An Introductory Guide to the Identification of Small Arms, Light Weapons, and Associated Ammunition

Arms and ammunition are evidence. Many weapons carry marks that, combined with their physical characteristics, reveal important information about them, including their manufacturer, age, and origin. This information, in turn, provides vital clues about the sources and flows of weapons in the area in which they were found.

The goal of this Guide is to provide the reader with a basic understanding of how to identify and analyse small arms and light weapons, and to track their proliferation. The process of identifying arms is complex, and no single guide can provide all of the information required to identify every weapon or round of ammunition that may be encountered at crime scenes or in conflict zones. Instead, this guide explains the process by which weapons and ammunition are identified and arms flows are tracked. Reference material on specific small arms, light weapons, and ammunition is included throughout the guide. This material will help readers to take the steps necessary to identify the make and model of the most commonly encountered weapons and ammunition.

Full Guide available in: ENGLISH and ARABIC

See below to download each section separately. All sections available in ENGLISH and ARABIC:

• Preliminary pages (About the authors; Acknowledgements; Disclaimer; Table of contents; etc.)
• Chapter 1 Small Arms Identification: An Introduction
• Chapter 2 Understanding the Trade in Small Arms: Key Concepts
• Chapter 3 Weapons Identification: Small Arms
• Chapter 4 Weapons Identification: Small-calibre Ammunition
• Chapter 5 Weapons Identification: Light Weapons and their Ammunition
• Chapter 6 Weapons Identification: Other Small Arms and Light Weapons
• Chapter 7 Gathering Arms and Ammunition Data in the Field: Advice for Researchers
• Chapter 8 Analysing Arms Flows: Authorized Transfers
• Chapter 9 Analysing Arms Flows: Illicit Weapons
• Bibliography
• الصفحات التمهيدية
• الفصل1 تحديد الأسلحة الصغيرة: مقدمة
• الفصل2 فهم تجارة الأسلحة الصغيرة: المفاهيم الأساسية
• الفصل3 تحديد الأسلحة: الأسلحة الصغيرة
• الفصل4 تحديد الأسلحة: الذخيرة من العيار الصغير
• الفصل5 تحديد الأسلحة: الأسلحة الخفيفة وذخيرتها
• الفصل6 تحديد الأسلحة: الأسلحة الصغيرة والأسلحة الخفيفة الأخرى
• الفصل7 جمع البيانات حول الأسلحة والذخيرة في الميدان: نصيحة للباحثين
• الفصل8 تحليل تدفقات الأسلحة: عمليات النقل المرخصة
• الفصل9 تحليل تدفقات الأسلحة: الأسلحة غير المشروعة
• المراجع