Are bullets specific to guns?

The theory behind firearm identification is that microscopic striations and impressions left on bullets and cartridge cases are unique, reproducible, and therefore, like “ballistic fingerprints” that can be used to identify a gun. A fired bullet with rifling impressions from the barrel of a gun (left).

Can you reuse gun bullets?

The brass casings are reusable. “Reloading is basically taking your empty brass that’s already been fired and then putting all the components back into it to make it so it’s just like new again,” Petersen said. “So you can shoot it again, but at a much reduced cost.”

How long are bullets good for?

Fact is, all modern ammo will last more than 10 years if it’s been stored reasonably well. Ammo companies push a conservative message, likely because they don’t want the liability if it fails to fire (and, hey, they’d like to sell more ammo… fair enough).

Why do cops carry Glocks?

The Glock’s large capacity and light body gave it advantages over other guns. “Police departments were amazed when they took their officers out to the range and found out not only could they learn to use the Glock pretty quickly, but the Glock also made them more accurate as marksmen,” he says.

Can you use the same bullet for different types of cartridges?

As far as using one type of bullet to load different types of cartridges, yes, within limits. There are two major considerations. One is the bullet diameter and the other is the weight of the bullet. The diameter must be correct for the firearm the cartridge is to be used in.

How do you prove two bullets were fired from the same firearm?

If sufficient correspondence is found between the questioned bullet and the test bullets, with no unexplainable differences, the examiner can conclude that the questioned bullet was fired from the suspect firearm. The image above demonstrates corresponding microscopic markings consistent with two bullets having been fired from the same firearm.

Can you fire the same ammo from multiple guns?

Often multiple guns are designed to chamber the same ammunition. For example: 7.62 X 51mm NATO ammunition can be fired from a wide variety of NATO rifles (FN FAL, M-14, etc.), machine guns (FN MAG, later Bren Guns, M-60, MG3, etc.) as well as a variety of sniper rifles and civilian hunting rifles.

Will a a bullet fit in any gun?

A bullet has specific size specifications. It will fit and fire all production guns of a gunmodel intended to take that size, as well as other models of guns that are also designed for that size. There are some very common bullet sizes that can be used in very wide number of gun models.