Here are some notes from the youtube video:
Class Characteristics – these characteristics of firearm can give examiner that a particular firearm
could have been fired from a particular firearm.
Lands – talking about the rifling, the elevated portion found in the barrel is known as Lands. (ung
depress part is ung Grooves)
Pitch of rifling – it refers to the measure of distance by the rifling to make a complete turn inside the
barrel.
Class Characteristics – these are properties or attributes of a firearm which can be determined even
before the manufacture of the gun. (gives a general idea wether a suspected firearm was either use
or not)
Class Characteristics of firearms:
*Bore diameter
-diameter of the hole (caliber-[rifled bore] or gauge-[smooth bore])
*Number of lands and grooves
-number of helical cut
*with of the lands and grooves
-side to side measurement
*Direction of twist
-either left or right
*Pitch of rifling
-distance a bullet can make complete turn (diff. Barre=diff rifling, diff rifling=diff distance at
what particular distance a bullet can make a complete turn)
*Depth of the grooves
-distance from surface to bottom
Common Firearm and their Class Characteristics:
1. Steyer Type (4 RG=L) [4=# of Lands & Grooves, R= if Right/Left Twisted, G=L = width of
Grooves is equal to width of Lands]
2. Carbine Type (4 RG2X) [G2X = width of Grooves is 2 times larger than width of Lands]
3. Army Type (4 RG3X)
4. Smith and Wesson (5 RG=L)
-the only firearm that has 5 L&G
5. Colt (6 LG2X)
-the only firearm that is left twisted
6. Browning (6 RG2X)
7. Webley (7 RG3X)
-the only firearm that has 7 L&G
8. Winchester (6 RG3X)
Additional:
The firearm has a number of general characteristics that may help guide the investigation. These
include the barrel’s calibre, the quantity and size of the rifling grooves inside the barrel, the direction
in which the grooves are twisted, and several marks on the cartridge case.
1. Number and Twist of Lands and Grooves
It is the number of the lands and grooves protruding up and down in a helical pattern within the
bore. Twist of lands and grooves in the direction in which helical pattern proceeds in the bore of a
firearm that has been subjected to conventional rifling.
2. The Depth, Width, and Pitch of Lands and Grooves.
The distance between two lands in a bore is the width of the lands and grooves. The depth of lands
and grooves is described as how deep is the raised portion of the barrel to the actual calibre of the
firearm. The groove edge angle about the width and the steepness of the groove is the pitch of lands
and grooves.
3. Rifling
It refers to the spiral grooves cut into the barrel’s bore, which imparts a stabilizing spin to the
projectile. Based on the direction, there are two types of rifling, namely leftwards rifling and
rightward rifling. Based on the shape, there are six rifling patterns.
4. Caliber and Gauge.
In smoothbore firearms, the number of lead balls of a particular diameter it would take is equal to
around known as gauge. The distance between the opposite lands or grooves in the rifled firearm is
known as calibre.
5. Firing Pin Marks
These are the marks or indentations created when the firearm’s firing pin strikes the primer of the
centerfire cartridge case or the rim of the rimfire cartridge case.
6. Breech Face Marks
These are the marks developed when the projectile recoils rearward under the impact of high
pressure and strikes with the breech face of the firearm.
7. Extractor and Ejector Marks
The striations formed by the extractor of the most autoloading or repeating firearm are called
extractor marks.
The striations developed from the ejector present as an opposing edge on the rear end during the
removal of the cartridge case from the chamber are known as ejector marks.
2.) A specimen’s class features are quantitative attributes that identify a specific source group. Since
they are the result of design variables, they are predetermined before being manufactured. The
general rifling features of a gun’s barrel are the class characteristics of importance in this module.
Guns and ballistic marching play a vital role in criminal investigations because “every firearm tells a
tale.” The information required to substantiate their allegations can be obtained from the exterior
and interior of a gun, as well as from its ammunition, and it can be used in further investigations and
legal actions that assist intelligence gathering and analysis. In order to identify the shooting weapon,
classify the ammunition (based on its make, calibre, or gauge), trace the ammunition, ascertain the
bullet’s trajectory, and establish links between the weapon and other crimes, it is often helpful to
examine the individual and class characteristics of a spent bullet, spent cartridge, or firing residues
recovered from a crime scene. In addition, it can be used to find a weapon or identify the shooter.
