I've had one of these things for about a year and a half, never was terribly enthusiastic about it. It's a two-shooter, and at nearly $20 per shot, doesn't lend itself to practice.
Well, after carrying it for all this time, I actually used the thing recently, so I'm ready to share my experience, for whatever it's worth.
So here goes, and you can laugh all you want, but this is no BS:
I'm the Lead Carpenter for a small remodeling company. A couple weeks ago one of my guys, Ralph , saw a groundhog hanging around in the open. He chased it 50 yards to the other side of a small stream. It followed him back.
I showed up about this time, and the groundhog came straight for us. Amazed, we both jumped up on the back of our trucks. It trotted away. I got down again and the groundhog circled back, coming straight at me. I picked up a shovel and stood my ground, expecting it to veer aside.
Well, it didn't. It came straight on, very agressively and with evident determination. At the last moment, I gave it a medium SWAT with the shovel, more to turn it aside than anything else. It trotted away again while Ralph threw ice cubes at it from the back of his truck.
Now I was certain the groundhog had rabies, and wished I had hit it harder.
For the next half hour or so, it wandered around in the open about 50 yards away, before finally disappearing beyond a shed. I assumed it crawled off somewhere and died.
Two days later, Ralph and I walked back beyond the shed to look around, not expecting to see anything, then went back to the house we were remodeling. We must have aroused the groundhog, because a few minutes later I glimpsed it just outside the sliding glass door on the patio. Damn thing had followed us back, 75 yards.
Ralph ran to grab a pitchfork from the garage, while I went for my truck to get my shovel and the Kimber Pepper Blaster. Coming around the corner, I was amazed to see the groundhog chasing Ralph, who jumped back into the bed of his pickup. The other guys on my crew came running out the front door to see what was up, and the groundhog began chasing them in turn.
Yes, it was a bit of a comical situation, but actually it was very serious. This thing was VERY agressive, and truly dangerous. It wanted to attack, and it was not going away. No one in the neighborhood would be safe until it was dead, and what's more, we couldn't get any work done with it sneaking up on us from the bushes.
After chasing the other guys around a bit, the Rabid Groundhog spotted me, and came running straight at me. I held the shovel in my left hand, and the Kimber Pepper Blaster in my right as the Zombie Woodchuck closed the gap.
At a range of six feet I fired a single shot from the "Lifeact Guardian Angel", and the effect was instantaneous and astonishing. There was a low "POP!" from the Blaster, and I saw a splotch of orange-red dye appear on the head and body of the groundhog. The shot was dead-on, a ten-X! But here's the result:
The Rabid Groundhog was INSTANTLY BOWLED OVER on its side, like it had been hit by a sledgehammer. From a flat-out run (admittedly not real fast: these things aren't built for speed) this Killer Zombie Woodchuck from Hell was apparently blown right off its stubby little feet. It was an impressive display from the Pepper Blaster.
Well, the job had to be wrapped up, so I immediately shoved the Kimber back in my pocket, and with a few assertive swings of the shovel, I put Cujo out of his misery.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE KIMBER LIFEACT GUARDIAN ANGEL PEPPER BLASTER:
First, the name of the product is TERRIBLE. I just saw their latest advertisement, and they are now calling it the Kimber Pepper Blaster. That is a huge improvement. They need to bury that "lifeact guardian angel" moniker at a crossroads with a stake in its heart. Old name: Horrible. New name: Pretty good.
Second, I've carried it about 17 months now, and it rides easily in my right-hand back pocket. It's discrete, yet accessable, and thin enough to sit on comfortably enough. I just switched my billfold over to the left side. It does tend to fall over on its side in my pocket though. I've got a cheap Uncle Mike's pocket holster for a J frame revolver, which I think I'll cut down to position the Pepper Blaster more securely. The J frame size is a perfect fit, but cutting away the top half is necessary for a reliable draw.
Third, I've always had some doubts about the things accuracy, and reading the occassional postings on this forum, I see others do too. Now that I've actually used it, I can say it points very naturally. Shooting at a small moving target, my shot was dead on. I feel a lot better about my chances of hitting whatever needs to be hit if need be.
Fourth, I was REALLY impressed with the effect of the shot, and so were the onlookers. I have no idea how it would do against a PCP-addled Psycho-Maniac, but it is INSTANTLY INCAPACITATING on Rabid Zombie Woodchucks. Man, you should have seen that thing just bowled right over.
Fifth, it was a mistake to shove it back in my pocket after firing it. A minute amount of residue of the pepper gel leaked out, and my right butt-cheek was BURNING all afternoon. Not so bad I couldn't ride it out like a proper Stoic.
Final Verdict: I went out and bought two more of the things.
Notice I live in Maryland. I'm sure I could easily get my CCW if I were willing to make large campaign donations to the local Democrat politicians, but even if I were willing to do that, I can see the Pepper Blaster filling a useful niche.
Lastly, A short-handled, narrow blade trenching shovel makes a truly awesome CQB weapon. Didn't a Marine earn the Medal of Honor at the Chosin Reservoir, dispatching Chicoms with his ET?
(Oddly enough, I used the same shovel a couple weeks previously to kill a rabid bat at the same location.)
Well, after carrying it for all this time, I actually used the thing recently, so I'm ready to share my experience, for whatever it's worth.
So here goes, and you can laugh all you want, but this is no BS:
I'm the Lead Carpenter for a small remodeling company. A couple weeks ago one of my guys, Ralph , saw a groundhog hanging around in the open. He chased it 50 yards to the other side of a small stream. It followed him back.
I showed up about this time, and the groundhog came straight for us. Amazed, we both jumped up on the back of our trucks. It trotted away. I got down again and the groundhog circled back, coming straight at me. I picked up a shovel and stood my ground, expecting it to veer aside.
Well, it didn't. It came straight on, very agressively and with evident determination. At the last moment, I gave it a medium SWAT with the shovel, more to turn it aside than anything else. It trotted away again while Ralph threw ice cubes at it from the back of his truck.
Now I was certain the groundhog had rabies, and wished I had hit it harder.
For the next half hour or so, it wandered around in the open about 50 yards away, before finally disappearing beyond a shed. I assumed it crawled off somewhere and died.
Two days later, Ralph and I walked back beyond the shed to look around, not expecting to see anything, then went back to the house we were remodeling. We must have aroused the groundhog, because a few minutes later I glimpsed it just outside the sliding glass door on the patio. Damn thing had followed us back, 75 yards.
Ralph ran to grab a pitchfork from the garage, while I went for my truck to get my shovel and the Kimber Pepper Blaster. Coming around the corner, I was amazed to see the groundhog chasing Ralph, who jumped back into the bed of his pickup. The other guys on my crew came running out the front door to see what was up, and the groundhog began chasing them in turn.
Yes, it was a bit of a comical situation, but actually it was very serious. This thing was VERY agressive, and truly dangerous. It wanted to attack, and it was not going away. No one in the neighborhood would be safe until it was dead, and what's more, we couldn't get any work done with it sneaking up on us from the bushes.
After chasing the other guys around a bit, the Rabid Groundhog spotted me, and came running straight at me. I held the shovel in my left hand, and the Kimber Pepper Blaster in my right as the Zombie Woodchuck closed the gap.
At a range of six feet I fired a single shot from the "Lifeact Guardian Angel", and the effect was instantaneous and astonishing. There was a low "POP!" from the Blaster, and I saw a splotch of orange-red dye appear on the head and body of the groundhog. The shot was dead-on, a ten-X! But here's the result:
The Rabid Groundhog was INSTANTLY BOWLED OVER on its side, like it had been hit by a sledgehammer. From a flat-out run (admittedly not real fast: these things aren't built for speed) this Killer Zombie Woodchuck from Hell was apparently blown right off its stubby little feet. It was an impressive display from the Pepper Blaster.
Well, the job had to be wrapped up, so I immediately shoved the Kimber back in my pocket, and with a few assertive swings of the shovel, I put Cujo out of his misery.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE KIMBER LIFEACT GUARDIAN ANGEL PEPPER BLASTER:
First, the name of the product is TERRIBLE. I just saw their latest advertisement, and they are now calling it the Kimber Pepper Blaster. That is a huge improvement. They need to bury that "lifeact guardian angel" moniker at a crossroads with a stake in its heart. Old name: Horrible. New name: Pretty good.
Second, I've carried it about 17 months now, and it rides easily in my right-hand back pocket. It's discrete, yet accessable, and thin enough to sit on comfortably enough. I just switched my billfold over to the left side. It does tend to fall over on its side in my pocket though. I've got a cheap Uncle Mike's pocket holster for a J frame revolver, which I think I'll cut down to position the Pepper Blaster more securely. The J frame size is a perfect fit, but cutting away the top half is necessary for a reliable draw.
Third, I've always had some doubts about the things accuracy, and reading the occassional postings on this forum, I see others do too. Now that I've actually used it, I can say it points very naturally. Shooting at a small moving target, my shot was dead on. I feel a lot better about my chances of hitting whatever needs to be hit if need be.
Fourth, I was REALLY impressed with the effect of the shot, and so were the onlookers. I have no idea how it would do against a PCP-addled Psycho-Maniac, but it is INSTANTLY INCAPACITATING on Rabid Zombie Woodchucks. Man, you should have seen that thing just bowled right over.
Fifth, it was a mistake to shove it back in my pocket after firing it. A minute amount of residue of the pepper gel leaked out, and my right butt-cheek was BURNING all afternoon. Not so bad I couldn't ride it out like a proper Stoic.
Final Verdict: I went out and bought two more of the things.
Notice I live in Maryland. I'm sure I could easily get my CCW if I were willing to make large campaign donations to the local Democrat politicians, but even if I were willing to do that, I can see the Pepper Blaster filling a useful niche.
Lastly, A short-handled, narrow blade trenching shovel makes a truly awesome CQB weapon. Didn't a Marine earn the Medal of Honor at the Chosin Reservoir, dispatching Chicoms with his ET?
(Oddly enough, I used the same shovel a couple weeks previously to kill a rabid bat at the same location.)
