[Reconstruction of a suicide by a homemade firearm]

A 34 years old man shot himself by a selfmade muzzle-loader. He pluged one end of a waterpipe, used a cylindrical lead shot (Cal. 1.2 cm, length 2.15 cm, mass 22.7 g), special black powder (about 4 g, from fire-crackers; powder with an admixture of aluminium) and kindled the weapon in front of his chest by a slowmatch. He died immediately by retained missile of chest. The weapon flew away like a rocket. Unused projectils and powder (found in the flat) and the uninjured pipe allowed to copy the event. Velocity and energy of shot and weapon were determined, also the recoil of the pipe and the highest force of a hand to hold it fast. Experimental investigations and calculations correspondet well to the findings af the case.