I'm sure someone retrieved all the bullets and has analyzed them by now.
It would be easy to tell if all the bullets were fired from one rifle, or if there were two rifles involved.
They might get lucky if they could find them, but most high powered rifle rounds are going to almost disintegrate on impact. Those that penetrated soft tissue without hitting bone might still hold a clue, but you might or might now get a sampling of all guns used.
With rifle ammo the copper outer sheath often separates and explodes on impact to any solid material. That outer copper shell is what holds the imprint of the rifling from the barrel that is used to identify the gun used.
Most of the bullet IDs are done on the slower pistol ammo. The bullet from a pistol is traveling slower and can be found intact with rifling marks still in good condition.
The part of the copper shell that fragments is typically the ogive, or pointy end. The butt end is cylindrical and filled with lead and is the part that retains the rifling pattern. It has a good chance of surviving impact for examination, if it is not deformed.
You are the first person I've encountered that is willing to describe a .223 round as "high-powered."
As usual, the neophytes want to own the language. A .223 would fit the military definition of "medium-energy", along with the Russian "short .30" used in AK-47s. "High-power" begins with something like a .30-'06 and goes up to a rhino-killer like a .416 Rigby. Some military snipers use a .50 BMG round. I don't know what you would call that.
I have a hand-me-down Winchester model 1886 chambered in .45-70 Government. The round is about the size and shape of the huge Crayola crayons we used to have in school, larger than your finger. Everybody moans about the .223 being a deadly cartridge. The .45-70 was used to take down bison and grizzly bears.
I'm sure someone retrieved all the bullets and has analyzed them by now.
It would be easy to tell if all the bullets were fired from one rifle, or if there were two rifles involved.
They might get lucky if they could find them, but most high powered rifle rounds are going to almost disintegrate on impact. Those that penetrated soft tissue without hitting bone might still hold a clue, but you might or might now get a sampling of all guns used.
With rifle ammo the copper outer sheath often separates and explodes on impact to any solid material. That outer copper shell is what holds the imprint of the rifling from the barrel that is used to identify the gun used.
Most of the bullet IDs are done on the slower pistol ammo. The bullet from a pistol is traveling slower and can be found intact with rifling marks still in good condition.
The part of the copper shell that fragments is typically the ogive, or pointy end. The butt end is cylindrical and filled with lead and is the part that retains the rifling pattern. It has a good chance of surviving impact for examination, if it is not deformed.
You are the first person I've encountered that is willing to describe a .223 round as "high-powered."
That physician did, as did the people who didn't like me criticizing the use of those words when referring to an AR-15.
Turns out, people are willing to abandon all the arguments they used to use at a time when convenient and it's vexing.
As usual, the neophytes want to own the language. A .223 would fit the military definition of "medium-energy", along with the Russian "short .30" used in AK-47s. "High-power" begins with something like a .30-'06 and goes up to a rhino-killer like a .416 Rigby. Some military snipers use a .50 BMG round. I don't know what you would call that.
I have a hand-me-down Winchester model 1886 chambered in .45-70 Government. The round is about the size and shape of the huge Crayola crayons we used to have in school, larger than your finger. Everybody moans about the .223 being a deadly cartridge. The .45-70 was used to take down bison and grizzly bears.