AFTE Store - Determining the Manufacturer and Model of Impact-deformed Air Gun Pellets Using Impact Deformation Characteristics

Investigations involving firearms are often progressed more quickly if there is knowledge of the manufacturer and model of ammunition involved. It can provide vital information to the investigating officer. However it is not always easy to determine due to the deformation of the small and fragile projectiles on impact. This paper presents a method of identifying the manufacturer and model of impact-deformed air rifle pellets. Nineteen different models of .22 cal air rifle pellets were collected from eleven different manufacturers. Five of each were fired into a paving slab and a reference catalogue consisting of images of the deformed pellets was created. By comparing unknown deformed pellets in a blind test to the reference catalogue, all unknown pellets from the original nineteen models were able to be correctly identified.

Full Journal: AFTE Journal Vol 45 No 4 (2013)