Forensic based empirical study on ricochet behaviour of Kalashnikov bullets (7.62 mm × 39 mm) on 1 mm sheet metal

Abstract

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AK bullet (7.62 × 39 mm) holes on 1‐mm sheet metal: A forensic‐related study in aid of bullet trajectory reconstruction

“…The full length of the impact marks was observed to systematically increase with a decreased angle of incidence for the bullets. The change observed in average full lengths of impact marks below 30° was particularly significant and was also where the bullets started to showcase a complex behavior, with the creation of a "double-headed impact mark," as observed by a previous study [11].…”

“…This phenomenon had also been reported during the previous study [11] when AK bullets ricocheted off 1-mm sheet metal from 8° to 20° incident angles; however, it was not measured or evaluated.…”

“…Further, a triangular-shaped jacket portion of the bullet had been observed ricocheting during the ricochet study [11], and a different fragmentation phenomenon was observed in collected ricocheted jackets in this study (Figure 4: left picture). Two different types of ammunition used in the studies (lead cores and mild steel cores) may have caused this difference.…”

“…The bullets used were 7.62 × 39 mm standard Chinese BALL ammunition with mild steel cores/copper jacket and a steel case. Since a simultaneous ricochet and perforating phenomenon of AK bullets had previously been reported at low-incident angles [11], two hardboard paper screens were also fixed at the edge of the target tray to capture the impacts of any ricocheting and perforating parts of bullets. Perforated bullets were soft-captured for further analysis using a box filled with Kevlar.…”

“…7.62 × 39 mm, AK rifles, bullet holes, bullet trajectory determinations, sheet metal, shooting reconstruction metal has been frequently considered with different ammunition combinations due to its frequent appearance in shooting incidents with bullet holes [2,3,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. These studies have described bullet hole characteristics on sheet metal surfaces in relation to bullet trajectory determination.…”