Carry a spray? What’s your ‘draw to spray’ time?

Elkins45

Elkins45

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I carry a can of pepper spray in my front left pocket, but I’ve recently come to the conclusion that it's mostly just a talisman. To actually use it I have to reach into my pocket and then grasp and orient it correctly before using it. I could probably draw, aim and halfway empty my gun in the amount of time it would take to draw and deploy my spray.

If you carry a defensive spray how do you carry it? How long does it take you to draw and correctly orient it before pushing the button?
 
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I carried spray once upon a time.

I think its a terrible idea for persons who have some reasonable obligation to retreat in the case of an altercation.

Spray is only good for ESCALATION of force.

Best practice for non-LEO is always de-escalation. Always.

Spray is useless during retreat.

Just get out of there.
 
I carry it hooked to a front pocket of my running vest. It's strictly for dogs, and it's been used "for real" several times. (I replace the can once a year or any time it's been used.) My "draw" is pretty fast, but I fumble the little twist-top thingy every time, either forgetting about it entirely, or trying to turn it the wrong way. Were I going to use it for people defense I would practice daily - but I wouldn't use it for people defense if I could avoid it.

<edit> My best answer to the question is "About three to four seconds", including reaction time, the decision-making process, getting the bottle into hand, messing around with the twist-top, and getting spray onto Spot.
 
I worked as a security guard for 15 years. I never actually had to spray anybody.

My level of involvement with almost everyone I encountered was telling them where the bathroom was, asking them to obey whatever the property owner's rule that they weren't obeying or asking them to leave the property.

Almost every single time I had to approach somebody the very first words out of their mouth were "What are you going to do with that gun shoot me?" But every time I had to pull out the spray they backed down immediately.

I wasn't the police I couldn't use spray as an enforcement tool. I couldn't just spray a crowd to break it up. I could only use spray as a defensive tool.

As a private citizen I absolutely have the right to draw my pepper spray and tell you to stay away from me. But that requires me to be paying attention to what's going on around me.

Pepper spray is for the crackhead at the gas station who keeps trying to get close to me who I've already told two or three times to stay away. It's not for the guy who rushes up on me in a parking lot after dark

If somebody were blind side me or jump on me or just attack me out of the blue I probably wouldn't reach for the spray, I'd reach for my gun.


FB_IMG_1691427468876.jpg

This is what I carry for spray and I always carry it tip down in my left front pocket. Is big enough that it doesn't really shift.
 
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Elkins45 said:
I carry a can of pepper spray in my front left pocket, but I’ve recently come to the conclusion that it's mostly just a talisman. To actually use it I have to reach into my pocket and then grasp and orient it correctly before using it. I couple probably draw, aim and halfway empty my gun in the amount of time it would take to draw and deploy my spray.

If you carry a defensive spray how do you carry it? How long does it take you to draw and correctly orient it before pushing the button?
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Unless your practicing Situational Awareness,the spray is useless.

If you are SA then you see that your ASW/OC is in hand and you make sure you have the distance to use it and then take advantage of that distance and GTFOOD !.

After the spray gives you the space.

It has worked for me,but not needed it in decades as I practice SA & avoidance.
 
I carry Halt spray while running among other things. I just make sure I have it on me. Its mainly for Dogs but Im sure it wouldnt feel good for a human either. Ive carried Halt since the late 80s when I was a paperboy. My mother was a letter carrier for the post office so we always had bottles laying around the house or in the junk drawers. She use to get chase up on top of cars once in a while from pitbulls. There about the only dog I worry about. When I was very young my our neighbors locked themselves out of the house and had to jump their fence. Her pitbull tore her apart.

I cant remember the last time I have had to spray a dog. Had to punch a German Shepard a few years ago that tried to bite be while I was running but I didnt spray him. Seems like every year I encounter somewhat aggressive dogs (in appearance anyways) from some jerk at the park letting his dogs run lose but normally its just a bluff attack and I dont have to do anything other than shoo them off. Sometimes I might have to run backwards as I wont turn my back on them. Once I get far enough away they run back to the owner who I yel... "get your dog on a leash! along with a few choice words I cant really say here.

Stepping on a Copperhead or putting my foot in a hole is a bigger threat for me. My kids always have a can of halt on them a lot when they are out around the neighborhood riding bikes/scooters or whatever. Its not uncommon to see a pitbull get loose around here but its gotten better the last couple years because the other neighbors with kids layed into the pitbull owners a few time to get their animals under control. None have been shot though. My kids have been chased into the trampoline or pool a couple times now but I was able to get the animals under control. Ive been dealing with some dangerous critters since I was a Kid in Texas catching rattlesnakes so Im fairly decent at dealing with the stuff.

Never "timed" myself getting spray out. Probably about a second or two. Im pretty aware of my surrounds when Im out. Even more so since the kids were born. As far as Crackheads, Homeless, and other trouble I just steer clear from it and leave that for the hotheads that go looking for conflict. Im not going to spray some fella for asking for "something" because like has been kicking him around.

People need to chill out and stop being paranoid or Stay out of bad areas and even move if your environment is that bad. Im amazed at all these "bad encounters" people claim to constantly have.
 
I've not timed myself on the clock, but I do practice my draw and spray in my back yard at various targets with cans that have recently expired. That's how I empty out an expired can, before throwing it away (you wouldn't want a full can going in the trash!). I think I'm pretty fast with it, combined with moving while spraying 'getting off the X' as you would in a defensive shooting.

I only ever carry pepper spray when I'm not allowed to carry a gun (which fortunately in my case is vary rarely) , so the pepper spray is carried in the same location I would usually have my gun. That location familiarity, and using my dominant hand, probably helps with the spray draw time.
 
Kleanbore said:
Better idea: carry both.
Click to expand...
Yup agreed. I would prefer to defeat a threat with a non lethal alternative than bullets should an emergency happen. That includes Animals, Human Beings etc. Most of these sprays weigh almost nothing its just a matter of getting use to it. If I can run for 1-1 1/2 hours comfortably with a pistol, flashlight, spray etc. I see no reason why I cant carry them just walking around if I feel the need.

Ive contemplated getting one of those non lethal pistols that shoot pepper spray more in line like a handgun but they charge as much for them as Walther LOL. Pretty bad marketing strategy there. Its a neat Idea though. Maybe someone will offer a version eventually that not so cost prohibitive for folks.
 
starling said:
People need to chill out and stop being paranoid or Stay out of bad areas and even move if your environment is that bad. Im amazed at all these "bad encounters" people claim to constantly have.
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Every public space has the potential to be a “bad area.” Especially gas stations. A surprising number of the encounters featured on the ASP training videos happen at gas pumps.
 
Elkins45 said:
Every public space has the potential to be a “bad area.” Especially gas stations. A surprising number of the encounters featured on the ASP training videos happen at gas pumps.
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Dont take this as an attack aimed at you because thats not my intention.

Look, anything can happen anywhere. You cant live in fear like that though thinking is common. All these videos floating around on the net with crazy behavior are rare instances of wrong place, wrong time, wrong reaction etc. So much fear programming going on these days its got everyone focusing on thinking every stranger they walk by is a threat. People cant let themselves get consumed like that.

Didnt anyone ever see "Survivors" growing up? Walter Mathaue and Robin Williams film. Theres kind of a good message in that film for this "kind of thing". Reguardless of what the Internet and many "trainers" inside the firearms industry say America is not a warzone. Anyone who thinks so has never been in an actual Warzone.

CCW yes. Protect yourself if need be Yes. But many, many CCW and others in general need to relax and just use manners. If some homeless guy comes up to you and asks for a couple dollars I just give it to them provided I believe his story (Im a Christian). Ive been all over the east coast for 47 years and driving for over 30 Inside major hotbeds like Atlanta, Deroit, Chicago (not for a while). Ive never had anyone give me any problems at a gas station. Not saying its impossible because nothing is. I wouldnt say its something to worry about though. I make it a point to not have enemies though. A lot of these attacks are gang hits or people that have made enemies through selfish behavior. I learned about Karma when I was around 5 years old.

So dont worry yourself so much. Stress is a killer. Go for walks and try to relax. There is not a threat to your life everywhere and anywhere you go. There are very dark things going on in this world right now but that a whole different thing. Ground level we are all in the same boat (Even LE) so people need to chill. If a crazy person tried to interact with me I would just act crazy back before I spray or shoot them.
 
I don't carry spray though I've contemplated it on occasion. The Mrs. doesn't have interest in carrying a concealed handgun, so she carries spray...in her purse. (Yeah, that black hole of a bag where keys, change, and her debit card more than once have disappeared). My sister in law carries hers on her key ring and has it IN her hand as she walks to her car after 2nd shift at a large hospital. Like much else, without practice neither of them are likely to be effective with it.
 
 
starling said:
So dont worry yourself so much. Stress is a killer. Go for walks and try to relax.
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Funny, I carry a big honkin' walking staff, pepper spray and a gun WHEN I go for walks. When I go on my exercise hikes down to Marsh Creek and back (about 2 miles each way) the "threats" I'm most concerned about are the large farm and ranch dogs that run a hundred yards down driveways just to yell at me for trespassing on "their" sections of a public country road.
I figure I'm practicing "layered" self-defense. I've never had to do anything more than show those dogs that I'm carrying a big stick to convince them to back off. But my other hand is on the canister of pepper spray in my jacket pocket just in case. Finally, I'm wearing a revolver tucked behind my right hip as a last resort. It's a last resort because I wouldn't want to kill someone's dog just because it didn't understand property lines. ;)
 
.308 Norma said:
Funny, I carry a big honkin' walking staff, pepper spray and a gun WHEN I go for walks. When I go on my exercise hikes down to Marsh Creek and back (about 2 miles each way) the "threats" I'm most concerned about are the large farm and ranch dogs that run a hundred yards down driveways just to yell at me for trespassing on "their" sections of a public country road.
I figure I'm practicing "layered" self-defense. I've never had to do anything more than show those dogs that I'm carrying a big stick to convince them to back off. But my other hand is on the canister of pepper spray in my jacket pocket just in case. Finally, I'm wearing a revolver tucked behind my right hip as a last resort. It's a last resort because I wouldn't want to kill someone's dog just because it didn't understand property lines. ;)
Click to expand...
Yup, most of the times the dog rush is a bluff. It doesnt stop some people from having an excuse to shoot one though. You are doing it right. I wouldnt change a thing. Dogs can be tricky. Depending on the breed some are a lot more likely to attack if you run by. Ive backed a couple of by stomping my foot. Our Boxer last Boxer run out barking and sounding aggressive. If you yelled Boo he would run away with his tail between his legs LOL. Pittbulls are the trickiest to read. I think half of them are retarded. Stay Safe and keep walking.
 
I'm guilty of only carry spray when I'm going to an area where I think I might be hassled. In that case I carry one of two ways.

1) I have it in a jacket/coat/hoodie pocket on my non-dominant side. Often with it in my hand.

2) I have the Paracord "ponytail" on the spray threaded down behind my belt in the appendix position. That keeps it in a known and accessible location.
 
Can't answer the question since I don't carry OC anymore.

When I did, I was lightning fast, it was in a pouch just forward of my pistol (TASER on the off-side).

But as I noted in another recent thread, I won't carry OC anymore. I recognize that goes against the advice of many "experts" on self-defense and armed self-defense, who all cover their butts by advocating that anyone who carries a firearm should carry a less-than-lethal alternative, but sorry, not gonna do it.

I simply can't envision many scenarios where I'd be able to effectively deploy OC in a purely defensive situation. Hassled by an aggressive panhandler when taking visitors down to Pike Place Market? Maybe. Armed carjacker? Nope. Armed mugger? Nope. EDP approaching me at the gas pump in the middle of the night? Nope. I'm not a likely target for rape or sexual assault, and frankly, those would seem to be the individuals who might benefit by using OC to repel someone attacking them with only physical force. Yeah, I kept my daughters well-supplied with OC during their student and working years, and my youngest girl actually repelled an attacker in a parking garage in Bellevue, WA after she'd closed her restaurant and was heading to her car (BPD officer, bless his heart, advised her she might want to think about carrying a handgun).

If a weapon is involved, OC is not an option. If one works in a jail or prison, OC is a great tool as a control tactic. But its main use is to temporarily incapacitate someone to stop their immediate actions (typically an assault) or long enough to place them in restraints, Fact is, for those of us who've used OC a lot, most of the time we ended up going hands-on anyway, resulting in our own exposure to the stuff. Yeah, it's nasty. I'll take my chances fighting standing up or even turn my back and run, unless it's a lethal force situation.
 
No, situational awareness and if worse comes to worse 9mm unless I'm in bear country...
 
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