Breaching round
Abreaching roundorslug-shotis ashotgun shellspecially made fordoor breaching.It is typically fired at a range of 6 inches (15 cm) or less, aimed at the hinges or the area between thedoorknobandlockanddoorjamb,and is designed to destroy the object it hits and then disperse into a relatively harmless powder.
Design and construction[edit]
Breaching rounds are designed to destroy doordeadbolts,locks,andhingeswithout risking lives byricochetingor by flying on at lethal speed through the door, as traditionalbuckshotcan. Thesefrangible roundsare made of a densesinteredmaterial, often metal powder in a binder such as wax, which can destroy a lock or hinge and then immediately disperse. They are used by military andSWATteams to quickly force entry into a locked room. Amongst police, these rounds are nicknamed "master keys",and their use is known as" Avon calling ", alluding to theAvonbrand of cosmetics which was sold door-to-door.[citation needed][a]Ideally, breaching rounds may be used in a standardcombat shotgunorriot shotgun,or in a specialized shotgun, often attached to a rifle, such as theKAC MasterkeyorM26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System.The most effective use of this round is with a "stand-off breacher" attached to the muzzle of a specially converted shotgun. The stand-off is held on the surface of the door and vents gases to prevent overpressure.[citation needed]The British SAS also use these breaching rounds in their shotguns- most commonly the Remington pump action
Though designed not to endanger people behind or around a door, a breaching round is easily lethal if fired directly at a human target.
Examples of breaching rounds:
- Royal Arms has made the TESAR round for over 25 years[when?]using a frangible copper slug of various weights and configurations, with different loads for different applications. It is used by many military and law enforcement agencies around the world.
- The US military M1030 breaching round is a 12-gauge,2+3⁄4-inch (70 mm) shell that uses a 40-gram (1.4 oz) projectile made of powdered steel, bound withwax.[1][2]
- The Clucas Method of Entry Hatton round is a 12-gauge, 3-inch (76 mm)magnumshell that uses a 43-gram (1.5 oz) frangible projectile, consisting of a high-density wax binder.[3]
- Firequest makes a 12 gauge2+3⁄4-inch (70 mm) frangible slug named the door breaching cartridge. The slug consists of copper and tin powder.[citation needed]
Notes[edit]
- ^One brand of breaching round, made by Royal Arms, uses the brand nameAvon;seeAdam Geibel (May 25, 2004)."The Shotgun Approach".Special Operations Technology.Archived fromthe originalon 29 March 2005.
References[edit]
- ^Department of the Army."FY 2008 Global War On Terror Budget Estimate Submission Cost Adjustment, PROCUREMENT OF AMMUNITION, ARMY"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2008-02-16.Retrieved2008-02-08.
- ^"Miscellaneous Questions #17".
- ^Clucas, Ross."Mr".Clucas MoE.