Abreaching round orslug-shot is ashotgun shell specially 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 thedoorknob andlock anddoorjamb, and is designed to destroy the object it hits and then disperse into a relatively harmless powder.
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Breaching rounds are designed to destroy doordeadbolts,locks, andhinges without risking lives byricocheting or by flying on at lethal speed through the door, as traditionalbuckshot can. Thesefrangible rounds are made of a densesintered material, 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 andSWAT teams 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 theAvon brand of cosmetics which was sold door-to-door.[citation needed][a] Ideally, breaching rounds may be used in a standardcombat shotgun orriot shotgun, or in a specialized shotgun, often attached to a rifle, such as theKAC Masterkey orM26 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.[1] 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: