The nature of firearm wounds varies considerably with the type of weapon employed. A general knowledge of the main features of the various types of gun in common use is essential, though there is no need for the pathologist to master the unnecessary mass of detail on firearm construction. Indeed, much of this is solely the province of the firearms examiner, not the doctor. The inordinate amount of detail sometimes provided is perhaps symptomatic of the fascination which firearms hold for many men - women. In the context of wounding, guns are of two main types. The smooth-bore weapon or 'shotgun' A shotgun consists of one or more metal barrels of relatively wide diameter, which are smooth on the inner surface. They fire a variable number of spherical lead shot (pellets), which emerge from the end (muzzle), from where they gradually diverge in the form of a long, narrow cone. Exceptio...