Country-Made Firearm (Katta)
Definition
Locally manufactured, usually smooth-bore, single-shot weapon common in Indian murder cases. Low chamber pressure, inconsistent ammunition, atypical wound patterns.
- Bore type
- Usually smooth-bore
- Fire type
- Single-shot
- Chamber pressure
- Low compared to factory firearms
- Ammunition
- Inconsistent, often improvised or mismatched cartridges
- Common context
- Frequently encountered in Indian murder cases
Common questions
Why do katta wounds look atypical compared to wounds from a factory pistol?+
The smoothbore, loosely chambered construction and inconsistent ammunition produce lower and more variable muzzle velocity, irregular bullet stability, and sometimes unburned propellant or wadding driven into the wound, so entry wound size, stippling pattern, and penetration depth can differ from what a standard rifled-barrel factory handgun would produce at the same range.
What does the smoothbore construction of a katta mean for ballistic comparison?+
A rifled barrel imparts consistent spin and leaves individualising land and groove marks on a fired bullet, which examiners use for comparison. A smoothbore katta leaves no such rifling marks, so classic bullet-to-barrel matching methods that rely on rifling impressions are far less useful.
Related terms
- Abrasion Collar
- The rim of abraded, dried skin surrounding a gunshot entry wound, produced by the bullet stretching the skin inward before perforation. Width...
- Gunshot Residue (GSR)
- Microscopic particulate residue containing antimony, barium and lead deposited on the shooter's hand, face and clothing at discharge. Collected by adhesive lift...
- Rifled Firearm
- A firearm whose bore has spiral grooves that spin the projectile for stability (rifle, handgun). The rifling leaves class-characteristic land-and-groove marks on...
- Smooth-Bore Firearm
- A firearm with an unrifled barrel (e.g. shotgun, country-made katta). Fires pellets or shot; produces dispersion patterns rather than a single projectile...
- Tattooing (Stippling)
- Punctate, non-wipeable haemorrhagic specks around an entry wound, caused by unburnt and partly burnt powder grains impacting the skin. A close- to...