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Contact shots to the head often leave behind biological traces inside firearm barrels, a phenomenon of great forensic interest. Until now, the visualization and preservation of these traces presented a significant challenge, lacking a reliable method. This study addresses this gap by searching for a suitable method to extract the traces within a casting. Using alginate or gelatine as suitable materials, the results were hampered by serious adhesion issues and their extraction out of the firearm barrel was impeded. Finally, the combination of 11% gelatine with 1% alginate, introduced into the barrel around a 'central spine', succeeded to consistently produce replicable castings. Experimental contact shots displayed a distinct staining gradient from the muzzle to the rear of the barrel, as revealed through endoscopy and proved in the macroscopic casting. The technique proved effective for various common handgun barrels and successfully preserved blood and gunshot residue (GSR) patterns within the barrel. This method offers the dual benefits of visually mapping staining patterns and securing localized samples for targeted molecular genetic analysis in forensic investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In examining deaths resulting from gunshot wounds, it is important to describe the wound pathway created by the projectile. Forensic pathologists must identify all entrance and exit wounds and account for all projectiles. Occasionally, confusion arises as to whether a skin defect represents an entrance wound or not, an exit wound, or some other type of wound. Herein, we propose the descriptor "bullet track skin defect" as a formal description for a superficial skin defect created along the pathway of a projectile within the body. Specifically, we define the "bullet track skin defect" as a partial‐ or full‐thickness skin defect produced by a projectile traveling beneath the skin in a relatively tangential fashion as part of a wound pathway within the body. It is somewhat analogous to a traditional graze or superficial tangential wound, wherein the projectile traveling outside the body strikes the skin tangentially from above, without entering the body. However, the projectile is already traveling within the body with the bullet track skin defect, disrupting the skin tangentially from below rather than from above, without exiting the body. Although these defects are not a common presentation of gunshot wounds, they are certainly not rare. With this case series, we suggest that such defects may be referred to as "bullet track skin defects." Alternative language that can substitute for "bullet track skin defects" includes "bullet track skin wounds" or "bullet track cutaneous defects." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]