Magazine-Lip Marks
Definition
Parallel striated marks on the cartridge case below the extractor groove, produced by the magazine lips as the cartridge is stripped from the magazine on loading.
- Location
- Cartridge case, below the extractor groove
- Cause
- Magazine lips during cartridge stripping
- Pattern
- Parallel striations
- Formed during
- Loading, not firing
Common questions
Do magazine-lip marks help identify the specific firearm used?+
They are more useful for identifying the specific magazine that fed the cartridge, since the marks come from the magazine's lips rather than the barrel or breech, distinct from firing-pin or breech-face marks.
Can magazine-lip marks appear on a cartridge that was never fired?+
Yes. The marks form during loading and chambering, so an unfired cartridge that was cycled through a magazine and then extracted can still carry them.
Related terms
- AFTE Theory of Identification
- The Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners' standard (1992, revised 2011) for reporting tool-mark comparison conclusions as Identification, Inconclusive, or Elimination...
- Breech Face
- The forward surface of the bolt, slide, or breech block that seals the chamber and contacts the cartridge case head during firing....
- Ejector Mark
- A striated or impressed feature left on the cartridge case rim or base by the ejector pin at the moment of case...
- Extractor Mark
- Striations or impressed features on the extractor groove of the cartridge case, produced by the spring-loaded extractor claw during the extraction stroke....
- Firing-Pin Impression
- The indentation left in the primer cup by the firing-pin tip at the moment of discharge. Its shape (circular, oval, rectangular), size,...
- Headstamp
- The manufacturer identification and calibre marking stamped into the base of a cartridge case during manufacture. Includes manufacturer codes, year, NATO cross...
- IBIS BrassTRAX-3D HD
- Forensic Technology's automated ballistic correlation system for cartridge cases. Captures topographic maps of the breech-face, firing-pin, and ejector areas and ranks case-to-case...
- NABIS
- National Ballistics Intelligence Service; the UK police intelligence service that maintains a national headstamp and firearm reference collection and coordinates ballistic intelligence...
- NIBIN
- National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. ATF-operated distributed network of IBIS acquisition sites and correlation servers across the United States, active since 1999...