UNIVERSITY OF MINDANAO

Bansalan College

BS Criminology Program

Physically Distanced but

Academically Engaged

Self-Instructional Manual (SIM)

for Self-Directed Learning (SDL)

Course/Subject: CRI 414/L – FORENSIC BALLISTICS

Name of Course Coordinator: ROBBIE JEAN S. DUMAGSA, RCRIM

THIS SIM/SDL MANUAL IS A DRAFT VERSION ONLY; NOT FOR

REPRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE OF ITS INTENDED USE. THIS
IS INTENDED ONLY FOR
THE USE OF THE STUDENTS WHO ARE OFFICIALLY ENROLLED IN THE
COURSE/SUBJECT. EXPECT REVISIONS OF THE MANUAL.

AUGUST 2021
 UNIT 3
Week 6-7: Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO): At the end of the unit, you are expected to:

a. Trace the parts of the projectile and the classification of bullet according to their maxim
effects on the targets and its miscellaneous types;
b. Explain the function of a gunpowder in an ammunition and the types of powder
in small arms.

Big Picture B

Big Picture in Focus: ULOb. Explain the function of a gunpowder in an

ammunition and the types of powder in small arms

Metalanguage
In this section, the most essential function of the gunpowder in an ammunition
will be defined:

• Gun Powder – The inventor of gunpowder is Berthold Schwartz (real name

is Constantin Anklizen), a Franciscan monk in the town of Freiburg in
Germany.
• Explosives – Any substance that may cause an explosion by its sudden
decomposition or combustion. It is a material either a pure singe substance
or mixture of substance which is capable of producing an explosion by its
energy.

Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcome) for the two
(2) weeks of the course, you need to fully understand the following essential
knowledge that will be laid down in the succeeding pages of discussion.

GUNPOWDER

- Is any various powder used in firearms as propellant charge.

- In the beginning of 1875, gunpowder was gradually replaced by
safer but more powerful explosives.
- Now, called Black Powder, it is principally to ignite the main
propellant charge in artillery ammunition.

1650 - The most energetic formula, consisting of 75% potassium nitrate, 10%
sulfur and 15% charcoal, was generally favored for use in military
firearms.

TWO TYPES OF POWDER IN SMALL ARMS

• BLACK POWDER (Europeans) – Consists of black and rather

shiny grains. Although black powder has been in use for about six
centuries.
 The Composition Are:
- Potassium Nitrate - 75%
- Charcoal - 15%
- Sulfur - 10%

BLACK POWDER, research shows that:

- In finer granulations produced higher pressures than equal
quantities of coarser black powder, indicating the burning rate is
controllable by granulation.
- Peak pressures were as high as 21,000 psi (pounds per square
inch), and roughly equal to modern factory ammunition for this
cartridge.

DISADVANTAGES
- Black powder has limited amount of total energy per unit of
volume.
- In cartridge firearms, velocities seldom exceed 1400 ft/sec.(426
m/sec).
- Black powder is volumetrically inefficient.
- Black powder produces a dense smoke cloud.
- Black powder residue is corrosive to steel.

• SMOKELESS POWDER
- Is the propellant used in guns and small solid-propellant rockets.
- It is not a “powder” in the sense of being finely divided.
- It is made in the form of disks, cylinders, cords, spheres, or
plates of varying sizes.
- The term “smokeless powder” is used to differentiate it from the
earlier black powder, which was quite smoky.

CLASSIFICATION OF SMOKELESS POWDER

1. Single based (Nitrocellulose)
- Contains nitrocellulose of about 12.5%-13.5%
nitrogen.
- Most famous single based-powders are the
celebrated ‘Poudre B’ created in 1884 by
Ordnance General Paul Vieille. Poudre B single-base
smokeless powder flakes.

2. Double based
 - Nitrocellulose and 25% nitroglycerine with the following minor
ingredients:
a. Centralite
b. Vaseline phthalate esters
c. Inorganic salt
- The most famous examples of double base powders were called
Ballistite and Cordite.

3. Triple based
- Nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine and nitroguanadine
- Have been developed for some very specific applications such
as a high rate of automatic weapons or artillery gun.
- The third explosive substance used in these is a so-called “cool
burning explosives” often nitroguanadine, which is used to lower
the temperature of deflagration.

4. High ignition temperature propellant

- Its main constituent is from RDX group of high explosives.
- It was moderated to the process of gelatinization and was then
developed by Dynamite Noble of Germany in conjunction with
Heckler and Koch for the latter’s G11K2 rifle.
RDX is also known as Research Department Formula X or
Research Department explosive
TIMELINE
• 1846
- The German- Swiss chemist Christian Friedrich Schonbein
discovered nitrocellulose.
• 1884
- The French engineer Paul M.E Vieille invented the famous
Poudre B- a dense, colloided, nitrocellulose powder.
• 1888
- The Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel gelatinized nitrocellulose with
nitroglycerine and by the British development of cordite.
- The development of modern smokeless powders followed.
• 1895
- Cordite was developed by Sir Frederick Abel and James Dewar.
- It became the official British cannon propellant.

CORDITE - A type of smokeless nitrocellulose

powder which was used widely in British
military and sporting cartridges.
- Cordite grains usually resembles very thin
strands of spaghetti but sometimes have
other forms.
 GUNCOTTON - A cellulose material which has been
treated with appropriate chemicals to produce
nitrocellulose, an extremely combustible
material.
- Used as a bullet propellant.

LESMOK POWDER - Developed by DuPont in 1911

and used by WRA, Rem-UMC and USC.
- It was a type of semi-smokeless powder and was
used until the 1930’s.

SEMI-SMOKELESS GUNPOWDER - A transitional

relatively low-pressure propellant which bridged
the gap between black and smokeless powder.
- “LESMOK” was a typical brand name.

CLASSIFICATION OF EXPLOSIVES

1. Propellants or Low Explosives – Burns but do not explode and

function by producing gas which produces explosion. Examples: black
powder and smokeless powder.

2. Primary Explosives or Initiators – Explodes or detonate when they are

heated or subjected to shock. They do not burn; sometimes they do
not even contain the element necessary for combustion. Examples:
Mercury Fulminate, Lead ozide, lead salts or picric acid.

3. High Explosives – Detonates under the influence of the shock of the

explosion of a primary explosive. They do not function by burning, not
all of this type are combustible, but most of them can be ignited by a
flame and in small amount generally burn tranquilly and can
extinguished easily. Examples: TNT, dynamite, nitroglycerine, picric
acid.

Please note that you are not limited to exclusively refer to this module.
Thus, you are expected to utilize other books, research articles and other
resources that are available in the university’s library e.g. ebrary,
search.proquest.com etc. and other credible internet sources.
Self-Help: You can also refer to the sources below to help you further understand
the lesson:
• Manlusoc, A. (2016). Forensic ballistics. Page61-67, 81-87
• Manuel, G. & Ibutnande, D. (2016). Forensic ballistics. Page 33-37, 51-55