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Jury Education encompasses having the jury see the case through the expert’s eyes.  “My opinion is ..” type testimony is not sufficient.  When the expert teaches the jury, they will see the case as the expert sees it and, assuming the jury is composed of reasonable people, they will make the same decision as the […]

This set of skills goes far beyond what the ordinary expert can do.  LTC Alphin created all the machinery and procedures for the manufacture of A-Square products (including rifles, handguns, cartridge cases, bullets, etc).  Though he no longer operates factories, he has a personal machine shop wherein he can create almost any exemplar, or duplicate […]

The expert must have the photographic skills to visually capture, and show to the jury, any item he needs to explain.  LTC Alphin has the skills and equipment to accomplish this. Alphin was admitted as a member in the British Royal Photographic Society and is a past member of the British Institute of Professional Photographers […]

Gunfight Dynamics involves discerning how the man-weapon interface plays out, and interacts, when in crisis or emergency situations. LTC Alphin’s skills in gunfight dynamics allowed him to precisely reconstruct a fight over disputed property (see case of Tennessee vs. Pallet Handler).  These skills played a part in LTC Alphin figuring out that law enforcement had […]

This involves the selection of which firearm for which use.  This includes selection of a firearm for defense in its different forms (licensed concealed carry, residence, apartment, etc.), for hunting (varmints, waterfowl, upland birds, big game, etc.), for sport (trap, skeet, free pistol, 3 position rifle, etc.) and casual recreation (plinking, practice, etc.). This area […]

This extends exterior and terminal ballistics into the field of what the firearm and ammunition can actually do.  This is necessary not only for training but also for improvement in firearms and unit organization, for shooting incident scene reconstruction and for explaining scenes to a jury.  This area of expertise had application in the evaluation […]

Firearms and ammunition training includes not only methods of instruction but also imparting to the user/shooter enough information to enable safe use of the firearm.  This leads to advanced training of the shooter such he can extract the maximum capabilities in terms of range, volume of fire, and terminal effect.  Included within this is training […]

Metallurgy of Ammunition encompasses the exact alloys of brass, lead, and other materials which are used in ammunition and how each one is selected to give the correct properties necessary for a round of ammunition.  This includes gradient of anneal and other issues which lead to a final end-use item that functions correctly. LTC Alphin’s […]

This area of endeavor addresses the exact metallurgical composition of each and every part of the firearm.  Parts may be optimized for their function by changing the alloy and hardness.   This further branches out into the use of polymers and other man made materials for use in firearms. As an expert in this area, LTC […]

The ammunition manufacture discipline addresses how each cartridge case is manufactured, from its starting point as a coin, along with how the projectile is manufactured (which could start as a coin or a bar), how the primer is manufactured, and how the propellant is manufactured.  For shotguns, ammunition manufacture would also deal with the shot pellets […]

The firearms manufacture discipline addresses how each part of the firearm is manufactured after it is designed.  It includes the starting point for each part, such as a billet or a forging; and then the fixturing, workholding, and tooling in order to make each cut which leads to a finished part.  Also included are the […]

Ammunition design encompasses those features in design such that the round of ammunition fits and fires safely in the firearm.  This includes accommodating the headspace datum, flash-hole size, web, chemical constituents and shape of the propellant, bullet retention and release, and other issues. LTC Alphin’s work as an Ammunition Design Expert led to the new […]

This discipline covers the basic design features such as the trade-off between short recoil operation and gas operation of a semi-automatic firearm.  Beyond that, this discipline includes all features of design and how that all adds up to a safely functioning firearm.  It even includes such uncommonly understood, but vitally important features as a two […]

This closely parallels interior ballistics but expands upon that by including the condition of the cartridge case in obturating the propellant gases. and clearing the firearm in ejection; and the condition of the projectile in terms of such things as structural integrity, and sabot petal discard. LTC Alphin has done some very important work in […]

This discipline involves the action and interaction of each and every part, both moving and stationary, within the firearm.  Most hobbyists are limited to a familiarity with the difference between a bolt action and a lever action.  However, in reality, the subject of firearms function is far more involved.  It also includes the manufacturing tolerances […]

Terminal ballistics concerns that which occurs from the instant the projectile touches the target until both the projectile and the target come to rest.  This includes both Kinetic Energy and Chemical Energy projectiles.  The inert projectiles used in small arms ammunition fall into the kinetic category. Terminal ballistics skills are far different and more inclusive […]

This discipline concerns that which occurs from the instant of projectile muzzle exit until the projectile touches the target. This also includes the muzzle ejecta, which is the remains of the combusted propellant powder and the microscopic bits debrided from the projectile.  This is necessary for distance from muzzle to target and for helping with […]

This discipline of the area of firearms expertise concerns that which occurs from the instant the firing pin touches the primer until the projectile exits the muzzle and the pressure in the barrel drops to one atmosphere.  This includes such issues as firing pin embedment into the primer, the transfer of machining marks onto the surface […]