Malays. J. Anal. Sci. Volume 29 Number 6 (2025): 1635

 

Research Article

 

Comparing sampling procedures for trace residues from bullet hole circumferences to determine the striking of projectiles

 

Kah Haw Chang1, Uma Rashmika Bominathan2, and Ahmad Fahmi Lim Abdullah1*

 

1Forensic Science Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia

2Royal Malaysia Police, Forensic Laboratory, Jalan Cheras Kajang, Batu 8 1/2 Taman Cuepacs, 43200 Cheras, Selangor, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: fahmilim@usm.my

 

Received: 7 August 2025; Revised: 27 October 2025; Accepted: 29 October 2025; Published: 28 December 2025

 

Abstract

The recovery of ballistic trace residues from bullet holes is crucial for forensic investigations to link projectiles, firearms, and crime scenes. Nonetheless, there remains a lack of consensus on the most effective sampling procedures to retrieve elemental information from the inner circumference of a bullet hole found on materials of varying properties. This study compares three sampling procedures, namely swabbing, tape lifting, and scraping, for their efficiency in recovering lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) residues from bullet holes under controlled conditions. Using a semi-automatic pistol with 9 mm ammunition, 21 shots were fired on each material, including Perspex, plywood, Formica board, gypsum board, and two metal sheets of different thickness. Seven bullet holes per material were sampled by each sampling procedure, followed by acid digestion and elemental analysis via graphite furnace-atomic absorption spectroscopy. The two-way ANOVA statistical test revealed significant differences in the recovered concentration of Pb, Cu, and Zn from bullet holes in relation to the sampling procedures (p<0.001) and surface materials (p<0.001). Tape-lifting procedure consistently recovered higher concentrations of Pb and Cu by 45.7% and 13.7%, respectively. For Zn, both tape-lifting and swabbing procedures allowed for better recovery up to 21.1% compared to scraping procedure. In term of target surfaces with bullet holes, higher elemental contents could be recovered from malleable materials, regardless of the sampling procedures. As a less destructive, requiring no solvent and more practical sampling procedure, this study proposes tape-lifting as the preferred procedure to collect ballistic trace evidence from bullet holes for shooting event reconstruction.

 

Keywords: bullet hole, sampling, tape-lifting, swabbing, scraping, GF-AAS

 

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