Ballistics is the study of the different projectiles used in firearms. In this discipline the weight, shape and dimensions of a bullet are analyzed. A bullet is made up of different parts: the warhead (or bullet, in English), the cap or helmet (also called Shell), the powder that is used to project it and in the lower part there is a primer that causes the ignition of the gunpowder, allowing the bullet to move. Each of them has a specific caliber depending on the characteristics of the weapon used.
The bullet path
Ballistics also study the path of the bullet and how it hits the target. The direction of the projectile is called yaw and incorporates two phenomena (precession and nutation). What causes the projectile to rotate on itself along a path are ridges. As for the speed of the bullet, it depends on the caliber of the weapon and is measured in feet per second (this unit expresses the power of the weapon). Thus, the energy generated in the launch of a projectile will depend on the caliber, type and condition of the weapon.
Forensic ballistics
The study of bullets as a whole is directly related to forensic medicine. Forensic doctors provide essential information in criminal investigations, as ballistics study data provide essential information (shot distance, firing position, etc.). In this way, medicine is related to forensic ballistics. This discipline must evaluate a whole series of parameters and data related to firearms: the measurement of the trigger force through force meters (for example, the dynamometer), the restoration of the erased numbers of the firearms or projectile identification.
A section of this discipline is wound ballistics, which studies the interaction between bullets and the effect they produce on human tissues.
There is also reconstructive ballistics, in which the conditions of the shots and their effects are virtually simulated, for which the collaboration of a forensic doctor, a ballistics expert and a surveyor is necessary to evaluate the physical conditions of the terrain.
Ballistics is a discipline that is part of the investigation of crimes and is very useful to clarify criminal actions with firearms.
