Reader jg00dle writes:

I saw this today at Walmart and had to look it up. The Primeguard website invites you to “Defend yourself, your loved ones and your home from intruders with full peace of mind. PrimeGuard’s™ Less Than Lethal Home Defense Pistol will help you protect the things that matter most, with three different types of ammunition for any situation.” That’s a lot of choices! (Not to mention the Primeguard shotgun.) Product features . . .

High powered less than lethal home defense pistol.
Shoots less than lethal self defense rounds.
Full metal slide with blowback.
CO2 powered semi-automatic pistol.
7 round capacity magazine.
Includes 2 types of .43 caliber home defense ammo and 1 type of practice ammo.
Bottom tactical mount.
Comes with cleaning kit and barrel plug.

Box Contains:

Less than Lethal .43 caliber Home Defense Pistol
10 rounds of less than lethal inflammatory pepper rounds
10 rounds rubber less than lethal offensive rounds
10 powder rounds to use for practice
Barrel plug for storage

Maintenance kit:
cleaning rod, cloth and lubricating oil
User manual and warning card

I wonder what the “warning card” says. (Stop or I’m going to clear your sinuses and give you little bruises.)

This thing is marketed for people who are afraid of and know nothing about firearms. “Bottom tactical mount.” A “Home Defense Pistol” that shoots “rubber less than lethal offensive rounds”? Sounds like if you use the pepper balls you’re defending yourself, but if you use the rubber bullets, you’re out looking for trouble.

The website is really basic; it has less information than what you see on the side of the box. I’m sure that only after you spend the 200 bucks and get it home the User Manual will tell you that its a bad idea to keep a CO2 gun pressurized when you’re not actually shooting it, or that the pepper ammo’s shell deforms if stored for long periods or at high temp.

Can you imagine having to squeegee “less than lethal inflammatory pepper” out the barrel as part of a malfunction drill. Talk to anyone that uses paintball. If you break a ball in your barrel you’re screwed. The little pieces stuck in the barrel cause the rest of your rounds to break. Maybe less so with this because it’s not wet to cause stuff to stick inside the barrel.

Best case: the ball breaks in the barrel. Then you have just spread a cloud of pepper dust into the room.

Follow up shots are going to be difficult. No lethal option for determined attackers, no bright muzzle flash no loud bag, no deterrent. Other than that, perfect. Or did I miss something?

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127 COMMENTS

    • Maybe, but his point is well taken.

      The saps who buy this are likely not gun owners with any shooting experience. How are they gonna learn shot placement and keep current so they can royally piss off the first perp who comes through their door.

    • @ Trogdor…. Huh?…..So you take the position that 10 rounds of practice for their intended customers that probably most certainly never held a firearm is adequate? I guess you needed a (sarc) tag.

  3. What the commercial doesn’t show is the perp gets up after his couple of coughs and is probably none too happy about your wannabe pepper spray. Yeah this is a good idea.

    • Anti-freedom folks probably see this (laughably bad) commercial and think, “See, you dont need a gun for self defense. This primeguard thing would work just as well…”

    • Not to mention the fact that if that SMASH in the wee hours turns out to be PD on a mistaken raid (which is about 50-50 odds with valid ones) those “less-than-lethal” projectile launchers look real, and will get you machinegunned down where you stand.

    • Obviously most of you have very limited experience with less than lethal rounds, or pepper products for that matter. I’ve seen some of the toughest, largest human beings shut down in a combative environment. A little more research and a little less opinion would be good.

      • I agree with you! I have used my veritas tactical guns and they work very well. The primeguard shotgun is no joke with the right ammo!

    • If you are a convicted Felon this is legal to own and if you was to shoot at someone with your AR 15 and miss and kill someone in the next room you are fucked!

  4. stupid is as stupid does. If it breaks in to your house, it’s deserves only the best my Glock 9mm has to offer.

    • Yeppers. In my case, my EAA Witness in .45 ACP.

      Anyhow, with that thing, he’s going to haul you into court and try and take your home and everything in it. Serves ya right for being such a sap!

    • Polish TT-33, a double-tap of one HP and one FMJ.

      Maybe I should make me a stun gun (the shot-filled hackey sack variety) with a 20 round magazine.

      Probably not lethal, but in the immortal words of Steve McQueen, it “Ruins their day.”

  5. You know, nothing spells “smurt-teknolodjee” like pointing something that looks exactly like a real firearm (but isn’t) at home invaders.

    • True. If you point something that looks like a gun at an armed intruder you most likely will get shot. Shooting a burglar with a firearm who turns out to be unarmed is unfortunate for him, but choices have consequences and choosing to be a burglar can have lethal consequences. Not often enough for me but I’m a radical I guess.

    • No orange thingy on the barrel? Hate think what would happen if you or your kid pointed this at a cop.

  6. Sounds like an excellent alternative to pepper spray/tazer. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Note: unwanted visitors to my house will not be treated to seasoning before their burial.

  7. The perfect PC Liberal Home Defense Unit (or is that Tool?)
    Has anyone gamed this PaintBall gun loaded with ground red pepper?
    I have a strong hunch that the BGs will be shooting REAL bullets back at the home owner in a fraction of the time it takes to call Customer Support

  8. Uh, oh. Guy with a hoodie…..

    So don’t keep it pressurized?

    “Halt, or I’ll pressurize my gun!”

    • Trayvon did! Maybe that Trayvon. No, wait, am I Trayvon?

      Media say I am Trayvon. Trayvon DEAD. I no think I dead.

  10. What’s comical is that I’m sure a child could easily kill themselves even with one of these at close range… wait till someone puts a PrimeGuard in their drawer unlocked (as seen in the commercial) thinking “it’s safe”, and has a kid shoot themselves with it since there’s no reason to teach proper “primeguard safety”.

    And that was one of the worst commercials I’ve seen in a while. Why ham it up so much with the over-dramatic music?

    • I suppose “tragic” is probably the word I’m looking for. Still, I wait for the inevitable lawsuit to follow.

  12. This creates a false sense of security. If you miss their face good luck stopping them with Texas Pete all over their hoodie. Even if you hit them in the face, paint balls don’t always break on contact. Unless you are poking holes in them, they can easily keep attacking you are your family.

  13. If some idiot wants to play paintball with a home invader, let them. It would make an interesting entry in the Darwin awards. I’ll stick with my 12 gauge.

  14. Anything is better than nothing for self defense. If someone, for whatever reason, doesn’t want a deadly force option then this might be a great alternative for them. Just because we think guns are great for everyone doesn’t mean they are (but they totally are 😀 )

    It could help put hoplophobic folks into a self defense/sheepdog mindset. That puts them on the path towards firearm ownership and liberty.

    • Its a good stepping stone…until a perp with a real gun gets mighty pissed and perforates you a few times for bringing a toy to a gunfight.

      • In which instance – hardly theoretical – it becomes a stepping stone the stone gardens.

        TERRIBLE idea. Wait until THIS company gets sued, either by the perp or the surviving family members.

        When Plan A fails, where is Plan B?

        Bone orchards are FULL of people who felt safe with only Plan A.

  15. Ya know, for guys like us this is dumb. But I can imagine it being useful for people unable to own or use a big-boy guns. We’ve talked about felons and guns on this site before, and this sort of thing would be at least something for a guy like that. It sure isn’t a gun, but it still could be useful.

    • I’d rather have a baseball bat, or a variety of other blunt objects. I know a guy who keeps a functional replica of a Roman gladius for defense. Messy, but I’d take that over a paintball gun too. If physically unable to make good use of any of those, I’m thinking a taser.

    • True, but the marketing won’t be to felons. I agree, though. A sharp felon will see the TV ad and think, “that’s better than nothing”.

      But THINK OF THE LIBERAL OUTCRY is this is used offensively. Which it will be.

      • No, a sharp felon says, “Well shit, I know my ol’ buddy T-Dawg has that Hi-Point that he’s been trying to hawk all week… I think I’ll trade him some food stamps for it.”

        • I meant reformed felon. Like 70 year old dude that robbed a Piggly Wiggly in the 60’s.

  18. You have got to be f*cking kidding me-“Stop or I’ll shoot”……….And when he gets up pissed off………then what……”Stop while I run”? I thought I had seen it all when it comes to stupid feel-good products, but yet again something proves me wrong. For the 200 smackers suckers will spend on this POS they can get a REAL low end pistol that will actually neutralize a home invader, not potentially setup the homeowner for the beginning of the worst night in their life.

  20. Yes! Make quasi-realistic replicas of a Glock and Benelli and make them black. That way no one will confuse your less than lethal gun with a firearm.

    • However, I wonder if this would be at all useful for force-on-force training? Possibly cost effective and easier to obtain than simunitions?

      • Normal LEOs use Airsoft for that. You’re thinking of paintballers. Oh, they use Airsoft too. Never mind…

        • KWA’s PTP and KM4 gas blowback pistols and rifles were designed specifically for that, as well as Systemas, although Systemas aren’t all that realistic to begin with. Some departments use Airsoft products, but simulations are usually preferred because they have better recoil training and obviously better ballistics.

          This product is essentially a cheap CO2 Airsoft pistol. Good luck defending yourself with an Airsoft gun if they don’t mistake it for a real gun and turn and run.

  21. There is also the liability of if you shoot a perp with this and put out an eye or injure them,they will sue you for it.As to where you shoot them with a firearm,and kill them even if their family sue’s you,you have a better defensive position.Be prepared and ready.Keep your powder dry.

  22. You know I bet that will work in a self defense situations a large percentage of the time if for no other reason than the potential victim will feel empowered enough to present it and it does look like a firearm.

    • And they will get the s*it beaten out of them or worse while waiting for the popo to arrive.

      • Precisely. This is downright unsafe. For crying out loud this is their *advertisement* and the perp already looked like he’d be on his feet

        If she had a real pistol, he may well have been getting up — but he’d likely be (depending on shot placement) a) going into shock and b) losing blood.

        I’d bet my odds on that over pepper spray.

    • Bluffing is a bad idea when it comes to armed self defense. Does it have the potential to stop the advance? Yes. But think about the market that will employ this “weapon”. No training, no aggression, and probably no clue. Its not the weapon that the bad guy fears, its our willingness to use it. If the victim is afraid to, or unwilling to hurt someone, its going to show in their body language, voice, etc. and feed the bad guys aggression. Or youre going to have some douche who thinks this thing is just as effective as a real glock, and hes going to open up on the bad guy before there is a real need to and now the bad guy knows you dont have a real gun. There is a reason the cops use real guns to back up the officer with the bean bag gun, and I would much rather have a bean bag round than this pos.

  23. Call me crazy, but isn’t part of basic training taking a dose of tear gas to prove that a person can still function?

    • I will not call you crazy, but when I took the dose of CS at basic it was to teach us that our gas masks actually worked. No one who pulled off their mask when the Drill Sergeant gave the order was able to function any better than to stumble out of the gas room and collapse outside while gasping for clean air.

      I don’t know how effective the pepper in these rounds might be, but CS is a bitch.

      • I am about 80% after CS and 60% after Pepper Spray, the key is being able to keep your eyes open and control your breathing despite the pain. But Pepper Spray is really not fun!

  24. In before the lawsuit from Glock!! Glock hates it when people copy the general shape of their weapons, even in airgun form!

  26. That’ll work until he pulls a real gun and shoots your ass before the stuff actually takes effect.

  27. You would seriously be better off buying a real paintball gun and spray and pray the 200 round hopper in the general direction of the attackers face hoping to take his eye out before he gets to you

  28. Less than lethal has it’s place. I carry a pepper spray on my walks. We get stray dogs once in a while. But 0 dark 30 with an intruder that’s already in your home is not the place for less than lethal. That’s the place for hollowpoints and buckshot. Or chainsaws and hockey masks. Whichever you’re more effective with.

    • Do you have to put the mask on before allowed to start the chainsaw? Or does that make it premeditated Stand Your Ground?

  29. wait a minute…oh yeah the Russians have basically the same right now, that not working out so good for them. Shoot and piss them off further…yeah I’ll stick to my good ole Smith and Ms. Wesson

  30. 1. suppose you use it. Well, the prosecutor will ask, “if you were in imminent fear for your life why did you use less than lethal ammo?” You could end up is a very bad pickle if you do not give exactly the correct answer “gee, its all i had”I respectfully decline to answer until i consult with an attorney.

    2. 80% of (hand)gunshots are not actually fatal.

    3. they make “less than lethal” shotgun rounds for animal control. Thing is, it can actually be lethal depending on the distance and placement.

    • You’re spot on with #3; Massad Ayoob makes excellent points in several of his books about both “less than lethal” munitions as well as using exotic munitions. You can’t guarantee that “less than lethal” are always so and shooting someone with a super wicked up, 2 lb trigger jobbed rig with some sort of crazy “zombie” ammo all shows poorly in the court of law.

      You’re basically better off with a stock gun and typical off the shelf ammo than trying to get fancy.

      IMO, if you get to the point where you really have to shoot someone, you’ve got to make pretty damn sure you can end the situation and this stuff is nowhere near that.

      Someone is going to think they’re doing the right thing by buying this and end up in a pretty poor situation; maybe even badly hurt or killed.

  32. This silly gun is a waste of time and could get you killed. Some good ole hollow points will get the job done, and you won’t have to worry about the bad guy beating you to death after he stops coughing.

  34. Uh…aren’t the Pepper Sprayers more effective at delivering the pepper spray than this would/could be? You can hose the guy with a jet stream of pepper fluid. What if, in your great excitement, you missed the face entirely?
    No thanks, I’ll keep my real Glock with 124gr. Hollow points, or my 1911 .45 with 230 gr. Hollow points. I’d rather be sure than sorry.

    • This. How many hits would someone like that be likely to get? I say not very many at all, quite possibly zero.

      And not to mention, how long will a CO2 cartridge last in charged state? I would think it would eventually lose its charge, like in a week or two. This would mean having to remember to replace the cartridge or somehow recharge it to readiness.

  36. Whats wrong with this picture is that somehow the crook who broke into my home life is more important than mine. To me armed citizens and their response is part of the job, I say make it a living more dangerous than a coal miner.

  39. have seriously considered 12 ga LtL ammo for interior defense on the theory that it would be much less over penetrative than the lightest shot, and show your intent to use less force if possible, and then the last three would be 00 buck…. but i still stick with training…00 buck slugs available…

    • #7 or #8 shot works really well for inside the home and does not over penetrate two layers of drywall.

  40. This looks terrible…

    I nominate someone from the TTAG staff acquire one and “test” it… Would be good for a laugh.

    • Seconded! It’s easy to criticize the ads, but if TTAG is going to prove it has the cajones, they need to get one and do a proper field test!

      What if I were attacked by someone carrying a banana, would I know if I had the correct weapon to respond?

  42. If you pop ’em in the head with one of the super balls it’d probably put a damper on their plans but who’s that good of a shot in that situation?

  43. This company better set aside a pile of cash for the inevitable lawsuits from families of victims who used this for self defense only to end up killed

  46. A 2-1/2# 1A10BC fire extinguisher would be a better choice. The stream powder is blinding and choking, then you can still use the extinguisher body as a striking weapon.

  47. Can we just fill the paintballs with acid?! That might be something I’d be interested in!!

    • Great, then the intruder would be like, all tripping and S%#t. I suppose it would keep them distracted with pretty colors and whatnot until the police arrived… 😀

      • I was thinking more along the lines of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid but your idea could work too!

  48. apparently it’s ok to shoot someone wearing a hoodie in the dark without positively identifying them… yikes. im sure he stayed down until the police arrived and everyone was fine…

  49. I always have a non-lethal option available for home invasion situations. It’s called “turn around and leave the way you came in”, and it’s up to the intruder to use it.

  50. Just checked the Primeguard website. Their twitter feed retweets Jim Carrey. No thank you.

  51. I forgot that HaveBlue posts on here regularly. I’m sure all of the AGD and FN303 stuff has been discussed before.

  52. In the video: “50 foot knockdown zone.” Considering we can’t even remotely agree on “knockdown power” using lead projectiles, that gave me the biggest laugh of the day.

  53. I wonder how long it’s going to take WalMart to figure out that selling this junkis a bad idea.

  54. Anyone else ever play paint ball? If yes, then you know sometimes paintballs don’t break when you hit a target, sometimes they break in the gun; paintballs go bad, they stick to themselves in high humidity, they are unreliably accurate and they are often confused with food by children and animals.

    No thanks. I won’t stake my safety on a paintball gun.

  56. What’s wrong with this picture? It’s a home invasion, not a simple burglary. There is a child present. It warrants lethal force. If this guy doesn’t kill this women and her child he will most likely leave and commit the same crime again only with a lethal outcome. He knew the house was occupied and it was well lite. That makes him incredibly dangerous.

  57. Law enforcement actually uses pepperballs with pretty good success. I’ve done a few stories on this, and have experienced these things first hand.
    A few notes:

    This is a dry powder round which (they say) stores better than regular paintballs. From what I’ve heard from places that use them, they do seem to hold up well to being kept and not used.

    If you get hit with this anywhere above the waist, you’re not going to cough twice and get up. The hit causes an involuntary gasp, and you inhale the stuff-a lot of it. You’ll drop, and likely stay down for a good bit.

    It’ll probably stop them long enough for me to clear out. Long enough for the cops to arrive? Maybe. Long enough for me to gather my family and retreat? Possibly. Long enough for me to clear the house and be sure the bad guy was alone-no way. And that’s my problem with this. Police use it in as part of a show of force response, not as a primary offensive weapon for just that reason. In a jail or crowd, it can slow things down long enough for them to restore order. In an environment where it has to absolutely stop the intruder long enough for you to make yourself safe, I’m not sure.

    And I can tell you from experience that she would not be standing there. That’s a fine powder that carries quickly. We tested police pepperballs in a 2 story 75×150 parking garage with one partially open side. Ten rounds and within a minute it was impossible to stay in the structure. It dispersed from one end to the other that fast. Took about 30 minutes to clear. Perhaps they’ve used a powder that settles faster, but that could hurt the stopping power too.

    I don’t think it’s as bad as some here are saying, but I think I’ll stick with the .45 carbine beside the bed.

  58. Well I have a confession to make, I happen to be in the business of making less lethal to lethal paintball ammo and when I came across PrimeGuards web site today I had a good laugh when I saw the the type of ammo they were offering for self defense what a joke, Re-balls, golf powder balls, & cheap .0005 % active pepper rounds, The ammo they offer is child’s play compared to the .68 & .43 cal. ammo I make, you would think if you were going to promote this kind of self defense application and/or tools, you would want and/or offer the hottest & hardest hitting ammo available for your customers. Looks to be all pre order with little or no product info and when I tried to call to offer up some real defensive ammo I got a wrong number recording. I’d hate to be the guy who bought these thinking rubber balls were going to stop anyone. Hopefully those thinking about taking this direction for self defense do their research.

  59. Im considering getting one. I can see potential applications & i own many real weapons. Say theres a problem in the yard or driveway that u want to go away. 1st the sight of it makes em think twice. 2nd if u use it theres less chance for long term prison. Now i know u can pick this apart but i like the idea. For real home defense i’d use the real guns but this thing could work in many scenarios.

  60. Just wached the vid. i remember the good ole days when peopl said “hey! What the fuck are you doing in my house?!” Or “get the fuck out or ill blow ur fucking head off!”back before all this “stop or ill shoot bullshit. stop what? Walking? Or everything? Lol Ill stick with my .357 and hollow points to keep my home safe, but this could be fun for family disputes or heated confrontations in bar parking lots. if it dont work switch to the real deal. you’ll have time…….

  61. Wow, bahahaa what a joke. I’d rather use my Aikido training and my edged weapons than this flyswatter!!!

  62. I actually own one of these and have had the co2 in it for months and its still good. Since i am a felon and cant have a gun in my house its to help better protect my wife (who knows how to shoot a gun, she actually had a 45 before her and i got together). so yes in some cases it is good to buy. and she has tested the pepper rounds on me and they work 100%. all she does with it is put i pepper one rubber on pepper one rubber ETC.

  63. I think the only practical use for this product would be the training toolthe check it out todaythe paintballs our way too small to be effective

  64. Ok… $200 for the pistol, and $300 for the shotgun… how bout a real shotgun for the same price, or a much cheaper C02 bb pistol?? Non lethal, but a lot more shots and they probably hit a bit harder.

  65. you know not everybody wants to kill somebody some people are out to murder people some people just want a little help so the bullet sit around for a while you make sure you check them once in awhile reload them if needed get new village is needed at least you won’t get raped in your bed you shoot that fucker with that gun up close and trust me he’ll fall on the ground crying like a little bitch if you don’t believe it stand in front 001 and let somebody shoot you with that panty shot gun you’re talking about you’ll cry like a little girl is fucking hurts and up close it will knock you on your fucking ass so before you talk shit why don’t you look into what you’re talking shit about you bunch of morons fucking gun owners they all want to kill somebody you can all go to fucking hell

  67. I purchased the pistol for my wife. We’ve gone over the the reasons not to keep the tiny co2 tank locked in. She can now prep this less lethal defense weapon almost as fast as I can dump three shells into my 10g pump. It’s not something I would use, but if my wife will point it without hesitation and not have to worry about killing someone I will take it. Beyond that the pepper rounds will choke a 10 foot circle of anyone not used to it. I’m from PA and I sleep with my hunting rifles, but it’s the closest thing to home protection that I can talk my suburban NY wife into using. Not perfect, but I’ll take it in my situation. I feel like this is what this was developed for.

  68. So all your talk about stopping this big muscled thug with your .45 so he never threatens your family again will fall pretty flat when you’re sitting in a courtroom in an orange jumpsuit and trying to convince a jury why your adrenaline made you pump five shots into a guy when one or two would have stopped the threat. Or why you shot your son coming in drunk at night. Or why you couldn’t stop the guy because he had your wife in front of him as a shield and all you had as an option was lethal force. Your glory story is never going to play out just like you’re picturing it. Then your wife is sleeping home alone because some liberal prosecutor is making an example out of you. If you want to go that route fine. But when you ridicule other folks who don’t want to destroy and deal with the fallout later, you’re showing your ignorance. You’re just the guy who would shoot at somebody running across your yard with your stolen property and try to use the Castle defense. Just the guy who shouldn’t have a gun in the first place.

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