• Cost. It is roughly half the cost to reload a cartridge compared to purchasing a factory round. The brass case (for centerfire ammunition) and the shotshell hull (for shotgun shooting) are the most expensive components of ammunition, and both can be reused several times when reloading. The other components of ammunition can only be used once, but are less costly than the casings. As sport shooters, target shooters, and hunters often shoot many thousands of rounds per year, the savings due to reloading can be substantial compared with purchasing ammunition for roughly $0.75 per round.
• Performance. Depending on the intended use of the ammunition, powder type and quantity can be adjusted to give higher or lower pressures and bullet velocities. Reloading can enhance shooting accuracy and performance, as well as reduce gun fouling.
• Precision. Many shooters reload to gain precision between rounds. Depending on the type of shooting, the ability to reproduce velocities and trajectories can be crucial to the reloader.
• Components. Some reloaders prefer the ability to choose the specific powder, casings, primers, and bullets in each round of ammunition. This choice of components may be based on increased performance or special needs of a shooter.

Edwin P. Przybylowicz, Margaret A. Berger, Leo R. Gizzi, Walter F. Rowe, and Ronald L. Simmons, Committee Members

On March 19, 1998, a subcommittee of the Committee on Smokeless and Black Powder⁵ visited the National Laboratory Center of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) in Rockville, Maryland, to learn more about the forensic process used in bombing incidents. Richard A. Strobel, forensic chemist, Explosives Section, and Cynthia L. Wallace, forensic chemist, hosted this visit.

The subcommittee heard an overview of the ATF forensic group's process in handling typical cases, including how the combination of physical, chemical, and other evidence is brought together in resolving the case.

There was discussion of cases in which going back to the retail outlet where a powder was purchased had provided leads in states where the law requires the signature of the purchaser, although very few states are reported to have this requirement.

The subcommittee also observed some of the reference information that the ATF was in the process of developing. This consists of examining commercial

Front Matter (R1-R14)

Executive Summary (1-13)

1 Background and Overview (14-37)

2 Detection of Black and Smokeless Powder Devices (38-55)

3 Identification (56-96)

Bibliography (97-100)

Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members (101-106)

Appendix B: Statement of Task and Enabling Legislation (107-111)

Appendix C: Committee Meetings (112-114)

Appendix D: Taggant and Marker Concepts (115-122)

Appendix E: Presentations by Stakeholder Groups (123-129)

Appendix F: Committee Site Visits (130-146)

Appendix G: Laboratories Capable of Testing (147-149)

Appendix H: Regulation of Black and Smokeless Powders (150-153)

Appendix I: Glossary (154-163)

Appendix J: Acronyms and Abbreviations (164-164)