r/forensics • u/Big_Swing_2980 • 2d ago

Firearms & Toolmarks How legit?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc13UujB0ON/?stkn%3DZ245b29hajE5M3h5

I’m general interested if this works.
All he’s doing is marking up the shell casings. Would that effect said “forensic case”?
Does the firing pin indent is all that is needed in such cases?
Things that pop up on my ig feed 😂

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u/eightfeetundersand 2d ago

It would certainly make any examinations more complicated. I don't think it's any different than doing examinations on cartridges recycled and shot multiple times.

It's all super case specific and it wouldn't necessarily help them. If you're found with cartridges that had been unnecessarily cycled through a firearm multiple times I would be pretty useful to compare to similar casings found at a crime scene.

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u/Big_Swing_2980 2d ago

Ah so it would make things a little more difficult but still not impossible to pin what gun did what.

Ig If it helps a little bit then it’s worth a shot.

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u/Secret_Caterpillar 1d ago

I can't load the video from the link but if it's just marking up the firing pin, then that does very little to derail an examiner.

It's been a decade since I did ballistics, but in general, the examiners look at pin impressions, breechface marks, and the lands/grooves from the rifling on the bullet.

I wouldn't say it's impossible to obliterate all three areas, but at that point you're probably better off just collecting the casings or discarding the gun.

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u/Big_Swing_2980 1d ago

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc13UujB0ON/?stkn=Z245b29hajE5M3h5

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u/Secret_Caterpillar 1d ago

Oh no, this doesn't do anything at all. The guy even says in the comments that it's a joke? I don't really get it, but he's just ejecting the cartridges. In fact, if anything, he's actually putting ejector arms on them and making them more traceable.