NCJ Number
139765
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 37 Issue: 6 Dated: (November 1992) Pages: 1567-1573
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study that compared the content of gunshot residue on shooters and in cartridge cases for ammunition with primers that contain mercuric fulminate.
Abstract
Ammunition with mercury fulminate-based primers is commonly manufactured by Eastern Bloc countries and is used extensively in the Middle East. Gunshot residue particles formed by firing these types of ammunition were examined in shooting experiments conducted with Egyptian and Russian 7.62 mm ammunition fired by an AK-47 assault rifle and Italian and Egyptian 9 mm Parabellum ammunition fired with a 9 mm FN semiautomatic pistol. In all of the test cases a much lower percentage of mercury-containing gunshot residue particles was found in samples taken from a shooter compared to the percentage of such particles in samples from cartridge cases. Heating the cartridge cases at 360 degrees C decreased the percentage of particles containing mercury. This finding supports the claim of the formation of elemental mercury in the decomposition of mercury fulminate, as has been reported in the literature. The authors' explanation of the difference between the residue on the shooter and in the cartridges is based in the mechanism of the formation of the gunshot residue particles. 1 table, 4 figures, and 17 references