Byrna Non Lethal Weapon
I am just getting into shooting for self defense. I ordered the green Byrna in case I didn’t like shooting it then I could give it to Eric. In 2019 the neighbors dogs brutally attacked one of our pets. In April 2021 Sophie, our 2 year old blue Russian was brutally attacked and killed by the same dogs and I felt powerless. A few days later a different neighbors dog was loose in our yard. A week later a different neighbors husky was loose, at large, and on our property. In November 2020 a completely different neighbor aka #4, their pit pull was loose at large and gained access into our home and attacked one of our beloved pets while he slept in an upstairs room. Neither the police nor animal control responded to any of these events.
Whatever your reason is for self defense a non lethal gun is probably the best place to start. I bought the Byrna non lethal hand gun so that I could use it on our urban property or within our home without fear of serious damage. Most importantly I wanted something that I could feel safe and comfortable practicing with at home!
Update: Since owning the Byrna I have had to draw it twice in 4 months. The first time was on a loose dog on our property and the second was while traveling and a man became aggressive and bullying towards me after a verbal altercation. Honestly I should be carrying it with me more often than I am.
What it is Like Shooting the Byrna
We bought a bulk case (95 rounds) of inert practice rounds and drove out to a remote location where we could get to know the Byrna hand gun. Thor is our kitty who has suffered through two separate dog attacks and suffers horribly from PTSD. So for these reasons we didn’t want to shoot the Byrna at home until we knew for certain if the shooting sound would be detrimental to Thor.
When shooting this Byrna hand gun there are no surprises such as harsh loud bangs or kick back like there was with Eric’s glock 9mm. The Byrna is nearly silent except for a quick and short snap that sounds like shooting an air compressor nail gun with finishing nails.
The Byrna hand gun can honestly be practiced shooting at home. There is no reason to go find an outdoor shooting range!!
Set up a pellet catch box and use a large sheet of plywood behind it for any missed shots and use the garage door as a backdrop and safely practice at home without fear of startling the neighbors or having the cops called.
When shooting the Byrna the gun sounds like a muffled nail gun. It isn’t loud and we actually took off our ear protection because it just wasn’t needed. I ended up enjoying shooting the Byrna so much that as soon as I got home I ordered myself one in Pink.
Malfunctioning
We shot around 100 rounds through Eric’s Green Byrna. I suspect that a malfunction did happen after I changed out the second co2 cartridge. After replacing the cartridge I released the magazine clip and a hallow brass pin fell out. After this occurred it was extremely difficult to pierce the new co2 cartridges and I couldn’t successfully do this one handed.
I sent a message to the Byrna service link on their website and I have made several attempts to contact their customer service phone number but it seems to be disconnected as it goes strait to an automated message and hangs up on the caller.
It has taken nearly two weeks but Byrna finally emailed me back and has sent me a return shipping label to send in the malfunctioning guns for repair. Here is hoping I get them back.
Shipped to Byrna 6/2/21 and returned on 6/16/21!
Other Worthy Non Lethal Mentions
- Pepper Ball TCP
- Umarex paintball pistols
- First Strike FSC Paintball Pistol