In this article we are going to discuss the proper shot placement location when using a self defense air gun. The shot location may not be as clear cut as you might think. There are a few things to consider when determining the best shot placement. Here are some key factors you need to consider for the best shot placement when using your air gun for self defense.
What Type Of Ammunition Are You Using
When carrying an air gun for self defense you have two ammo types, kinetic and irritant rounds. The kinetic rounds are pretty straight forward, but the irritant rounds allow you to be more flexible. First we will discuss kinetic rounds.
Kinetic Round Shot Placement For Self Defense
With traditional firearms you are taught to aim for the torso, but with a self defense air gun, this could be less effective at stopping an attacker if they are wearing a coat or heavy clothing or have a large build. When using a kinetic round for self defense, you will want to try and aim for key areas.
With kinetic round you would want to focus on the sensitive areas of the body like the face (specifically the eyes, nose, temples, mouth), neck, throat, groin, and thighs. A kinetic round weighing 3 grams and traveling at 300 feet per second will generate slightly less than 10 foot pounds of energy, but if the shot is able to connect with one of these sensitive areas that would be plenty enough energy to inflict pain.
In the video below, this man used a self defense air pistol and hit his attacker in the check. The force was enough to rip the skin off of the attackers face.
Irritant Round Shot Placement For Self Defense
Irritant rounds are rounds that contain pepper powder, tear gas powder or a combination of the two. These rounds release a powder cloud when they explode on impact which can have a wide spread effect area of up to 12 feet. Just like the kinetic round, you need to be mindful if your attacker is wearing a coat or layers of clothes which might affect the round from exploding. If the attacker is wearing minimal clothing, aiming for the torso is the best option as it has the most likelihood of hitting the target.
But unlike the kinetic round you don’t necessarily need to hit your target for the round to be effective. Instead you can aim for hard surfaces near an attacker, like a wall, and allow the irritant cloud to increase your range.
In this video you can see a police officer use this same technique of shooting a car’s dashboard and allowing the irritant cloud to do the work of subduing a fleeing criminal.
Irritant rounds still do inflect pain, though not as much as the kinetic rounds. Aiming for sensitive areas like the face (specifically the eyes, nose, temples, mouth), neck, throat, groin, and thighs can still be quite effective.
Which Round Is Better For Self Defense – Kinetic or Irritant?
From my personal experience, a thick sweatshirt and a thick coat can greatly reduce the effect of a kinetic round. That is why I would recommend an irritant round such as the Byrna Max. The Byrna Max is a pepper / tear gas powder mix and is used by law enforcement officers. The irritant round a more forgiving with accuracy since it allows for a round to hit a nearby surface and still can affect an attacker with it’s irritant cloud. One irritant round could also impact multiple attackers.
If you are looking for the best self defense air gun, I have already done the research for you. Check out this article, Why The Byrna SD XL Is The Best Self Defense Air Gun, for more information.