Forensic Ballistics Quiz

Characteristics of Gunshot Wounds

Wounds of Entrance

• A wound of entrance caused by pressed and firm contact fire has a characteristic circular or oval shape with a narrow, regular margin.
• The edges of a gunshot wound of entrance are everted due to the expansion of gases within the wound, causing the skin to stretch and tear outward.

Burn and Tattooing Effects

• The areas around the entrance of a gunshot wound are blackened by burns, tattooing, or smudging due to the deposition of soot and powder particles.
• Singeing of hair in a gunshot wound caused by pressed and firm contact fire occurs because the muzzle blast ignites the hair.

Muzzle Imprint and Blood Characteristics

• A muzzle imprint in a contact gunshot wound appears as a circular or oval bruise or abrasion around the wound, caused by the forceful contact of the muzzle against the skin.
• Blood and tissue in a contact gunshot wound become pink due to the presence of carbon monoxide, which combines with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin.

Contact Gunshot Wounds

• A wound of entrance in a contact gunshot wound caused by hard contact has a characteristic star-shaped or cruciform tear, with a narrow, regular margin and a symmetrical pattern of soot deposition.
• Soot deposition in a contact gunshot wound caused by loose contact is more irregular and diffuse, with a wider, more irregular margin.

Hard Contact vs. Loose Contact

• The main difference between a contact gunshot wound caused by hard contact and loose contact is the character of the wound margin and the pattern of soot deposition, with hard contact producing a more regular and symmetrical pattern, and loose contact producing a more irregular and diffuse pattern.

Soot Removal

• Soot cannot be completely removed by washing or vigorous scrubbing in a contact gunshot wound caused by hard contact because it is deposited deeply into the skin and tissue.