Before you touch anything, photograph each bullet find using wide, medium, and close-up shots with a scale marker in place. Sketch the scene with precise measurements from at least two fixed reference points, and record GPS coordinates in your field notes. Package each bullet separately in a labeled container, never combining multiple items. Write identifying information on the container, not the bullet itself. The steps ahead will sharpen your entire documentation process.
Key Takeaways
- Photograph bullet finds in three shot types—wide-angle, medium, and close-up—with scale markers before touching or moving any evidence.
- Record each bullet’s position by measuring distances from at least two fixed, permanent reference points using a steel tape.
- Collect fragments individually in separate, labeled containers showing item number, date, case number, and initials to prevent cross-contamination.
- Wrap bullets in soft tissue paper before placing them in labeled paper envelopes or pillboxes to protect trace evidence.
- Write all identifying information on the container, never directly on the bullet, using legible and consistent labels throughout.
Document Every Bullet Find Before You Touch Anything
Before you touch a single bullet, casing, or fragment, document everything in place. Your notes, sketches, and photographs form the foundation of solid bullet recovery techniques. Measure each find’s position relative to fixed objects, then record those measurements in your field notes immediately.
Photograph every item using three shot types: wide angle, medium, and close-up. Include a scale reference in each image. Keep your lens parallel to the bullet’s orientation to capture accurate positional data.
Capture three shots per item — wide, medium, and close-up — always including a scale reference for accuracy.
These evidence preservation methods protect the integrity of what you’ve found before any physical handling begins. Sketch the scene with precise measurements, mark reference points, and label each location with a corresponding item number.
Only after completing this documentation should you consider collecting anything.
Assemble Your Field Kit Before You Begin
Before you process a single piece of evidence, you’ll need to gather your core tools: a metal scribe, pillboxes or coin envelopes, soft tissue paper, pre-labeled containers, a measuring tape, and numbered evidence markers.
Keep your field notes binder, sketch pad, and camera accessible so you can move efficiently from documentation to collection without backtracking. Organize your materials by function—photography equipment together, packaging supplies together, and marking tools together—so each step in your documentation sequence flows without interruption.
Essential Tools and Supplies
A well-stocked field kit is the foundation of accurate bullet-find documentation, so you’ll want to assemble yours before stepping onto any scene. Your field essentials should include a diamond-tipped or tungsten scribe for marking metal containers, pillboxes, coin envelopes, and manila envelopes for individual specimen storage, and soft tissue paper for wrapping recovered bullets without disturbing trace evidence.
Among your core documentation tools, pack a calibrated scale, evidence tent markers, a camera capable of wide-angle and close-up shots, a measuring tape, and a field notebook.
Include pre-printed labels noting case number, date, item number, and collector initials. Keep pasteboard boxes available for fragments. Organizing these supplies systematically before arrival eliminates improvisation, preserves chain-of-custody integrity, and guarantees every recovered round receives consistent, protocol-compliant handling from the moment of collection.
Organize Your Documentation Materials
Having the right supplies on hand means nothing if they’re not organized for immediate, sequential use. Before you enter any scene, arrange your bullet documentation materials in the order you’ll actually use them — field notes first, camera second, packaging third.
Use a dedicated kit: a divided case or tackle box works well. Separate your pillboxes, coin envelopes, and scribe from your labels, paper bags, and markers. Pre-label containers with case number and date at your staging area, not at the scene.
Keep tissue paper and individual envelopes accessible without digging. Every second spent searching disrupts your workflow and risks evidence preservation failures.
Structure your kit so each item has one fixed location. Discipline in organization directly controls the integrity of what you recover.
Sketch the Scene Around Each Bullet Find With Measurements
When you sketch a bullet find, you’ll measure its position from at least two fixed objects—permanent landmarks like walls, doorframes, or utility poles—to establish an accurate, reproducible location.
Record each measurement in your field notes alongside the sketch, noting the exact reference points you used so another investigator can relocate the find precisely.
You can’t rely on temporary markers or movable objects as reference points, since they compromise the integrity of your documentation.
Measuring Evidence to Landmarks
Sketching the scene around each bullet find begins with two fixed reference points—permanent, immovable landmarks like walls, doorframes, or utility poles—from which you measure the precise location of each piece of evidence.
Landmark identification is your foundation; without it, your sketch loses evidentiary value. Select two independent fixed points for each item, then apply consistent measurement techniques—steel tape is preferred over cloth—recording distances in feet and inches or metric, depending on jurisdiction protocol.
Triangulate each bullet’s position by measuring from both landmarks simultaneously, noting exact distances in your field notes.
Record the landmark descriptions clearly: “interior south wall” or “concrete utility pole #4.” Cross-reference each measurement with your item number so the sketch, notes, and evidence containers all align without ambiguity.
Referencing Fixed Objects Accurately
Once you’ve identified your fixed reference points, translate those measurements directly onto your sketch by anchoring each bullet find to at least two independent, immovable objects—walls, doorframes, or utility poles—ensuring no single measurement stands alone.
Fixed object identification eliminates positional ambiguity; if one reference point gets disturbed, your second measurement preserves spatial reference accuracy. Record each distance perpendicular to its reference object whenever possible, and note the measurement method—tape, laser, or string line—directly on the sketch.
Label every fixed object clearly, using standard abbreviations your department recognizes. Cross-reference your sketch measurements against your field notes to confirm consistency before leaving the scene.
Any discrepancy between the two documents signals a recording error requiring immediate correction, not later reconciliation.
Photograph Bullet Finds With Scale and Sequence
Photographing bullet finds in a structured sequence guarantees you capture all relevant spatial and contextual data before anything is moved or collected.
Apply bullet photography techniques across three progressive shots: wide-angle establishing context, medium framing the find within its immediate surroundings, and close-up isolating the bullet itself. Position evidence scale markers beside each find before triggering the shutter.
Follow this documentation sequence for every find:
- Place a numbered evidence tent and metric scale ruler adjacent to the bullet
- Shoot the wide-angle frame showing the bullet’s relationship to fixed reference points
- Move to a medium shot framing surrounding terrain or surface details
- Capture close-ups with the lens parallel to the bullet’s resting plane
Never reposition the bullet between shots.
Catalog Shot Patterns and Fragmented Bullet Pieces
Before you collect a single pellet or wad, photo-document the entire shot pattern in place. Capture wide-angle, medium, and close-up shots with a visible scale marker. This supports accurate shot pattern interpretation later and preserves spatial relationships that collection destroys.
For bullet fragmentation analysis, photograph each fragment before touching it. Number every piece with an evidence tent, then record its exact position in your field notes with measurements referencing fixed objects.
Collect fragments individually into separate pillboxes or coin envelopes — never combine them. Label each container with the item number, date, case number, and your initials.
Dry any wet wadding before packaging it separately by recovery location. This discipline keeps your evidence defensible and your analysis options open.
Handle Bullet Finds Without Destroying Trace Evidence
When you recover a bullet, jacket, or fragment, wrap it in soft tissue paper or unused wrapping paper before packaging to protect any trace evidence on its surface.
You’ll then place each wrapped bullet individually into a labeled paper envelope or pillbox, keeping finds separate to prevent cross-contamination.
Mark only the sealed container with the item number, date, case number, and your initials—never mark the bullet itself.
Proper Wrapping Techniques
Recovering a bullet find means nothing if mishandling destroys the trace evidence it carries. Your wrapping materials selection directly determines whether microscopic transfers survive transport.
Apply these bullet preservation techniques before sealing any container:
- Tear a strip of soft tissue paper or unused wrapping paper, never recycled or printed material.
- Center the bullet on the paper, fold edges inward without compressing the bearing surface or nose.
- Layer a second wrap if fragmentation or sharp jacket edges risk tearing the first.
- Place the wrapped bullet into a labeled pillbox or coin envelope immediately after wrapping.
Don’t mark the bullet directly. Mark the sealed container instead.
Each wrapped find goes into its own package — never combine multiple projectiles into a single container, regardless of proximity at the scene.
Separate Individual Packaging
Each bullet find you recover demands its own sealed container — no exceptions. Commingling rounds destroys trace evidence and compromises your chain of custody.
Individual packaging isn’t bureaucratic overhead — it’s your protection against contamination and courtroom challenges.
Place each bullet into a separate pillbox, coin envelope, or labeled paper envelope immediately after wrapping it in soft tissue. Mark the container — not the bullet itself — with your item number, case number, date, and initials. Note the exact recovery location on the label.
This individual packaging discipline preserves microscopic transfer evidence, including fibers, blood, and residue, that shared containers would eliminate.
Every separate container becomes an independent, defensible record — one you’ll rely on when your documentation faces scrutiny.
Package Each Bullet Find Separately With Labeled Containers
Proper packaging of bullet finds requires that you seal each bullet, jacket, or fragment individually in its own labeled container—never combine multiple items in a single package.
Bullet preservation techniques depend entirely on preventing cross-contamination and protecting microscopic surface marks. Evidence integrity importance can’t be overstated—commingled items compromise forensic analysis permanently.
Apply these packaging steps systematically:
- Wrap each bullet loosely in soft tissue paper before placing it inside a pillbox or coin envelope.
- Mark the container with item number, date, case number, and your initials.
- Note the exact recovery location on the label.
- Seal the container completely, preventing movement inside.
You control the chain of custody.
Accurate labeling preserves your findings and protects every detail that forensic examination may later require.
Mark Containers, Not the Bullets Themselves
When you mark bullet finds, write all identifying information on the container rather than on the bullet itself. Direct marking damages microscopic striations and surface details that firearms examiners rely on for ballistic comparisons, compromising bullet preservation and evidence integrity.
Instead, inscribe the item number, date, case number, and your initials clearly on the sealed envelope, pillbox, or pasteboard box holding the bullet.
If your agency mandates direct marking, use a diamond or tungsten-tipped scribe and mark only inconspicuous areas, avoiding the bearing surface and nose entirely.
Never use permanent markers directly on metal jackets or lead cores. Keep your container labels legible, consistent, and complete.
Maintaining this discipline protects the physical evidence from unnecessary alteration and guarantees its value holds up through laboratory analysis and legal proceedings.
Record Expended Cases Found Near Your Bullet Evidence
Expended cases near your bullet finds deserve the same systematic documentation you applied to the bullets themselves. Precise case collection strengthens evidence integrity and supports bullet identification during lab analysis.
Before touching anything, conduct thorough scene analysis and note environmental factors like moisture, debris, or displacement that could compromise trace preservation. Then document each case’s exact position relative to fixed reference points.
Follow these recovery techniques to maintain documentation accuracy:
- Photograph each case with a scale marker before recovery
- Record GPS coordinates or measured distances in your field notes
- Package each case individually into a labeled manila envelope or pillbox
- Mark the case near the mouth’s interior using a metal scribe per your agency’s protocol
Never commingle cases with bullets — keep them packaged separately.
Store and Submit Bullet Finds to the Crime Lab
Submitting bullet finds to the crime lab requires packaging that protects microscopic marks and trace evidence from the moment you seal each container.
Wrap each bullet individually in soft tissue paper before placing it into a labeled pillbox or paper envelope. Don’t mark the bullet’s bearing surface or nose—you’ll destroy critical microscopic striations. Instead, inscribe your initials, case number, item number, and date directly on the sealed container using a metal scribe or permanent marker.
Keep bullet preservation priorities in mind: package each find separately to prevent cross-contamination of trace evidence.
Submit unexpended rounds to the firearms unit when your protocol requires it. Always package ammunition separately from any recovered firearm.
Clear documentation on every container guarantees the lab processes your evidence accurately and efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Wet Bullets Be Packaged Immediately, or Must They Dry First?
You mustn’t package wet bullets immediately. Dry them first to prevent moisture effects that compromise bullet preservation. Moisture accelerates corrosion and degrades trace evidence, so always air-dry bullets completely before sealing them in labeled containers.
How Do You Document Cartridge Positions Found Inside a Revolver Cylinder?
Draw a diagram capturing the cylinder orientation, numbering each chamber sequentially. You’ll note each cartridge’s condition—fired or live—for cartridge identification. Record your diagram in field notes, then photograph it before unloading.
Should Unexpended Rounds Be Submitted to the Crime Lab Alongside Fired Bullets?
Unlike fired bullets, you shouldn’t package unexpended rounds together—keep them separate. Submit unexpended rounds independently to the crime lab’s firearms unit, following strict evidence handling and crime lab protocols to maintain integrity and prevent cross-contamination.
What Tools Are Recommended for Marking Metal Firearm Components Inconspicuously?
Use a diamond or tungsten-tipped scribe for invisible marking on metal firearm components. You’ll achieve discreet identification by inscribing your initials inconspicuously on areas like the trigger guard, preserving the firearm’s integrity without compromising evidence.
How Should Firearms Recovered From Water Be Handled Differently Than Dry Ones?
Ever wonder why water recovery demands special care? Follow your jurisdiction’s protocols for water-recovered firearms immediately — keep them submerged until processing, document before drying, and apply rust prevention measures promptly to preserve critical evidence integrity.
References
- https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/media/peb-12.pdf
- https://www.sbsheriff.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/SOP-CSI-006-12-Firearms-and-Toolmarks-Evidence-Collection.pdf
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkeaJ_EEioQ
- https://nij.ojp.gov/nij-hosted-online-training-courses/firearms-examiner-training/module-06/collection-evidence
- https://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/bullet-trajectories-at-crime-scenes.html
- https://dofs-gbi.georgia.gov/firearms-analysis
