Wounds were compared using a scheme based on the level of skin lacerations on the face, the forehead, and the scalp. Sixty-nine percent of the victims had used 12-gauge shotguns, 18 percent had used 20-gauge shotguns, 10 percent had used .410-caliber shotguns, and 3 percent had used 16-gauge shotguns. While the extent of internal destructions was similar between 12-gauge and 20-gauge shotguns, intraoral 12-gauge shotguns caused bursting of the head with lacerations of the face, forehead, and scalp in 74 percent of cases, compared with 9 percent of 20-gauge shotguns producing similar external destruction. An analysis of commercial shotshell and reloading data showed that a common 12-gauge load would generate 50 percent more kinetic energy and 40 percent greater volume of gas than a common 20-gauge load. Wounds from .410 shotguns resembled those from 20-gauge weapons, while 16-gauge shotguns produced wounds intermediate between 12- and 20-gauge weapons. 6 tables and 9 references