RADIOPAQUE DEPOSITS SURROUNDING A CONTACT SMALL-CALIBER GUNSHOT WOUND

Primer residue typically contains some combination of lead, antimony, or barium, whereas bullet residue from nonjacketed bullets is 70-100% lead. The amount of lead particles produced by low-velocity bullets (p rojectile residue) may be exceedingly high. Copper- or brass-coated bu llets generate an admixture of lead and copper particles whereas jacke ted and semijacketed bullets produce the least amount of lead particle s and only a small amount of copper-containing residue. We recently st udied a suicidal contact small-caliber gunshot wound with an unusual a mount of bullet residue deposited on the epidermal margins and within the wound track. The entrance wound was encircled by radiopaque partic ulate material visible on the postmortem radiograph. Soft radiography delineated the material to the wound track and adjacent epidermis. Sca nning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive analysis of x-rays id entified the principle element as lead.