- 01: Introduction
- 02: History
- 03: Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development
- 04: Modern Firearms Manufacture
- 05: Small Arms Ammunition
- 06: Evidence Handling Procedures
- 07: Equipment and Instrumentation
- 08: Examination of Firearms
- 09: Cartridge and Shotshell Examination
- 10: Characterization and Evaluation of Fired Projectiles
- 11: Bullet Comparison and Identification
- 12: Gunshot Residue and Distance Determination
- 13: Toolmark Identification
- 14: Communicating Results
- Resources
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice ProgramsNational Institute of JusticeThe Research, Development, and Evaluation Agency of the U.S. Department of Justice
Introduction
Home > Cartridge and Shotshell Examination > Introduction
This module addresses forensic firearm examinations relating primarily to the following categories of firearm-related evidence:
- Cartridge-related evidence:
- Fired cartridge cases (the portion of a fired cartridge left behind after a bullet has been fired, often referred to as “brass” in a nonforensic context)
- Unfired cartridges (unfired ammunition that is still complete, consisting of a projectile, propellant, primer, and a cartridge case assembled as a unit, often referred to as a “round” in a nonforensic context)
- Shotshell-related evidence:
- Fired shotshells (shotshell cases that no longer contain propellant, pellets, buckshot, wadding, buffer, or a shotgun slug)
- Unfired shotshells (intact shotshells that consist of the shotshell case, primer, powder, pellets, buckshot, wadding, buffer, or a shotgun slug assembled as a unit)
