AFTE Store - Shotgun Proximity Testing: A Review of the Literature Regarding Muzzle-to-Target Distance Determinations Involving Shotguns

Proximity testing is a common request among investigators desiring to know the truthfulness of claims made by various witnesses or participants in a shooting. In a recently published paper, this author presented a primer on the issue of proximity testing for gunpowder residues [1]. The purpose of the current paper is to supplement the recently published paper by offering a review of the pertinent published literature in the area of shotgun proximity testing. As a supplement, this paper will not deal with issues of chemical testing or issues such as primer formulations and the constituents of gunpowder. These issues are discussed extensively in the already published paper. Rather, this paper will focus on issues specifically related to shotguns, such as shot dispersion, shot spread and buffer materials.