The microscopic rifling inside a firearm barrel is unique to one in ten thousand weapons
Forensic ballistics can trace a bullet to a specific firearm using microscopic rifling patterns that possess a one in ten thousand uniqueness, allowing investigators to link evidence across vast databases.
The interior of a firearm barrel contains spiral grooves known as rifling, which imprint unique microscopic 'lands' and 'grooves' onto a bullet as it accelerates. In high-velocity weapons like those used in the Istanbul Consulate attacks, 7.62mm rounds exit the muzzle at speeds of 800 meters per second, carrying distinctive striations that are unique to approximately one in ten thousand weapons.
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