Is it really possible to shoot a padlock off a door or lockbox?

Question

We see this over and over in movies. It seems far too easy.
And there is never a dangerous ricochet? I would not try it close up without eye protection. I assume it depends on the power of the handgun, the type of bullet, and the strength of the steel mechanism in the padlock. Perhaps someone has tried this or knows from police or military training. Where do you aim? Which part of the lock is vulnerable if any? [This may seem like a dumb question, but I've always wondered about this.]

Answer 1

This is proven in Discovery channel mythbusters:

9mm: 5 shots to take it down
357: 1 shot
.223: 1 shot? cant remember
12 gauge: 1 shot
50 cal: 1 shot

and yes it will ricochet thats why the mythbusters team shot from a small opening of a stong plastic opening. the packlock they tested are the thick and strong ones used to lock gates

Answer 2

This experiment was carried out on Mythbusters. They found that a handgun round was very highly unlikely to open a good padlock even after several shots. I think they used Master Locks for their test. They did manage to open one of the locks with a rifle. If I remember correctly, it was a .30-06. In their experiment, they shot the middle of the lock. I don't know if this is the most vulnerable part but that was where they shot it. So the bottom line is that one can shoot open a lock but not likely with a handgun. One will have to use a rifle to do it. Of course, in Hollywood, they could do it with a slingshot if they wanted to. Just can't believe what you see in movies.

Answer 3

I saw a guy put the claw part of a hammer on a lock and then hit it with another hammer. The master lock opened up. It would have to be a serious situation for me to shoot something that close but I find it hard to believe shooting the top of a lock with a 454 won't open it up if a hammer will.

Haven't tried it though

Answer 4

Yes, it will. A blow from a hammer on the top of the lock close to where the latch enters will open most padlocks.
Most centre-fire pistols/revolvers have sufficient power to do this.
Try it yourself, lay a bar on the top of the lock between the hinge and the latch, and hit it with a hammer on the latch side. Unless you are using a very expensive lock, it will open.
Don't try it with a bullet, as you rightly say, you will get richochets and shrapnel.
A lock built into a door and hit by a single bullet is more likely to jam than open. Shotguns are commonly used by the military in Iraq for this purpose, see; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterkey

Answer 5

Like most people, I always wondered about this. Master locks used to have a commercial on tv where they shot one of their locks with a .308 and it held. I was going to sight in a new .30-06 one day and came across a master lock in some trash on the side of the road. I got it off and took it with me. It was locked, and I hung it on a nail and shot throught it with a 165 gr. Sierra boattail softpoint. It opened the first time I tried it.

Answer 6

Your case is a bit different from others in that the cop actually witnessed a crime being committed in the house. Thus is would be more like hot pursuit. In general, a cop cannot enter a home without consent or a warrant, even with probable cause, except in very unusual circumstances such as hot pursuit, but where the cop is lawfully standing at the door and witnesses a crime taking place, and the crime involves the welfare of children, I think most courts would allow it.

Answer 7

on the popular t.v. show mythbusters they tried it and the results were that the ricochet isn't gonna be much but that most handguns can't but shotguns can easily they aimed at the center of the lock too. but can you answer this why dont' they make double barrel muzzleloaders?

Answer 8

It's probably possible, but not easy.
You'd more likely just jam the padlock.
It's very possible that you'd get
hit by a ricochet in the process.
It would be a very foolish thing to try.

Answer 9

It's possible, but stupid. The bullet is going to ricochet somewhere, that's the zinging sound you hear in the westerns. The bad guys are the ones who do it; never the good guys. Think about it . . .

Answer 10

hi there
yes you can,i bought 6 locks 20 years ago to try this myself , i used a rifle though , a remington 270 with 130 grain bullets2 didn't open but they were hit near the top the other 4 that were hit near the center opened no problem, the 270 made a neat hole in the face side and usually ripped the back right out, lots of shrapnell flying about though.