AFTE Store - The Forensic Aspects of High Angle Gunfire

A series of high departure angle discharges for some common firearms have been studied with a sophisticated Doppler radar system at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds near Yuma, Arizona. These tests were carried out in January 2008, and the resulting data processed by the author. The firearms consisted of a 9mm Beretta 92FS, a .40 S&W Beretta 96, a .45 Automatic SIG/Sauer P220 and a 7.62x39mm Russian SKS. Multiple shots at departure angles of 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70° and 80° were carried out in this series of tests using the most common bullet types in each caliber. Profile and top view plots of the radar data provide very useful visual representations of these bullets’ behavior towards the end of their long flights. The Doppler-generated files containing tabular data allowed the terminal velocities, total flight times, and angles of fall to be calculated for each of these shots. The maximum ranges for all calibers and shots fell short of the calculated values derived from a popular exterior ballistics program.