[Purrybonker]

I can be one of those PIAs that whines about technical veracity (or the lack thereof) in movies - and more particularly TV shows.

Once I get on a theme with a show, like the CSI franchise - I can become obsessive. I'll put up with a lot of crap if the show has other entertainment factors that hold my interest, but I often have to declare a boycott on a series if it starts to drive me completely bonkers.

CSI Miami and NY are examples; the "science" in these shows is too bogus too often and the characters and stories are just too ridiculous to provide any sort of entertainment offset.

But I put up with CSI Vegas in deferrence to the gf (mainly for watching/loving "L" Word with me). Grissom and the lads are reasonably tangible and the story lines don't push the limits as badly as the other two examples.

But guns. I see this kinda thing happen all the time:

One of the CSIs finds a casing - picks it up and declares "45 auto" or "38 wad-cutter" or even identify a particular make or model of weapon.

Is this likely? Are handgun casings that unique that you can actually tell whether a gun is an "auto" or a Ruger, or know even the type of bullet (eg hollow point)?