STAGES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF A BARREL

1. DRILLING
• boring of deep-hole
 2. REAMING
• o the removal of the scars and
scratches left by the drilling process
 3. RIFLING
• making of the helical grooves or riflings
 4. LAPPING
• To remove the small inconsistencies
remaining in the bore, barrels are lapped
as a final step.
• polishing operation; the removal of large
imperfections on the inside surface of the
barrel
TOOL MARK IDENTIFICATION
FIREARM ANALYSIS
Basics of Firearms Comparisons
MARKS FOUND ON FIRED
BULLETS
STRIATIONS
1)LAND MARKS
 marks made by the lands of the barrel
2) GROOVE MARKS
3) SKID MARKS
- form on the bearing surface of bullets as they enter the rifling of the barrel before the
bullet engages the rifling. Skid marks are typically produced by revolvers and have the
appearance of widening the land impressions at the nose of the bullet.
 SHAVING MARKS
 marks found on bullets fired from a loose-fit barrel rifling of which are
already worn out
MARKS FOUND ON FIRED
SHELLS
• 1) FIRING PIN MARKS - marks found at the base portion of the
cartridge case made by the firing pin
• 2) BREECH FACE MARKS
• - marks found at the base portion of the cartridge case caused by
the backward movement of the breech face
• 3) EXTRACTOR MARKS
• - marks found at the extracting groove of the fired cartridge case
caused by its withdrawal from the chamber
• 4) EJECTOR MARKS
• marks found on a cartridge case fired from an automatic firearm
• 5) SHEARING MARK
• - mark found in the primer near the firing pin mark
• 6) CHAMBER MARK
• - mark found around the body of the fired cartridge case caused
by the irregularities of nips inside the walls of the chamber
 Integrated Ballistic
Identification System
(IBIS)
Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS)
• It is used to associate evidence in previously unsolved crimes. IBIS
is a highly technical, computerized image analysis system that
records striated images from bullets and cartridge cases and
compares them to a national, and growing international, database
of images.
Toolmark Examination
• The Firearms and Toolmark discipline receives tools suspected of
being associated with a crime scene. Cutting, pinching, prying, and
striking tools are all examined by this discipline. Great care must
be taken by the officer to protect the marking surfaces on the tool.
If the entire tool cannot be wrapped, the tool’s marking surface
should be protected using whatever materials are available to the
officer..
Firearm and Toolmark Identification
• When two items come into contact with each other, the surface
softer object will be marked by the surface harder object (tool).
• When a firearm is fired, several different areas of the firearm come
into contact with the surface of a cartridge under extreme
pressures. This pressure causes markings from different areas of
the firearm to be transferred to the cartridge.
• When a firearm is fired, several different areas of the firearm come
into contact with the surface of a cartridge under extreme
pressures. This pressure causes markings from different areas of
the firearm to be transferred to the cartridge.
Weapons Recovered From Water

Weapons removed from fresh water must be placed in the same

water for submission to the laboratory. Small lunch coolers work very
well for handguns. In the event that a rifle or shotgun is removed from
a lake or pond but can’t fit into a container, the weapon should be
sprayed heavily with WD-40 or other lubricant and taken to the
laboratory as soon as possible
Protecting the Weapon from Damage

Do not insert foreign objects into any part of the gun such as the
barrel or ejection port. In the event the gun will be dusted for
fingerprints or super glued, block both ends of the barrel gently with
tape
Bullets, Cartridge Cases and Cartridge

When bullets and cartridge cases are submitted for analysis, they
should be individually packaged in their own canister, envelope, or
other small container. Bullets (especially lead) should be lightly
wrapped in tissue or cotton so that the bullet surface will be protected
from possible damage.
1. Do not mark or engrave any surface on a bullet or cartridge case
as this may damage individual characteristics.
2. Do not let any metal object such as forceps, knives or
screwdrivers come into contact with a bullet.
3. Numerous cartridge cases recovered from the same area may not
be packaged together in one container.