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Door breaching
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Door breaching
Door breaching is a process used by military, police, or emergency services to force open closed or locked doors. A wide range of methods are available depending on the door's opening direction (inward or outward), construction materials, etc., and one or more of these methods may be used in any given situation. In the United States, residential doors typically open inward while commercial building doors usually open outward. Some breaching methods require specialized equipment and can be categorized as one of the following: mechanical breaching, ballistic breaching, hydraulic breaching, explosive breaching, or thermal breaching.
The simplest solution is to check the door knob first. Utilizing a breaching tool is unnecessary if the door is unlocked and easy to open. If the door is locked, breachers can attempt to force inward-opening doors with a strong kick. The breacher will aim to hit the door near the locking mechanism, but not kick the doorknob itself as one can easily twist an ankle doing so. Other methods like shotgun breaching can be supplemented afterward with a kick to force the door in.
Mechanical breaching can be used to defeat the latch, lock, hinges, or door itself and methods can vary from minimally destructive to very destructive. Lockpicking with traditional lock picks is a minimally destructive method but is relatively slow and requires a trained operator. Alternatively, a snap gun can be used to defeat the lock, which requires less skill and training. Tools can also be used to bypass the lock itself; for example, shims can be used to unlock padlocks by directly interacting with the bolts holding the padlock's shackle in place. For doors, a shove knife can be wedged into the door jamb and open the latch bolt without having to deal with the lock itself. Another option is to remove the cylinder lock from the door using instruments like an A-tool or K-tool; these methods also allow the door to be closed and re-locked afterward.
More dynamic methods use significantly more force to break the lock or door. Tools like the Halligan bar, pry bar, Denver tool, Kelly tool, claw tool, or "the pig", can be used to lever a door open. Other tools, like sledgehammers or battering rams (like the enforcer), concentrate a large amount of kinetic force on the door to defeat the locking mechanism. Padlocks and similar barriers can also be removed with bolt cutters. Doors can also be breached by cutting through the material of the door itself with a circular saw, though this is much slower. Although not strictly pertaining to door breaching, windows can also be breached to gain entry using a "break and rake" tool. This tool first "breaks" the window, then "rakes" aside pieces of broken glass as well as any window frame.
Hydraulic breaching utilizes a hydraulic system to force the door open. These systems include hydraulic rescue tools (of the type used to extract people entrapped in vehicle wreckages) as well as specialized tools made specifically for door breaching. The hydraulic device may be powered manually, pneumatically, or electrically.
Ballistic breaching uses a projectile weapon to breach an opening. Weapons used can range from various small arms to a 120mm tank gun, which will easily breach most obstacles, though the force involved may violate the rules of engagement.
In practice, shotguns are usually used to destroy the latch and lock, or the hinges of the door. While in theory other firearms can be used, handguns are usually underpowered and rifles are less effective than the shotgun and pose a far higher risk of ricochet and collateral injury. Short pump-action shotguns are commonly used as they are less bulky and easier to maneuver. The shotgun can be used as a primary weapon by the breacher or be dedicated solely for breaching. If the latter, the shotgun can be holstered or slung in a harness when not in use. There are also breaching shotgun systems which can be mounted to a rifle to avoid the issue of managing two weapons. Examples include the KAC Masterkey, Ciener Ultimate Over/Under, M26 MASS, Metal Storm MAUL, and Crye Six12.
Most shotgun ammunition can be used for breaching, though the risk of injury varies with type. Of the available shotgun ammunition, shotgun slugs pose the highest risk, as they will retain significant energy to cause lethal wounds well after they have penetrated the door. Buckshot is far safer and birdshot even more so, as the multiple small projectiles disperse quickly after penetration, reducing the chances of causing a lethal wound (though more shots may be required if using birdshot). The safest option is a frangible round such as the TESAR or Hatton round, which turns to dust upon penetrating the door and disperses completely upon exit, though, these rounds are also more expensive.
Hub AI
Door breaching AI simulator
(@Door breaching_simulator)
Door breaching
Door breaching is a process used by military, police, or emergency services to force open closed or locked doors. A wide range of methods are available depending on the door's opening direction (inward or outward), construction materials, etc., and one or more of these methods may be used in any given situation. In the United States, residential doors typically open inward while commercial building doors usually open outward. Some breaching methods require specialized equipment and can be categorized as one of the following: mechanical breaching, ballistic breaching, hydraulic breaching, explosive breaching, or thermal breaching.
The simplest solution is to check the door knob first. Utilizing a breaching tool is unnecessary if the door is unlocked and easy to open. If the door is locked, breachers can attempt to force inward-opening doors with a strong kick. The breacher will aim to hit the door near the locking mechanism, but not kick the doorknob itself as one can easily twist an ankle doing so. Other methods like shotgun breaching can be supplemented afterward with a kick to force the door in.
Mechanical breaching can be used to defeat the latch, lock, hinges, or door itself and methods can vary from minimally destructive to very destructive. Lockpicking with traditional lock picks is a minimally destructive method but is relatively slow and requires a trained operator. Alternatively, a snap gun can be used to defeat the lock, which requires less skill and training. Tools can also be used to bypass the lock itself; for example, shims can be used to unlock padlocks by directly interacting with the bolts holding the padlock's shackle in place. For doors, a shove knife can be wedged into the door jamb and open the latch bolt without having to deal with the lock itself. Another option is to remove the cylinder lock from the door using instruments like an A-tool or K-tool; these methods also allow the door to be closed and re-locked afterward.
More dynamic methods use significantly more force to break the lock or door. Tools like the Halligan bar, pry bar, Denver tool, Kelly tool, claw tool, or "the pig", can be used to lever a door open. Other tools, like sledgehammers or battering rams (like the enforcer), concentrate a large amount of kinetic force on the door to defeat the locking mechanism. Padlocks and similar barriers can also be removed with bolt cutters. Doors can also be breached by cutting through the material of the door itself with a circular saw, though this is much slower. Although not strictly pertaining to door breaching, windows can also be breached to gain entry using a "break and rake" tool. This tool first "breaks" the window, then "rakes" aside pieces of broken glass as well as any window frame.
Hydraulic breaching utilizes a hydraulic system to force the door open. These systems include hydraulic rescue tools (of the type used to extract people entrapped in vehicle wreckages) as well as specialized tools made specifically for door breaching. The hydraulic device may be powered manually, pneumatically, or electrically.
Ballistic breaching uses a projectile weapon to breach an opening. Weapons used can range from various small arms to a 120mm tank gun, which will easily breach most obstacles, though the force involved may violate the rules of engagement.
In practice, shotguns are usually used to destroy the latch and lock, or the hinges of the door. While in theory other firearms can be used, handguns are usually underpowered and rifles are less effective than the shotgun and pose a far higher risk of ricochet and collateral injury. Short pump-action shotguns are commonly used as they are less bulky and easier to maneuver. The shotgun can be used as a primary weapon by the breacher or be dedicated solely for breaching. If the latter, the shotgun can be holstered or slung in a harness when not in use. There are also breaching shotgun systems which can be mounted to a rifle to avoid the issue of managing two weapons. Examples include the KAC Masterkey, Ciener Ultimate Over/Under, M26 MASS, Metal Storm MAUL, and Crye Six12.
Most shotgun ammunition can be used for breaching, though the risk of injury varies with type. Of the available shotgun ammunition, shotgun slugs pose the highest risk, as they will retain significant energy to cause lethal wounds well after they have penetrated the door. Buckshot is far safer and birdshot even more so, as the multiple small projectiles disperse quickly after penetration, reducing the chances of causing a lethal wound (though more shots may be required if using birdshot). The safest option is a frangible round such as the TESAR or Hatton round, which turns to dust upon penetrating the door and disperses completely upon exit, though, these rounds are also more expensive.
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