Help What kind of gun would be best?

[Katatonia]

I have access to a 454 casull, a .357, rifles, shotguns, and smaller calibers handguns. If i were to CTB using a gun should i go for something smaller or something to explode my brain so im 100% sure i wont be coming back? Would a handgun be better than a large gun? Im already good on placement.

 

[yxmux]

From what I know, any rifle or buckshot round to the head is pretty much going to kill you 100% of the time. With handguns you have to be a bit methodical about where you position the muzzle, i.e., the roof of your mouth pointing towards your brainstem, though it is still uncommon to survive a handgun round to the head.

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

I would use a rifle or shotgun

I just bought this slug for my 12 gauge shotgun .i like it for my suicide. what do u all think?

I have this shotgun in black color looks better

 

[Seneca65AD]

As a gun guy - who can't CTB using guns because "reasons" - I can say without a doubt those shells would both work and redecorate whatever room the act takes place in. There is no open casket using those. I've checked out shotgun suicides to the head and man, it's not pretty. The act definitely makes a statement.

 

[Ligottian]

As a gun guy - who can't CTB using guns because "reasons" - I can say without a doubt those shells would both work and redecorate whatever room the act takes place in. There is no open casket using those. I've checked out shotgun suicides to the head and man, it's not pretty. The act definitely makes a statement.

What is your opinion about a .38 Special fired just above the ear with a hollow point?

 

[Seneca65AD]

What is your opinion about a .38 Special fired just above the ear with a hollow point?

A .38 is just another version of a 9 mm which is the baby brother of the .357 magnum. The cartridge is more than adequate to render the brain mush especially with the use of a hollow point. But.... here is my concern .... I have read reports of policemen being shot in the ear with a 38 and the bullet being redirected by the mastoid bone into the jaw. Moderate caliber firearm suicide is usually most effective when the brain stem is actually hit - so that is why "intraoral" shots tend to be favored - less bone between the gun and the brainstem. However, the odds of survival with a .38 above the ear, assuming no bone deflection, and assuming proper trajectory, is going to be very low. Wheelsonthebus has done an analysis and his information will be more indepth than what I am presenting.

But, and forgive me if I am overstepping my bounds on a suicide site, I am not a fan of guns for suicide because they are the most readily available CTB method for impulsive actions. I believe suicide should never be impulsive; it should be the last resort and only after careful consideration. Even though I have access to many guns, I have committed to others I care about to never use them for CTB. They are aware of my mental health struggles but they are also aware that I try not to break my word. Suicide is a one and done act - and really all death is just a question of timing. I am a fan of the saying - Life is a sexually transmitted disease that is 100% fatal. So, I urge people not to be impulsive - we are all living on borrowed time anyway.

Edited to clarify that a .357 mag can fire a .38 round. They are much cheaper if you do a lot of target shooting.
Edit #2 - but....you can't fire a .357 out of a .38 pistol so don't try it - even though I don't think you could get it to fit, but assuming you managed to jam it in, it would probably blow the gun up and your fingers with it.

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

A .38 is just another version of a 9 mm which is the baby brother of the .357 magnum. The cartridge is more than adequate to render the brain mush especially with the use of a hollow point. But.... here is my concern .... I have read reports of policemen being shot in the ear with a 38 and the bullet being redirected by the mastoid bone into the jaw. Moderate caliber firearm suicide is usually most effective when the brain stem is actually hit - so that is why "intraoral" shots tend to be favored - less bone between the gun and the brainstem. However, the odds of survival with a .38 above the ear, assuming no bone deflection, and assuming proper trajectory, is going to be very low. Wheelsonthebus has done an analysis and his information will be more indepth than what I am presenting.

But, and forgive me if I am overstepping my bounds on a suicide site, I am not a fan of guns for suicide because they are the most readily available CTB method for impulsive actions. I believe suicide should never be impulsive; it should be the last resort and only after careful consideration. Even though I have access to many guns, I have committed to others I care about to never use them for CTB. They are aware of my mental health struggles but they are also aware that I try not to break my word. Suicide is a one and done act - and really all death is just a question of timing. I am a fan of the saying - Life is a sexually transmitted disease that is 100% fatal. So, I urge people not to be impulsive - we are all living on borrowed time anyway.

Edited to clarify that a .357 mag can fire a .38 round. They are much cheaper if you do a lot of target shooting.
Edit #2 - but....you can't fire a .357 out of a .38 pistol so don't try it - even though I don't think you could get it to fit, but assuming you managed to jam it in, it would probably blow the gun up and your fingers with it.

yeah but that cop was shot from a distance probably. a contact shot is order of magnitudes deadlier. the hot gasses go into the brain rendering it to mush. very unlikely to survive a gun contact shot around the ear by the brain stem.or in the mouth even from handguns . a rifle or shotgun contact shot will explode the head.. and also a contact shot has slightly more energy because it is the muzzle energy and velocity .

i would say 99.9% if practice dry firing a lot so don't flinch before shot and aim is good by or behind ear or in mouth.

the weak point is not the gun or the ammunition. it will kill the brain in a contact shot especially just with the hot gasses, if the aim is right. the weak point is lack of expertise in shooting guns and not aiming it right. and si is the weakest point imo .

i think failures are due to aiming under the chin and hiting only the face or flinching before the shot. if the gun would have been aimed at the brain stem and kept totally still before the shot only pulling the trigger slowly then 99.9% imo. and then i would use the most powerful rifle or shotgun i can handle not too long 22 inch barrel or less.

 

[Grav]

If it was me, and I've got this as a possible method, I'd go shotgun. Probably the most sure fire way.

 

[Seneca65AD]

yeah but that cop was shot from a distance probably. a contact shot is order of magnitudes deadlier. the hot gasses go into the brain rendering it to mush. very unlikely to survive a gun contact shot around the ear by the brain stem.or in the mouth even from handguns . a rifle or shotgun contact shot will explode the head.. and also a contact shot has slightly more energy because it is the muzzle energy and velocity .

i would say 99.9% if practice dry firing a lot so don't flinch before shot and aim is good by or behind ear or in mouth.

the weak point is not the gun or the ammunition. it will kill the brain in a contact shot especially just with the hot gasses, if the aim is right. the weak point is lack of expertise in shooting guns and not aiming it right. and si is the weakest point imo .

i think failures are due to aiming under the chin and hiting only the face or flinching before the shot. if the gun would have been aimed at the brain stem and kept totally still before the shot only pulling the trigger slowly then 99.9% imo. and then i would use the most powerful rifle or shotgun i can handle not too long 22 inch barrel or lessI

Absolutely agree with your post. The one aspect I need to clarify is the distance from the perp to the cop was about 8 feet.. While there is a theoretical difference in bullet energy from point blank to 8 feet, it is so negligible as to not be relevant. Ballistic charts have their first distance at 25 yards because that is where the drop in energy usually becomes measurable and therefore relevant.

And you make an excellent point about the gasses escaping the barrel - that would definitely add to the damage. There are videos on youtube where the shooter places a hotdog next to the cylinder of a revolver and fires. The off-gasses escaping through the cylinder gap shred the hot-dog. Now imagine what is coming out of the muzzle and you definitely have another fatal "add-on".

It all comes down to the fact that regardless of whatever firearm is used, the odds are it is going to work. I can discuss situations where people get shot in the head and survive, sometimes with no more damage than a temporary headache, but realistically, there is a reason firearms are used more often in succesful suicides than all other methods combined.

 

[Katatonia]

As a gun guy - who can't CTB using guns because "reasons" - I can say without a doubt those shells would both work and redecorate whatever room the act takes place in. There is no open casket using those. I've checked out shotgun suicides to the head and man, it's not pretty. The act definitely makes a statement.

The less of my face left the better. Ive shot a couple of the guns, can say for sure they would do enough damage to have that covered. Finding a place to actually do it would be the hardest part, would hate for my family to have to clean that up or even see it. Thanks for the response.

 

[darnthatdream]

I have a 2-inch barrel snub-nose that I am very familiar with. Would that be a decent choice?

 

[Betsy007]

I have a 2-inch barrel snub-nose that I am very familiar with. Would that be a decent choice?

What caliber? The general wisdom on these boards is that it should be at least 9mm or .38. I'm not a gun expert, but maybe +P ammo would make up for the short barrel.

 

[Betsy007]

I just bought this slug for my 12 gauge shotgun .i like it for my suicide. what do u all think?

I think I'm jealous. This makes my .357 rounds look teeny tiny. I've been thinking about switching up my ctb plans from revolver to shotgun. It seems like the gold standard. But I have zero experience with shotguns. Have you tried pointing the shotgun at yourself in a position to ctb, and if so, is it difficult/clumsy?