NCJ Number
158063
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 40 Issue: 5 Dated: (September 1995) Pages: 801-804
Date Published
1995
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study compared 89 suicidal contact shotgun wounds of the head in order to evaluate the extent of wounding produced by different gauge shotguns.
Abstract
Wounds were compared using a scheme based on the level of skin lacerations on the face, the forehead, and the scalp. Sixty-nine percent of the victims had used 12-gauge shotguns, 18 percent had used 20-gauge shotguns, 10 percent had used .410-caliber shotguns, and 3 percent had used 16-gauge shotguns. While the extent of internal destructions was similar between 12-gauge and 20-gauge shotguns, intraoral 12-gauge shotguns caused bursting of the head with lacerations of the face, forehead, and scalp in 74 percent of cases, compared with 9 percent of 20-gauge shotguns producing similar external destruction. An analysis of commercial shotshell and reloading data showed that a common 12-gauge load would generate 50 percent more kinetic energy and 40 percent greater volume of gas than a common 20-gauge load. Wounds from .410 shotguns resembled those from 20-gauge weapons, while 16-gauge shotguns produced wounds intermediate between 12- and 20-gauge weapons. 6 tables and 9 references