BALLISTICS /

FORENSIC BALLISTICS /
FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION
 FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION
Questioned Document

Firearms
Medico-Legal Identification

Fingerprint
Chemistry
Identification

Physical Polygraphy
Identification

Photography

DARIO F GUINAYEN
Hands-on training on firearms identification
LESSON 1

THE NATURE OF
BALLISTICS

DARIO F GUINAYEN
Ballistics, Forensic Ballistics and
Firearms Identification, in the
country have come one and the
same thing in the mind of the people
and particularly among police
officers as the study of the motion
of projectile.
DARIO F GUINAYEN
Ballistics
Based on etymology, it simply
refers to an activity that involves
throwing (the art of throwing).

DARIO F GUINAYEN
 Ballistics
is the science of projectiles
in motion; often used as a generic term
for the study of bullets from the time
they are shot until they impact a target.
(PNP MC No. 2016-016)

DARIO F GUINAYEN
As a science, it involves the
study of the processes within a
firearm as it is fired. (Merriam-
Webster's Law Dictionary, 2019)

DARIO F GUINAYEN
 Legal definition:

It is the microscopic examination of

fired cartridge cases and bullets
together with the recording and
presentation by means of
photography of what is revealed by
the microscope.
DARIO F GUINAYEN
Photomicrograph of fired bullets and fired shells

Fired Bullets Fired Cartridge Cases

DARIO F GUINAYEN
 Classical definition:
It is a scientific study of the
propulsion and motion of projectiles.
Also includes the study of the
destructive action of such projectiles.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
 Technical definition:

It refers to the science of firearms

identification which involves
scientific examination of ballistic
exhibits.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
In general or in its broadest
sense:

It is the science that deals with

study of the motion of projectile.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
 Ballistics

derived from the Greek word,

“Ballo” or “Ballein” which means to
throw.
from the Roman war machine
called “Ballista”
DARIO F GUINAYEN
 What is the
focus of study in
ballistics?

DARIO F GUINAYEN
Motion
Types of Motion:
1. Direct Motion
2. Rotary Motion
3. Translational

DARIO F GUINAYEN
Chamber

DARIO F GUINAYEN
As a bullet is fired from a rifle, grooves in the interior of the barrel
cause it to spin. The spinning motion stabilizes the bullet and
increases its distance and accuracy. This illustration shows a
modern hunting rifle and highlights its main components.
DARIO F GUINAYEN
Firearm Barrels

DARIO F GUINAYEN
Terms related to
motion of
projectiles
1. Yaw – the unstable rotating
motion of projectile while in
flight.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
2. Gyroscopic Action – refers
to the stillness of its rotating
motion and attain its highest
momentum for stability in flight
penetrating power.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
3. Tailwag – the wobbling
of the end of the projectile
before it picks up a smooth
flight path.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
4. Ricochet – it is the tendency of
a bullet to glance off an object or
to skip, like a flat stone thrown out
over a water surface.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
key hole shot
Bullet hitting the target not
nose-on.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
The Study of gun
ballistics can be
divided into 4
categories:
DARIO F GUINAYEN
1. Internal ballistics (aka
interior/initial ballistics)
deals on the motion of a
projectile while it is still inside
the gun.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
 2. Transitional ballistics (aka
intermediate and transition
ballistics)
the study of a projectile's behavior the
moment it leaves the gun muzzle as its
flight begins.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
 3. External/exterior
deals on the motion of the
projectile from the time it leaves the
gun muzzle until it reaches the
target.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
 4. Terminal/impact
focus on the effects of
projectiles on their target upon
impact.

DARIO F GUINAYEN
END of TOPIC 1

DARIO F GUINAYEN