BE5074 - Firearms, Ammunition and Ballistics (2025/26)
| Module specification | Module approved to run in 2025/26 | ||||||||||||||||
| Module title | Firearms, Ammunition and Ballistics | ||||||||||||||||
| Module level | Intermediate (05) | ||||||||||||||||
| Credit rating for module | 15 | ||||||||||||||||
| School | School of Human Sciences | ||||||||||||||||
| Total study hours | 150 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Running in 2025/26(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) |
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Module summary
This module aims to broaden the forensic science content of the course and build on statement writing skills that you started to master in previous modules. The module will introduce you to the forensic examination of firearms, ammunition and related items, firearms identification and the interpretation of firearms related damage and gunshot wound identification.
Areas of study will include the theory and structure of various types of firearms, ammunition, component parts and accessories. You will be taught how to classify these within the firearms legislation. Alongside this, you will explore various aspects of firearms related damage such as range of firing, glass damage, ricochet and gunshot wound interpretation. Underpinning the course will be an understanding of the role of a forensic firearms expert in the laboratory, at crime scenes and post mortems and in court as an expert witness and will give an opportunity for you to build on your statement writing skills from other modules.
The aims of this module are aligned with the qualification descriptors within the Quality Assurance Agency’s, Framework for Higher Education Qualifications.
This module aims to provide you with the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the application of personal responsibility and decision-making alongside key forensic evidence knowledge and interpretation.
Prior learning requirements
BE4061
Syllabus
History of firearms and ammunition (1)
Modern firearms, ammunition and related items, including those routinely submitted to a forensic firearms laboratory (1,3)
An introduction to the Firearms Act 1968, as amended (1,3)
Internal, external and terminal ballistics (2,3)
Firearms identification and comparison microscopy (1,3)
The role of a forensic firearms expert at a scene and post-mortem, including:
- Contemporaneous notes, recording/recovery/collection of evidence, anti-contamination procedures,
- The interpretation of firearms related damage and gunshot wounds (2,3)
Firearm submission related intelligence (3)
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
The module is delivered via lectures, tutorials and workshops(38 hours). Tutorials will allow informal-teacher led discussions of the issues raised in the lectures and are also used to allow practice in the key skills of communication, interpretation and analysis through case studies and article reviews. Mock casework submission workshops are designed to allow the students to put the theory from lectures into practice utilising real-time experimental techniques and scenarios.
The remainder of the time allocated will be used for self-directed learning. Students will be expected to reflect upon taught material in order to demonstrate their understanding of the aspects of forensic science covered in this module. Students will be given guidance on what topics should be explored during their self-directed learning.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
1. Describe and classify types of firearms, ammunition and related items, commonly submitted to a forensic firearms department, within the Firearms Act 1968, as amended.
2. Describe, explain and interpret internal, external and terminal ballistics, firearms related damage and gunshot wounds.
3. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of the role of a firearms expert within a case, including the recovery, collection, preservation and documentation of firearms related evidence, practical comparison microscopy and statement writing skills.