A software-based solution to estimate the angles of incidence of AK bullets using bullet hole features on 1mm sheet metal

Bullet holes and their characteristics are considered important evidence in shooting incidents and can play a major role in the determination of a fired bullet’s trajectory. This research aimed to design a software-based tool for bullet trajectory determination in shooting investigations. The development of the tool was based on the analysis of data from previous empirical test results of two research papers from the authors relating to the numerical relationship of AK bullet hole features and the angles of incidence when AK bullets (7.62mm x 39 mm) perforate and ricochet off 1mm zinc-coated automotive sheet metal. The proposed solution suggests an alternative method to existing bullet trajectory estimation methods used in shooting investigations through a novel software-based approach.