Cartridges and firearm identification / Robert E. Walker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Walker, Robert E., 1973-

Contributor:

Anne and Joseph Trachtman Memorial Book Fund.

Series:

Advances in materials science and engineering

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Firearms--Identification.

Firearms.

Cartridges--Identification.

Cartridges.

Evidence, Expert.

Genre:

Field guides.

Physical Description:

xxi, 366 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 26 cm.

Place of Publication:

Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press, [2013]

Summary:

"This book provides essential practical information about firearms and ammunition in a clear, easy-to-follow format. Presenting general rules and practices, the text provides a methodology for identification of unknown firearms and ammunition of questioned identity. The author explains the terminology and describes each group of firearms and the aspects that identify the weaponry, such as property marks, proof marks, and patent dates. This comprehensive reference includes case studies, color and black-and-white photographs, and illustrations to illuminate and support the text"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 The World of Firearms and Ammunition 1

Introduction 1

Balancing Firearm Safety with Evidence Preservation 1

Crimes Involving Firearms and Ammunition 5

Firearm "Expert"? A Complex Question 8

Exculpatory Evidence 10

The Frye and Daubert Standards 11

Gunsmiths versus Armorers 12

Firearm Examiner 14

Firearm Subject-Matter Expert 14

Basics: Understanding What Makes a Firearm Operate 15

Trigger Travel 16

Single-Action Firearms 17

Double-Action Firearms 18

Sequence of Operation 19

Methods of Operation 20

Gas Impingement 20

Gas-Piston Operation 21

Recoil Operation 23

Blowback Operation 23

Recoil-Operated versus Blowback Firearms 25

Striker-Fired Firearms, a Contemporary Trend 27

Emergence of the Polymer-Framed Pistol 28

Manually Operated Firearms 30

Breech-Loaded Firearms 30

Lever-Action Firearms 31

Bolt-Action Firearms 31

Slide- or Pump-Action Firearms 32

2 Ammunition Cartridges 33

Ammunition: A Backdrop 33

Cartridge Identification by Dimensions, Names, and Identifiers 38

Caliber 38

Hyphenations, Names, and Other Identifiers 40

Metric System 42

Cartridges Having Caliber and Metric Designations 43

Other Identifiers 43

Shot Shells 44

Components of Fixed Ammunition 46

Cartridge Casing 46

Materials Used in Construction of Cartridge Casings 49

Brass 52

Aluminum 53

Steel 54

Nickel Plating 54

Shot Shells 54

Paper 55

Plastic 56

Polymer-Cased Cartridges 56

Caseless Ammunition 58

Ignition Systems and Propellants 60

Center-Fire Cartridges 61

Berden Priming 61

Boxer Priming 62

Rim-Fire Cartridges 62

Black Powder 62

Smokeless Powder 63

Lesmoke Powder 65

Action Time 65

Electric Priming 65

Projectiles 66

Commonly Used Abbreviations to Identify Projectile Styles 66

Cannelures 67

Ball Projectiles and Variations 67

Controlled-Expansion Projectiles 72

Open-Tip Match 75

Wad Cutter and Semi-Wad Cutter 78

Armor Piercing 78

Tres Haute Vitesse (THV) 79

Van Bruaene Rik (VBR) 79

Frangible Projectiles 80

Blended-Metal Projectiles 82

Glaser Safety Slug 82

Tracer Ammunition 83

Explosive Projectiles 84

Dummy, Drilled, and Inert 86

Blank Cartridges 86

Subsonic Cartridges 88

Sabots 89

Gyro Jet 90

Shot Pellets 90

Slugs 91

Duplex Shot Shells 92

Other Types of Shot Shell Loads 93

Less-Lethal Munitions 93

Training Ammunition 96

Marking Cartridges 96

Short-Range Training Ammunition 97

Projectile Jacketing 98

Metal Jacketing 99

Metal Washes and Plating 99

Nyclad 100

Other Composite Jacketing Materials 100

Nonjacketed 101

Projectile Mass 101

Projectile Material Composition 101

Materials Selection 101

Lead 102

Solid-Metal Projectiles 102

Shot Pellets 103

Wooden Projectiles 103

Hand Loads, Reloads, and Wildcats 104

Caliber Interchangeability 106

Identification Markings 110

3 Cartridge Head Stamps 115

Cartridge Head Stamp Overview 115

Head Stamp Elements 115

Counterfeit Head Stamps 116

Rim-Fire Head Stamps 117

NATO Identification Marking 117

U.S. Government Arsenal Markings 118

Process of the Identification of a Cartridge, Cartridge Casing, or Projectile 118

Head Stamp and Manufacturing Practices for Selected Nations 125

Albania 125

Argentina 125

Australia 126

Austria 127

Bangladesh 127

Belgium 127

Bolivia 128

Brazil 128

Burkina Faso 128

Burma 129

Cambodia 129

Cameroon 129

Canada 129

Chile 130

China 130

Colombia 131

Cuba 131

Denmark 132

Dominican Republic 132

Egypt 132

Ethiopia 133

Finland 133

France 133

Germany (Prewar, West Germany, Reunified Germany) 134

Greece 135

Guatemala 136

India 136

Indonesia 136

Iran 137

Ireland 137

Israel 137

Italy 138

Japan 138

Kenya 139

Lithuania 139

Malaysia 139

Mexico 140

Morocco 140

Netherlands 140

New Zealand 140

Nigeria 141

North Korea 141

Norway 141

Pakistan 141

Peru 142

The Philippines 142

Portugal 142

Saudi Arabia 143

Scotland 143

Singapore 143

South Africa 143

South Korea 144

Spain 144

Sudan 145

Sweden 145

Switzerland 145

Taiwan 146

Tanzania 146

Thailand 146

Turkey 146

Uganda 146

United Arab Emirates 147

United Kingdom 147

Venezuela 148

Zimbabwe 148

The Russian Federation, Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact, and Eastern Europe 148

Soviet Factory Codes 150

The Russian Federation 151

Federal State Enterprise Productions Amursk Cartridge Plant "Vympel" 152

Joint Stock Company's Barnaul Machine Tool Plant 152

Joint Stock Company Tula Cartridge Works 153

Klimovsk Specialized Ammunition Plant 154

Novosibirsk Low Voltage Equipment Plant 154

Ulyanovsk Machinery Plant 155

Wolf Performance Ammunition 155

Other Eastern European Sources 156

Bulgaria 156

Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic) 157

East Germany 158

Hungary 159

Poland 159

Romania 160

Ukraine 160

Yugoslavia 161

4 Firearms 163

Introduction 163

United States Domestic Firearm Production for 2011 165

Firearm Import Trends 166

Contemporary Trends in the Federal Prosecution of Firearms Offenses 166

Firearm Classification Types 167

Handguns 167

Revolvers 168

Semiautomatic Pistols 178

Single-Shot Handguns 187

General Safety Issues 188

Hang Fires 188

Squib Loads 188

Slam Fire 188

Long Guns 189

Long-Gun Safety Systems 189

Rifles 189

Short-Barreled Rifles 196

Weapon Made from a Rifle 199

Shotguns 199

Drillings 203

Short-Barreled Shotguns 203

Weapon Made from a Shotgun 204

Destructive Devices 205

Suppressors, Silencers, Moderators, Mufflers, and Cans 206

Machine Guns 2.15

Improvised Firearms 221

Any Other Weapons 222

Antique Firearms 223

Air Guns 224

Ammunition-Feeding Devices 227

Magazines 227

Shared Magazine Architecture 229

Drum Magazines 229

Magazine Components 230

The Clip 231

Ammunition Belts 233

Internal Magazines 233

Firearm Alterations and Modifications 233

Finish, Refinishing, Colors 234

Firearm Chassis 235

Mechanical and Functional Modifications 236

Machine Gun Conversions 237

Field-Testing Procedure for Automatic Weapons 239

Closed Bolt-Action Field-Test Procedure 240

Open-Bolt-Action Procedure 240

Case Studies of Commonly Converted Firearms 240

MAC-Pattern Firearms 240

Heckler & Koch 242

AR-Pattern Firearms 244

Replacing Semiautomatic Parts with Machine Gun Parts 245

Drop-In Auto Sear 246

Lightning Link 247

Open-Bolt Modification 248

Indicia of a Converted AR Firearm 248

Receiver Markings 248

Intratec Pistols 250

Glock Pistols 251

SKS (Simonov Carbine Self-Loading) 252

AK-Pattern Firearms 253

M1 Carbine 254

Assorted Other Conversions 256

Colt 1911 and 1911A1 257

Browning Hi Power 257

Marlin/Glenfield Model 60 258

STEN Gun 258

Devices Designed to Simulate Fully Automatic Firing 259

Firearm Receiver 260

DEWATS, Unserviceable Firearms, and Inert Firearms 262

Manufacturers 262

Manufacture by Multiple Firms 265

Historical Footnotes on Older, Common Nameplates 265

Iver Johnson 265

Marlin Firearms 266

Harrington & Richardson 266

High Standard 266

Savage Arms 267

Firearms Imports & Exports 267

RG Industries 268

Hermann Weihrauch 268

Department Store Firearms 269

Sears & Roebuck 269

Montgomery Ward 271

Western Auto Supply Company 271

Kmart 271

J.C.

Penney 271

Firearm Designs Manufactured by Multiple Manufacturers 274

Walther PP and PPK 274

Model 1911 and 1911A1 276

Beretta 92 278

M14, MIA, and Variants 278

Armalite Rifle 280

Kalashnikov-Pattern Firearm 285

Heckler & Koch G.3 291

FN FAL and the FN FNC 293

Modular Weapon Systems Concept 294

Firearms Identification Methodology 299

Identification of a Firearm from Photographic or Video Images 300

5 Firearm Markings 303

Serial Numbers 303

Serial Number Structures and Practices 304

Firearms Absent Serial Numbers 307

Firearms Bearing Multiple, Different Serial Numbers 308

Renumbered Firearms 308

BATFE Serial Number Traces and E-Trace 309

Methods Used to Apply Serial Numbers 310

Obliteration, Alteration, or Defacing of Serial Numbers 311

Methods Observed Used to Alter, Obliterate, or Deface Serial Numbers 312

Scratching 313

Gouging 313

Grinding, Sanding, or Other Abrasives 314

Drilling 314

Punch 314

Peening 314

Filling 314

Chemical 315

Mechanical Serial Number Restoration Techniques 315

Chemical Serial Number Restoration Techniques 316

Nondestructive Serial Number Restoration Techniques 317

Digital Imagery 317

X-Ray 318

Ultrasonic Cavitation 318

Magnetic Particle Inspection Process or Magnetic Flux 318

Variations of Temperature as a Restorative Technique 319

Best Practices for Serial Number Restoration 319

Photographic Considerations 320

Frozen, Fixed, and Environmentally Exposed Firearms 320

Model Designations 321

Import Markings 323

Other Markings 325

National Crests 326

Arsenal Markings 327

Patent Dates, Legends, and Other Information 329

Proof Marks 329

U.S. Commercial Proof Marks 330

Proof Marks Used around the World 330

United States Military 331.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Anne and Joseph Trachtman Memorial Book Fund.

ISBN:

1466502061

9781466502062

OCLC:

748331598

Publisher Number:

99952708719