Which items are considered characteristics of fire?

• A. Trajectory, range, penetration, burst of fire, cone of fire, beaten zone, danger space
• B. Trajectory, range, penetration, burst of fire, cone of fire, beaten zone, danger space, dead space
• C. Trajectory, range, accuracy, recoil
• D. Penetration, stability, recoil

Answer: (B)

Fire characteristics describe how the shot pattern from a weapon impacts an area: the path rounds take, how far they travel, and how they spread across the target zone. Trajectory is the flight path of the bullets, range is how far you can expect them to go, and penetration is their ability to pierce materials. Burst of fire explains whether shots come out singly or in groups, while the cone of fire shows how wide the group spreads as distance increases. The beaten zone represents the footprint of all trajectories within the target area, and the danger space is the portion of that footprint where casualties are likely. Dead space accounts for parts of the area that will not be reached by fire due to geometry or weapon placement. The choice that includes all eight terms—trajectory, range, penetration, burst of fire, cone of fire, beaten zone, danger space, and dead space—best reflects the complete set of fire characteristics. Other options omit dead space or replace terms with concepts like accuracy or recoil, which describe different aspects of weapon performance rather than the overall fire pattern on an area.