A total of 59 penetrating contact shot wounds to the head caused by ha
ndguns was investigated and a comparison was made between the magnitud
e and the number of fracture lines at the entrance and exit site of th
e vault and at the base of the skull. It was noted that in approximate
ly 50% of the cases the extent of fractures at the entrance site excee
ded those at the exit wound while in the remaining individuals no rele
vant differences or even greater exit fractures were found. Furthermor
e, no close correlation between the fracture patterns of the vault and
at the base of the skull occurred indicating that differences in the
magnitude and the number of entrance ol exit fracture lines cannot pro
vide reliable information on direction of fire. Additionally, no furth
er conclusions on the gun used can be drawn from differences in the en
trance and exit fracture patterns. It can only be assumed that the abs
ence of fractures in the cranial fossae points to the use of small cal
ibre handguns (less than or equal to 7.65 mm) while a fragmentation of
the skull can as a rule be expected after shots from guns with larger
calibres (> 7.65 mm).