Writing About Self-inflicted gunshot wounds with rifle/shotgun

Hi, I’m looking for someone to give me some insight about self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head. I apologize that this is so lengthy and gruesome, but I’ve been storing up these questions

A little bit about my novel—Harper, a 16 year-old girl growing up on a ranch in Central Texas, is in love with her neighbor and childhood friend, Riley. One afternoon, Riley comes home from school and shoots himself in the head in his family’s barn. Harper doesn’t see it happen and isn’t the one who finds him (her Dad does), but she does catch a glimpse of him dead before her Dad can stop her. It’s all written through Harper’s point-of-view, so there is a lot of speculation as well as her imagining/picturing different aspects of his suicide.

Most of what I’ve written so far is because I’ve pictured it all this way, but I’m open to change to make my work more realistic. I’ve also read a lot of journal articles, looked at photos, read first-hand accounts, and even watched a video of Budd Dwyer killing himself on camera. Yeah, I pretty much gave myself nightmares, but I want to really get into Harper’s pain and make this all as plausible as possible.

I pictured Riley using a rifle or a shotgun, since these would be the sort of working guns that a ranching family would own. I went with the rifle because I thought the shotgun would be extra gory. In the Dwyer video, he puts the gun in his mouth and there is a lot of blood but his face is still recognizable. He used an entirely different gun though, a .357 Magnum. So far, I have not gotten into specifics about the rifle Riley uses.

So my questions/issues…
-If he used some sort of hunting rifle, what would the damage be like? Of course it’s disturbing, but is it severe-massive blood loss trauma or no head sort of trauma?
- Basically, I’m looking to write in a rifle that would be the former, one where the family could have an open casket. This is important, because this disturbs my character. I’ve read about people using a .22 and there being no exit wound, just blood loss and major bruising.
- Harper is pretty sure that Riley didn’t die right away and that her Dad tried to help him in some way. What would you even attempt to do for someone with this kind of injury?

Thanks for any insight you can give. If you have any additional info, please share.

Thanks for the input. From personal experience I know it can be done, because a friend of mine killed himself with one in high school. He lived long enough to be air-lifted to the hospital but died when they landed.

I looked up various total lengths of rifles and some were as short as 34 inches. I just don't buy this family having a .22 for that reason you mentioned. A compact rifle would work well in my story. It's good for when you're on horseback and this is a ranch, not a farm. Maybe I should write in a youth rifle?? There could be a whole story around the gun. But maybe it should be a shot gun? I don't want it to be just gore...that's not the point.

Thanks, it's difficult to write, but I really want to be honest.

Jim, thanks for the info. Someone was telling me that the type of damage can vary so much based on trajectory. And like you said, a flinch or jiggle can change everything.

I envisioned there being an exit wound. My MC has nightmare about skull fragments and that sort of thing. However, there doesn't actually have to be any there in the barn, because this is just what she perceives.

Trebor, Thanks.

I think I'm going with the .22 though my MC never says what type of gun specifically. It's something that I need to know to write the details, but my MC wouldn't know the specifics. No one would mention that to her and it was a gun that belonged to his Dad.

His Dad wasn't a hunter, which is important because it's something that the MC's father and him do together. So, the .22 would be the sort of gun someone like his Dad would've had around, maybe a gun from when he was a kid.

Okay, one more question. As mentioned above, I'm going to have my character put the rifle in his mouth. Now, is him kneeling, using the ground as a sort of prop feasible?

Also, it doesn't have to be exact, because my MC isn't there when he does it, she images what it might have been like.

Vaulted said:

With rifle in mouth, only the back of the head should be visibly effected, making open casket possible. I don't know what the effects of a shotgun would be - more unpredictable, I think, with that shot potentially bouncing around the mouth and skull.

Hope this is useful.

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Thanks for the help. A shotgun can blow everything a part-- the kind of gore I want to stay away from.

spottedgeckgo said:

A 22 is also ammo dependent. Hollow points are going to actually have a shallower penetration from a rifle. If you want a detailed explanation of why then pm me. Solid point will penetrate and pass thru with a very clean hole.

--oh yea, ranchers tend to use .22s to dispatch cows before butchering. Don't know if you were still looking for a "reason" for the gun to be there. They also typically keep a side arm with them for coyotes and such, either in the tractor/truck, or on their hip.

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Thanks for the help. Turns out that going with a .22 made a really interesting side-story.