John H.
Sounds good on paper . . . .
I was impressed with the idea of the Byrna gun but, in practice, it was pretty disappointing. I started carrying it concealed instead of my Sig P365 because I'm 73 years old and I liked the idea of having a "non-lethal" option. However, after carrying it for a few weeks, I noticed that it started "leaking" the pepper spray from the magazine. Every time I picked it up I'd start sneezing and coughing. When I finally took out the magazine it was covered with white powder and, while choking and sneezing, I had to run the whole gun under the faucet to clean the powder out from all the nooks and crannies of the gun. Not cool . . . Plus, when I tried to shoot the "training" ammo, even though I had put a new CO2 cartridge in it a few weeks before, even though I hadn't shot it in the meantime, it was empty of CO2 so I realized that it's really not a reliable method of self defense, after all.
Response from Byrna TechnologiesMay 5, 2025
John, One of the most important things that sets Byrna’s handheld launchers apart from the competition is Byrna’s patented “pull-pierce” technology. This enables the Byrna launcher to both pierce the CO2 and fire the projectile with the first pull of the trigger. Why is this important? It is important because it allows your Byrna to sit for days, weeks, months or even years and still be ready to fire on the first pull of the trigger. Most other launchers pierce the CO2 cylinder when it is loaded. Once pierced, the CO2 will start to leak out, fully discharging over the next 24 to 48 hours, leaving the launcher inoperable. The alternative is not to load the CO2 until it is needed, however, in that case, the launcher will not be ready to use when it is needed. It is like carrying a gun without bullets in the magazine. With the Byrna, the installed CO2 cylinder is not punctured until the trigger is pulled. This means you can leave your launcher fully loaded knowing that it will be ready to fire when needed on the very first pull of the trigger. Our chemical projectiles are the best on the market. Unfortunately, with ALL chemical projectiles, there is always a slight risk of the projectiles cracking in the magazine or launcher. The chemical rounds have to be fragile or they would never break when hitting an assailant but also need to be strong enough to survive being fired from the launcher. Exposing any chemical projectiles to excess impact, vibration, extreme temperature conditions, or even overhandling the projectiles could potentially cause them to crack or break. Please also note we do not recommend a 5 +1 or 7 + 1 setup where six or eight total rounds are in the launcher. The launcher is designed to hold 5/7 rounds. Although the extra 6th/8th round will sometimes fit in the launcher, this will cause the launcher to jam and can cause the projectiles to rupture when stored, carried, or fired. Our chemical projectiles are preferred by many Law Enforcement Agencies and Private Security Companies due to their high quality and durability. We now manufacture our projectiles in house to have even more control over quality. We have made them stronger to survive the shot but also easier to break when they strike a target while having a better dispersion pattern of the chemical irritants due to the improved shell design. We are aware of the unpleasant nature of the irritant rounds, and we are sorry you were accidentally exposed. Please reach out to Byrna customer service at [email protected] and we will be able to assist you further with this matter.