AFTE Store - The “Lipstick Round”: An Evaluation of Total Synthetic Jacketed Bullets, a New Lead-free Primer, and Their Effects on Firearms Identification

Syntech range ammunition possesses two unique features: 1) A lead-free primer that replaces the toxic lead styphnate with tetracene and bismuth trioxide and 2) a polymer-coated bullet. The lead bullets of this ammunition are encapsulated in a red, proprietary polymer coating, termed “Total Synthetic Jacket (TSJ),” designed to prevent metal-on-metal contact in the bore of the firearm. The purported benefits of this polymer jacket include a cleaner barrel with minimal fouling, reduced friction for cooler shooting, and reduced lead exposure. This ammunition may be problematic for the forensic scientist, particularly in relation to gunshot residue examinations and firearms identification. Other plastic-coated bullets, such as Nyclad bullets (Syntech predecessor), have made dentification to an individual firearm difficult due to the poor rifling engraving on the polymer jacket and the occasional stripping of the polymer jacket material. This study evaluates the effects of Syntech ammunition on the various aspects of forensic firearm identification, particularly the identification of synthetically-coated bullets to an individual firearm, potential trace evidence recovered from the bore of barrels firing this ammunition, and gunshot residue examinations. Deformation and poor rifling engagement on the synthetic material made microscopic comparisons difficult, especially when comparing two Syntech bullets to each other, and often resulted in little more than the observation of class characteristics. During the examination of this ammunition, several unique features were observed, such as, various types of pitting and other deformations exhibited on the synthetic jacket material, the presence of bismuth in gunshot primer residue examination that may lead to the association of this primer, and the deposition of jacketing material as both flakes and bullet wipe on cotton witness panels.