1950's Forensic Science - Gun and Bullet Casings
Setting: America, 1957
There's been a murder. The victim was shot with a 1955 Colt Python (probably 4-inch barrel). Just how much would the forensic scientists know about the gun and bullet in 1957? If they found the bullet casings, would they be able to say, "Yep, it's a 357 Magnum gun, probably a Colt Python"? Or would they just know the .357 Magnums? (Am I even using this terminology correctly? lol) Was forensics far enough along to look at the different grooves in the bullets after they took them out of the victim? Could they ever trace it to the exact gun?
A side note: would this gun be probable for a normal citizen in 1957 to have? He's living in Hollywood but is from the South, so probably likes to show off a little bit. So, showing off and self-defense.
I've googled: forensics in the 1950s, history of forensic science, history of forensics. I also have a book called "Armed & Dangerous: A Writer's Guide to Weapons" but while it talks about the history of weapons, there's not much about the history of forensic science.
There's been a murder. The victim was shot with a 1955 Colt Python (probably 4-inch barrel). Just how much would the forensic scientists know about the gun and bullet in 1957? If they found the bullet casings, would they be able to say, "Yep, it's a 357 Magnum gun, probably a Colt Python"? Or would they just know the .357 Magnums? (Am I even using this terminology correctly? lol) Was forensics far enough along to look at the different grooves in the bullets after they took them out of the victim? Could they ever trace it to the exact gun?
A side note: would this gun be probable for a normal citizen in 1957 to have? He's living in Hollywood but is from the South, so probably likes to show off a little bit. So, showing off and self-defense.
I've googled: forensics in the 1950s, history of forensic science, history of forensics. I also have a book called "Armed & Dangerous: A Writer's Guide to Weapons" but while it talks about the history of weapons, there's not much about the history of forensic science.