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Class Characteristics vs. Individual Characteristics of Bullets

Firearm examiners compare bullets by analyzing their class and individual characteristics. Class characteristics refer to features like caliber, rifling twist direction, and number of lands and grooves, which assign a bullet to a group but are not unique. Individual characteristics are imperfections and marks that allow attribution to a specific firearm with high certainty. Examiners can conclude bullets were fired from the same gun if they share both class characteristics and individual markings.

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Filibert Patrick Tad-awan
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4K views1 page

Class Characteristics vs. Individual Characteristics of Bullets

Firearm examiners compare bullets by analyzing their class and individual characteristics. Class characteristics refer to features like caliber, rifling twist direction, and number of lands and grooves, which assign a bullet to a group but are not unique. Individual characteristics are imperfections and marks that allow attribution to a specific firearm with high certainty. Examiners can conclude bullets were fired from the same gun if they share both class characteristics and individual markings.

Uploaded by

Filibert Patrick Tad-awan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Class Characteristics vs.

Individual Characteristics of
Bullets
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When a firearm examiner compares two bullets, they consider the two categories that
the bullets can fall into class characteristics and individual characteristics. Class
characteristics refer to the features that assign an object to a specific source of group,
while individual characteristics are features of an object that with a high degree of
certainty, can be assigned to a common source.

The class characteristics of bullets can be referred to as the caliber, direction of twist of
the rifling, and the number of lands and grooves. These features are called class
characteristics as multiple bullets can possess these characteristics that are not unique
to an individual bullet. Whereas individual characteristics of a bullet come from the
imperfections and marks as a result of corrosion, damage, or tools that produce the land
and grooves of the bullet.

When an evidence bullet from a crime scene and the test bullets fired from a suspect
firearm have common class characteristics as well as individual characteristics, the
conclusion of the bullet being fired from the suspect’s firearm can be drawn.

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