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b. FIREARMS
Technical Definition – is an instrument used for the propulsion of projectiles
by means of the expansive force of gases from burning gun powder.
Legal Definition – Firearms or Arms (Legal Sec. 877 of RAC) includes, rifles,
muskets, carbines, shotguns, pistols, revolvers and all other deadly weapons from
which a bullet, a ball, a shot, a shell or missiles may be discharged by means of
gunpowder or other explosives. The term also includes air rifles, except those that are
in small in caliber and usually used as toys. The barrel of any firearm is considered a
complete firearm for purposes of section 877 of the Revised Administrative Code.
RIFLE – a type of weapon designed or intended to be operated from the
shoulder & uses the energy of the gunpowder to propel projectile through a rifled bore.
MUSKET – is an ancient smooth-bore and muzzle loading
military shoulder arm which are designed to fire a single round lead ball in every charge.
CARBINE – a short-barreled rifles designed for mounted troops and the barrel
of these are not longer than twenty-two (22) inches.
SHOTGUN – a smooth-bore type of weapon designed to fire a number of
lead pellets or a single rifled slug in one charge.
PISTOL – is a magazine fed type of handgun designed to fire a single
projectile through a rifled bore for every press of the trigger. It applies to a semi-
automatic or self-loading pistols.
REVOLVER – a type of handgun equipped with a rotating cylinder, serving as
a magazine that successively places a cartridge into firing position. It can either be a
single action or double action.
1) CALIBER/ BORE DIAMETER OF THE FIREARM
The caliber of the firearm is the diameter of the bore of the barrel
measured from land to land in rifled firearm. It is expressed in inches or fraction of an
inch by the American and English manufacturers and millimeters or in centimeters or
fraction there by manufacturers in Continental Europe.
2) GAUGE
As applied to shotgun indicates that bore diameter is equal to the diameter
of lead ball weighing in pounds.
3) CLASSIFICATION OF FIREARM
a) According to Bore:
Small Arms – are firearms which propel projectiles of less than one
inch in diameter.
Types of Small Arms in General
(1) Rifled Bore Firearms - are those that contain rifling inside the
gun barrel. Ex.Pistols, revolvers and rifles
RIFLINGS – consist of a number of helical grooves cut in the
interior surface of the bore. The rifling in firearms may be divided into the following:
(a) Styr type – four grooves, right hand twist, grooves and lands
of equal width. (4R G-L)
(b) Smith and Wesson type – five grooves, right hand twist,
grooves and lands of equal width. (5R G-L)
(c) Browning type – six grooves, right hand twist, narrow lands
and broader grooves. (6R G2X)
(d) Colt type – six grooves, left hand twist, narrow lands and
broader grooves. (6L G2X)
(e) Webley type – seven grooves, right hand twist, narrow lands
and broader grooves. (7R G3X)
(f) Army type – four grooves, right hand twist, narrow lands and
broader grooves. (4R G3X)
PURPOSE OF RIFLINGS – is to impart a motion of rotation to a
bullet during its passage inside the barrel in order to insure gyroscopic stability in the
flight, and so that it will travel nose-on towards the target.
(2) Smooth Bore Firearms - those that have no rifling inside the gun
barrel from the breech end up to the muzzle of a firearm. Ex. Shotguns, Muskets
b) According to Mechanical Construction:
Single Action Firearms - those that are designed to shot only one
shot in one loading.
Repeating Arms - those that can fire several shots in one loading.
Bolt Action Type - those that bolt is used in order to load.
Automatic Loading Type - there is an automatic in the loading.
Single Action Type - known as trombone
Lever Type - such as of the rifles and shotgun
c) According to Use
Military Firearms
Pistol, revolver, rifles shotgun, machine gun
Pocket and Home Defense
Pistol, revolver, rifles
Target and Outdoorsman known as Sporting
Pistol, revolver, rifles, shotgun
Unusual/Miscellaneous Firearms – those that are unique in
mechanism and construction
Gas gun, knife pistol, traps gun, zip guns/paltiks, cane gun, multi-
barreled guns
4) CLASSIFICATION OF FIREARMS ACCORDING TO POWER
PURSUANT TO R.A. 8294
a) Equivalent of Calibers in Inches and Millimeters
Caliber .22 about 5.59 mm
Caliber .25 about 6.35 mm
Caliber .30 about 7. 63 mm (Mouser)
Caliber .30 about 7.65 mm (Luger)
Caliber.32 about 7.65 mm
Caliber .38 about 9mm
Caliber .45 about 11 mm
b) High Powered Firearm
caliber .45
caliber .44
caliber .357 magnum
10 mm/ .40
caliber .41
.22 magnum center fire
Automatic rifles firearms with capability to fire 2 or 3 burst. Shotgun
gauges 410, 10,12, 16, 20 and 28. Homemade firearm w/ bore
diameter bigger than cal. 38/9mm or any caliber but capable of
automatic. Air rifle classified as firearm mode under EO 712
c) Low Powered Firearm
caliber .22 short
caliber .22 long
caliber .22 long rifle
caliber .22magnum
caliber .25
caliber .32
caliber .380
caliber .38
caliber .38 super
9mm
5) According to its Mechanical Operation
a) Single Action – a firearm that must be manually cocked before firing.
The trigger performs single function of releasing the hammer to fire the gun.
b) Single Action Semi Automatic – needs only be cocked for the first shot,
the hammer is cocked automatically for subsequent shots.
c) Double Action – a handgun that can be fired without first cocking the
hammer. The trigger performs two functions of cocking and releasing the hammer.
d) Gas Operated – An automatic/semi automatic firearm with a locked
breech that uses a small amount of the expanding gases created by the burning powder
charge to cycle the action.
e) Blowback – A semi-automatic or automatic system in which the breech
is not locked during firing, but held closed only by recoil spring & the weight of the bolt.
f) Automatic – Technically, a firearm that chambers and fires rounds
continuously as long as its trigger is held down.
g) Semi-Automatic – a repeating firearm that uses some of the energy
generated upon firing to eject the empty shell and chamber a fresh round. Only one shot
is fired each time the trigger is pulled. It may also be called self loaders or autoloaders.
h) Recoil Operated – A locked breech semi-automatic or automatic
system using a portion of the recoil energy to cycle the operation.
c. AMMUNITION
ORIGIN: The term "cartridge" evolved from about the turn of the sixteenth
century. The earliest small arms ammunition or cartridge consisted of a pre-measured
charge of powder wrapped in paper. In Webster's later edition, a cartridge is defined as
"A case, capsule, shell, or bag of metal, pasteboard, of the like, containing the
explosive charge and in small arms and some cannon, the projectile to be fired.
The term cartridge is derived from the word "charta", the Latin word for paper.
Later on, it came through the French word "cartouche" - meaning a roll of paper, which
indicates that the original cartridges were not the brass gliding-metal tipped units which
we are familiar with today.
Legal Definition – The "Legal" definition of the word "ammunition" may be
found in Chapter VII, Sec. 290 of the National Internal Revenue Code as well as in Sec.
877 of the Revised Administrative Code. It refers to ammunition as a "loaded shell" for
rifles, muskets, carbines, shotguns, revolvers and pistols from which a ball, bullet, shot,
shell or other missile may be fired by means of gunpowder or other explosives. The
term also includes ammunition for air rifles as mentioned elsewhere in the Code.
Technical Definition – Technically speaking, the term ammunition refers to a
group of cartridges or to a single unit or single cartridge-meaning a completed unfired
unit consisting of a bullet, cartridge case, gunpowder and primer. The term may also
refer to a "single round".
Small Arms Ammunition – small arms ammunition consist of cartridges
used in rifles, carbines, revolvers, pistols, sub-machineguns and shell used in shotguns.
d. CARTRIDGE
CARTRIDGE – is a complete unfired unit consisting of bullet, cartridge
case, gunpowder and the primer.
1) PARTS OF A CARTRIDGE
a) BULLET – The projectile propelled through the barrel of a firearm
by means of the expansive force of gases coming from burning gunpowder. It can be
either a fired bullet or an unfired bullet.
Pellets – can be either the individual lead or steel balls found in
shotgun ammunition or the lead pellets for use in air weapons. Lead Slug is also
sometimes used to describe air gun pellets, but this is not the correct term for this type
of missile.
Shot – is another term for the lead or steel balls in shotgun
ammunition.
b) CARTRIDGE CASE – The tubular metallic container for the
gunpowder. Sometimes called "shell" or "casing". It can be either fired cartridge case or
a live cartridge case. It is a metallic or non-metallic container in which the primer,
gunpowder and bullet are placed together to form a single unit.
c) GUNPOWDER – The powder charge which, when ignited by the
primer flash, is converted to heated gas under high pressure and propels the bullet or
shots charge through the barrel and to the target. Sometimes called "propellant" or
"powder charge".
It is a substance or a mixture of substances which upon suitable
ignition releases a large amount of chemical energy at a high and controllable rate, the
energy liberation is to convert the propellant into a high temperature gas.
In more recent times, the general term "gunpowder" has been
replaced by the term "propellant". Another term that is being used for it is "powder
charge". All these terms can be used interchangeably because they refer to the same
thing. The weight of the powder charge or propellant is a cartridge is expressed in the
countries using the metric system.
d) PRIMER – The metal cup containing the highly sensitive priming
mixture of chemical compound, which when hit or struck by the firing pin would ignite.
Such action is called "percussion".
2) TYPES OF CARTRIDGE
a) Pin-fire – the pin extend radially through the head of the cartridge
case into the primer.
b) Rim-fire – the priming mixture is placed in the cavity formed in the
rim of the head of the cartridge case. The flame produced is in direct communication
with the powder charge. Used in calibers .22, .25 and .45 Derringer pistols.
c) Center-fire – the primer cut is forced into the middle portion of the
head of the cartridge case and the priming mixture is exploded by the impact of the
firing pin. The flame is communicated to the powder charge through the vents leading
into the powder charge.
3) TYPES OF CENTER-FIRE CARTRIDGES
a) Rimmed type – the rim of the cartridge case is greater than the
diameter of the body of the cartridge case. Ex. Cal .38 and Cal .22
b) Semi-rimmed type – the rim of the cartridge case is slightly greater
than the diameter of the body of cartridge case. Ex. Cal. Super .38 Auto pistol, .32 & .25
c) Rimmed less type – the rim of the cartridge case is equal to the
diameter of the body of the cartridge case. Ex. Cal. .45 Auto pistol, Cal. .30 Carbine,
Cal. .223 Armalite
SUMMARY :
In this lesson, we have learned the definition of the different terminologies on
forensic ballistics. We also discussed the various types of firearms and ammunition, as
well as their evidentiary value including the procedure in the collection, handling and
packaging of firearms evidence that are found in the crime scene. In addition, we
learned also that the successful solution of a crime involving firearms may depend
entirely upon the successful collection and preservation of firearms evidence by a
knowledgeable police investigator and the subsequent examination of the evidence at a
crime laboratory.