This article discusses the characteristics of craniocerebral gunshot injuries in the rural setting. Data collected from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire between June 1985 & October 1994 are presented. The vast majority of cases, 94%, involved suicide attempts. The mortality rate for self-inflicted craniocerebral gunshot wounds was 55%, significantly less than that found in other studies. This paper is intended to be a forum for the comparison & contrast of rural & urban populations, with respect to characteristics, treatment schema, & outcome. (39 refs.)