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Forensic Ballistics Methodology

This document discusses methodology used in comparison microscopy. It covers obtaining control samples from weapons, manufacturing marks on ammunition, and methods for recovering fired bullets including using cotton wool or vertical and horizontal bullet recovery tanks. It also describes the parts of a bullet comparison microscope.

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Gabriel Sta Maria
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137 views4 pages

Forensic Ballistics Methodology

This document discusses methodology used in comparison microscopy. It covers obtaining control samples from weapons, manufacturing marks on ammunition, and methods for recovering fired bullets including using cotton wool or vertical and horizontal bullet recovery tanks. It also describes the parts of a bullet comparison microscope.

Uploaded by

Gabriel Sta Maria
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

CHAPTER 10

BASIC METHODOLOGY USED IN COMPARISON


MICROSCOPY

OBJECTIVES:
To be knowledgeable to the use of microscope in
determining the origin of the projectile

Introduction
It has been quoted (Walls, 1968) that up to 25% of the stria in a non-match and
in excess of 75% of the stria in a match will show concordance. Such a degree of
accidentally matching lines is exceedingly high and has not been sup- ported by
personal experience. There is no dispute, however, that out of the thousands of lines
present in any one comparison, a number must, by pure chance alone, show
agreement.

When carrying out a microscopic comparison, the accidental agreement in a non-


match must be recognized by the examiner and mentally discounted as being non-
relevant. It is this ability to reject non-matching stria whilst accepting those of relevance
which is the identifying feature of an experienced comparison microscopist

Obtaining control samples

a weapon has been located, it will be necessary to recover ‘control’


examples of bullets, and cartridge cases for comparison with those recovered from
the crime scene.

Before firing the weapon, it is necessary to carefully wipe any excess


grease, oil or debris from the barrel which might cause additional accidental stria
on the fired bullets. It is also necessary, if it is a self-loading pistol, to clean any
grease or debris from the standing breech face. Such grease could act as a
cushion preventing the transfer of stria on to the cartridge case. In addition, the first
round fired could impress the debris into the standing breech face with sufficient
force as to leave marks which would be reproduced during subsequent firings.

Ballistics Page 1
Manufacturing marks on ammunition

Mention has already been made of weapons class characteristics, for example,
end milling on the standing breech face of Chinese type 54 pistols. However, one should
also be aware that manufacturing marks also exist on unfired ammunition as well.

The problem appeared to be very simple and everyone returned the same results,
four cartridges in one gun and two in another. The examiners had, however, been rather
unfair and obtained two batches of the same make of ammunition, one of which had
very pronounced manufacturing marks and the other none.

Recovery methods for fired bullets

If a weapon has been recovered, it will be necessary to compare fired ammuni-


tion from this weapon with fired ammunition recovered from the scene.

Obtaining a series of test cartridge cases from a self-loading pistol presents


little difficulty as they merely have to be picked up. Obtaining fired bullets in a near
pristine condition is, however, a little more difficult.

In the past, cotton waste or wadding has been used, but this material can be quite
abrasive to soft-lead bullets especially those of 0.22 rimfire caliber

High grade, long-fibre cotton wool

Extremely good at preserving the finest stria on the softest of lead bullets. It is,
however, very expensive and has to be frequently replaced.

Vertical and horizontal


Bullet recovery are currently very popular, but these also have their own
problems.

One of the major problems faced with all water recovery tanks is that of algae
formation. The nitrates in gunshot residues form an ideal breeding ground for algae and
the tank soon becomes a thick green soup. Whilst this does not effect the bullet
recovery, it is not a pleasant medium to work with. Bleach or a bac- tericide can be used
to remove this algae, but great care must be taken to ensure that the bullet surface is not
corroded by whatever is added to the water

Horizontal bullet recovery

Where the bullet is fired at an angle from one end into the top of the tank, suffer
from bullet recovery problems. Once the bullet loses its velocity, it drops to the bottom
of the tank and the only practical way of recovering it is with a piece of Plasticine or

Ballistics Page 2
Blue-tak on the end of a long stick. Locating the bullet is another problem as the
formation of algae can make it very difficult to find the bullet in the first place.

Vertical bullet recovery

Suffer with ricochet problems, but they do have to be a minimum of 6 ft deep to


ensure that the bullet loses all its velocity before reaching the bottom of the tank. With a
minimum depth of 6 ft, the tank is often sited on one floor of a building with the base
resting on the floor below.

Bullet Comparison Microscope

A comparison microscope is a device used to observe side-by-side specimens. It


consists of two microscopes connected to an optical bridge, which results in a split
view window. The comparison microscope is used in forensic sciences to compare
microscopic patterns and identify or deny their common origin. Without this device,
the identification of toolmarks and firearms would be such a cumbersome process
that it would be carried out on a very limited basis.

PARTS OF BULLET COMPARISON MICROSCOPE

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1. Eyepiece Lens: the lens at the top of the microscope that you look through. They eyepiece
is usually 10x or 15x power.
2. OPTICAL BRIDGE

Reference:

Firearm and Ballistics by B, J Heard

Video Link:

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Common questions

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High grade, long-fibre cotton wool is preferred due to its ability to preserve the finest stria on soft-lead bullets, crucial for accurate forensic analysis. Despite its high cost, it causes less abrasion compared to other materials, maintaining the integrity of subtle markings .

The comparison microscope allows for side-by-side observation of specimens, which is crucial in identifying or ruling out a common origin based on microscopic patterns like striae. Without this tool, the task of toolmark and firearm identification would be incredibly tedious and less precise .

Horizontal bullet recovery systems primarily face difficulties with bullet location after it loses velocity and settles at the tank's bottom, often obscured by algae. On the other hand, vertical recovery systems need adequate depth to prevent bullets from ricocheting, requiring significant infrastructure .

Manufacturing marks can create challenges in forensic analysis by introducing distinct patterns that might be mistaken for use marks when comparing bullets. When the same type of ammunition is used, the marks might appear similar on different ammunition batches, leading to potential misidentification of firearms .

Design considerations for vertical bullet recovery tanks must account for ricochet problems by ensuring tanks have a minimum depth of 6 ft. Proper depth ensures bullets lose all velocity before hitting the tank's bottom, thereby preventing ricochets that could complicate bullet retrieval or damage the tank structure .

To obtain control samples, a firearm must be cleaned to remove grease, oil, or debris that could affect firing results. Control bullets and cartridge cases are then fired for comparison with crime scene evidence. This ensures that observed markings are due to the firearm's specific characteristics and not external contaminants .

One of the main challenges in using water tanks is algae formation, fueled by nitrates from gunshot residues, which turns the tank into a thick green soup. This makes bullet retrieval visually difficult, although it doesn't affect the recovery per se. Chemical treatments to remove algae may potentially corrode bullet surfaces if not carefully managed .

To manage algae while preserving bullet integrity, chemicals such as bleach or bactericides can be added to the water with caution. However, the quantities and types of chemicals used must be carefully controlled to prevent corrosion of the bullets, thereby ensuring accurate forensic analysis .

Distinguishing accidental agreement in stria is crucial because, despite some striae matching by chance, only those that demonstrate a match due to similarity in manufacturing processes or wear should be considered relevant. The ability to discern which matches are incidental and discount these as non-relevant is a key skill for experienced comparison microscopists .

The eyepiece lens is crucial for magnifying images viewed through the comparison microscope, allowing forensic examiners to observe and compare fine details of ballistic evidence at various powers, typically 10x or 15x, which aids in identifying matching striae between sample and control ammunition .

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