Date of Award
Spring 5-28-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department/Program
Forensic Science
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Peter Diaczuk, PhD
Second Reader
Jack Hietpas, PhD
Third Advisor
Andrew Winter, PhD
Abstract
A key feature of shooting reconstruction is trajectory analysis. There are several different methods of assessing this from the bullet impact mark including: best-fit ellipse, lead-in, trajectory rod, 3D laser scanning, and machine learning. While these function in differently, many share a common fault. Few trajectory analysis techniques evaluate the difference in bullet path for bullet morphology. This raises the question: does the morphology of a bullet influence its degree of deviation when interacting with a target material? This study investigates the difference in bullet trajectories through drywall for 9mm full metal jacket (FMJ) and jacketed hollow point (JHP) ammunition at different angles of impact. The original hypothesis stated that the deformation would create a destabilization of JHP bullets, altering their path and resulting in higher deviations from reference compared to FMJ ammunition. However, the presence of wooden studs in the drywall did not significantly alter the percent velocity loss between JHP +P+ and FMJ ammunition. What's more, for most of the targets (with and without studs), FMJ ammunition had a higher average distance from reference points and a higher standard deviation. Overall, between targets containing studs and those without, FMJ ammunition tends to have both larger deviations from the reference points as well as higher variability among the trials. One potential reason for this is the slower muzzle velocity observed for FMJ ammunition. While the results were unexpected, they do maintain the theory that, for certain intermediate targets, the morphology of the bullet could alter its path.
Recommended Citation
Aguilar, Natalia, "The Effect of Bullet Morphology and Intermediate Targets on Bullet Path" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/350
