The Examination & Comparison of Bullets & Shotshell Projectiles

This 5-Day class focuses on toolmarks transferred onto bullets by the barrels of firearms. Students will become familiar with examining the general rifling characteristics (GRC) of bullets in no gun cases in order to determine true caliber, nominal caliber and caliber designation. During the class, a GRC database will frequently be accessed in order to generate lists of possible firearms. Students will examine and compare bullets of various design in an attempt to find corresponding individual agreement. In addition, shotshell components will be examined to determine caliber and shot size. Bullets fired from consecutively manufactured barrels and several barrel casts will be available for evaluation of potential subclass characteristic carryover. Various options for the wording of casework reports will be discussed.

Comparison and stereo microscopes, projector/screen for PPT.