Bullet which is left inside the body for
long is referred to as ?
a) Souvenir bullet
b) Tracer bullet
c) Tumbling bullet
d) Tandem bullet
Correct Answer - A
Ans. is ‘a’ i.e., Souvenir bullet
Projectile is an object propelled by force of rapidly burning gases. In
shotgun these are lead shots and pellets (recently steel is also used
instead of lead) and in rifled weapons (pistal, rifle, revolver), these
are bullets.
Tip of the bullet is knwon as nose. Varieties of bullets are :-
i. Incendiary (igniting) bullet : The tip of bullet contains self igniting
material e.g. barium nitrate and powdered aluminium and
magnesium (in the past, phosphorus was used), so that it catches
fire on hitting the target. It is used to cause fire in usually
inflammable targets like fuel tanks (of air crafts etc).
ii. Explosive bullet : The tip contains a detonator or lead azide, so that
the bullet explodes on hitting the target.
iii. Dum-dum bullet (expanding bullet): It is a jacketed bullet with is nose
tip chiseled or cut off. It is designed to increase in diameter and
expand upon striking the target, thus producing larger diameter
wounds of limited penetration.
iv. Tandem bullet (Piggey tail bullet) : It is called one-behind-other bullet
because two bullets are ejected one after the other, when first bullet
failed to leave the burrel and is ejected by subsequently fired bullet.
Therefore, both enter body through same enterance wound (some
times, they may enter through different entries), but the wounds of
exit are always two.
v. Tandem (Duplex) cartridge is one in which two bullets are present in
same cartridge. It is used in military rifles.
vi. Tracer bullet: It leaves a trace in atmosphere along the path so that
a person (gunner) can observe the strike. Burning of barium nitrate
produces flame and powdered magnesium along with strontium
nitrate are added to give red color to the flame.
vii. Tumbling bullet : One that rotates in end on end during its motion.
viii. Yawning bullet : One which travels in an irregular fashion and
causes a key hole entery wound. Yaw means deviation between
long axis of bullet and the axis of path of bullet.
ix. Souvenir bullet : A bullet left in body for long time and is surrounded
by fibrous tissue.
x. Frangile bullet : Designed to fragment upon impact.
xi. Mushrooming of bullet : A soft nose bullet, an hitting the target may
get deformed to assume the shape of a mushroom.