Intermediate Wound
Definition
Entry wound produced within the range at which unburned or partially burned propellant grains retain enough velocity to impact the skin and produce tattooing. No soot. Defined roughly as 5 to 90 centimetres for standard handguns and up to 150 centimetres for rifles, depending on calibre and propellant.
- Field
- Range-of-firing determination
- Key feature
- Tattooing (stippling) from unburned propellant, no soot
- Handgun range
- Roughly 5 to 90 cm
- Rifle range
- Up to roughly 150 cm
Common questions
Why does an intermediate-range wound show tattooing but no soot?+
Soot is made of fine particulate that loses velocity quickly and falls short of the target beyond close range, while heavier unburned or partially burned powder grains retain enough momentum to travel further and strike the skin, producing stippling without accompanying soot deposition.
Why does the intermediate-range distance vary so much between weapons?+
Barrel length, propellant type and load, and calibre all affect how far unburned powder grains travel before losing the velocity needed to mark skin, so test-firing the specific suspect weapon and ammunition is standard practice to establish an accurate range estimate rather than relying on generic figures.
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...
- Contact Wound
- A firearm wound produced when the muzzle is pressed against or within a few centimetres of the target surface. Characterised by a...
- 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...
- Muzzle Imprint (Muzzle Contusion Ring)
- The bruise or abrasion left on the skin by the barrel rim at contact range. The shape mirrors the muzzle geometry of...
- Near-Contact Wound
- Entry wound produced at approximately 0.5 to 5 centimetres muzzle distance (calibre-dependent). Dense soot deposits on the skin surface around the entry...
- Powder Tattooing (Stippling)
- Intradermal haemorrhagic abrasion points caused by individual unburned or partially burned propellant grains impacting the skin at intermediate range. Cannot be removed...
- Stellate Laceration
- A star-shaped tearing of the skin at the entry wound, produced by the gas pressure at contact range when the wound overlies...
- Test-Firing Programme
- Comparative discharges conducted with the specific weapon and ammunition type at measured distances, producing documented patterns used to calibrate range estimation against...