Before going in to identification of firearm injuries, one should have a clear idea about the types of firearms present. They are briefly classified by the following graph.
Smooth bore weapons include shot guns and pallets are used in those kinds of weapons. The most common smooth bore weapon is the shot gun. The rifled weapons use bullets. The rifled weapons have parallel spiral projecting ridges and therefore print a unique mark on the bullet. There are three main kinds of rifled weapons and they are,
1. Revolver
2. Rifle
3. Pistol
As mentioned above different kind of weapons have there own characteristics and therefore, the injuries caused by these weapons also have their own unique features.
Characteristics of Shot Gun wounds
Mechanism: lead shot emerges from the muzzle as a solid mass and then progressively diverges in a cone shape as the distance from the weapon increases.
Other accompanied substances and forces:
1. unburned powder
2. flame
3. smoke
4. gases
5. wads
6. card
All these substances in accordance to the distance, contribute to the final appearance of the wound.
· Entrance wound - neat circular hole, with or without abraded or bruised margins caused by the muzzle.
· Round the wound – blackened due to smoke
Burned due to flame
· Gases – can cause lacerations when the gun is fired while the muzzle is in contact with the skin tightly and when there is an underlying bone.
Characteristics of Wounds Caused by Rifled weapons
· Entrance wound - neat round holes approx 310 mm in diameter
· Margins - smooth and regular and bordered by an even zone of creamy pink or pinkish red abrasion.
· Exit wound - be larger than entrance wounds
Irregular lacerations with everted, unabraded, and unbruised margins
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