Question about exit gunshot wounds

GrinningManiac

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Quick question - I can't find an answer and Yahoo/other answer places are useless

Does anyone know if it's better or worse for a bullet to exit the body upon entering it?

I understand it's bad that the bullet's already gone IN and that it can bounce about and do loads of damage, but I was wondering (for the purpose of something I'm writing) if the bullet then exiting the body would make things worse or not.

I guess with an exit wound you have TWO holes you have to stop bleeding and suchlike, but with no exit wound you have a lump of metal somewhere in their body.

Anyone know?
 

Rossmallo

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Feb 20, 2008
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I GUESS it kind of depends where you got hit. In a place like an arm, it wouldnt mess you up TOO hard if it left, but in organs, I think it would do far more damage if it came out.
 

loc978

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Depends on where you're hit, and how close medical help is. The only real hard-and-fast rules are that if there's an exit wound, you're more likely to bleed out... and if there isn't one, you're more likely to have a horrible, life-threatening infection.
 

ciancon

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I'm pretty sure that a clean shot straight through is better, of course NOT getting shot is best!

And it's not just that the bullet can bounce around but rather that it can break into sharp smaller pieces.
 

rush45

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Well i know it is not like an arrow where keeping it in stops the bleeding but it mostly depends on the kind of bullet like certain bullets are made to explode on impact, some are made to not exit and they just ricochet back in forth in your body. In those cases for example it would be better to come out. But even a regular bullet a clean straight through is easier for doctors to fix up since there is no bullet searching in your flesh.
 

Brandon237

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ciancon said:
I'm pretty sure that a clean shot straight through is better, of course NOT getting shot is best!

And it's not just that the bullet can bounce around but rather that it can break into sharp smaller pieces.
That bottom sentence a thousand times, if help is close and the bullet, all of it, goes out, feel so damn lucky! You know then that you aren't carrying a small cutlery set inside you.
 

maturin

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That bullet is probably a lot cleaner than the bits of clothing that have been pushed into the wound anyways. And it has just been essentially sandblasted and heated.

Two holes not only means more bleeding, it over twice as much surface area exposed to infection.

But this is all very random and a question of what is worse on average. In fiction, whatever you want to happen will happen, and almost anything will be plausible when it comes to bullet wounds.

Also, if anyone comes along and says that its worse for a bullet to stop in the body so it transfers all its energy, do me a favor and shoot them for me.

Edit: If a bullet has gone to pieces inside your torso, then the wound is almost certainly more severe than a straight path through the body. But I don't think the presence of the fragments is going to kill you; it's just going to give the surgeon a headache. A bullet that fragmented and then had the fragments exit would be the worst.
 

Averant

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Depends on the bullet. Some bullets can leave gaping exit wounds, much larger than the entrance wound. I honestly couldn't say which is better.
 

derdeutschmachine

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If you survive at all it's usually better for the bullet to have exited you. Reason being, it was a through and through shot, and therefore less colladeral damage. However the damage done by exiting is also quite heavy. Long story short... don't get shot.
 

TheScientificIssole

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If it didn't exit that means its a crap-load more painful, and most likely worse. The bullet in order to stop would have to have slowed and when a bullet is slowed(in or out of the body) It tears up more flesh and tissue, and over all creates more bad news
 

Ulquiorra4sama

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Wocky Kitaki from Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice

He was shot in the chest, near his heart. The bullet stopped inside him, but he miraculously managed to survive.

Seems he was lucky it didn't exit as that would most likely have left him bleeding to death, but no.

At the time of the game itself it turns out that the fragment of the bullet which the doctor couldn't find before patching him up again could somehow find a way to his heart and kill him.

As people have said before it depends on the type of bullet, where it hits and so on... i just wanted to get an example out there
 

Sniper Team 4

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As everyone said, it all depends on where you got hit. I've seen people completely relieved that it went "Through and through," and other times panic "Shit! It went through!" Over all though, it seems to be that if the bullet left your body, that's one less thing doctors have to worry about.
 

sneakypenguin

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Maybe through I'd say, just remember if it stopped inside you then it either A. fragmented, or B. did some bouncing around.
 

Valkyr71

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It depends on the type of ammunition, Hollow points cause more devastating damage the further they penetrate. Ball ammunition on the otherhand is designed to just make holes and go all the way through. The hard and fast good answer though is its always better to have 2 holes and know the lead/steel/copper is gone from the body and not left to do more damage than having ammuntion stuck in your body. If its stuck or cant be found much more surgery is required than if it had made an exit wound and left the body.
 

MasterOfWorlds

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Depends more on the type of round. Some bullets just go straight through, whereas others fragment, some tumble, and some mushroom out. Most of the time it's not the bullet itself that actually makes it lethal, but the hydro-electric shock that all the organs and whatnot experience. Don't know what that is? Just take a look at ballistics gel that's been shot in slow motion. That explosive expansion and such? Yeah, not too good for organs.
 

manaman

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GrinningManiac said:
Quick question - I can't find an answer and Yahoo/other answer places are useless

Does anyone know if it's better or worse for a bullet to exit the body upon entering it?

I understand it's bad that the bullet's already gone IN and that it can bounce about and do loads of damage, but I was wondering (for the purpose of something I'm writing) if the bullet then exiting the body would make things worse or not.

I guess with an exit wound you have TWO holes you have to stop bleeding and suchlike, but with no exit wound you have a lump of metal somewhere in their body.

Anyone know?
It totally depends on the range, where the bullet hit, what cartridge, etc.

Two bullets of similar size, from the same range, one ends up in the body, the other exits. The one that ended up in the body did more damage, even if it didn't leave as long of a whole it still by some fluke (fragmenting, yawing etc.) actually imparted more of it's energy into the body then one that had a clean entry and exit, or went straight through.

Other then that simple little thought it's impossible to say which does more damage, thus neither is preferable.
 

maturin

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MasterOfWorlds said:
but the hydro-electric shock that all the organs and whatnot experience. Don't know what that is? Just take a look at ballistics gel that's been shot in slow motion. That explosive expansion and such? Yeah, not too good for organs.
And here we go. It's called hydro-static, not hydro-electric. It's also mostly a myth. We're not made of gelatin, and organs can withstand being deformed just fine. Only the liver and brain are dense enough to really be at risk from supersonic shockwaves, which the body absorbs quite quickly. While having your insides scrambled temporarily could arguably take the fight out of you faster, you are not going to die from organ failure caused by a bullet to an extremity. In gall bladder surgery, your body is subjected to shockwaves (quite close to the vulnerable liver) that are equivalent to the hydro-static shock effect of *thousands* of high velocity bullets. No one dies from it.

The one that ended up in the body actually imparted more of it's energy into the body then one that had a clean entry and exit, or went straight through.
Common sense should tell you that's irrelevant. Punching you in the face with a well-padded boxing glove transfers a lot more energy than simply nicking your carotid artery with a pen knife. Which would be more fatal?
 

Dalek Caan

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A through and through is better I think. Means the bullet won't stay in and cause an infection and also it doesn't need to be removed. Its like an Arrow. If it goes through all the all then you can snap off one end and take it out more easily. But if it sticks in there the arrow heads pointy bits(sorry) can cause flesh to tear away if it is remove. All in all don't get shot. It would probably be safer to never leave your house. Damn teenagers!
 

Dirty Hipsters

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Usually it's much better to have an exit wound, because an exit wound most likely means that the bullet did not hit any bone when going through, and therefore did not tumble around the body or fragment which would do extra damage.

If there is an exit wound it means that there is only a single affected area, whereas if the bullet is stuck not only can it mean that it did further damage to the body while inside, it also means that major surgery is required to remove the bullet.
 

David Hebda

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What most gun people dont get is how many different bullets there are, and how much of a difference there is in bullets. BUT that is not what you are asking so I will answer your question.

It is much MUCH better for the bullet to go straight through as more of the energy is retained and not transfered your soft wet tissue.

maturin said:
Also, if anyone comes along and says that its worse for a bullet to stop in the body so it transfers all its energy, do me a favor and shoot them for me.
Actually it does make a huge freaking difference, and on top of that, even if a slug does not have enough energy to exit it usually still has enough to bounce around a little.