This document discusses firearm injuries and their classification. It describes the parts of a firearm including the cartridge, barrel, and bolt. It explains entry and exit wounds and how their appearance depends on the firing range - contact, close, near, or distant. Entry wounds are smaller with burning/tattooing while exit wounds are larger without those signs. Medico-legal aspects include determining the firearm type, firing range/direction, and cause/manner of death.

1. INJURIES
NUR AINA BINTI AB KADIR

2. CONTENT
 Classification
 Parts of firearm
 Cartridge= case+ detonator + propellant +
projectile
 Rifled firearm injury
 Entry and exit wound
 Medicolegal importances

3. CLASSIFICATION
AUTOMATICITY
NON-
AUTOMATIC
SEMI-
AUTOMATIC
FULLY-
AUTOMATIC

4. CLASSIFICATION
VELOCITY
HIGH
SHOULDER
ARM
AUTOMATIC
WEAPONS
LOW
HAND ARM

5. PARTS OF FIREARMS

6. CARTRIDGES

7.  Case: alloy of copper and zinc
 Cylindrical
 One end of the case is closed with a plate of
brass BASE
 Other end: open
 Keep the content in place
 Provides a water proof coverprotection
 Rimmed revolver
 Grooved pistol, automatic

8. DETONATOR
 Primer
 Ingredients: stored in a small compartment
attached to the base of the cartridge
case(percussion cap)
 Location centre fire and rim fire
 PROPELLANT(GUN POWDER)
 Smokeless powder: nitrocellulose alone(single
base), combined with niroglycerine(double
base)

9. PROJECTILE
 Bullets
 Held in the cartridge case by a groove
cannelure
 Made of lead with a coating of cupro-nickel
alloy
 Conical in shape
 Tip of bulletnose, different shape
 Different sizes

10. BARREL
 Interior of the barrel is scored by a number of
parallel, spirally twisted grooves rifling
 Bullet is squeezed between the lands spin/
rotation to the projectile by which it acquires a
gyroscopic steadiness prevent wobbling

11. BOLT
 Block, situated towards the breech end of the
barrel
 Can be opened manually/automatically to
insert the cartridge
 Automatic: magazine- continuous
 Semi-automatic: 1 cartridge at a time is
released
 Non-automatic: spent cartridge has to be
extracted manually

12. ENTRY WOUND
 Range: distance between the muzzle end of
the firearm and the target
Contact: muzzle end-body
Close: distance travelled by flame
Near: unburnt/partially burnt gunpowder
Distant: beyond range of flame,smoke,gunpowder particles

13.  Abrasion collar: 0.3cm, outer zone
 Grease collar: 0.7cm, inner zone
 Contusion collar
 Burning (scorching/singeing) of skin/hair result
from flame that emerges from the muzzle,at the
time of firing
 Tattooing(peppering/stippling): grains of
gunpowder being driven into the skin
 Blackening/smudging: superficial deposit of
smoke on the skin
 Lead ring/metal ring

14. CONTACT SHOT/POINT
BLANK
 Dense area(cranial vault): large,cruciate
(cruciform, stellate, star shaped)
 Thin bone, chest, abdomen: circular,
surrounded by abrasion/contusion collar
 Imprint of the muzzle on the skin
 Burning, smudging, tattooing are slight/absent
 Tissue cherry red colour(carbon monoxide)
 Surrounding hair: singed

15. CLOSE SHOT
 Within the range of flame and powder blast,
not direct contact with the skin/cothing
 Flame travels: 7.5cm(revolver/pistol),
15cm(rifle)
 Wound: circular hole surrounded by scorching,
singeing, smudging (ABSENT=clothing)
 Abrasion collar, grease collar, tattooing are
present

16. NEAR SHOT
 Outside the range of flame, within the range of
powder blast
 Wound: circular/oval shape
 Unburnt powder grains & small metallic
particles: -
 60cm: revolver,pistol
 75cm: rifle
 Absent: singeing
 Smudging: 30cm
 Present: grease and abrasion collar

17. DISTANT SHOT
 Outside the range of flame and powder blast
 Wound: circular & inverted margins
 Scorching, tattooing, smudging: absent
 Grease and abrasion collar: present

18. EXIT WOUND
 Larger than entry
 Absent of scorching, blackening, tattooing,
abrasion and grease collar
 Edges: everted
 Head: inward bevelling of the skull at the entry,
outward bevelling at the exit wound

19. DIFFERENCES
CHARACTERISTICS ENTRY WOUND EXIT WOUND
SIZE Smaller than diameter
of the bullet
Larger
EDGES Inverted Everted
ABRASION&GREASE
COLLAR
Present Absent
BURNING,BLACKENING,
TATTOOING
May be present Absent
BLEEDING Less More
FAT EXTRUSION Absent May be present
CHERRY RED May be present Absent
LEAD RING May be present Absent

20. MEDICOLEGAL ASPECTS OF
FIREARM INJURIES
 Nature of firearm
 Range of firing
 Direction of fire
 Site of firing
 Cause of death
 Manner of death

21. QUESTION

22. REFERENCES
 Textbook of Forensic Medicine and
Toxicology,by VV Pillay15th edition, page 192-
209.