Fatalities from black powder percussion handguns

Three suicides and one homicide from black powder muzzle loading handguns a re reported and the muzzle velocities of two weapons are recorded. The fata l head shots caused wide wound tracts traversing the brains and intracerebr al haemorrhages remote from the tract were present in every case. The skull s showed considerable fractures which were pronounced in the cases of conta ct shots but were also present when the range of fire was 5 m. These extens ive injuries from soft lead spheres with muzzle velocities of only similar to 200 m/s are attributed to the expansion of the spheres. The regularly oc curring deformation resulted in 13-16 mm calibre missiles in the cases of . 44 spheres. The special features of black powder such as incomplete and slo w combustion resulted in intense soot deposits in the vicinity of the entra nce wound and in long ranges the gunshot residues travelled. In contact sho ts, large pocket-like underminings even in deeper tissue layers, abundant s oot along the trajectory and skin burns were observed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sc ience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.