- 01: Introduction
- 02: History
- 03: Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development
- 04: Modern Firearms Manufacture
- 05: Small Arms Ammunition
- 06: Evidence Handling Procedures
- 07: Equipment and Instrumentation
- 08: Examination of Firearms
- 09: Cartridge and Shotshell Examination
- 10: Characterization and Evaluation of Fired Projectiles
- 11: Bullet Comparison and Identification
- 12: Gunshot Residue and Distance Determination
- 13: Toolmark Identification
- 14: Communicating Results
- Resources
Color and Finish
Home > Characterization and Evaluation of Fired Projectiles > Physical Features > Color and Finish
The color of materials used in bullet construction or the color of any coating may be helpful in searching reference files for a particular type of ammunition. Although there are many specialized color-coded bullets (generally of military origin), they are only occasionally or rarely found in forensic casework.
Examiners must be aware of bullet color coding because there are several safety implications. Coding conventions may differ between countries and even within a given country.
Examples include the following:
- Armor-piercing bullets are designed to pierce metal. They usually contain a hardened core or are completely composed of a substance other than lead or lead alloy.
- Exploding bullets contain a primer or other explosive and are designed to explode upon impact.
- Frangible bullets are designed to disintegrate upon impact with a hard surface in order to minimize ricochet.
- Incendiary bullets contain a chemical compound that ignites upon impact, starting a fire.
- Tracer bullets contain a burning compound in the base to permit observation of bullet flight.
Click the images below for a larger version:
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Military armor piercing)
Winchester frangible)
Incendiary (military))
Tracer bullets