evidence

KN, p. 309 “Ammo Casings”

Ammo for Rifle

If there are no paragraph separations in this post, please double-click on the title in order to create a more readable version.

It was sort-the-photos week and instead of delete, delete, delete quickly, it took me hours to get through a few albums at a time. Memories and smiles popped up to slow the process. I had forgotten a few of the events, but one from two years ago became the basis of today’s post.

My cousin passed away two years ago next month. For a variety of reasons having to do with a donation his Estate made to a major charity, his possessions had to be inventoried, down to the quantity and types of boxes of bullets. His best friend (a firearms expert and my cousin’s shooting buddy) and I elected to inventory his gun paraphernalia ourselves, in order to expedite matters. In addition to the firearms and hunting gear, the lower level of the house contained equipment for making his own reloads (basically recycled shell casings to make new ammo). It was a hobby that fascinated him and helped reduce the cost of ammo he used at the gun range.

I took photos of everything for the lawyers. I discovered that he had boxes and boxes of shell casings waiting to be worked on, but they were not the same in color or size, since he had a variety of firearms he used in competitions.

This is what I learned: Ammunition casings can be made from five different materials and there are benefits and drawbacks to each.

  • Brass
  • Steel
  • Aluminum
  • Brass-plated or Nickel-plated Brass
Ammo for Handgun

Each casing material acts differently, so my cousin chose his ammo to fit his activity – practicing at the range, competition shooting, or hunting.

Brass Ammo Casings are known for their consistency in firing, but they are also the most expensive. They are easy to reload and resist corrosion.

Steel Ammo Casings are cheaper than brass and made in many calibers (diameter of the ammo)

Aluminum Ammo Casings are also cheaper than brass and are lighter in weight.

Plated Casings are ammo with a base metal which has been electroplated with nickel or brass. The nickel plating makes it corrosion resistant. Some competitors prefer this version because of its ease of use in a handgun at timed stand-and-shoot competitions.

As shown in the photo above, ammo casings are part of the cartridge – not the same as the bullet section of the cartridge. The shell casings separate from the bullet and are ejected from the firearm as the bullet propels forward to the target.

The casings are what law enforcement find on the ground (where a shooter was standing) after shots have been fired in a crime. Patrol Officers and detectives hope that fingerprints can be found on the casings, and that the shooter can be linked to the crime. Careful gun owners pick up their ‘brass’ so as not to litter a gun range, with easily a 100 rounds at a time for each session for each guy/gal. Snipers pick up their ‘brass’ so as not to leave a trace of their having been in that spot. Drug dealers or gun dealers may be involved in a shootout and don’t take time to search for the casings left lying around.

Since the 1990s, there has been a national data base devoted to shell casings: NIBIN – The National Integrated Ballistics Information Network. Run through ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) the information is available to most major metropolitan areas  in the USA.

Firearms techs enter shell casing evidence photos into the Ballistic ID System, which are then matched/integrated with the database. Local law enforcement is able to search for matches in the system throughout the country, looking for similar crimes, where the casings were found, fingerprints and other information connected with the casings. Over 1,400 law enforcement districts use the database and funding is expanding, as NIBIN continues to demonstrate its benefits.

 

*Photos of cartridges were taken at conferences.

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KN, p. 299 “Happy 11th Anniversary!”

In 2010, I finished writing a novel featuring Charlie and Sheila Kerrian as a dedicated police detective and his equally dedicated educator wife. I also wrote a few articles in 2010 developing back story for the happily married couple experiencing life while Charlie recovered from an on-the-job-injury. He had time on his hands between rehab sessions, so he kept a notebook while he looked into crimes in the greater NY area and opened up about their lives in general.

 

I did this as a marketing tool to get the word out about the book and was delighted when readers asked for more. While attending Writers’ Police Academy that year, I was encouraged to start a website and put the articles out there to a wider audience. The book was never published (very long story) but more than 300 posts later, we are celebrating eleven years of Kerrian’s Notebook, with an international audience that happily keeps growing.

 

Along the way, I had a slew of requests for the posts to be combined into books, and Kerrian’s Notebook, Volumes 1 & 2 were created. Find them on Amazon, in e-book form.

Kerrian’s Notebook, Volume 1

Kerrian’s Notebook, Volume 2

 

Here are the ten most popular posts from the eleven years, as decided by you and all the readers around the world. You are a mix of law enforcement officers, professional writers, and civilians who love to read the behind the scenes info found on KN. Click on the titles to read the posts again or enjoy them for the very first time.

 

#10 – What Does a Texas Ranger Do?

 

#9 – How Big Is That Jail Cell?

 

#8 – CSI Techs – What Is That Smell?

 

#7 – What Does A Firefighter Wear?

 

#6 – The Stokes Basket Rescue Method

 

#5 – Underwater Evidence and Body Recovery: Lakes and Bodies of Water

 

#4 – What Happens in an Ambulance?

 

#3 – How Many Bodies at the Scene?

 

#2 – 100 Ways to Die an Unnatural Death

 

#1 – How to Become a Texas Ranger

 

Here’s some great news to begin year #12:

 

There will be a special Anniversary Drawing in honor of sharing eleven years of fun, facts, and a few dead bodies. If you’re a subscriber to the newsletter, details will be included in the next one. If not a subscriber, sign up now and be eligible to win a mystery, novel of suspense, or thriller.

 

Thank you one and all! I couldn’t have done it without your fabulous comments,  suggestions, and continuing readership.

 

Stay tuned for the next Kerrian’s Notebook.   🙂

 

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KN, p. 283 “Twelve Calls from Dispatch”

Some light-hearted fun for the holidays – sing it to the tune of that famous song “The Twelve Days of…” and change the number of the Dispatch call to fit the verse. You know how it goes.    LOL

 

On the first call from Dispatch, our first assignment was…
A stranded kitten up in a tree.

 

On the second call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.

 

On the third call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Three accidents

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.

 

On the fourth call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Four murder scenes

Three accidents

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.


On the fifth call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Five… rescue… calls…

Four murder scenes

Three accidents

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.

 

On the sixth call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Six burglars climbing

Five… rescue… calls…

Four murder scenes

Three accidents

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.


On the seventh call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Seven suspects fleeing

Six burglars climbing

Five… rescue… calls…

Four murder scenes

Three accidents

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.

 

On the eighth call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Eight P.I.s searching

Seven suspects fleeing

Six burglars climbing

Five… rescue… calls…

Four murder scenes

Three accidents

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.

 

On the ninth call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Nine chocolate donuts

Eight P.I.s searching

Seven suspects fleeing

Six burglars climbing

Five… rescue… calls…

Four murder scenes

Three accidents

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.

 

On the tenth call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Ten cops patrolling

Nine chocolate donuts

Eight P.I.s searching

Seven suspects fleeing

Six burglars climbing

Five… rescue… calls…

Four murder scenes

Three accidents

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.

 

On the eleventh call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Eleven Techs collecting

Ten cops patrolling

Nine chocolate donuts

Eight P.I.s searching

Seven suspects fleeing

Six burglars climbing

Five… rescue… calls…

Four murder scenes

Three accidents

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.

 

On the twelfth call from Dispatch, our new assignment was…

Twelve lawyers advising

Eleven Techs collecting

Ten cops patrolling

Nine chocolate donuts

Eight P.I.s searching

Seven suspects fleeing

Six burglars climbing

Five… rescue… calls…

Four murder scenes

Three accidents

Two running thieves and

A stranded kitten up in a tree.

 

May 2022 be crime-free for you and yours!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 

 

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