Smooth-Bore Firearm
Definition
A firearm with an unrifled barrel (e.g. shotgun, country-made katta). Fires pellets or shot; produces dispersion patterns rather than a single projectile track at range.
- Barrel type
- Unrifled
- Examples
- Shotguns, country-made kattas
- Projectile fired
- Pellets or shot
- Range evidence
- Dispersion pattern rather than a single track
Common questions
Why can't smoothbore projectiles be matched by rifling marks?+
With no spiral grooves cut into the barrel, the projectile receives no consistent land and groove striae, so the comparison microscopy used for rifled barrels has nothing reliable to compare.
How is range estimated for a smoothbore shotgun wound?+
Investigators measure the spread or pattern diameter left by the pellets, since that dispersion widens with distance, rather than relying on rifling-based methods used for rifled weapons.
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...
- Country-Made Firearm (Katta)
- Locally manufactured, usually smooth-bore, single-shot weapon common in Indian murder cases. Low chamber pressure, inconsistent ammunition, atypical wound patterns.
- 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...
- 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...