Forensic Basllistic - the science of firearms identification by means of the

ammunition fired through them.

Forensic Ballistics is the science of analyzing firearms, bullets and bullet

impacts.

Ballistic fingerprinting is analyzing firearm evidence to determine if that

particular firearm was used in the crime.

Division of Forensic Ballistic

A.FIELD INVESTIGATION - refers to the work of an investigation in the field. It

concerns mostly with the collection, marking, preservation, packing and
transmission of firearms evidences. It include the study of class characteristics of
firearms and bullets

B. TECHNICAL EXAMINATION - refers to the examiners who examine bullets/ or

shells, whether fired from also whether or not cartridges were loaded and ejected
made by the suspected firearms submitted. Reports are made by the examiners and
testify in court regarding their reports.

LEGAL DEFINITION OF FIREARM Firearms or Arms are herein used includes

rifles, muskets, carbines, shotguns, revolvers, pistols and all other deadly weapons
from which a bullet, ball, shot, shell or other missile may discharge off by means of
gunpowder or other explosives. The term also includes air rifles except such as
being of small caliber and limited range used as toys. The barrel of any firearm shall
be considered a complete firearm for all purposes hereof (Sec. 877, Revised
Administrative Code see also Sec. 290 National Internal Revenue Code).

TECHNICAL DEFINITION OF FIREARM instrument used for the propulsion of a

projectile by means of expansive force of gases from burning powder.

(REPUBLIC ACT 10591) - an Act Providing for a Comprehensive Law on Firearms

and Ammunition and Providing Penalties for Violations thereof was signed into law
on May 29, 2013.

Firearm refers to any handheld or portable weapon, whether a small arm or light
weapon, that expels or is designed to expel a bullet, shot, slug, missile or any
projectile, which is discharged by means of expansive force of gases from burning
gunpowder or other form of combustion or any similar instrument or implement. For
purposes of this Act, the barrel, frame or receiver is considered a firearm.

Categories of Firearms

Handguns includes pistols, revolvers and derringers.

Long Guns includes rifles and shotguns.

Mounted Guns includes cannons and anti-aircraft gun.

Derringer - a short barreled pistol that has a large bore and is small enough to
be carried in a pocket.

How did gun gets its name?

Catapults like Springal, Trebuchet, Arbalest and the Wheeled Catapult known as
MANGONEL (war engines) these were all known as GYN (obsolete word) for short
of Engine. It is possible that Gun came from Gyn, but it is much more probable that
it derived from Mangonel familiarly known during early medieval days as a GONNE.

Rifles are so named because the grooving inside the barrel is known as rifling.
Pistol owes its origin to either the Italian city of Pistoia or Pistole.

Classification of Firearms

According to Gun Barrel (Internal Construction)

Smooth-bore firearms fire arms that have no rifling (land and grooves) inside
their gun barrel.
Ex. Shot guns and muskets
Rifled-bore firearms firearms that have rifling inside their gun barrel.
Ex. Pistols, Revolvers, Rifles

Muskets - A long smooth bored firearm designed to shoot a single round lead ball;
a muzzle loading firearm.

Classification of Firearms

(According to Caliber of Projectiles Propelled)

Artillery Those types of firearm that propel projectiles more than one inch in
diameter. Ex. Cannons, Mortars, Bazookas

Small Arms Propel Projectiles less than 1 inch in diameter, can be operated by
one man. Ex. Machines guns Shoulder arm and hand arms.

Classification of Firearms

(According to Use)

Military Firearms

1. Pistols 2. Revolvers 3. Rifles 4. Machine Guns

Pocket and Home Defense F.A

1. Pistols 2. Revolvers 3. Rifles

UNUSUAL OR MISCELLENEOUS TYPE

Those types of fire arm that is unique in mechanism and construction.

ex. Paltik

Revolver pulling the trigger turns the cylinder, positioning a cartridge before the
barrel, then the cocks and releases the hammer.

Semi-Automatic these are quicker to fire and load than revolvers: a quick change
magazine in the grip hold up to 30 cartridge.

Submachine Guns Assault rifles and submachine guns can switch between
automatic and semi-automatic fire. Rifles use larger ammo.

Hunting Rifle These have a hand-operated lever or slide to eject the cartridge
after firing and load a fresh one into the chamber.

Shotgun a shotgun fires a handful of small lead pellets that spread, rather than a
single bullet. This reduces the need to aim.

Action the main working parts of the handgun such as the trigger hammer and
chamber.

Kolibri - The smallest pistol in the world; caliber 2.7 mm, 5 shots 1914

The most powerful handgun in the world is once considered magnum .44 now
Caliber .50 manufactured in Israel.
The word magnum originated in England.

ADVANTAGE OF REVOLVER

It is an old standard weapon, everyone is used to it, and almost everyone

knows something about to handle it.

The revolver is safer for inexperienced people to handle and carry then an
automatic pistol.

The mechanism of a revolver allows the trigger pull to be better than that of
the average automatic weapon.

A misfire does not put revolvers out of action.

It will handle satisfactorily old or new or partly deteriorated ammunition

which gives a reduced velocity that would jam an average automatic pistols.

DISADVANTAGES OF A REVOLVER

It is more bulky to carry than that of an automatic pistol.

Its grip on handle is generally not as good as that of pistol.

 It is hard to clean after firing.

It is slower to load.

It is harder to replace worn out or broken parts, it is factory job.

Worn out or poorly made weapon is subject to variable accuracy due to

improper up of cylinder.

ADVANTAGES OF AN AUTOMATIC PISTOL

It has a better grip fits the hand points naturally.

It is more compact for the same fire power.

It is easier to load than a revolver.

In case of worn or corroded barrel a new one can be put in at little expense
without sending the gun to the factory.

It gives a greater number of shots than revolvers.

It is easier to clean than revolvers.

It gives greater fire power and greater ease of firing.

There is no gas leakage in its operation.

DISADVANTAGES OF AN AUTOMATIC PISTOL

Ammunition must be prefect. Old and deteriorated ammunition will cause a

jam.

A misfire stops the functioning of the gun.

When the gun is kept loaded for a long period of time, the magazine spring is
under tension and may deteriorate and cause trouble.

The automatic pistol cannot use blank or reduced loads.

It has a poor trigger pull than the revolver.

The magazines require a jacketed bullet which is not as good for practical use
as that of lead bullet.

The automatic pistol is more dangerous to handle and fire especially for
inexperienced people due to the fact that after one shot it is always cocked
and loaded.
 It is not adapted to reloading. It throws away empty shell at each shot.

Its mechanical action ejects empty shell towards the face at each shot.

Its throws out empty shells on the ground to remain as evidence.

It cannot be fired from the pocket without jamming.

Rifle

A gun with spiral grooves in its long barrel that spin the bullet as it is shot; usually
held against the shoulder when firing. All rifles have four basic parts:
1. Barrel
2. Stock
3. Action
4. Sights

The original armalite rifle was conceptualized and designed by a Filipino. During the
World War II, the ingenuity of the Filipinos were tested and one name came out from
Samar. It was Armando Malite who invented the armalite. The US government
bought the patent so that they can reproduce the weapon massively.

Four Essential Parts of Firearm

1. Barrel a long tube, maybe smooth as in a shotgun, or with spiral grooves

on the inner surface as in a rifle. Most gun barrels are hollow tubes of steel.
Except for a shotgun, the inside surface of the gun barrel is rifled. The
process of rifling creates spiral grooves in the barrel. The areas between the
grooves are called lands.

shotgun barrel long, made of fairly thin steel, very smooth on the inside
to allow the shot and wad to glide down barrel without friction and thinner
than rifle, since it does not have to withstand as much pressure.

handgun barrel shorter, designed to be shot while being held with one or
two hands, rather than being placed against the shooters shoulder and
bores of most handgun barrels have a grooved pattern.

rifle barrel long, thick walls with spiraling grooves cut into the bore and
grooved pattern is called rifling.

The diameter of a rifled gun barrel is the caliber.

Caliber is normally recorded in millimeters. For example, a 9 mm handgun.

 2. Chamber widened hole at the breech (rear end of the barrel) which holds
the cartridge.

3. Breech mechanism closes the rear end of the barrel, holding the
cartridge in the chamber.

4. Firing mechanism may be electric, as in some large artillery pieces. In

small arms, a spring drives a pointed firing pin through the breech bolt
against a sensitive primer in the cartridge.

Rifling consist of a number of helical grooves cut in the interior surface of

the bore (inner surface of barrel) to impart rotary motion to a projectile.

a. Small type four grooves, right hand twist, grooves and lands of equal width. (4R G-L)
b. Smith and Wesson type five grooves, right hand twist, grooves and lands of equal width
(5R G-L)
c. Browning type six grooves, right hand twist, narrow lands and broader grooves (6R
G2X)
d. Colt type six grooves, left hand twist, narrow lands and broader grooves (6L G2X)
e. Webley type seven grooves, right hand twist, narrow lands and broader grooves (7R
G3X)
f. Army type four grooves, right hand twist, narrow lands and broader grooves (4R G3X)

PURPOSE OF RIFLING is to impact a motion of rotation to a bullet during its

passage inside the barrel in order to insure gyroscopic in the flight, and so that it
will travel nose-on towards the target.

A gun manufactured by Colt has lands and grooves that have a left hand twist.

Caliber of a Firearm It is the diameter of the bore of the barrel measured from
land to land.

Ammunition known as cartridge, it is an unfired unit consisting of cartridge

case, gunpowder, primer and projectile.

Cartridge - Derived from the word charta, the Latin word for paper. Later on it
came through the French word cartouche, meaning a roll of paper, which indicates
that the original cartridge were not the brass gliding-metal tipped units which we
are familiar with today.

Parts of Cartridge
Bullet - the projectile propelled through the barrel of a firearm by means of
expansive force of gases coming from burning gunpowder.

Cartridge case - the tubular metallic container for the gunpowder. Sometimes
called shell or casting.

Gunpowder - the propellant which when ignited by the primer flash is converted
to gas under high pressure and propels the bullet or shot charge through the barrel
and on to the target.

Primer - the metal cap containing the highly sensitive priming mixture of chemical
compound , which when heat or struck by firing pin would ignite also called
percussion.

In addition to the parts of a gun, it is essential to know the components of

ammunition.

Shotgun Cartridge

Base it consist metal cylinder (brass) which is continuous with a cardboard or

plastic cylinder. The case is rimmed which keeps the cartridge correctly in the
chamber and facilitated extraction.

Classification according to primer location.

Pinfire cartridge - this type is no longer used. It has protruding pin usually at
right angles to the base of the cartridge.

Center fire cartridge - priming powder is located at the center.

Rimfire cartridge - this type can be fired only if the cartridge is struck by firing
pin on the rim of the case (the firing pin crushes the rim, igniting the primer).

Penetrators - pierce targets using a single bullet.

High explosives - burst before hitting their target, fragmenting into thousands of
penetrating pieces.

Carrier projectiles - break open near the target to deliver leaflets ,radar-
deceiving materials or small ammunitions.

Artillery Ammunition

1. Fixed ammunition
2. Semi fixed ammunition
 3. Separate loading ammunition/bag ammunition
4. Separated ammunition
5. Guided ammunition

Riot control Ammunition

Consist hard rubber bullets

Soft rubber rings may contain tear gas

Shotgun Cartridge (shell)

1. Bird shot - small shotgun pellets

2. Buckshot - larger ones

3. Single shot - consist of single unit of projectile