Product category:
General lab equipment
News Release from: Ballistics Research | Subject: Duke projectile recovery system
Edited by the Laboratorytalk Editorial
Team on 10 March 2004
Revolution in ballistics testing
For the first time ever, crime labs and ballistics researchers can consistently capture perfectly intact bullets and slugs of any type, fired from any firearm
Groundbreaking new technology that will help fight crime and promote security is now in production For the first time ever, crime labs and ballistics researchers can consistently capture perfectly intact bullets and slugs of any type, fired from any firearm, including hollow points and even high-explosive large-calibre military rounds
This article was originally published on Laboratorytalk on 22 May 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The Duke projectile recovery system holds enormous promise for advances in public safety, security and the war on terrorism.
Many people are familiar with the importance of 'ballistic fingerprinting' because of high-profile criminal investigations such as the US beltway snipers case.
Developed by Ballistics Research, the patented DPRS is said to represent a huge leap forward for law enforcement.
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It allows a crime lab to test-fire a suspected firearm using the same ammunition used in a crime, with immediate recovery of the bullet or slug fully preserved in the same condition in which it left the barrel, even including the powder residue.
Its ability to preserve the parts of a detonated pipe bomb for forensic study will make the DPRS an indispensable tool in the investigation of bombing cases.
The system's capacity for handling rounds of all sizes with such pristine results also is of great significance to defense agencies and the military.
A US Defense Department facility that develops and tests weapons is among the first purchasers of the DPRS.
That facility reports it is now able to perform tests never before thought possible.
In addition to performing non-destructive testing of weapons under development, the system affords the unprecedented advantage of conducting non-destructive evaluation of captured enemy ordnance.
The system uses two specialised types of material sandwiched in a series of alternating layers inside a caster-mounted metal box.
A special blend of long-grained natural and synthetic fibres cocoons around the projectile to protect it, while a specialised friction material layer absorbs residual velocity and kinetic energy.
Projectiles come to rest within the series of layers, where they are easily recovered by hand within seconds.
The capabilities of the DPRS are described as 'extraordinary'.
Every other projectile recovery method in use, such as the water tank and the cotton box, has one thing in common: the recovery device itself causes damage to the projectile, often shattering it or causing severe deformation or abrasion.
A perfect, intact bullet recovered with the DPRS for comparison to a crime scene bullet is far quicker and easier to match accurately than one recovered by any other method.
The Duke system also is less expensive and far more versatile than the commonly used water tank.
The units are highly portable and they are available to successfully capture all kinds of projectiles intact, including those from handguns and rifles of all calibres, shotguns of all sizes, and even military rounds up to 120mm, such as those fired from a battle tank.
Custom configurations are also possible for more specialised needs.
Projectiles recovered with the DPRS appear as unfired, except for the ballistic fingerprint of the firearm's barrel (rifling marks) and the tell-tale gunpowder residue.
There is no need for down-loading special cartridges or shells, since the system is capable of capturing perfectly intact projectiles regardless of their velocity.
Ballistics researchers, military weapons experts and forensic scientists can now do their jobs with far greater accuracy and speed than ever before.
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