Firearm identification is too often called ballistics. The precise definition may be called the identification of fired bullets, casings, or other ammunition components as having been fired from a specific firearm. Since the firearm is made of hard metal like a tool, it creates marks on the cartridge components, making it look more like tool mark identification. There are various pieces of evidence, other than the firearm itself, that the laboratory will use to assist in the investigation for the identification of a firearm, including cartridge padding, cartridges and fired casings, and much more. Other identification processes that examiners will use are tracing the firearm to the manufacturer who will produce a caliber and available ammunition components, calculate the distance of the shot by lifting residue from clothing evidence, and properly unload the firearm. has proven, there is no evidence to prove that two firearms will create the same markings on spent ammunition casings. Gun marks are as unique as a human fingerprint that cannot be remade from another firearm. Research by Jeffery S. Doyle showed that about 80 percent of them produced what he calls a "mechanical imprint" on the ammunition thrown from the firearm. No matter how much time passes, accurate identification can still be made from the shot cartridge, as the firearm generally does not change, allowing numerous quantities of fired cartridges to create the same marks on the last shot than on the first.An initial investigation for a firearm case will begin by uncovering class characteristics, that is, intentional or design features that...... middle of the paper......induces the evidence collected at the scene, looking for unique ridged and similar printed markings. Examiners will also first identify the class characteristics of the ammunition to determine what caliber and type of shot is dispersed by the firearm. This will then lead to examining evidence from projectiles and cartridges by firing into a special water tank and cross-checking the new standards with those from crime scenes. These standards are viewed side by side under a powerful macroscope to compare the unique markings for a match. Gunpowder and primer residue can be tested on a suspect's hand to determine if a firearm has been recently used. Firearm identification can be a very complex scientific process that can be the key to solving a major crime for law enforcement. Works Cited www.firearmsid.comwww.firearmsid.com/A_BulletID.htm