Striation marks on a bullet help to identify what?

Striation marks on a bullet are unique patterns created by the specific imperfections in the barrel of a firearm. When a bullet is fired, the interior surface of the barrel leaves these distinctive striations on the bullet as it travels through. This means that striations can serve as a form of ballistic fingerprinting, allowing forensic experts to match a bullet to the specific firearm that discharged it.

By examining these marks under a microscope, ballistic experts can determine if a bullet came from a particular gun. This process is crucial in criminal investigations, where linking a bullet to a firearm provides significant evidence about the weapon used in a crime. The exact alignment and characteristics of the striations can vary greatly from one firearm to another, leading to highly reliable identifications.

The other options relate to different aspects of forensic investigation but do not pertain specifically to the function of striation marks on bullets. For instance, the gun's owner cannot be directly identified based on striation marks alone, nor can the distance from which a shot was fired be determined through these characteristics. Additionally, the manufacturing date of a bullet isn't indicated by striations, as those marks are primarily unique to the firearm itself rather than the bullet's production details.