Contact Wound
Definition
A firearm wound produced when the muzzle is pressed against or within a few centimetres of the target surface. Characterised by a cookie-cutter entry with stellate laceration (from subcutaneous gas expansion), dense soot ring, and concentrated Griess and rhodizonate chemistry at the wound margin.
- Muzzle position
- Pressed against skin or within a few centimetres of the target surface
- Characteristic entry appearance
- Cookie-cutter defect with stellate laceration radiating from the wound edges
- Key soot signature
- Dense, concentrated soot ring at the wound margin and deep soot on wound-track walls
- Bone findings
- Soot on the inner bone table, possible muzzle stamp on outer table, and stellate outer-table fractures
Common questions
What makes a contact wound different from other gunshot wounds?+
In a contact wound, the gun's muzzle is pressed directly against or very close to the skin when fired. This creates unique forensic markers: gas from the shot enters the wound track, the entry hole has a distinctive cookie-cutter appearance with stellate (star-shaped) tears radiating outward, and heavy soot deposits form a dense ring around the wound margin. These features set contact wounds apart from shots fired from farther away.
How do forensic pathologists identify contact wounds on bone?+
On the skeleton, a contact wound shows soot deposited on the inner table of the skull (or bone defect), and sometimes a muzzle impression or stamp on the outer table. The gas pressure from the shot causes stellate fractures radiating outward from the outer table. These bone signatures, combined with soot in the wound track, are reliable markers of contact-range shooting.
Why do Griess and rhodizonate tests matter in contact wound analysis?+
These chemical tests detect residues (nitrites and heavy metals) from the gunshot, concentrated heavily around contact wound margins. The dense, localized pattern of these chemical markers helps confirm the shot was fired at contact range and distinguishes it from intermediate or distant shots.
Related terms
- Abrasion Collar
- The rim of abraded, dried skin surrounding a gunshot entry wound, produced by the bullet stretching the skin inward before perforation. Width...
- Azo Dye
- A class of organic dyes containing one or more azo groups (R-N=N-R'). Formed in the Griess test by coupling of a diazonium...
- Bearing Surface Diameter
- The diameter of the projectile face in contact with the bone surface at the moment of impact; smaller than the resulting defect...
- BSA 2023 (Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam)
- India's evidence statute enacted in 2023, replacing the Indian Evidence Act 1872. Sections 39-46 govern expert testimony, including the admissibility and presentation...
- DeHaan Modification
- A refinement of the Griess test procedure for forensic propellant residue detection, using a combined sulphanilic acid + NEDA reagent on filter...
- Distant Wound
- Entry wound produced beyond the dispersion range of propellant products. Shows only the mechanical bullet-entry findings: abrasion collar, clean wound margins, no...
- External Beveling
- The cone-shaped defect geometry at an exit gunshot wound in bone: the inner table diameter (entry face of the defect) is smaller...
- GSR (Gunshot Residue)
- Primer-combustion products (classically lead-barium-antimony compounds, now also non-lead formulations) deposited on the bone surface at close or contact range; detected by SEM-EDX...
- Intermediate Wound
- Entry wound produced within the range at which unburned or partially burned propellant grains retain enough velocity to impact the skin and...
- Internal Beveling
- The cone-shaped defect geometry at an entrance gunshot wound in bone: the outer table diameter (entry face) is smaller than the inner...
- Keyhole Defect
- An asymmetric gunshot defect produced by a projectile striking bone at a shallow angle; one end shows a conventional beveled entry geometry...
- Modified Griess Test
- A contact-transfer colour chemistry test for nitrite-containing propellant combustion residue. Sulphanilic acid undergoes diazotisation with nitrous acid (from NO2 on the target...
Explained in these topics
- Ballistic Trauma: Entrance vs Exit Beveling, Contact Wounds and FragmentationA gunshot wound produced with the muzzle in direct contact with the skin; characterised osteologically by soot on the inner table of the entry defect, possible...
- Firing Distance Chemistry: Griess Test and Sodium RhodizonateA firearm wound produced when the muzzle is pressed against or within a few centimetres of the target surface. Characterised by a cookie-cutter entry with stel...
- Range-of-Firing Zones: Contact, Near-Contact, Intermediate, DistantEntry wound produced when the muzzle is pressed against or touching the skin at discharge. Characterised by a muzzle imprint, stellate laceration over bone, an...