Would This Really Happen? Are the movies wrong?

Question

I'm studying fornsics and I was wondering something. In the movies when you shoot a guy in the head there is tons of spatter that blasts from the back of his head at the exit wound. Assuming it was an expanding round, would that kind of thing really happen?

Answer 1

a lot has to do with the energy of the bullet. If a shot is made at close range, or with a high velocity round, much of the energy is still maintained by the bullet. This round will typically retain enough energy to exit the back of the skull, taking the tissue with it (ie splatter). For lower caliber rounds, less energy, or from a further distance away, much of the energy has been disappated, meaning a head shot may enter the front of the skull, but possess insufficient energy to penetrate the rear. The result is the same: brain soup, but it will be confined to the inside of the skull and not splatter out.

Of course, with a close in shot, the bullet will almost certainly retain enough energy to exit the skull.

Answer 2

Velocity and amount of tumble make a big difference in the exit wound. A high caliber and high velocity will produce the large exit wound and lots of splatter. A small, low velocity bullet (like a 22 caliber short round) might not even exit the skull, which is why it is favored by hit men. Less mess makes it easier to walk away from the hit before anyone notices that the victim has been shot.

Answer 3

In an expanding round, the majority of the splatter will come out of either the entrance or exit wound.
If the bullet goes through - exit wound.
If it doesn't it will do the same thing except out the front (entrance wound).

So, yes the shows are typically right.

Answer 4

Check the skull:
http://www.boneclones.com/BC-152.htm

There is a smaller, inset picture showing the larger exit wound in the back of the skull. I'm assuming that a lot of other stuff came out as well!

Answer 5

Based on the Zapruder film of the Kennedy shooting, and pictures of the scene where the DC Snipers shot a woman in the head, it is a MESS! Definite blood-spatter from a head shot.

Answer 6

Yes. Happens all the time. Also, the larger the calibur (size) of the round, the more splatter because the exit wound is larger.

Answer 7

Yes, the exit wound for hollow point bullets typical leave a much bigger hole. It depends on the caliber of the gun too.

Answer 8

yes, but it does depend on the weapon being used, shotgun is self explanatory, hollow point bullet would also do that small entrance wound with large gaping exit wound

Answer 9

It depends on the bullet size. My DH is always going crazy because most of the time when you combine guns in movies it's not the right death.

Answer 10

yes: the entry wound is a tiny hole but the exit wound is large