Lightdemon

I'm fairly ignorant about the different uses of a gun, and the type of wounds that are left by certain guns, so here is a question for those that are much more knowledgable than I:


If someone were to shoot himself in the head (thru the mouth) with an M-16 rifle, will there be a bullet hole in the exit wound? Or will the recoil of the rifle make some sort of explosion, like a shotgun at close range? Like tearing tissue as the bullet exits the head?

Also, an M-16 being about 40-inches long, how long does your arms have to be in order for you to successfully mount a M-16 into your mouth?


The reason why I am asking these questions is because of an investigation that I'm reading at the moment, which I will disclose later in the thread, after this discussion have gone on at least 2 pages. This investigation involves foul play, and the above questions are related to the disputes in the investigation.

__________________
"My trade is to say what I think" - Voltaire

Ethereal

I'm not exactly sure what you are asking, but an exit wound such as the one you were describing would be quite large. The overall wound itself, depending upon its trajectory and path through the head, would exhibit a cone-like shape, the narrowest point being at the site of entry and expanding into its widest point upon exiting the head. The thing one must remember about bullet wounds is that the exit wound is always substantially larger than the entry wound.

Furthermore, the compensator (the last one inch of the six-inch barrel) of an M-16 rifle is designed to re-direct the hot, gasoues discharge outward instead of in the direction of fire; it is designed this way in order to conceal the origin of fire. The reason I bring this up is because if the weapon were fired while inside the victim's mouth there would be a substantial amount of second and third degrees burns radiating outward from the point of entry. The teeth should also have a coating of carbon residue, which would have blackened them.

I'm not sure of an exact measurement but I would venture to say that they only need to be long enough to reach the trigger, which isn't very long at all. I'd say just about anyone over five feet tall could easily mount an M-16 in their mouths.

rathi

Ethereal is correct to the best of my knowledge. Its about 25 inches from the barrel of the m16 to the trigger. I experimented with a yardstick and its quite easy to reach something that is longer than your arms. By leaning back or squatting I could easily put the yardstick at my nose and reach beyond the 34 inches of the yardstick. I'm 5'10 and my arms are 27 inches from armpit to fingertip. I'd estimate that nearly any adult could shoot themselves in the mouth with proper positioning.

__________________
He'd be right at home on some ancient battlefield, swinging an axe into somebody's face.

Reverend_Hellh0und

first:

http://www.ammo-oracle.com/body.htm




second:

How long is the barrel? Overall length is ambiguous. does it have a flash hider?

Was it an a2, a1, m4? Which variant?


third:

What type of ammo? 55gr fragmenting type will differ from 62gr m855 read my link

fourth:

it would either go completley through OR rattle around the brain housing group. Read my link. it will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about 5.56

__________________
كافر
Never forget those who died.
Never forget those who killed them.

Lightdemon

So the exit wound must be much larger than the bullet itself?

Does that matter if a different type of bullet was used?

Can we compare an M-16 rifle's exit wound to one made by a hand-gun? Would the distiction be obvious?

Reverend_Hellh0und

Read the Ammo oracle.

It depends on bullet type and expansion.



Yes. see my post and the ammo Oracle.



Depends on the hand gun, caliber, and other factors.

Lightdemon

Unfortunately I don't have that type of detailed information.

All I know is that the victim is killed through the mouth, and the alleged weapon used is an M-16. But it is speculated to be a handgun instead because of the exit wound.

Reverend_Hellh0und

Do you have a picture.


and barrel length varies by version.

Lightdemon

Well, I was going to wait a little longer for giving out more details. I didn't want to include all the other information because it might make it biased considering the source and the situation.

Here are some of the links that I've read:

Democracy Now! | Suicide or Murder? Three Years After the Death of Pfc. LaVena Johnson in Iraq, Her Parents Continue Their Call for a Congressional Investigation

http://www.stlamerican.com/articles/...ocalnews03.txt


There aren't photos available for the public, but the photos have been described by the victims father. However, because he is the father, I'm skeptical of his descriptions. The only thing that I felt was for sure was how a M-16 exit wound would look like if shot at point-blank range.

Reverend_Hellh0und

ahh democracy now.


anyway. its all conjecture and speculationin an attempt to smear KBR over this poor girls death.

Shameful on DN part.

But lets stick to the facts.



The father is wrong about "blowing the face off"