AFTE Store - The Origin and Use of the Slide Scuff Mark: An Example from a German Homicide Case

The source and mechanism of deposition of a striated mark that frequently appears at the 12 o’clock position on the head of fired cartridge cases has been studied and identified. The mark occurs as the breechface of a semi-automatic pistol strips a cartridge from the magazine and loads it into the chamber. Consequently, this 12 o’clock mark (die Zwölf Uhr Spur in
German) may also be found on unfired cartridges which have previously been chambered and subsequently removed from the associated semi-automatic pistol.

This mark has firearms identification capabilities as well as reconstructive value.