A stellate pattern on a gunshot wound is typically observed under which condition?

A stellate pattern on a gunshot wound is typically observed under which condition?

• A. Distant
• B. Loose
• C. Hard contact on bone
• D. Intermediate

Answer: (C)

Stellate patterns arise from the explosive gas pressure released at the moment of discharge. When the muzzle is in hard contact with bone, those gases cannot escape and create a high-velocity pressure wave that fractures the bone in radiating, star-like lines around the entrance wound. This produces the characteristic stellate fracture pattern seen on skull bones after a close-range or contact shot. At distant or intermediate ranges, the gas blast is not concentrated in the same way, so you don’t get these radiating patterns.

Stellate patterns arise from the explosive gas pressure released at the moment of discharge. When the muzzle is in hard contact with bone, those gases cannot escape and create a high-velocity pressure wave that fractures the bone in radiating, star-like lines around the entrance wound. This produces the characteristic stellate fracture pattern seen on skull bones after a close-range or contact shot. At distant or intermediate ranges, the gas blast is not concentrated in the same way, so you don’t get these radiating patterns.