Shotgun ballistic testing

Our man in Havana

Just curious, can a spent shell be linked back to the shotgun that fired it?

Bogger77

The pin marks and other marks on the spent shell, such as scrapes and scrathes, can be used to narrow down or id the gun that fired it, once the gun is found. Same with bullets.
Gun's will leave identical marks on each bullet or shell it fires, eg angle firing pin hits,the distance of center,etc.

Mellor

Yes, just not as easily as a regular round.
Through pin impression and lead batching

This anything to do with the case in north west kerry?

Sparks

It's certainly got nothing to do with sport shooting or shooting sports...

(...well, maybe at a very distant remove, but it's close enough to being off topic as makes little difference)

Paddy Diver

Bond-007 wrote: »

Just curious, can a spent shell be linked back to the shotgun that fired it?

Not fully in the know yet but I was talking to a lecture of mine who said the new "ground breaking" thing is that now they can trace lead isotopes form the bullet/pellet/etc and test the suspected gun for this trace lead isotopes left on the barrel sooo.......possibly no need for the shell casing anymore.

Ian

Curvy Vixen

Absolutely it can.....

http://www.forensictechnologyinc.com/

Used to work here so know a little about it...

Our man in Havana

Fair enough so. Thanks for the info folks. Absolutely nothing to do with Kerry.