January 1985
·
4,671 Reads
·
17 Citations
Journal of Forensic Sciences
To determine the effect of barrel length on pellet patterns fired by sawed-off shot-guns, 00 buckshot, No. 2 shot, and No. 7J/2 birdshot cartridges were fired from 12-gage single-shot Harrington and Richardson shotguns with the barrel lengths progressively shortened to 152 mm (6 in.). The spread of the 00 buckshot pattern was found to increase as the barrel length of the firing weapon decreased. The spread of the pellet patterns increased or tended to remain constant as the barrel length decreased when other types of cartridges were fired from the shot-guns; this depended on the brand of ammunition.