When I started down the path to build what is now known as the BreachPop, I just wanted to build a tamped, shaped charge container to make me a more efficient assaulter.
Fits in a magazine pouch? Check.
Shortens MSD? Check.
Faster to build than standard charges? Double-Check.
Little did I realize (at the time) that by shortening MSD, and tamping with a water-polymer gel, I was also significantly reducing the overpressure generated! While not as sexy of a topic as operationally popping my BreachPop out of an M4 pouch, capping in, and blowing it with a CGS Pandora firing device from six feet away… it’s arguably more important to our longevity in the game.
In a generic poll of my friends (seasoned SWAT cops, Green Berets, SEALs, and even a few Tier 1 guys) the consensus was we blow 500+ charges in training for every one we blow operationally. Those who do this for a living and have done it for more than ten minutes (or ten years…) know those little hits add up. My anecdotal research is supported by Dr. Christopher Freuh...
Excerpt from - The Briefing, by Thomas Lojek, January 2023.
