Recognizing the Impreciseness in Determining the Range of Fire from Tattooing Acquired with Improvised Firearms

Authors: Noble George, Shivani Pandya

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2025.74854

Abstract

The confiscation of improvised firearms among armed robbers and antisocial participants in a range of illegal activities has surged drastically. They prefer to get improvised weaponry in a clandestine way due to their ease of availability and low cost. Each improvised firearm has a distinct effect on the target due to the lack of suitable standards and comprehension. When the shooting range must be estimated, GSR facilitates the disposition of cases in forensic ballistics. Since improvised handguns are used in the majority of reported occurrences, the range determination and its ramifications should be explored. The goal of this study was to use tattooing as a criterion to measure the range of fire with 7.65mm improvised guns. The results demonstrated that the firing range is related directly to the tattooing dispersion and simultaneously inversely proportional to the intensity of tattooing created. Tattooing dimensions were inconsistent throughout the trials with the same gun within the same range, like 5×4 cm and 13×12.5 cm. For each of the three distinct ranges (10, 20, and 30 cm), the dimensional values were repeated in between 10×11cm and 12×12cm. As a result, determining a precise range of firing of homemade weaponry by measuring the dimension of tattooing generated was practically impossible. More research on improvised weaponry should be done so that this issue may be addressed.

Introduction

The study focuses on pistols, particularly improvised “country-made” firearms, and their forensic analysis. Pistols discharge projectiles using high-pressure energy from cartridge combustion, and improvised firearms differ from factory-made guns in quality, ballistics, and gunshot residue (GSR) patterns. Due to rough construction and irregular barrels, improvised firearms produce inconsistent GSR and tattooing patterns, making distance estimation challenging. The study tested 7.65mm improvised pistols by firing them at white cloth targets from distances of 10, 20, and 30 cm. Each firearm was fired three times per distance, and GSR patterns and bullet holes were measured. Results showed that tattooing patterns varied significantly even with the same firearm at the same distance, highlighting the unpredictable nature of country-made firearms in forensic investigations.

Conclusion

The primary goal of this research was to determine whether the shooting range of 7.65mm country-made guns can be identified based on the tattooing generated on the target surface. Each firearm was fired thrice from a measured range of 10 cm, 20 cm and 30 cm from the target. From the analysed data and graphical analysis, it was clear that the pattern of tattooing formed on the target shows no consistency. For each of the three distinct ranges (10, 20 and 30 cm), the dimensional values were repeated in between 10×11cm and 12×12cm. As a result, determining the precise range of firing of homemade weaponry by only measuring the dimension of tattooing generated was practically impossible. The same firearm, which was fired from the same range of fire shows different dimensions and patterns of tattooing. Also, when comparing different country made firearms of the same calibre which were fired from the same range of fire showed multiple inconsistent values. During the examination of firearms it was identified that the sample firearms had different dimensions in barrel length and barrel diameter. In addition to that, several irregularities on the firearm barrel were noticed. So this difference in tattooing might be caused by the material of the firearm, the length of barrel of the firearm, firing pin defects, and so on. As most of the country made firearms are manufactured without professionalism, the effect of firing with such firearms cannot be predicted. From the analysis, it is clear that a precise range of fire cannot be measured for country-made firearms by only measuring the tattooing area. An approximate range of fire could be determined from the average values. More research on improvised weaponry should be done so that this issue may be addressed.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Noble George, Shivani Pandya. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Paper Id : IJRASET74854

Publish Date : 2025-10-29

ISSN : 2321-9653

Publisher Name : IJRASET

DOI Link : Click Here