Ballistics

The examination of standard and country-made firearms, lethal weapons like revolvers, pistols, assault rifles, carbines, and ammunition are carried out in this division. The examination of firearms in possession under the arms act is also carried out in this division. This division also undertakes the work for the examination of gunshot residues from fired ammunition, shot holes on clothes/skin/window glasses, etc… and distance of firing in cases of murder/assault. For comparing the striations on the fired bullets and firing pin impression on fired cartridge cases from the crime scene with test-fired bullets and test fire cartridge cases a comparison microscope is used. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) in this division is used in various forensic ballistic applications like Gunshot residue analysis, firearm identification (Bullets and empty cartridge) cases markings comparisons.

Ballistics Division having a sufficiently long ‘firing gallery’ of 48 x 3 square meters in the premises of FSL, Mumbai, which is helpful in measuring the velocity of the bullets, effective range of the weapon, distance of firing in various crime-exhibits and a Sophisticated computerized “Projectile VelocityMeasuring System” is being installed in the said firing gallery, which helps in improving quality, accuracy and speed of work. Firing Gallery is also equipped with a “Ballistic Gelatin Measurement System”, the camera of this system captures the images of the path of the bullet in the gelatin block fired from the firearm. This system has specialized software to study the path of the bullet and the nature of cavities produced by the bullet in the gelatin block. The gelatin block simulates the human body. Hence the research work related to the human body can be done on these parameters.