AFTE Store - Effects of Fire Damage on the Ability to Make Identifications Part 1: Bullets

The purpose of this research was to determine if a firearm will retain enough individual microscopic markings after it has been burned in a fire to make an identification back to bullets fired before fire damage. Two pistols, containing different metallurgical properties, were burned in a controlled fire at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Fire Research Laboratory in Ammendale, Maryland. The firearms were removed from the fire debris, cleaned and examined for comparative purposes. Both firearms were test fired before and after the burn utilizing four types of ammunition. The test fired bullets from before and after the burn were also intercompared for identification purposes.