Reconsidering pepper spray

[CB3]

I carry pepper spray regularly in my back pocket in a custom leather holster. I like having the option available. I use the gel stream to reduce the wind problem.

I change the canister annually, shooting off the old one for practice. I have been test sprayed once. It was very unpleasant but not completely disabling. I recognize that spraying someone or a few folks may not produce incapacitation but will likely slow or reorient the problem. For civilian use, this is a chance to get away, to cover, or get to my gun if the problem escalates. I like the stuff with dye that doesn't wash off easily.

As with any defensive tool, it's important to have it accessible quickly, always in the same place and orientation. One must know the spray pattern and distance.

 

[Telecaster]

I like ****** pepper blaster II. A two shot blaster, the gel travels 110 mph (13 feet), unaffected by temperature, wind, or the rain. Will not blowback in your face on a windy day. Have not used it except for practicing with an expired blaster (5-year expiration date). YouTube has some videos of idiots volunteering to be tested with it (too funny).

We can't write the word here for the gun maker in Yonkers, NY???

 

[LPD256]

As a rookie cop in training, my FTO shot a guy with pepper spray. He effectively blinded me, himself, and the arrestee. We were blind enough that he drove us all past the jail and we had to drive around the block to return to our destination. Honestly, I never saw it used where the cops involved avoided getting sprayed too, and generally it did more to tick off the perp than stop them. A bunch of old men like me running around with guns, pepper spray, stun guns, blackjacks, switchblades, or baseball bats sounds kind of like a recipe for disaster. I carry a gun everyday. Mostly, I try to stay away from trouble. I'm overtly aware of my surroundings. I have an escape plan. My job now doesn't require me to stand and fight. So adios, I'm gone at a hint of trouble.

 

[Mister X]

One big reason I carry it is encountering dogs on our walks. I really wouldn't want to hurt one due to the owners negligence.

In regards to defense against two legged predators, I think people sometimes expect too much from OC. I can't remember who said it, but "eye jab in a can" was how you should look at pepper spray. Not an end all be all, but simply an additional tool in certain circumstances to gain time and opportunity and make a transition to your next action.

 

[LPD256]

One big reason I carry it is encountering dogs on our walks. I really wouldn't want to hurt one due to the owners negligence.

In regards to defense against two legged predators, I think people sometimes expect too much from OC. I can't remember who said it, but "eye jab in a can" was how you should look at pepper spray. Not an end all be all, but simply an additional tool in certain circumstances to gain time and opportunity and make a transition to your next action.

I agree. A walk with a dog is a great opportunity to carry a less than lethal option, particularly if you are in bear/coyote country. A dog shot with pepper spray won't get you arrested for assault, and likely won't get you sued either.

 

[Robspeire]

I carry Sabre Pepper spray along with .45 Shield.

 

[Rule3]

Bear threads never mention Bear Bangers??


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcjlxUt9AZA[/ame]

 

[elm_creek_smith]

Bear bangers? Oh! A 12 gauge slug! Gotcha!

 

[Mule Packer]

I carry a small POM pepper spray canister clipped to a pocket, or a sap...sometimes both. It's good to have less lethal options if the situation allows.

With the sporadic winds we get up here, I've always been a little hesitant to rely on pepper spray as a less-than-lethal alternative. My concealed carry permit allows me to carry a sap or blackjack, so I normally have one handy in the truck. A healthy, well-placed whack to the collar bone is usually enough to "tune someone up" without the consequences of lethal actions.

 

[LPD256]

With the sporadic winds we get up here, I've always been a little hesitant to rely on pepper spray as a less-than-lethal alternative. My concealed carry permit allows me to carry a sap or blackjack, so I normally have one handy in the truck. A healthy, well-placed whack to the collar bone is usually enough to "tune someone up" without the consequences of lethal actions.

Nice collection. Those spring loaded ones are what my Dad carried. I carried a flat sap for awhile. And a wooden nightstick. Then the Kel-light came around and replaced those. I never hit anyone with it. But I'm told I hit a guy with a handheld radio hard enough that it imprinted Motorola on his forehead. Don't remember that but several years later a rookie partner said it made an impression on him for the rest of his career.

 

[Seven High]

I suggest that you take a look at byrna.com.

 

[Ziggy2525]

I suggest that you take a look at byrna.com.

Not for me. Looks like a good way to get shot. I like pepper spray, but I don't think I'd be a fan of a less lethal device that looks like a real pistol. You start shooting that at someone, if they're carrying, I'm pretty sure they'd start shooting real bullets back.

 

[Autonomous]

Another new kid on the block is the JPX 2, 4, and 6.
$pendy but interesting. No compressed gas to launch, more like a primer. High velocity.

 

[Autonomous]

Not for me. Looks like a good way to get shot. I like pepper spray, but I don't think I'd be a fan of a less lethal device that looks like a real pistol. You start shooting that at someone, if they're carrying, I'm pretty sure they'd start shooting real bullets back.

No question you'd have to consider that aspect with any LTL gun looking device, Taser included.

 

[Borderboss]

Not for me. Looks like a good way to get shot. I like pepper spray, but I don't think I'd be a fan of a less lethal device that looks like a real pistol. You start shooting that at someone, if they're carrying, I'm pretty sure they'd start shooting real bullets back.

Yikes, agreed!!

 

[flagman1776]

All the talk about aggressive dogs brought back a reminder from when my horse was alive. Woman who lived up the street was walking with her dog off leash (required for state management lands). Aggressive dog kept trying to get in my horse's blind spot and he kept circling to prevent it. I told her to leash her dog or control it but she did not.
My horse couldn't really defend himself with me mounted, so I got off, and warned her again. I think I even said the dog could get kicked. You should know that under the right provoation, any horse will bite, kick, or step on you. Nick wasn't a particularly big saddle horse at 1200 pounds. The dog got kicked and went home yelping. Stupid owner. I was carrying at the time. 3" M66 and I was considering deploying it to protect my horse but he solved it first with a pair of steel shoes.

My farrier's brother was nearly killed by a horse that kicked him in the head when he was trying to shoe the horse. My farrier, Jack, had a saying for uncooperative horses... "For the same cost, you could own a good horse."
My ex's horse kicked me once, right below the belt buckle (perhaps confused me with her previous ex) but knocked me flat. I've been bit by a friend's jealous Appy and accidentally stepped on by my own horse. Each event was unforgetable.

EDIT: Horsemen will tell you that they are trained 'not to buck'. It order to kick, the horse pretty much needs to buck. So by getting off, I gave him back the freedom to defend himself by kicking.

 

[flagman1776]

Woman who lived up the street was walking with her dog off leash (required for state management lands).

I heard the same dog 'got loose' from their house. (As in they let the dog out in the morning unattended.) Dog got into a gut pile on state lands. Came home and barfed all over their fancy rugs.

 

[sipowicz]

I carry a pocket spray. Sabre brand. It has a cop top similar to the larger size police carry on their belts. Stay away from Cheap brands with twisty tops. They loosen easily. And they can lose pressure more easily. also, look for OC percentage of 1.33. Many civilian models are .67 and even less. Sabre has every style you could want. If you can comfortably carry a larger cop top model, they are your best bet distance, accuracy and reliability wise.

 

[mckenney99]

Finally settled on 2 different options.

First is a small 19 gram unit of Sabre RED Gel, carried in a Ripoffs CO-80T clip-on pouch, making it easy to carry anywhere.

The second option is a Fox Labs One point Four 'Stream' spray, 4%/5.3 million SHU, 2 oz./MKIII unit, carried in a Ripoffs CO-33 clip-on pouch. This unit is a little larger and will usually only be carried when travelling or heading into unknown areas or into the city.

Either unit will be carried on my belt in the same location that it was carried on my 'duty' belt as the muscle memory is still there, even 14 yrs later.

 

[minconrevo]

Lots to be said for the cop top Sabre Red high percentage pepper spray. Will work on aggressive dogs sometimes. Also sometimes on two legged problems. A "Z" pattern spray across the eyes, then the nose followed by the likely now open mouth will put the hurt on most two legged problems. Even with decontamination, the effects of spray can last for hours. Direct sunlight can reactivate. Be careful taking a shower afterwards as the spray residue in the hair will wash down into the just below the belt line area, causing considerable pain.