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FBI cold case: murder gun was Makarov w/ special barrel.
Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 2:11 am
by surprise_i'm_armed
http://www.q13fox.com/community/wamostw ... 7334.story
In 2001, an Assistant US District Attorney was murdered in his home while working on the PC in his basement.
The gun itself was not found, but shell casings and forensic analysis by the FBI have determined that the murder
weapon was a Makarov pistol with a unique after market stainless steel barrel.
FYI: A Makarov, IIRC, shoots a 9 x 18MM round, as opposed to the standard "Luger" 9MM, which is 9 x 19MM.
The above link states that 2,600 of these barrels were in existence, while another link that I read said that 3,600
of these barrels were in the US.
Since the murder weapon itself was not found, can forensic analysis of the slugs in the murder victim, or the shell
casings contain trace amounts of the stainless steel aftermarket barrel?
SIA
Re: FBI cold case: murder gun was Makarov w/ special barrel.
Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 7:36 am
by Jumping Frog
Maybe that, or maybe the barrel had something unique about the rifling?
Re: FBI cold case: murder gun was Makarov w/ special barrel.
Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:14 am
by Ed4032
On CSI they can solve any crime in fifteen minutes. So I am sure they can tell you what color shirt the shooter was wearing. I read this on the internet so it has to be true. Makes it easy to determine the type of barrel.
Re: FBI cold case: murder gun was Makarov w/ special barrel.
Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 12:31 pm
by surprise_i'm_armed
Jumping Frog wrote:Maybe that, or maybe the barrel had something unique about the rifling?
Is there any requirement by law, or gun industry practice, that a replacement barrel for a gun must have the
original style of rifling?
The presence of a replacement barrel on the murder gun could have just been a coincidence, but perhaps it's
an indication of an experienced shooter - someone who shot so many rounds out of the original barrel that he
felt that he needed to install a new barrel?
SIA
Re: FBI cold case: murder gun was Makarov w/ special barrel.
Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 2:21 pm
by zero4o3
surprise_i'm_armed wrote:Jumping Frog wrote:Maybe that, or maybe the barrel had something unique about the rifling?
Is there any requirement by law, or gun industry practice, that a replacement barrel for a gun must have the
original style of rifling?
The presence of a replacement barrel on the murder gun could have just been a coincidence, but perhaps it's
an indication of an experienced shooter - someone who shot so many rounds out of the original barrel that he
felt that he needed to install a new barrel?
SIA
or of an experienced killer, purchase an aftermarket barrel for the actuall murder and then switch back to the factory barrel after.
Re: FBI cold case: murder gun was Makarov w/ special barrel.
Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:07 pm
by The Annoyed Man
zero4o3 wrote:surprise_i'm_armed wrote:Jumping Frog wrote:Maybe that, or maybe the barrel had something unique about the rifling?
Is there any requirement by law, or gun industry practice, that a replacement barrel for a gun must have the
original style of rifling?
The presence of a replacement barrel on the murder gun could have just been a coincidence, but perhaps it's
an indication of an experienced shooter - someone who shot so many rounds out of the original barrel that he
felt that he needed to install a new barrel?
SIA
or of an experienced killer, purchase an aftermarket barrel for the actuall murder and then switch back to the factory barrel after.
That would actually be a fairly inexpensive murder, even with a pistol more traditionally American than a Makarov. What do new stainless steel barrels cost....maybe $150-$200 for something match grade?
Re: FBI cold case: murder gun was Makarov w/ special barrel.
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 5:29 pm
by tbrown
zero4o3 wrote:or of an experienced killer, purchase an aftermarket barrel for the actuall murder and then switch back to the factory barrel after.
It seems easier to steal a gun from a LEO and ditch it after the job. Or wipe and ditch it where it will be found to send the investigators down a rabbit hole.
Re: FBI cold case: murder gun was Makarov w/ special barrel.
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 5:58 pm
by dcphoto
Problem with switching the barrel is that you can still match the primer to the firing pin, and the case head to the breech face.
Re: FBI cold case: murder gun was Makarov w/ special barrel.
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 6:03 pm
by i8godzilla
Ed4032 wrote:On CSI they can solve any crime in fifteen minutes. So I am sure they can tell you what color shirt the shooter was wearing. I read this on the internet so it has to be true. Makes it easy to determine the type of barrel.
Like this?

Re: FBI cold case: murder gun was Makarov w/ special barrel.
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 11:29 am
by JeepGuy79
if I was gonna kill someone in a basement with a makarov I would have used a threaded .380 barrel and a can as all .380 is subsonic and your ears wouldnt bleed after the shots inside. But I would have policed my own brass and got rid of the barrel after if not the whole gun.
Likely that was a gun show special for $70 no FFL and is now in the bottom of a large body of water.
That CSI thing made me LOL hard at work, scored some dirty looks.