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The article presents the experimental study results of damaged clothes imitators' (coarse calico) features in consequence of shot by ammunitions with hollow-point bullet from a 12-gauge fire smoothbore weapon (12×70). The generation mechanism of coarse calico damage during wound of underlying biological human body's imitator by bullet and the factors influencing on mentioned process have been clarified using high-speed video recording.

Objective: To study the morphology of distribution of shot factors on white targets made of coarse calico at different distances., Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 57 experimental damages of targets made of cotton fabric, caused by shots from hunting self-loading Steyr Mannlicher AUG-Z3 carbine of.223 Rem caliber. The number of experimental firings equal 19 was done by 3 shots at the distance from close range to 250 cm. The examination of shot targets was carried out using the visual, metric, stereoscopic (Leica 125M microscope) methods, in ultraviolet rays (LUMATEC SUPERLITE M Series light)., Results: The nature and morphology of distribution of gunshot residue on targets' surfaces made it possible to establish close range firing zones. The nature in which soot is deposited during shot under the conditions of point-blank range and in the first zone of close range (up to 8 cm) allows to establish the position of weapon's transverse plane relative to the target basing on a specific blowout of a gas-powder jet from special design of flame arrestor. The performed experimental shooting from hunting self-loading Steyr Mannlicher AUG-Z3 carbine made it possible to determine the metric and morphological characteristics of the close range firing zones: 1 zone is equal a distance up to 8 cm; 2 zone - up to 30 cm; 3 zone - up to 100 cm from muzzle of weapon. The design features of Steyr Mannlicher AUG-Z3 carbine's flame arrestor allow to identify the type of weapon according to the morphological pattern of target's damage. The complex of obtained data makes it possible to determine the firing distance with high accuracy.

The purpose of the scientific work is to outline the main stages of the development of forensic examination of gunshot injuries in Russia. The analysis of the special literature from 1865 to the present time has demonstrated that the issue of forensic examination of gunshot injuries has been analyzed quite deeply by Russian forensic specialists. Meanwhile, expert practice sets forth tasks that are associated with the emergence of new firearm samples and new methods of laboratory and instrumental diagnosis.

The aim of this study was to establish the degree of projectile incidence angle with obstacle on forensic medical characteristic of gunshot injuries arising from smoothbore weapon fire and bullet ricochet. Based on the comprehensive forensic study results of experimental entry gunshot injuries, statistically significant differences in the following morphological signs were found for two ranges of incidence angle values (10-20° and 30-50°): «Number of MD», «Length 1 MD», «Length 2 MD», «Width 1 MD», «Orientation of AD to the conventional clock face relative to MD 1 or to the group of largest MD (max. value)». The medians and limits of 99% confidence intervals of these features values were observed depending on the range of incidence angle values. The revealed patterns can be used in expert practice during forensic medical examination of gunshot injuries formed as a result of a projectile ricochet after smoothbore weapon fire, as well as to develop a methodology for conducting a forensic study of this gunshot injury type.

In the specialized forensic medical literature there is no data that allow to reliably and objectively confirm application «Paradox» or «Lancaster» boring firearms to cause injury. This study analyzes the literature in order to determine the possibility of diagnosing these types of weapon's barrel boring by the morphology of injury. The results of the analysis demonstrate a high probability of barrel boring type distinctive features existing. In addition, has been found the opportunity to determine the type of bullet in the cartridge used to damage. Concluded that it is necessary to do an additional experimental research of the specified conditions for causing firearm injuries.

The purpose of the work was to study the movement trajectory of the projectile after breaking through an obstacle made of various materials installed at various angles to the aiming line when firing from rifled and traumatic weapons. As a result of a series of experimental shots by shells fired from a traumatic pistol «Jorge» (9×22 mm RA cartridge with an initial velocity of 300±20 m/s and a bullet weight of 0.7 g) and the Blaser R93 carbine (Norma Jaktmatch 9.3×62 mm hunting cartridge with an initial speed of 765 m/s and a bullet weight of 11 g) it has been found that, when punching both biological simulators and triplex glass located at the angles of 40-60° with respect to the aiming line, a deflection of the firearm from the aiming line is observed.

The study objective is to establish the effect of the type of experimental target (biological, non-biological) on the forensic medical characteristics of gunshot injuries resulting from bullet and shrapnel ricochet when fired from a smooth-bore weapon. Differences in the skin and clothing or their imitators render different morphological patterns of the input gunshot injuries. Based on the results of the ballistic experiment, a list of statistically significant differences in the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the input gunshot injuries to biological and non-biological targets as a result of a ricochet when a bullet is fired from a smooth-bore weapon was compiled. In addition, the characteristics of the input gunshot injuries were established, demonstrating statistically significant differences only in certain combinations of the specified types of bullet and experimental target. The results obtained can be used in medical forensic examinations of gunshot injuries.

The purpose of this study was to establish a set of distinctive features of the qualitative and quantitative parameters of gunshot injuries resulting from the ricochet of a bullet and buckshot when firing from a smooth-bore weapon, depending on the type of experimental barrier. As a result of the ballistic experiment, a list of statistically significant characteristics of input gunshot injuries of biological and non-biological targets formed when firing with a bullet and buckshot followed by a ricochet was revealed, which will enable to determine the sought type of barrier from the two suggested options: «Concrete 2» or «Brick», «Concrete 2» or «Metal», «Brick» or «Metal». Besides, a list of characteristics of input gunshot injuries has been established, the parameters of which are under statistically significant influence of the type of experimental barrier. The revealed patterns can be used to reconstruct the circumstances of an incident during situational examination depending on the characteristics of input gunshot injuries as a result of a ricochet when firing from a smooth-bore weapon.

Presents the possibilities, as well as an example of the practical application, of the 3D-microscopic modeling method in forensic medicine when conducting medical forensic studies of a patch of skin with a bullet hole wound.

The purpose of the work is to study the possibility of using carbon nanotubes (CNT) as taggants in gun powder to provide expert differentiation of used small firearms cartridges; and to identify the main characteristics of the changes to carbon nanotubes under firing conditions, i.e. short-term exposure to high temperatures and pressures. The principal possibility of using carbon nanotube material for marking gunpowder in small firearms cartridges is stated. There is a need, in both the theory and practice of forensics, to develop such a labeling additive, one that is designed to analyze labeled cartridges and trace their use. We studied the effect of high temperatures and pressures (up to 3000-3500 ºC, 30 MPa) on the behavior of carbon nanotubes by using scanning electron microscopy. We found that the properties of carbon nanotube material - including high chemical and thermal resistance, low prevalence in nature, and a wide variety of forms and configurations - would help solve various investigative issues related to the circumstances of the use of small firearms, in particular, to determine the batch or sample of gunpowder used in the firing of a cartridge.

The authors present an example from the expert practice demonstrating the influence of such factors as the properties of the ammunition fired from a weapon (including its weight, size, shape, and speed) as well as the anatomical features of the body tissues being affected on the mechanism of formation of a gunshot wound in the human body. The investigation of the suicide of subject P. has demonstrated the penetrating bullet wound of the neck and the head. The entrance wound was located at the anterior neck surface and the exit one in the left half of the occipital region. The examination of the cranial bones revealed perforating fractures of the cribriform and occipital bones. A specific feature of the case under consideration was a change in the bullet direction during its passage through the cribriform bone that made up the internal osseous barrier. A result the initially vertical wound canal turned into the horizontal one within the cerebral cranium and looked on the whole like a zigzag line. The present observation confirms the possibility of a marked change in the direction of the bullet's trajectory in the cranial cavity even when a 9.0 mm bullet fired from the Makarov pistol hits a relatively soft internal bone structure.

The present review of the literature publications is focused on the methods designed for the identification of the signs of the thermal impact of a gunshot associated with the formation of the resulting wound inflicted by various firearm projectiles. The historical and contemporary aspects of this topic are discussed with special reference to the immunodiagnostics as a new method extending the possibilities of forensic medical histology for the evaluation of the injuries to the soft tissues under the influence of thermal factors of the gunshot producing the firearm trauma.

The available literature reports only rare cases of injuries inflicted by the speargun shots. The last publication of this sort of which we are aware dates back to 1960. This article describes an example from the expert practice concerning the accident involving a wound caused by the speargun shot to a member of an amateur fishing party. The authors examined the weapon of injury (a 'Zelinka' speargun), the harpoon, its head, and fragments of the skin with the traces of the punctured wound obtained from the corpse of the victim. The investigative experiment included the underwater shooting from different distances with the use of a pork carcass as the target. The results of the comparative studies gave evidence of the possibility of formation of the wounds caused by exactly that harpoon, its head and cord which served as the weapons of the wound experienced by the victim. Moreover, the distance and the direction of the shot as well as a number of important concomitant circumstances of the accident were determined.

This article was designed to report the results of forensic medical, criminalistics, and comprehensive expertise of the subject who suffered from a non-perforating shotgun wound affecting the soft tissues and blood vessels in the femoral region. It was shown that only the scrutinous comprehensive full-scale expert examination of the injured site in the framework of forensic medical expertise makes it possible to exclude the probability of the expert error and formulate the reliable and substantiated conclusion as regards the fact and the conditions of the shotgun injury by a concrete type of the cartridge (e.g. having a caliber equal to 410/76 Stopper-2) with two spherical rubber bullets fired from a known weapon (Saiga-410S hunting carbine).

The specific features of soot deposition after a shot fired from the Kalashnikov AK-74 assault rifle are determined by the influence of the multiple factors, with the effect of the muzzle brake (MB) designed to enhance fire density and decrease the fire recoil energy being prevalent over other factors. The special windows, slots and holes in the muzzle brake mechanism are responsible for the appearance of the specific topographic features of soot deposition formed by the combustion gases passing through the assembly. Apart from the characteristic butterfly-shaped soot deposition patterns that appear due to the presence of two windows in the muzzle brake assembly, the additional zones of soot deposition can sometimes be seen on the objects and targets due to the escape of the combustion gases through the MB compensator openings. This phenomenon enables a forensic medical expert to determine orientation and position of the AK-74 rifle with respect to the shooting target. This article reports the results of the forensic medical expertise of a serviceman who died from the injuries to the head inflicted by a burst of shots fired from the Kalashnikov AK-74 assault rifle. The direction of the wound canals and their topographic patterns (including the shape, size, number, and localization) of soot deposition around the inlet wounds made it possible to determine the position of the AK-12 rifle with respect to the affected regions of the head and thereby to prove that the death of the serviceman was a result of suicide.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the possibilities for determining the shooting distance for the MR-79-9 Makarych non-lethal pistol (diameter 9 mm, rubber bullet, shot energy 50 J) by means of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The experiments were carried under the conditions of a ballistic shooting range making the shots from a distance of 0 to 120 cm. The 15×15 cm pieces of muslin fabric and biomaterials (leather) were used as the targets. The morphological signs of the damages inflicted to the targets were evaluated either with the unassisted eye, a criminalistical magnifying glass or the SMT-4 binocular stereoscopic microscope (Germany). The shot products, the area and boundaries of their dispersion were determined in reflected IR and filtered UV rays. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of various shot products from the entry hole zone with the contamination (wipedown) bands and contusion collars being 0.2-0.5 cm (group 1) and 2-3 cm (group 2) in width, with special reference to the identification of Ba, Cu, Cr, Fe, K, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn and Zn. The results of the study give evidence that the detection of Ba, Pb, and Sb among the products of a shot fired from the MR-79-9 Makarych non-lethal pistol is of especially high informative value for determining the shooting distance whereas the detection of Cr, K, Sn and Ni is of a minimum value for this purpose.

The necessity of using a simulator of human soft tissues for the purpose of criminalistic and forensic medical expertises is dictated by the requirements put forward by the expert practice. The objective of the present study was to develop a synthetic simulator of the human soft tissues (compound) to ensure reliability of comparative criminalistics and forensic medical studies for the evaluation of gunshot injuries. The synthetic compound was prepared by mixing up the petroleum and/or synthetic oil with a polymeric thickening agent. This procedure was followed by heating the mixture at 90 degrees Celsius during 5 hours. Thereafter, petrolatum and/or ceresin and/or paraffin were added to the mixture. At the final stage, ionol was introduced, and the mixture was poured into a mold measuring 70×70×210 mm with its subsequent cooling down to 40 degrees Celsius during 10-12 hours. The experimental shooting was effected from the Kalashnikov AKS-74U assault rifle using the 5.45×39 mm (7H6) cartridges, Makarov pistol using the 9×18 mm cartridges and Nagant pistol using the CHELP-1000 cartridges. Five shots were fired from each of the three models. The experimental gunshot damages were evaluated visually by examining the inlet and exit openings and the bullet channel. In addition, criminalistic analysis of the grooves in cartridges was carried out. The technology for the fabrication of synthetic compounds based on ethylene, propylene, and butadiene co-polymers in the combination with such low molecular weight compounds as paraffins and ceresins having a homogeneous structure makes it possible to vary the rheological and mechanical properties of the simulators of human soft tissues for the solution of diagnostic and identification problems in the framework of criminalistics and forensic medical expertises.

The objective of the present study was to choose the optimal method for the modeling of the glance of a bullet after hitting a target under conditions of the laboratory experiment. The study required the designing and construction of an original device for the modeling of the rebound effect of a light-firearm shot under experimental conditions. The device was tested under conditions of the laboratory experiment. The trials have demonstrated the possibility of using barriers of different weight and dimensions in the above device, their positioning and fixation depending on the purpose of the experiment, dynamic alteration of its conditions with due regard for the safety and security arrangements to protect the health and life of the experimenters without compromising the statistical significance and scientific validity of the results of the experiments.

The objective of the present work was to study and analyze the available data concerning the influence of the glance of a bullet on the character of the injuries inflicted by shooting certain types of hunting weapons. This review gives evidence of the possibility of the objective diagnostics of the injuries inflicted by gunshots using the rifle-bore weapons. However, we have failed to find information about the diagnostic criteria for the evaluation of the wounds inflicted by the bullets shot from smooth-bore hunting rifles after their glance from various surfaces in the available special literature publications. Such situation creates the prerequisites for the erroneous conclusions from the results of forensic medical expertise of the after-penetration blunt wounds.

The objective of the present study was to obtain the ballistic characteristics of the igniting primer (electrical ignitor) for the 18×45T cartridges of the 'Osa' pistol produced by different manufacturers. The experiments included a series of shots fired from the 'Osa' pistol with the use of cartridges having an energy of 85 Joules ('Novye oruzheinye tekhnologii', Ltd., Sergiev Posad) and 88 Joules ('A+A', Ltd, Tula). The shooting distance varied from the point blank range to 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm. The targets were either the femoral soft tissue of the cut-off human lower extremity, white cotton fabric, and the 1-5 cm high gelatin cylinder 25 cm in diameter. The experiments have demonstrated that the igniting primer (electrical ignitor) for the cartridges manufactured by the 'Novye oruzheinye tekhnologii', Ltd., Sergiev Posad, served as an additional factor of the shot responsible for the penetrating power of the ammunition at a distance of 50 cm. The data on the composition of metals used for the manufacturing of the igniting primers under consideration are presented.

The objective of the present study was to improve the method for the calculation and graphical sighting with the use of the modern program products for three-dimensional visualization.

The objective of the present work was to study the specific constructional features of a 9.0 mm pneumatic rifle designed to use three types of bullets differing in the head shape. Also, the morphological signs of the injuries inflicted by such bullets that can serve as the prerequisites for objective differentiation of the damages are considered. The study revealed peculiarities of experimental damage to the non-biological (plasticine blocks) and biological (bio-mannequins) simulators of homogeneous human tissues inflicted by the shots from the pneumatic rifle from different distances.

The objective of the present study was to compare the injurious action of three types of the bullets for the pneumatic weapons shot from different distances using the Gamo pump air pistol and the BAM B22-1 pneumatic rifle. The following four kinds of the bullets were tested: "the fireball", "Luman cap 0.3", "Luman Field Target 0.68" and "DIABOLO". It was experimentally shown that the injurious action of the bullets fired from the same distance from the pneumatic weapons depends on the type of both the bullet and the weapon, as well as the properties of the target material. Specifically, the action of bullets fired from the piston pneumatic rifle remained stable whereas that of the bullets shot from the gas-balloon air pistol decreased as the gas was exhausted. The studies by the contact-diffusion method have demonstrated that the entrance bullet holes created by the shots from pneumatic weapons are surrounded by dispersed metal particles which makes it possible to estimate the shooting distance. Moreover, the bullets fired from the pneumatic weapons leave the muzzle face imprint on certain target materials.

The objective of the present study was to estimate the possibility of using computer-assisted three-dimensional modeling for the solution of selected problems of forensic medical expertise. This approach is illustrated by an example of the reconstruction of the scene of action and circumstances of the injury taking into consideration blood stains.

The objective of the present study was to develop the method for the determination of the position of the upper extremities at the moment of formation of the punctured-incised wounds in the chest canals taking into consideration peculiarities of their structure. A few series of experiments carried out for this purpose involving different positions of the upper extremities made it possible to evaluate the degree of displacement of the tissues in different chest regions and characterize disjunctive (disruptive) dislocation of the wound canals. The reconstruction of rectilinearity of the chest channel made it possible to demonstrate the possibility of establishing the initial position of the upper extremity at the moment of infliction of injury. The validity of the results of the study is illustrated by the example of practical forensic medical expertise.

The objective of the present work was to study the mechanisms of formation of the gunshot fracture of the flat bones with special reference to the translational and rotational motion of the projectile. A total of 120 real and experimental injuries of this type were available for the investigation with the use of simulation by the finite-elemental analysis. A set of morphological features has been identified that make it possible to determine the direction of rotation of the gunshot projectile.

The objective of the present work was to elucidate the structural characteristics of the 9.0 mm pneumatic rifle and three regular types of the bullets differing in the head shape fired from it. Morphological features of the injuries inflicted by such bullets are described in conjunction with the peculiarities of precipitation of the shot products in their projection as the prerequisites for their objective differentiation. Results: The study allowed to reveal the composition of the gunshot residues and to determine the maximum distance of their distribution. The specific features of experimental damage inflicted by the shots from the 9.0 mm pneumatic rifle to the coarse white calico fabric targets were shown to depend on the shot range. The objective signs of the so-called "short-range" shot from the 9.0 mm pneumatic rifle were described for the first time.

The objective of the present study was to develop the standardized approach to the evaluation of the character of injurious exposure with a view to objective interpretation of the conditions of injury formation and the properties of the traumatic agent. The main attention was given to such parameters of the injurious exposure as loading conditions (mass, speed, direction) and the surface properties of the traumatic agent (area, shape, hardness). It is expected that the use of the proposed system for the evaluation of the injurious exposure in the practical work of forensic medical experts will enhance the reliability of their conclusions and help to avoid mistakes.

The mechanisms of formation of gunshot fractures in flat bones inflicted by a semispherical bullet were investigated using expert and experimental materials. The process of crack formation was considered in terms of the Hertzian contact problem and the Hill-Johnson model. It was shown that the fracture develops as a result of combination of stresses and strains in the bone tissue leading to the formation of a hydrostatic nucleus prior to tissue fragmentation. Dynamic fluctuations (waves) generated in the zone of hydrostatic compression resulting from the gunshot injury propagate with the velocity of sound from the nucleus in the direction of the bullet movement. According to the Hill-Johnson model, the waves propagate in the direction of the impact within a parabolically expanding space; this accounts for the mechanism of formation of parabolic cracks and the specific shape of the defect that the bullet produces in the flat bones. The dynamic load applied by means of an indentor forms at a higher rate than the velocity of sound in the affected material. It gives reason to consider the effect of a bullet moving with the speed of 250 m/s as quasi-static loading. The results obtained in this study make a contribution to the theory of impact effect of a bullet and provide a deeper insight into the physical nature of the direct and sideway action of a gunshot projectile. Moreover, they explain the cause behind the widening of the outlet part of the perforating fracture in the flat bones.

The author compares the properties (caliber, power, speed) of the firearm projectiles and bullets with the high muzzle energy shot from pneumatic weapons. Results of experimental observations with the use of biological and non-biological objects are presented. The entry and exit wounds in the skin and bones as well as the resulting damage inflicted to the tissues and the character of bullet deformation are described.

We have developed the criteria allowing to determine the distance of a gunshot from limited-range firearms (an IZh-79-9TGM pistol with the elastic bullet cartridges) based on the morphological characteristics of the wound and the results of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The method has been developed for the quantitative determination of barium, lead, and antimony in the targets depending on the gunshot distance.

A series of experimental studies was conducted with the object of elucidating the mechanisms of the bullet after-penetration effect produced by a handgun shot into the armoured vest with special reference to the changes developing in the space behind the barrier. The application of the pulsed radiographic technique revealed a transient cavity the presence of which accounts for the injuries to soft tissues, bones, and internal organs in the projection of the bullet impact without damage to the armour plates.

A new approach to the determination of spatial orientation of wound canals caused by gunshot bullets is proposed and substantiated; its application for the purpose of forensic medical expertise is described. The direction of penetrating wound canals in three dimensions was determined by measuring the distance of the input and output wound holes from the level of the soles, anterior and posterior midlines, and the posterior body surface; the results of the measurements were used to construct triangles. The parameters thus obtained allowed the spatial orientation of the wound canals to be determined in three dimensions for the subsequent judgment about the relative direction of the gun barrel with respect to the human body at the time of the shot and the objective expert conclusion concerning the circumstances of firearm-related injuries.

The data on the history of development and further improvement of pneumatic weapons are presented with special reference to specific features of different types and varieties of these weapons, cartridges for them, and the sphere of their application. Investigations into peculiarities of damages caused by high-capacity pneumatic weapons to the objects of forensic medical expertise affected from different distances are reviewed. Results of forensic medical expertise and clinical studies on the structure of body injuries inflicted by gunshots from pneumatic weapons to the human body are discussed. The author emphasizes the necessity of developing up-to-date terminology and classification of gunshot injuries caused by shooting from pneumatic weapons.

The authors undertook an analysis of constructional features of standard blank and non-lethal cartridges for the MP-79-9TM pistol. The composition of gunshot products and the maximum distance over which they propagate have been determined. Special attention is given to the peculiarities of the damage caused to the target cloths (cotton and woolen) by blank rounds shot from different distances. A new chemical method was used for the first time to detect the particles of gunpowder on the victim's cloth; the possibility of its application for differential diagnostics of gunshot damages inflicted by blank and traumatic cartridges affected from different distances was estimated.

A method for the three-dimensional modeling is proposed designed to enhance the objective value of situational expert investigations of the mechanism of gunshot wounds. The method was successfully validated in a number of forensic medical situational studies and allowed their objectiveness, demonstrativeness, and evidentiary force to be significantly improved.

This paper reports the results of analysis of the data obtained in experimental studies and practical expert assessments of body injuries inflicted by rubber balls for traumatic weapons. The causes accounting for the polymorphism of such injuries and the mechanisms of their development were elucidated by means of damage simulation taking into consideration the physical and dynamic properties of elastic ball-type destructive agents and the morphological structure of different anatomical regions of the human body. The results of the study may be of interest for differential diagnostics of gunshot lesions caused by elastic destructive agents.

The principal characteristics of the investigations into the mechanisms of gunshot injuries are considered. The general and peculiar features of gunshot fractures and the pathological processes underlying them are discussed. The theory of bullet impact effect put forward by the Russian surgeons in the late XIXth century is verified. The explanation is proposed for the physical nature of direct and side impacts and the phenomenon of a temporary oscillating cavity from the standpoint of the theory of bullet impact effect. The new forensic medical criteria for the gunshot origin of an injury have been developed that allow the gunshot distance and the geometric characteristics of the bullet to be determined. A methodological basis for the determination of the long-range gunshot distance has been created. The results of the present study may be of interest for criminal lawyers and military specialists.

A method for the qualitative assessment of certain characteristics of the bullet trajectory in the case of a gunshot wound to an extremity is proposed to be used for the mathematical simulation of the mechanism of formation of such injuries.

Analysis of the materials of the criminal case, historical, archive, and forensic medical documents permitted for the first time to reconstruct the circumstances of the shooting of Emperor Nikolai II, members of the royal family, and those who chose to accompany them into exile in the house of the engineer N.N. Ipatiev, Ekaterinburg, on the night of 16-17th July (Grigorian calendar) 1918. The results of the study allowed the true picture of the assassination to be reconstructed including the mutual positions of the victims and the executors in the semi-basement room No 2, the total number of participants, the number and direction of shots, the types of the weapons used, and the sequence of actions of each person involved in the event. It was shown, that in the beginning most shots had been fired at the emperor and tsarevich Alexei.

Particles of 3 different marks of gunpowder, withdrawing from experimental gunshot injuries, were examined with scanning electronic microscopy. Features of ultrastructure, making possible to differentiate gunpowder of studied marks, were detected.

The authors examined sedimentation of stibium in the area of experimental skin entry holes generated by Makarov gun shots from different distances. Regularities of allocation of stibium subject to the distance of the shot were determined. Practical recommendations for expert conclusion about the distance of the shot were given on the grounds of the results of the study.

Inlet damage to clothes material caused by point-blank shots from a special submachine guns Val, 9-A-91, sniper complex BCK-4 furnished with a soundless non-flame shooting devices (SNSD) was studied in experiment. Specific features of the affection and shot products distribution (shape, size, topography, accumulation of soot metals, etc.) were specified which allow judgement about guns and range of shot. How SNSD construction and shot range influence the above characteristics is shown. A relevant case is reported.

A practical expert task--to estimate shot distance and order of shots made in two victims from a gun with muffler--is described as illustration of opportunities of the complex investigation with experimental shots and emission spectral analysis of the targets. Distribution of the shot soot on the targets in shooting from the distance up to 1 m is analyzed.

The experimental material has shown possibility of definition of shooting distance and some technical characteristics of the barrel of the pneumatic gun loaded with shots.

Distribution of irritant on the target after a shot from a 99 mm gas gun ME-38 COMPACT from different distances and gas gun MAUZER (a 9 mm HSc model) in use of different ammunition was studied. There is a correlation between irritant distribution characteristics, distance of shot and cartridge brand.

Different-distance experimental shots were made from a rifled gun at flat bones. Those shot distances were established, at which the wound canal had the smallest volume, and, at which entry and exit holes were virtually identical and matched the bullet diameter. A bigger shot distance was associated with an increasing volume of the wound canal caused by a bigger exit hole. A smaller shot distance led, also, to an increasing volume of the wound canal caused by bigger entry and exit holes. The volume of the wound canal in flat bones can be used as a reliable criterion in assessing the shot distance.