Toothpaste Pattern: A Distinctive Feature of an 8 mm Bullet Fired through a Glass Target

Abstract

Shooting cases studied at the crime scene reveal an interesting outcome: the components of a projectile are usually disconnected and separated after firing through intermediate targets such as glass, bakelite or any other brittle materials. This study reports the forensic analysis of an 8mm soft nose bullet fired through a standard .315” sporting rifle onto glass sheets. Typical toothpaste pattern, mushroomed inward lead core was obtained in the laboratory for examinations. It is further highlighted that the lead core and jacketed portion of bullets were found separated in the cotton filled bullet recovery box after being fired through the glass targets. In such situations, interpretation and
correlation of these elements becomes a difficult task for the firearm examiner or crime scene investigator.
In the present study, typical toothpaste type patterns of the leadcore of Indian manufactured 8mm soft nose bullets were forensically examined and analyzed. Experimental data reported in this study may be helpful for firearm experts, crime scene investigators and related investigating agencies in future to correlate and interpret the evidence found at a shooting scenes