What is a Ballistic Technician?

Answer 1

a ballistics technician can mean two separate jobs. one type is a governmental post as an investigative position in the law enforcement or medical examiners offices. this position is usually the typical "CSI" position that first comes to mind when people hear this term. very rarely do these types of technicians actually get into the field. most evidence is recovered for them and they are responsible for the scientific identification and testing of the evidence, as well as maintaining logs and databases for the evidence. it is not what you see on television, but is still very rewarding and can pay very well depending on the municipality and level of education obtained. criminal justice degrees are usually required for these positions. the second type of ballistics technician is in the testing industry and usually works with different types of armor, including bullet resistant glass, body armor, and vehicle armor systems. these facilities also perform research and development for those companies who manufacture the products as well as the firearms industry. these types of positions require knowledge of the product as well as very advanced ballistic knowledge and skill. most all of the ammunition used is hand loaded and to within a very tight specification. you will have to be able to make a projectile perform a speed and accuracy to within as close as a 25 foot per second spread between shots, while maintaining pinpoint accuracy within as little as 5mm for shot placement on product. testing may use controlled military ammunition and items, fully automatic weapons, and toxic or dangerous materials. high speed footage may also be used to track the result of the shot and how the target reacts. there are less than 1000 experts working in the field today and many come from military backgrounds due to the experience level needed to even gain entry to the field.