- 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
1900-1907
Home > History > 1900-1907
1900
A significant article titled “The Missile and the Weapon” was published in the June issue of The Buffalo Medical Journal. The article, written by Dr. Albert Llewellyn Hall, dealt with a variety of issues including the procedures for measuring land and groove markings on bullets. He also discussed the examination of gunpowder residues in barrels of firearms and the changes within the barrels that take place over time after firing.
1902
A Massachusetts State Court allowed expert testimony on the effects of rifling and other markings on fired bullets. This was one of the first cases to allow the introduction of photographs of evidence and test-fired bullets.
1903
In London, England, E. J. Churchill provided testimony involving the distance at which a shot had been fired into a human skull. The body of homicide victim, Camille Holland, was recovered and examined to determine the cause of death. It was determined that she had been shot at a close range with a .32 caliber revolver. Using a similar revolver and the same type of ammunition, test shots were fired into sheep skulls at varying distances. The skull of the victim was examined and compared to the sheep skulls. Churchill concluded and testified that the fatal shot was fired from a revolver at a distance of six to twelve inches. The accused was convicted and hanged.
1907
During a riot in Brownsville, Texas, a group of United States Army soldiers opened fire. Thirty-nine cartridge cases as well as fired bullets and suspect rifles were examined by Army personnel of Frankford Arsenal. This marks the first recorded instances of the evaluation of fired cartridge cases as evidence and linkage of the evidence to specific rifles.
Photographs of each cartridge case primer area were taken through a microscope and enlarged for side-by-side comparisons. Of the thirty-nine cartridge cases, thirty-three were sorted into four groups based on the primer marks. Each group was positively identified with a particular seized service rifle based on the impressions in the primers. Additionally, the class characteristics of recovered bullets were compared to determine if the bullets were consistent with either of the two rifle models in service at the time.
The Study of the Fired Bullets and Shells in Brownsville, Texas, Riot report was published in 1907 by the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., as part of the Annual Report of the Chief of Ordnance, U.S. Army.
