Gun shot- mouth, temple, or ear?

[sadgirl9999]

Hey everyone, been lurking for a while but first time poster. I've read the entirety of the firearm mega thread and have done a good amount of research, but I guess I just need some reassurance.

I have purchased a .45 caliber handgun and hollow point bullets, which I'm hoping will be effective. I also have been considering taking a handgun safety class to try to make sure I'm informed as possible, but a part of me just wants to go for it and not overthink everything. I want to do it in the next month. I'm also worried about recoil ruining my aim but many on here have said the bullet will have left before recoil happens, so that's good.

One aspect that has been worrying me the most though is where to shoot- I know the aim is the brain stem, and a common consensus seems to be through the mouth, but honestly I just can't imagine shooting myself in the mouth. Then everyone says temple is more risky, but for some reason I'm more comfortable with it!? I really don't want to survive though. Then there is behind the ear- but I don't know exactly what that even means. Straight behind it? A little lower below the boney part? Maybe even through the ear?
I probably will do ear but I don't know.

Any opinions? I'm sorry if this has been asked a lot but I want to make sure I do it right. Just need that final comfort and reassurance. Thank you to anyone who replies. :)

 

[pane]

Sadgirl9999,

Hello; I hope I can offer useful information.

1) Given that you're a complete novice to firearms and a woman with lesser hand/upper body strength, the recoil or "kick" from a .45 is going to be somewhat more stout than you imagine which leads to point #2.

2) Although the bullet leaves the barrel before recoil happens, this occurs in a fraction of a second. If you're not well-conditioned to deal with the recoil through entended shooting practice with your .45 so as to keep the muzzle of the gun locked onto the area you want the bullet to enter, the muzzle end of the gun and the bullet can easily move off course by only a few millimeters when you pull the trigger which is more than enough distance to send the bullet on a path into another area in your head possibly allowing you to survive with brain damage and/or disfigurement of whatever severity.

3) Taking a firearms safety class is a good idea because it will teach you the very basics of gunhandling and most likely you'll get to actually shoot your .45 so you can get firsthand experience with how the recoil feels.

4) Regarding aiming area, placing the muzzle in your mouth as far as you comfortably can is the best way to go about it because what you're trying to do - as you mentioned above - is hit the brain stem which is the quickest and most reliable way of killing yourself with a firearm I'd say. To put it more simply, you want to "blow out the back of your head" to kill yourself as quickly and painlessly as possible with a firearm.

5) You say you favor the temple for an aiming area. Again this goes back to the issue of recoil and muzzle flip. If you have the muzzle pressed against your temple and don't have the skill/strength to handle the recoil, the gun may "jump" and send the bullet flying through a different area in your head, letting you possibly survive with brain damage most likely. Again if a bullet travels only a few millimeters off its intended course that can produce a very different outcome from what you were expecting.

 

[chrijo]

Number 2 (medulla oblongata) is the ultimate off-button. If you destroy that, you have no chance of surviving.

In my opinion, the best thing is through the mouth.

 

[sadgirl9999]

Sadgirl9999,

Hello; I hope I can offer useful information.

1) Given that you're a complete novice to firearms and a woman with lesser hand/upper body strength, the recoil or "kick" from a .45 is going to be somewhat more stout than you imagine which leads to point #2.

2) Although the bullet leaves the barrel before recoil happens, this occurs in a fraction of a second. If you're not well-conditioned to deal with the recoil through entended shooting practice with your .45 so as to keep the muzzle of the gun locked onto the area you want the bullet to enter, the muzzle end of the gun and the bullet can easily move off course by only a few millimeters when you pull the trigger which is more than enough distance to send the bullet on a path into another area in your head possibly allowing you to survive with brain damage and/or disfigurement of whatever severity.

3) Taking a firearms safety class is a good idea because it will teach you the very basics of gunhandling and most likely you'll get to actually shoot your .45 so you can get firsthand experience with how the recoil feels.

4) Regarding aiming area, placing the muzzle in your mouth as far as you comfortably can is the best way to go about it because what you're trying to do - as you mentioned above - is hit the brain stem which is the quickest and most reliable way of killing yourself with a firearm I'd say. To put it more simply, you want to "blow out the back of your head" to kill yourself as quickly and painlessly as possible with a firearm.

5) You say you favor the temple for an aiming area. Again this goes back to the issue of recoil and muzzle flip. If you have the muzzle pressed against your temple and don't have the skill/strength to handle the recoil, the gun may "jump" and send the bullet flying through a different area in your head causing, letting you possibly survive with brain damage most likely. Again if a bullet travels only a few millimeters off its intended course that can produce a very different outcome from what you were expecting.

Thanks so so much for the thoughtful reply!
Very helpful. Okay, so I do have a couple more questions.... Since the recoil is likely going to pretty rough for me to handle, do you think a lower caliber gun would be better?

It's a double action semi automatic. As a novice I had no idea what that meant, but google tells me that "double action" means even MORE recoil/: Kinda upset with myself because I did all this research and maybe didn't get the best gun I could've!

Obviously I want one that is powerful enough to do the job, but you're right, I'm not that strong, and I don't want to aim wrong. I'll definitely go to the class now and practice with it at a range to get a feel for it.

Temple is out of the question then. The mouth still scares me but seems the most reliable and seems like it would be easier to keep the gun stable as well. So I wouldn't aim up or anything at all, just straight back as far as I can, like into the back of my throat? Sorry for my ignorance, haha. Thanks again

 

[pane]

Sadgirl9999,

1) Regarding caliber, you could move down to a .40 S&W and below that would be the 9mm. I strongly recommend not using anything smaller than the 9mm in a pistol.

2) Double-action semi-autos can be problematic to master at the beginning. The initial trigger pull is a long, fairly heavy double-action which typically does make that first shot tougher to get off followed by much shorter and easier single-action trigger pulls. So yes, a DA semi-auto pistol wasn't the best thing you could've bought as a beginner.

3) Regarding how to place the muzzle end in your mouth, you'd want to put it in as far as you comfortably could while sitting upright and then tilt your head down a little while still maintaining an upright position.

 

[sadgirl9999]

View attachment 11161

Number 2 (medulla oblongata) is the ultimate off-button. If you destroy that, you have no chance of surviving.

In my opinion, the best thing is through the mouth.

Great illustration...but dang it I was really hoping you guys would say behind the ear haha! Sounds like mouth is a better choice though, seems like it'd be hard to mess up (hopefully)

 

[fister]

You want to obliterate the brain stem

 

[sadgirl9999]

Sadgirl9999,

1) Regarding caliber, you could move down to a .40 S&W and below that would be the 9mm. I strongly recommend not using anything smaller than the 9mm in a pistol.

2) Double-action semi-autos can be problematic to master at the beginning. The initial trigger pull is a long, fairly heavy double-action which typically does make that first shot tougher to get off followed by much shorter and easier single-action trigger pulls. So yes, a DA semi-auto pistol wasn't the best thing you could've bought as a beginner.

3) Reagrding how to place the muzzle end in your mouth, you'd want to put it in as far as you comfortably could while sitting upright and then tilt your head down a little while still maintaining an upright position.

:( Dang I really should've thought about that before spending almost all my money on it. Oh well, either I'll try to practice with the current one or if I have enough $ then I'll get a .40! All this info is truly appreciated

 

[AngelGirl]

Not the mouth. You can fail. The temple should be good enough. I know what I'm talking about.

Sadgirl9999,

Hello; I hope I can offer useful information.

1) Given that you're a complete novice to firearms and a woman with lesser hand/upper body strength, the recoil or "kick" from a .45 is going to be somewhat more stout than you imagine which leads to point #2.

2) Although the bullet leaves the barrel before recoil happens, this occurs in a fraction of a second. If you're not well-conditioned to deal with the recoil through entended shooting practice with your .45 so as to keep the muzzle of the gun locked onto the area you want the bullet to enter, the muzzle end of the gun and the bullet can easily move off course by only a few millimeters when you pull the trigger which is more than enough distance to send the bullet on a path into another area in your head possibly allowing you to survive with brain damage and/or disfigurement of whatever severity.

3) Taking a firearms safety class is a good idea because it will teach you the very basics of gunhandling and most likely you'll get to actually shoot your .45 so you can get firsthand experience with how the recoil feels.

4) Regarding aiming area, placing the muzzle in your mouth as far as you comfortably can is the best way to go about it because what you're trying to do - as you mentioned above - is hit the brain stem which is the quickest and most reliable way of killing yourself with a firearm I'd say. To put it more simply, you want to "blow out the back of your head" to kill yourself as quickly and painlessly as possible with a firearm.

5) You say you favor the temple for an aiming area. Again this goes back to the issue of recoil and muzzle flip. If you have the muzzle pressed against your temple and don't have the skill/strength to handle the recoil, the gun may "jump" and send the bullet flying through a different area in your head, letting you possibly survive with brain damage most likely. Again if a bullet travels only a few millimeters off its intended course that can produce a very different outcome from what you were expecting.

Interesting

 

[pane]

Not the mouth. You can fail. The temple should be good enough. I know what I'm talking about.

Interesting

AngelGirl,

The reason I told Sadgirl9999 not to use the temple is because of her lesser strength and lack of familiarity with handling a .45 pistol leading to the possibility of the gun jumping. For someone who can anticipate and control the recoil of whatever handgun he's using, the temple can be a viable spot.

Can you elaborate on why placing the muzzle in the mouth can cause failures? And how do you know what you're talking about?

 

[AngelGirl]

I work in the medical field and I saw people admitted to ER from failing the mouth method. They survive with a severe head trauma.

AngelGirl,

The reason I told Sadgirl9999 not to use the temple is because of her lesser strength leading to the possibility of the gun jumping. For someone who can anticipate and control the recoil of whatever handgun he's using, the temple can be a viable spot.

Can you elaborate on why placing the muzzle in the mouth can cause failures? And how do you know what you're talking about?

 

[pane]

I work in the medical field and I saw people admitted to ER from failing the mouth method. They survive with a severe head trauma.

Thank you for the explanation. One plausible reason for the failures is that those people flinched, perhaps as the result of last-second hesitation or again not being familiar with/able to handle the recoil of the handgun they were using.[/QUOTE]

 

[Soul]

I work in the medical field and I saw people admitted to ER from failing the mouth method. They survive with a severe head trauma.

Thanks for your input - but I'm firmly confused now. Most sources I've read say aiming at the temple or up under the chin are most likely to cause extensive but nonfatal brain damage, and that putting the barrel of the gun in one's mouth is, as @pane has explained, much more likely to be fatal.

 

[AngelGirl]

Thank you for the explanation. One plausible reason for the failures is that those people flinched, perhaps as the result of last-second hesitation or again not being familiar with/able to handle the recoil of the handgun they were using.

[/QUOTE]
Yeah. I do think that is one possible reason.

Thanks for your input - but I'm firmly confused now. Most sources I've read say aiming at the temple or up under the chin are most likely to cause extensive but nonfatal brain damage, and that putting the barrel of the gun in one's mouth is, as @pane has explained, much more likely to be fatal.

I saw a patient with a severe head injury from a gunshot in the mouth but the injury was kind of off to one side. I bet he didn't intend to aim that way.

Personally I think that aiming will become more difficult once the gun is in the mouth because you don't see exactly where you are aiming, so more likely to miss certain parts of the brain.

 

[Kringle's Curse]

I'm not sure about a handgun, but I'm using my 12 gauge shotgun with a 3 inch shell, 1 1/4 ounce deer slug. That'll remove the back of my head. No surviving that.

 

[TAW122]

@pane offers really good advice. As far as the gun in the mouth, it is almost important to gently squeeze the trigger until it goes off and also tilt your head downwards a little bit to have a even higher chance of hitting the brainstem. A .45 caliber bullet will certainly get the job done. Also another way to anticipate when the gun will go off is to try to dryfire it (firing the gun without any ammo in it) a few times, and then you will have a good idea of how much you need to squeeze to get the gun to go off.

 

[Macc Lad]

Hey everyone, been lurking for a while but first time poster. I've read the entirety of the firearm mega thread and have done a good amount of research, but I guess I just need some reassurance.

I have purchased a .45 caliber handgun and hollow point bullets, which I'm hoping will be effective. I also have been considering taking a handgun safety class to try to make sure I'm informed as possible, but a part of me just wants to go for it and not overthink everything. I want to do it in the next month. I'm also worried about recoil ruining my aim but many on here have said the bullet will have left before recoil happens, so that's good.

One aspect that has been worrying me the most though is where to shoot- I know the aim is the brain stem, and a common consensus seems to be through the mouth, but honestly I just can't imagine shooting myself in the mouth. Then everyone says temple is more risky, but for some reason I'm more comfortable with it!? I really don't want to survive though. Then there is behind the ear- but I don't know exactly what that even means. Straight behind it? A little lower below the boney part? Maybe even through the ear?
I probably will do ear but I don't know.

Any opinions? I'm sorry if this has been asked a lot but I want to make sure I do it right. Just need that final comfort and reassurance. Thank you to anyone who replies. :)

what is it with this "lurking" !!

 

[Whatshername]

what is it with this "lurking" !!

1. • INFORMAL
     read the postings in an Internet forum without actively contributing.

I hope that helps.
I don't know what your problem is with that, especially on a suicide forum. I prefer to be a lurker than an asshole, if you know what I mean.

 

[Bjsnode28]

Hey everyone, been lurking for a while but first time poster. I've read the entirety of the firearm mega thread and have done a good amount of research, but I guess I just need some reassurance.

I have purchased a .45 caliber handgun and hollow point bullets, which I'm hoping will be effective. I also have been considering taking a handgun safety class to try to make sure I'm informed as possible, but a part of me just wants to go for it and not overthink everything. I want to do it in the next month. I'm also worried about recoil ruining my aim but many on here have said the bullet will have left before recoil happens, so that's good.

One aspect that has been worrying me the most though is where to shoot- I know the aim is the brain stem, and a common consensus seems to be through the mouth, but honestly I just can't imagine shooting myself in the mouth. Then everyone says temple is more risky, but for some reason I'm more comfortable with it!? I really don't want to survive though. Then there is behind the ear- but I don't know exactly what that even means. Straight behind it? A little lower below the boney part? Maybe even through the ear?
I probably will do ear but I don't know.

Any opinions? I'm sorry if this has been asked a lot but I want to make sure I do it right. Just need that final comfort and reassurance. Thank you to anyone who replies. :)

I share every one of your concerns. I swear I almost feel a little better knowing that I'm not the only one who thinks of these things. The recoil is my biggest concern by far. With the recoil in mind is why I am going to get a 9mm. I do like the idea of practicing pulling the trigger while the gun is empty. That leads me to ask another question, does pulling the trigger when the gun is empty feel the same way as pulling the trigger when it's loaded?

 

[TheGoodGuy]

@sadgirl9999 In this video you can clearly see the projectile having left the gun before the slide even starts moving.


I am also going with a "temple shot" shooting myself 1cm above my right ear I also don´t like the idea of shooting myself through the mouth and I have several videos of people killing themselves by shooting themselves in the temple and many pictures too of the same so I am absolutely confident it will work, btw I will be using a 9mm JHP.

 

[pane]

I share every one of your concerns. I swear I almost feel a little better knowing that I'm not the only one who thinks of these things. The recoil is my biggest concern by far. With the recoil in mind is why I am going to get a 9mm. I do like the idea of practicing pulling the trigger while the gun is empty. That leads me to ask another question, does pulling the trigger when the gun is empty feel the same way as pulling the trigger when it's loaded?

Bjsnode28,

The practice of repeatedly pulling the trigger when the gun is empty is called "dry-firing". It's a technique for learning to control the trigger of your handgun so that when you're firing live ammo through it you can pull the trigger in a smooth, consistent manner to keep your shots where you want them to go.

Physically speaking, the actual trigger pull itself on an empty gun feels the same as when the gun is loaded. The only two differences are that when loaded the gun will feel somewhat heavier with the ammo in it and of course if you fire off a round through a loaded gun you have recoil and muzzle flip to deal with.

 

[Macc Lad]

1. • INFORMAL
     read the postings in an Internet forum without actively contributing.

I hope that helps.
I don't know what your problem is with that, especially on a suicide forum. I prefer to be a lurker than an asshole, if you know what I mean.

question still not answered?? xx

1. • INFORMAL
     read the postings in an Internet forum without actively contributing.

I hope that helps.
I don't know what your problem is with that, especially on a suicide forum. I prefer to be a lurker than an asshole, if you know what I mean.

and i don't know how i'll cope with being called an arsehole........seriously........that's crushed me !!

 

[fister]

Check out this paper for an example of a failed gunshot suicide. He eventually did it another way. The pictures should show you the importance of doing it correctly

 

[Roger]

No thanks.

 

[CursedForDisaster]

I hate guns but I wish I had one sometimes...

Failed suicides are often from missing vital areas of the brain/brain stem. (Ie. Through the nasal cavity, frontal lobe, neck)

 

[sadgirl9999]

No thanks.

Sorry didn't mean to bother, just wanted some support

I hate guns but I wish I had one sometimes...

Failed suicides are often from missing vital areas of the brain/brain stem. (Ie. Through the nasal cavity, frontal lobe, neck)

So scary to think of failing.:(

 

[Halo13]

Sorry didn't mean to bother, just wanted some support


So scary to think of failing.:(

You're not bothering anyone - we're all here for the same reason regardless of the outcome. I think Roger was replying to the pictures of the failed suicide attempt as they can be quite gruesome.

All I can add is my experience matches up exactly with the advice given here: don't try the temple because of the kickback. I had a higher caliber gun once and aimed for my right temple. The kickback jerked my wrist back so hard it hurt. The bullet went upwards to the right and through my wall, grazing my temple and forehead. Please note I was shaking and crying while sleep deprived after taking sedatives - which all played a huge factor in the failure.

With the information provided here, I believe you will do just fine. The safety classes are a great idea to familiarize yourself with it better so you feel more comfortable handling your firearm. Often, a person can be fearful just holding a gun, let alone pulling the trigger. I've been there - it is very scary because it is so final. In that moment, I wasn't afraid of failure but rather the finality of the situation.

I hope you find an end to your pain and don't be hesitant to ask questions!

 

[TiredHorse]

All I can add is my experience matches up exactly with the advice given here: don't try the temple because of the kickback. I had a higher caliber gun once and aimed for my right temple. The kickback jerked my wrist back so hard it hurt. The bullet went upwards to the right and through my wall, grazing my temple and forehead. Please note I was shaking and crying while sleep deprived after taking sedatives - which all played a huge factor in the failure.

I don't at all mean to be argumentative, but I need to point out a couple things that keep appearing again and again in gunshot CTB threads.

1) Recoil, "kickback," does not throw your aim off, and cannot throw your aim off for a first shot: it happens after you pull the trigger. If you jerk your hand prior to the gun firing, that is called "flinch" and is a common fear/compensation response in anticipation to the force of the gun firing.

2) With this in mind, managing recoil does not matter for those using a gun to CTB. If your shot is effective, you will never feel the recoil; you will be dead.

And to be clear, "flinch" is not some moral failing. Long-term competition shooters chronically struggle with flinch. Eliminating flinch from my slow-fire target shooting was a major point of focus for me early on, even in light calibers like .22. It's a subconscious or semi-conscious response, and difficult to suppress.

@Halo13, I feel terrible for you, with your experience, but I am 100% confident that your shaking, crying, and lowered coordination due to sleep deprivation were responsible for your shot not landing on target, quite possibly with a considerable element of flinch in the mix as well. The recoil must certainly have hurt your wrist --again, likely a result of your lowered physical abilities in the moment, and possibly made worse by the psychological componant of the pain you were already in-- especially given the awkward and structurally weak angle intrinsic to pointing a gun at your own head, but it was not responsible for the missed shot.

All that said, it's probably just as well you failed as completely as you did: temple shots are notoriously unreliable for CTB. A friend of used a temple shot to blow his eyes out of his face and vegetablize himself, but failed to die. There's nothing in that part of the brain critical for life support, only consciousness.

To help minimize the effect of flinch, I would advise anyone to press the gun firmly into place. Heavy pressure of the muzzle against your head should help hold it steady. This is another reason mouth shots are recommended: it's much more difficult for the gun to be flinched off target when your jaws are holding it steady.

 

[Halo13]

petit

I don't at all mean to be argumentative, but I need to point out a couple things that keep appearing again and again in gunshot CTB threads.

1) Recoil, "kickback," does not throw your aim off, and cannot throw your aim off for a first shot: it happens after you pull the trigger. If you jerk your hand prior to the gun firing, that is called "flinch" and is a common fear/compensation response in anticipation to the force of the gun firing.

2) With this in mind, managing recoil does not matter for those using a gun to CTB. If your shot is effective, you will never feel the recoil; you will be dead.

And to be clear, "flinch" is not some moral failing. Long-term competition shooters chronically struggle with flinch. Eliminating flinch from my slow-fire target shooting was a major point of focus for me early on, even in light calibers like .22. It's a subconscious or semi-conscious response, and difficult to suppress.

@Halo13, I feel terrible for you, with your experience, but I am 100% confident that your shaking, crying, and lowered coordination due to sleep deprivation were responsible for your shot not landing on target, quite possibly with a considerable element of flinch in the mix as well. The recoil must certainly have hurt your wrist --again, likely a result of your lowered physical abilities in the moment, and possibly made worse by the psychological componant of the pain you were already in-- especially given the awkward and structurally weak angle intrinsic to pointing a gun at your own head, but it was not responsible for the missed shot.

All that said, it's probably just as well you failed as completely as you did: temple shots are notoriously unreliable for CTB. A friend of used a temple shot to blow his eyes out of his face and vegetablize himself, but failed to die. There's nothing in that part of the brain critical for life support, only consciousness.

To help minimize the effect of flinch, I would advise anyone to press the gun firmly into place. Heavy pressure of the muzzle against your head should help hold it steady. This is another reason mouth shots are recommended: its much more difficult for the gun to be flinched off target when your jaws are holding it steady.

No worries about coming off as argumentative! In all fairness, I walked into a gun shop, picked out the biggest handgun they had (.357 Magnum Revolver) and said "I want this one." The cashier almost pleaded with me not to get it as my ignorance on the weapon was clear. I was given vouchers for the safety training classes but never went. I assumed very wrongly I didn't need the classes as it was for ctb.

I'm petite as it is and hadn't been eating much to the point I dropped below 100 lbs. Holding a Magnum Revolver felt massive and awkward; foreign. At first I tried to put it in my mouth but remembered the brain stem location. I couldn't angle the muzzle in a way that would work - let alone sort out how I'd be able to squeeze the trigger with the necessary force with the back of my hand at an odd angle. I would've had to use my thumb, if you can picture that. I'd imagine it would've blown a hole in my cheek. You're completely correct how awkward it is. Hunting with a shotgun is a totally different experience.

Points 1 and 2 make sense, thank you! When I've reflected on this, I knew it didn't add up I'd have felt the pain in my wrist. Not to mention my ears were ringing from the shot. I wouldn't have felt the pain or heard the shot if all went well. I thought for a minute my ear was injured from the gun being 1-2 inches from it, stunned at how loud it was!

I should add I feel fortunate to have had my outcome - it could've ended terribly. From all my combined attempts, I don't know whether to feel lucky or cursed to still be here mostly unscathed.

 

[ScaredOfLife]

Last year my method of choice was to kill myself with a gunshot wound to the head. Then, I read a National Geographic article about a young woman who survived this and had to get a face transplant. I have since switched my method of choice.