The distribution of shotgun pellets after ricochet from an intermediate target surface

• Published in: Forensic science international Vol. 155; no. 2; pp. 188 - 192
• Main Author: Rowe, Walter F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ireland Ltd 20.12.2005; Elsevier; The Lancet Publishing Group, a division of Elsevier Science Ltd; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Crime scene reconstruction; Forensic ballistics; Forensic medicine; Forensic science; Forensic sciences; General aspects; Geometrical models; Inflation; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Medical sciences; Monetary policy; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Ricochet; Shotgun; Shotguns; Shotgun; Forensic science; Crime scene reconstruction; Ricochet; Reconstruction; Target; Forensic science: Crime scene reconstruction: Ricochet; Legal medicine; Distribution; Crime; Forensic aspect; Pharmacokinetics; Murder; Surface
• ISSN: 0379-0738; 1872-6283
• DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2004.12.006

This paper presents a geometrical model for the ricochet of shotgun pellets from an intermediate target surface. The model predicts that after ricochet the shotgun pellet pattern will be elongated in the direction parallel to the intermediate target surface, as has been found in empirical studies. This paper also shows that the angle of impact θ of a mass of shotgun pellets with a target surface can be calculated without significant error from the width W and the length L of the pellet pattern using the formula sin   θ = W L