A rifled firearm bullet wound shows an entrance wound with an eccentric abrasion collar—wider on one side than the other. This finding MOST directly indicates:

• A The weapon was fired at close range
• B The bullet was a hollow-point expanding type
• C The bullet struck the skin at an angle (tangential entry), not perpendicularly ✓
• D The bullet had already passed through an intermediate target (keyholing)

Explanation

The abrasion collar around an entrance wound is caused by the bullet rotating and scraping the skin as it enters. When the bullet strikes perpendicularly, the collar is concentric and symmetric. When the bullet strikes at an angle, it abrades more skin on the side from which it is angling (the skin is pushed ahead further on that side), producing an eccentric/asymmetric abrasion collar. This asymmetry helps reconstruct the bullet's trajectory. Hollow-point bullets affect wound shape at exit; keyholing causes an elongated entry wound.

Reference: The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (Narayan Reddy), 34th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.