| Size | Smaller than diameter of bullet, in close shot skin is torn | Bigger than the bullet |
| Edges | Inverted | Everted,torn or puckered |
| Bruising, abrasion and grease collar | Present | Absent |
| Burning, blackening and tattooing | may be present around wound | Absent |
| Bleeding | Less | More |
| Fat protrusion | No protrusion except in contact shot | Present |
| Tissue within and around wound | May be cherry red due to Carbon monoxide of explosive gases | No colour change |
| Approximation of edges | Retains a small central defect | Re establishes skins integrity |
| Fibres of clothing | Turned in and may be carried in the wound | Turned out |
| Lead or Metal ring | may be seen around the wound under radiological examination | Absent |
| Spectrography | More metal is found if the bullets passed through soft tissue only | Exit wound would contain more metal if a bone struck nearer to it |
