Talk:Ballistics

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I don't think ballistics is used outside the field of forensic science, so I suggest we merge forensic ballistics to the more commonly used and shorter ballistics to get rid of the unneeded "forensic". - Mgm|^(talk) 09:22, September 9, 2005 (UTC)

Your suggestion seems to me to imply that all firearms use is in criminal activities. Forensic ballistics is a tiny application of external and terminal ballistics; by far the bulk of firearms ballistics work is done by firearms and ammunition companies, handloaders, target shooters, police and militaries. Ballistics in a broader sense also applies to airguns, paintball guns, archery, darts, baseball, football, frisbee, and any other sport where and object is shot or thrown through the air--while those aren't touched on here, they are still part of the science of ballistics, and definately unrelated to forensic ballistics. scot 12:17, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

Just to quote Calvin Goddard from an article that originally appeared in the Chicago Police Journal in 1936.

"In the November-December issue of Army Ordnance for 1925, I published my first article upon the comparison microscope and its uses in bullet and shell identification. This was entitled "Forensic Ballistics," and for that phrase I take full credit - and blame. We had long been concerned with developing a name for our work which would be reasonably short, concise, and at the same time descriptive. Apparently there was none which adequately fulfilled these requirements. The one chosen, and of which I was the author, seemed to come closer than any other. It was obviously faulty, in that ballistics deals with the motion of projectiles, and the forces which cause and affect these, whereas arms identification concerns as a rule only missiles in a state of rest. Yet, some familiarity with simple ballistic principles is essential to the success of the arms expert, and the exposition of his findings in court assembled is very properly termed "forensic."   Unfortunately, the public took up the expression with great rapidity, but finding "forensic" a rather tongue twisting (and to the average man, unintelligible, word) soon came to omit this and refer to arms identification simply as "ballistics." This put an entirely new face upon the matter, for ballistics, as we have seen, and arms identification, are far from being one and the same. I have, therefore, found it necessary to abandon completely the use of the term "forensic ballistics," and to adopt the simpler - and more readily comprehensible ones of "firearm identification" or "arms identification," to which I shall adhere in the pages which follow.

"

--Rickochet 01:52, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

Balistics is used for firearms and ammo. This is not forensic ballistics. 70.230.160.60 18:57, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

I vote no on changing to forensic balistics 70.230.160.60 18:59, 3 December 2006 (UTC)