Physics of Firearms Essay

A firearm is one of the weapons that may be used when hunting. A firearm utilizes pressure produced from the burning of gunpowder to create gas. The pressure produced from the burning powder propels a projectile out of the barrel at a target. In rifles and most handguns the barrel has rifling on the inside of the barrel to make the projectile spin to travel better in the air. Rifling are groove that spin as they go through the inside of the barrel. Shotgun barrels are smooth and can fire “slugs”, a single projectile, or “shot”,

An investigation involving a firearm is a specialty of forensic science which focuses on the examination of firearms linked to ballistics. Ballistics is related to finding out the exact flight path of projectiles. Ballistics is the area of study that examines the exact path of the bullet from the moment it leaves the muzzle of the firearm up until it hits the target. During examination many items are collected for evidence including the firearm, bullets, live ammunition, cartridge casings, trace materials such as powder residue, and anything damaged by the projectile. Firearms are often divided into three processes: Internal, External, and Terminal Ballistics. Internal refers to the inside of the firearm; the space of time in which the shooter pulls the trigger, and the when the bullet is exiting. External ballistics is the flight between leaving the muzzle of the firearm, and it striking its target. Terminal ballistics is the impact of ballistics that refers to the examination in which the projectile strikes a target. All firearms leave markings on the cartridge casings once expelled when firing. Ballistic identification and microstamping laws make it possible to link a cartridge recovered to the

Forensic ballistics and firearm investigation begin when the bullets, cartridges, a weapon, or any combination of the above found at a crime scene. With the evidence, a crime laboratory will explore for clues on some things that might cause a suspect or possible to prove that the things were used in the crime. By contrast, the markings on the bullets or cartridges found at the scene with those discharged from the suspect’s weapon, a ballistics expert will typically confirm if the rounds came from a similar weapon. Just the act of cycling a cartridge through the weapon without firing it will leave permanent scratches on the case that is distinctive to the weapon.

A bullet is traveling at its fastest speed when it leaves the barrel of the gun. Bullets traveling after firing is said to be using kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy the bullet has due to its motion from the firing pin striking the gun powder causing an explosion that forced the bullet to discharge from the barrel. Now this bullet possess kinetic energy and will do harm

A Rifle could shoot a bullet up to 1,000 yards–and were more accurate. However, until the 1850s it was nearly impossible to use these guns in battle because, since a rifle’s bullet had roughly the same diameter as its barrel, they took too long to load. (Soldiers sometimes had to pound the bullet into the barrel with a mallet.)

It is important for a forensic scientist to determine the distance from a gun to a shooter because in some cases a

When the constitution was written the most advanced gun only shot one bolt at a time, and took 30 seconds to reload (Murphy). Now in the 21th century guns have “high-capacity magazines were used in at least 50% of the 62 mass shootings between 1982 and 2012. When high-capacity magazines were used in mass shootings, the death rate rose 63% and the injury rate rose 156%. David H. Chipman...stated that a high-capacity magazine ‘turns a killer into a killing machine.’ Some gang members use high-capacity magazines, such as 30 rounds or even 90 rounds, to compensate for lack of accuracy and maximize the chance to harm” (“Background of the Issue - Gun

Guns as we know them to be are very powerful and dangerous weapons. They are instruments that can be used to inflict severe harm and can even lead to death. However, amidst this fact of

In light of our final exam, the chuck a duck project, we are to learn about projectiles, trajectory, and the factors that affect these things.

Gun hunting does not require manual functions besides holding the gun steady, while pulling the trigger. Ammunition for the gun can be used only one time, and differs on each individual gun. Guns are loaded with one slug or bullet inside the chamber of the gun; while the rest are held in a magazine, until they are chambered for firing. Each bullet is projected from the gun, when the powder burns, large volumes of gas are produced while propelling each slug/ bullet to its

The victim sustained a gunshot to the abdomen and in the head. After analysing photographs of the crime scene and the bullet entries in the body, the investigators were able to determine the trajectory of the bullet’s path and discovered that for the gunshot to the abdomen the assailant was approximately 2 feet away. After being shot in the abdomen, the victim attempted to distance herself when she fell and the assailant came closer and shot her in the head. The two bullets were retrieved from the body so they could examine the bullet’s tool marks and they discovered that the bullets are a .38 caliber. The bullet’s lands and grooves will later be used to match the bullets to the assailant’s

First of all I am going to describe what exactly a shotgun is. A shotgun is designed to be fired from the shoulder. The shotgun fires a shell that holds numerous spherical pellets, also called shot when buying them from stores they are classified by the amount of

There is an estimated 32,000 number of deaths each year caused by shootings that weren’t intentional. An example of this is from “Swallowing Stones.” If you shoot your gun up in the air, gravity will force it down and it would have to land somewhere, it can potentially kill someone because

A gun is a very dangerous weapon that needs to be taken care of by a responsible person. The person behind the trigger must know exactly how to hold, use, and shoot a firearm. Many people have been killed or severely injured when

Firearms are classified into three broad types handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Rifles and shotguns are both considered “long guns.” A semi-automatic weapon fires one bullet each time the user pules the trigger, it will also eject the empty shell after