Ballistics and Firearm Identification Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover vocabulary related to exterior, terminal, wound, and forensic ballistics, as well as firearm classification, legal definitions, historical inventors, and barrel manufacturing processes.

Exterior (External) Ballistics

The study of the attributes or movement of a projectile after leaving the gun muzzle until immediately before hitting the target.

Muzzle Blast

The noise created at the muzzle point of the gun when a shot is fired.

Muzzle Energy

The energy generated at the muzzle point of a firearm, measured in $\text{foot-pound}$.

Trajectory

The parabola-like flight or actual curve path taken by a bullet from the time it leaves the muzzle until it hits the target.

Accurate Range

The distance within which the shooter has control over their shots.

Effective Range

The distance at which a fired bullet is still capable of inflicting a fatal injury; also known as Lethal Range.

Maximum Range

The farthest distance a bullet can travel.

Point Blank Range

A shot fired so close to the target that no sighting is necessary for effective aiming.

Maximum Point Blank Range

The farthest distance at which the bullet's path stays within a critical zone, requiring no adjustment of the point of aim to hit a vital zone.

Velocity

The rate of speed of a bullet during its flight per unit of time, usually expressed in $ft/sec$.

Average Velocity: Revolver

$$600\text{ }ft/sec$$

Average Velocity: Pistol

$$1,200\text{ }ft/sec$$

Average Velocity: Rifle

$$2,500\text{ }ft/sec$$

Average Velocity: Shotgun

$$3,300\text{ }ft/sec$$

Pull of Gravity

The downward reaction of a bullet toward the earth's surface during flight due to its weight.

Ricochet

The bouncing of a projectile after hitting a surface.

Ballistic Coefficient

Describes the ability of a bullet to maintain its velocity against air resistance.

Drift

The curve taken by a bullet while in flight; right-hand rifling causes it to curve right, while left-hand rifling causes it to curve left.

Gyroscopic Action

The stillness of a bullet's rotating motion, which helps it attain stability and penetrating power during flight.

Yaw

The unstable rotating motion of a bullet during flight.

Wobble

An unsteady and uneven spin of a bullet, usually caused by insufficient twist in the rifle barrel.

Keyhole Shot

The tumbling of a bullet in flight that causes it to hit the target sideways because it is not spinning on its axis.

Tandem Bullet

Two or more bullets leaving the barrel one after another.

Terminal Ballistics

The branch of ballistics dealing with the effects of the impact of the projectile on the target.

Shocking Power

The power of a bullet that results in the instantaneous death of the victim.

Stopping Power

The power of a bullet that puts a victim out of action instantly.

Wound Ballistics

The study of projectile penetration on tissues.

Contact Gunshot Wound

A wound where the muzzle was pressed against, or within an $\text{inch or two}$, of the body.

Close Discharge

A gunshot fired from a distance of $6\text{ inches}$ to $2\text{ ft}$.

Distance Discharge

A gunshot fired from a distance of over $2\text{ ft}$ or $3\text{ ft}$.

Souvenir Bullet

A bullet that has been lodged and remained in the body.

Bullet Migration

A bullet that is not lodged in the place where it was previously located.

Bullet Embolism

A specific form of bullet migration where a bullet loses momentum in the heart or large blood vessels and is carried by the blood to another part of the body.

Odd and Even Rule

A presumption that if the total number of entrance and exit wounds is even, no bullet is lodged; if the number is odd, one or more bullets are likely lodged.

Shots Ballistics

The study of the attributes and properties of shots and pellets from smoothbore firearms like shotguns.

Shotgun Wound

Open Wound produce by the penetration of pellets

Forensic Ballistics

The science of firearm identification by means of the ammunition fired through them as applied to law.

FIELD INVESTIGATION

Conducted by the first officers on the case in the field when they investigate a case or cases wherein firearms have been used

JOHN M. BROWNING

Wizard of the modern firearms and pioneered the breech loading single shot rifled which was adopted by Winchester

SAMUEL COLT

Patented the first practical revolver and maker of the Colt Peace Maker, a famous revolver in the history.

ALEXANDER JOHN FORSYTH

Father of the percussion powder.

MAJOR UZIEL GAL

An Israeli army who designed UZI (Israel) in the year 1950.

JOHN C. GARAND

Designed and invented the Semi automatic U.S. Rifle Cal. 30. M1 garand.

Col. Calvin H. Goddard

Recognized as the Father of Modern Ballistics.

MICHAEL KALASHNIKOV

Designed the AK (Automat Kalashnikova) 47 (Soviet Union) adopted by the Russian Army in the year 1951

HORACE SMITH

Founded the great firm of Smith and Wesson and pioneered in making breech loading rifles.

EUGENE STONER

Designed the U.S. M16 Armalite under licensed by Colt Company

JOHN T. THOMPSON

Developed in the course of WW1 the Thompson M1A1 and model of 1928 A1 (USA). Pioneered the making of Thompson sub-machine gun.

L.C. SMITH

Developed shotgun bearing his name now the Ithaca gun Company

GEORGE HYDE

A well-known expert in the field of SMG, (also known as grease gun) developed in 1941. M3A1 (USA)

DANIEL B. WESSON

Associates of Horace Smith in the making of Revolver.

DAVID "CARBINE" WILLIAMS

Maker of the first known Carbine

HENRY DERRINGER

He gave his name to the whole class of firearm

OLIVER WINCHESTER

One of the earliest rifle and pistol maker

BENJAMIN ROBINS

Conducted various experiment in interior ballistics. His findings gav called "Father of Modern Gunnery". Developed ballistic pendulum.

JOHN DEAN "JEFF" COOPER

Creator of the "modern technique" of handgun shooting, and an e and history of small arms who coined the term HOPLOPHOBIA or the fear

Hoplophobia

A term coined by John Dean "Jeff" Cooper meaning the fear of firearms.

Smooth Bore Firearms

Firearms that have no rifling (lands and grooves) inside their gun barrel, such as shotguns and muskets.

Rifled Bore Firearms

Firearms that have spiral cuts (rifling) inside the gun barrel, such as pistols and revolvers.

Lands

The portion of the bore remaining after the rifling grooves have been cut.

Grooves

Spiral cuts in a bore that cause the bullet to spin as it travels down the barrel.

Artillery

Firearms that propel projectiles with a diameter of more than $\text{one inch}$, such as cannons and mortars.

Small Arms

Firearms that propel projectiles with a diameter of less than $\text{one inch}$ and can be operated by one person.

Machine Gun

is a type of firearm that is primarily designed for military use. Is a weapon which shoots, or is designed to shoot, automatically more than one shot without manual reloading, by a single press of the trigger

Sub Machine Gun

is a light, portable form of machine gun, utilizing a pistol size ammunition, having a shoulder stock that may or may not be folded and designed to be fired with both hands

Carbine

A short-barrel rifle with a barrel measuring no longer than $22\text{ inches}$.

Choke Bored Gun

A shotgun designed with a diminishing bore diameter toward the muzzle to keep the shot travel together longer before spreading.

Paradox Gun

A type of shotgun that features rifling (lands and grooves) only for a few inches near the muzzle point.

Single Action Revolver

A type of revolver that requires the hammer to be manually cocked before squeezing the trigger.

Double Action Revolver

A type of revolver where pressing the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer.

Freakish Gun

A tool or device where a firearm mechanism is attached to prevent easy identification, such as a cane gun or cellphone gun.

Zip Gun

A term referring to all types of home-made or locally assembled guns.