AFTE Store - Reproducibility of Toolmarks on 20,000 Bullets fired through an M240

This article discusses the reproducibility of toolmarks on 7.62mm high velocity bullets fired through a single M240 machine gun barrel. Over the years, there have been several research studies and published articles pertaining to consecutively manufactured rifled barrels and the ability to microscopically identify bullets as having been fired through the same barrel of a firearm; however, to the knowledge of the authors, there has not been any in-depth microscopic study pertaining to 20,000 bullets being fired through a single rifled barrel and subsequently identified to that particular barrel. Based on the recent findings as stated in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Report, this article should provide credible evidence in regards to the reproducibility and uniqueness of striations on the bearing surfaces of fired bullets.