerned with the
identification of firearms, ammunition, bullets, and cartridge cases
HISTORY
 In 1925 Goddard wrote an article for the Army Ordnance titled "Forensic Ballistics" in which
he described the use of the comparison microscope regarding firearms investigations. He is
generally credited with the conception of the term "forensic ballistics", though he later
admitted it to be an inadequate name for the science. In April 1925, Major [6] Goddard
established the Bureau of Forensic Ballistics in New York City with C. E. Waite, Philip O.
Gravelle and John H. Fisher. The Bureau was formed to provide firearms identification
services throughout America. Goddard researched, authored and spoke extensively on the
subject of forensic ballistics and firearms identification, becoming the internationally
renowned pioneer in forensic ballistics. The Bureau of Forensic Ballistics was the United
States’ first independent criminological laboratory, which Goddard headed, and where
ballistics, fingerprinting, blood analysis and trace evidence were brought under one roof.
When the lab began publishing the American Journal of Police Science, which was edited by
Colonel Goddard, Hoover strongly encouraged his special agents in charge to subscribe to it
and he supplied articles on fingerprint issues and Bureau responsibilities to the journal. The
following year the Bureau contributed three articles for the journal’s series entitled
“Organized Protection Against Organized Crime”. Hoover also sent a number of
representatives to a symposium that Goddard sponsored on scientific crime detection. He
was also an advisor to FBI when they set up a similar forensic laboratory.
WHO IS A BALLISTICS EXPERT
 A ballistics expert (also often referred to as a forensic ballistics expert or a firearms

examiner) is a forensic specialist who is responsible for collecting and analyzing ballistics-
related evidence, which includes firearms and ammunition.
Ballistics is a science that is rooted in physics, as ballistics experts are called upon to determine
everything from trajectory to probable distance and angle when studying firearms and ammunition. A
ballistics expert may study shell casings, bullet fragments, clips, and firearms at the scene of a crime and
in a laboratory setting.
Ballistics evidence studied by ballistics experts may include:

Firearms
Spent cartridges
Spent shell casings/bullets
Shot shell wadding
Live ammunition
Clothing
When analyzing ammunition found at a crime scene, ballistics experts are said to be engaged in ballistics
fingerprinting, which involves studying the marks left on ammunition to determine which firearm was
used to fire the bullet. (Just like fingerprints, no two firearms will produce the same marks, even those
of the same make and model.) Ballistic fingerprinting and firearm identification is in the same forensic
group as toolmark identification, as a firearm acts as a tool to leave marks or imprints on a spent shell
casing or bullet.
Ballistics experts are called upon to identify the characteristics of firearms, from the bullets fired to
calibers and rifling patterns. They also analyze cartridges and cases to search for signs of firing pin
impression, ejector marks, extractor marks, and other toolmarks. These professionals often use a
comparison microscope to compare toolmarks, side by side, to identify a potential match.
Ballistics experts may also input information found on spent cartridges and bullets into a number of
ballistics databases, such as the FBI’s ballistic database, Drugfire, a computerized forensic firearms
identification system.
 Forensic ballistics refers to the study of firearms and bullets. It involves the study of bullet
trajectory and factors affecting the bullet path.
There are three parts of forensic ballistics:
Internal ballistics: it is basically study of internal components of firearm and what happens inside the
firearms after the firing pin hits the primer. It is mainly concerned with propellant pressures,
acceleration of the missile, muzzle velocity and recoil.
External ballistics: it basically deals with the path covered by the bullet till it reaches its target. various
parameters affect external ballistics such as shape of bullet, atmospheric pressure.
Terminal ballistics: it basically involves study of the bullet when it has reached its target.
IMPORTANCE OF FORENSIC BALLISTICS
Forensic ballistics plays an important role as it helps in ascertaining the culprit who fired the bullet. we
can ascertain the culprit by:
1. studying the gunshot residue if it is present on person’s hand who fired the bullet
2. by comparing the identification marks present on bullet due to firing pin or striation marks
present on the cartridge
3. by comparing the individual and class characteristics of firearm and bullet.
4. by determining the actual distance from where bullet was fired.
It includes things such as the following:
1. Analysis of bullets and bullet impact to estimate the most likely path it has traveled in crime
scenes;
2. Identification of the weapon that has fired a certain bullet by analysis of the pattern of striations
left by the lands and grooves of the weapon, done with a microscope;
3. Identification and/or characterization of firearms and ammunition, if someone is found to have
firearms or ammo without a license, the characteristics of said items are used to determine how
this person will be charged by the courts. Also, sometimes the identification number has been
suppressed and there are techniques used to reveal the suppressed number, so we can
sometimes find who gave the weapon to this person.
THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD BALLISTICS (1765-1775)

"art of throwing large missiles; science of the motion of projectiles," 1753, with -ics + Latin ballista
"ancient military machine for hurling stones," from Greek ballistes, from ballein "to throw, to throw so
as to hit," also in a looser sense, "to put, place, lay;" from PIE root *gwele- "to throw, reach," with
extended sense "to pierce."
"pertaining to construction and use of thrown objects," ultimately from Greek ballein "to throw" (from
PIE root *gwele- "to throw, reach"). Of rockets or missiles (ones that are guided while under propulsion,
but fall freely), from 1949. Ballistic missile first attested 1954; they attain extreme heights, hence
figurative expression go ballistic (1981) "become irrationally angry."
ballistic relating to or characteristic of the motion of objects moving under their own momentum and
the force of gravity "ballistic missile"

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1.

CONCEPTS OF FORENSIC BALLISTICS

WHO IS A BALLISTICS EXPERT

 A ballistics expert (also often referred to as a forensic ballistics expert or a firearms

Ballistics evidence studied by ballistics experts may include:

Spent shell casings/bullets

Shot shell wadding

There are three parts of forensic ballistics:

IMPORTANCE OF FORENSIC BALLISTICS

It includes things such as the following:

THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD BALLISTICS (1765-1775)

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