Screen capture by Boch. Via YouTube.
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Here in America, we giggle at the muzzle energy and defensive performance of the .25 Auto round. In the land once known as Great Britain, where gun control long ago went from the stupid to the ridiculous, her royal highness’s subjects would welcome something chambered in .25 as a game-changer for defensive purposes compared to what government edicts “allow” them.

Col. Cooper was no fan of .25 Auto, writing . . .

“Carry a .25 if it makes you feel good, but do not ever load it. If you load it you may shoot it. If you shoot it you may hit somebody, and if you hit somebody, and he finds out about it, he may be very angry with you.”

In Blighty, though, a new product — a .50 caliber CO2-powered revolver — has them all aflutter.

Theoretically, a .50 caliber air-powered handgun could be effectuve if it hurls a Minie-ball slug at 800 fps or better. That would indeed command some respect. However, the revolver being hailed by Andy’s Airgun Reviews as “short-range, hard-hitting tool intended for defense” isn’t even remotely in that ballpark.

According to Andy, the Umarex HDR-50 will (are you sitting down?) “batter your assailant with nearly 17 grains of .50 caliber rubber balls firing out at them at 350 feet per second.”  That works out to a fearsome (cough) 5.2 foot-pounds of UK-legal energy.

In real-world terms, that’s about two to four times the ballistic performance of your average airsoft pistol. A thump that mighty could temporarily dissuade a naked attacker struck in an eye socket or the nutsack. However, for anyone wearing anything heavier than a paper hospital gown, the shooter will simply anger the person on the receiving end of the pellets.

Here’s the video from Andy’s Airgun Reviews Channel at YouTube.

To further put this new “home defense revolver” into perspective, the Umarex wheelgun has about 8% of the stopping power of a .25 Auto round. Eight. Percent.

At one point in the video, Andy fires three shots with the rubber ball projectiles at a cardboard box. Two of them actually managed to penetrate the cardboard.

Screen capture by Boch. Via YouTube.

Andy further elaborates that he wouldn’t want to be struck with a barrage of projectiles from the HDR-50. He’s apparently never done much paintball shooting. I’ve been hit with plenty of the little projectiles back in my capture-the-flag days. Each of those hit with roughly twice the energy this .50 caliber “home defense revolver” produces.

If that is anyone’s idea of a home defense tool, they should probably stock up on wasp spray and a recording of a big dog barking. Or maybe fashion themselves a sharp stick. Because the HDR-50 is more than liable to make someone you shoot with it terribly angry.

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79 COMMENTS

  1. Actually 4.6 F.P.E. , but close enough for government work I suppose. At least it beats two shotgun blasts off of the back porch.

    • The UK also has very strict knife control, so anything like a Bowie knife is just beyond the pale, mate.

      Seriously. You also need a “good reason” to possess a hammer. Sharp pointed kitchen knives are also “problematic.”

      I imagine it’s like living full time in a nursery school. But if you say that you will likely be charged with a hate crime.

    • Not in the UK, you won’t.

      A cricket bat, maybe…but you’re still likely to be prosecuted for using unreasonable force if you succeed in seeing off an attacker.

    • I agree. I don’t have a Bowie,but a cutting/stabbing implement of appropriate size and shape (grip design as well as blade )can be very useful if one has some level of experience/training/muscle memory.
      I was looking at one of the Hybrid Cutlass designs Cold Steel had out.. I am not trained on the sword(although I do have significant knife and stick work in my background)and I was thinking about the D Guard and it’s possible adaptation to a Bowie or other suitable knife(individual preference and fit may vary).

  3. Ya know…I’d like to shoot one for grins and giggles.

    Wonder how long it will take some dumb criminal type to use one in an (attempted) armed robbery?

    Defensive tool – ❌ [No (blanking) Way!]

    Chasing the squirrels off the deck – ✔️ [Yes *snicker* Way]

  4. The insane thing about the UK is that they’re so tight-a*sed about weaponry that even air-guns are strongly regulated. It is full on ‘may issue’ on steroids. If you’ve had ANY negative interaction ever with the police you’ll be denied flat out, even if it doesn’t result in a criminal charge. Knew a guy in Scotland that got in a few tussles at a bar as a young man and was denied, even though he was never convicted of a crime.

      • No actually. Somewhat ironically I do watch Dankula and I saw that video where he mentioned it, but I just happened to know a guy that found himself on the receiving end of that problem too.

  5. LOL! I watched this youtube video the other day…yeah this blimey limey was pretty proud of himself. Pathetic English countries like this,NZ,Canaduh& the worlds largest penal colony Australia. No nutsacks in any of ’em☹️

    • Watching the video I was thinking that it was a Monty Python routine with John Cleese as the pitchman.

      The only redeeming point of this device is that Umarex offers pepperballs as optional loads…these same pepperballs are ILLEGAL in the U.K.

      The saddest part of the video is that this guy is enthusiastic about this limp-wristed, under-powered imitation pellet gun.

      • Don’t bash the guy too much. Living in California, I understand how he feels. He gets excited at a toy like this like we get excited seeing a Gen 4/5 Glock at the consignment area of our FFL for only twice the retail price.

        The saddest part of this video is not that this guy is enthusiastic about his air gun; it’s that it’s the only one he’s allowed to have…..

        If you can’t get a Peter Luger or Morton’s steak where you live, sometimes, you’ll be happy with a well cooked Outback or Sizzler’s steak.

  6. I’ll stick to my hockey stick. At least I can make contact and still maintain the Fauci approved social distance requirement.

    • My Louisville slugger would be a better choice than this home defense revolver. About the only useful thing this could do would be to chase away small animals and stray dogs/cats.

  7. I’ll bet nobody wants to be shot with one, though! According to stupid people everywhere, that means it must be great for self-defense.

  8. “Because the HDR-50 is more than liable to make someone you shoot with it terribly angry.”

    Our criminals here would laugh their asses off as they repeatedly shoot you or knife you or beat you.

  10. If that gas-powered “revolver” shot really hard and fairly dense .30 caliber plastic balls at 350 feet per second, that might begin to produce enough pain to dissuade opportunistic (e.g. not determined) attackers.

    As it stands, a 17-grain rubber ball at 350 feet per second is not going to send very many criminals on their way.

  11. Lieutenant Gorman : [to Apone over the radio] Look, uh, Apone.
    [Apone snaps his fingers, bringing his troops to a halt]
    Lieutenant Gorman : Look, we can’t have any firing in there. I, uh… I want you to collect magazines from everybody.
    Private Hudson : Is he fuckin’ crazy?
    Private Frost : What the hell are we supposed to use, man, harsh language?

  13. The only plausible answer to this video is:
    sat·ire
    /ˈsaˌtī(ə)r/
    noun
    1. “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues”

  14. Without a gun option, I like aqua net hairspray with a lighter. just tape the lighter to the can so I won’t get misplaced. Peel, spray, and flick. It’s amazing how quickly a fight is over when the bad guy’s hair is on fire.

  15. I’m not even going to make fun of this. Once, the sun never set on the British Empire. Now, we basically have, this totally looks like the pistol from Blade Runner!!!! This is so sad.

  17. According to dacian this just can’t be, it’s a civilized country , not Capitolvania.
    So I do not believe people in the UK are buying these for self defense.

  18. To Former Water Walker: I’m Canadian and quite happy about that fact other than our arbitrary (read:unlawful) gov gun restrictions and the idiot manchild currently installed as our Dear Leader, much like your current buffoon in charge. I own an even dozen handguns of all types and calibers, preferring my USP and 1911s, am competent with all and the same can be said regarding a similar number of long arms (all semi auto plus one rather nice Enfield), including out to 600+yds with my M1A without the scope installed. Any Gestapo coming my way with wet dreams of confiscation would do well to not be first, or even second or third, in the stack and that’s no idle boast. I sincerely doubt you can say the same to any of the above. I’m 57 and all whom I consider my friends are of exactly the same determined mindset. Although a Canadian I live, eat, @hit, breathe and continuously extoll the 2A, as should every thinking individual on the planet: “No Free man shall be denied the use of arms”. I suspect you know not who that quote is even attributed to, or when and why, and if far better Men than you had not seen fit to codify the Right to Keep and Bear Arms then I sincerely doubt you personally would be the one to lead any charge with your very recently acquired S&W varmint rifle. I have the highest respect for (most) all of our southern Freedom loving Brothers (and after reading every word on TTAG since Sandy Hook, you ain’t one of em, ‘former water walker’), and trust that they are of a similar mindset as I and many others up here and would stand with us instead of insult us in their ignorance and arrogance, as you do. Toronto, Montreal and CBC ain’t Canada, far from it. You and your particular brand of ‘nutsack’, FWW, are best left hiding behind your many derogatory comments on this forum, beating your chest from your safe space over what others have thoughtfully provided for you. Careful, many more like you and we might paddle down there and burn your capitol to the ground. Again. Regards.

    • Can you set up a gofundme to get that capital burning thing going? I’ll gladly donate as long as sniffin Joe and the Ho are home when you do it.

    • Gun ownership is dying everywhere in the former British Empire. Except in Canada. Perhaps because of the geography of the Canadian Nation which is populated with dangerous apex predators. Bears lions and wolves. I could be mistaken but I do not believe these apex predators exist in other parts of the former British Empire.

      With the possible exception of the country of India. Where tigers and Panthers are plentiful from what I understand. And who are responsible for killing a dozen or so human beings each year.

      btw
      Perhaps because of the geography of the Canadian Nation which is populated with dangerous apex predators. Bears lions and wolves. I could be mistaken but I do not believe these apex predators exist in other parts of the former British Empire. With the possible exception of the country of India. Where tigers and Panthers are plentiful from what I understand. And who are responsible for killing a dozen or so human beings each year.

      According to my research the Native Indians of Canada, they’re 12 year old Indian children have a right to carry a firearm. According to Canadian law. I read this was an accommodation made by the Canadian government to the native Indian tribes there. And I also understand that the Canadian version of the American NRA actually protested this claiming it was discrimination against all Canadians.

      In California a religious accommodation was made for Sikh children in the California Public Schools. These children are allowed to actually carry a knife openly on their person. While other American students are not allowed to carry knives or any weapon on school property.

      Keep fighting to keep your rights sir!

      • Australia has their crocs, their snakes, and don’t forget the drop bears. Almost forgot the spiders. You’ll want a Ma Deuce along if you run into some of their monster spiders.

        • Ya, they do have some really big spiders there! Perhaps 12 gage or 410 bird shot will be needed.

      • Thanks, will do and same back, respect. You guys have it dead right, our cowardly excuses for ‘founding fathers’ just didn’t have the testicular fortitude to put it in writing (so FWW is correct in that respect) but that’s certainly not the prevailing sentiment of anyone I know (no city boy here). I’m unaware of any special carve out for native folk other than subsistence hunting accommodations but that certainly doesn’t extend to the carry of handguns for any group up here, other than the Proper Authorities™ of course (and on our dime, just to rub salt in the festering wound). Basically we can pack any long gun anywhere, with neutered magazines, at any time and “transport” unloaded weapons (non restricted class) or unloaded and locked up weapons (restricted; so ARs and handguns) but those only to/from a recognized shooting range (lots of those). Our upcoming “ban” by the blatant misuse of an Order In Council by the liberals will likely amount to nothing given the multiple pending court cases against it and the obvious abuse of (assumed) authority that it is. I mean after all, consider the source.

  20. THANKS ON INFOR , WONDERED ABIT ON PELLET TYPE WEAPONS
    MAYBE A ONE SHOT ATIME CROSSBOW ??
    AAA JUST GET A S&W REVOLVER , OK , GOVERNOR ..

  23. Air guns are deadly weapons. Louis and Clark carried one across the country over 200 years ago. The Indian tribes were very impressed. And they never harmed their party during their exploration of the west.

    Full Auto Beretta 92 A1 Airgun BB Gun Review : Umarex Airguns video, 2.5min long.

        • @ Chris T in KY…. I was curious about this because I and about 40-50 guys every thanksgiving early morning until noon have a fun shooting fest with clays and shotguns. The guys and grandfathers bring their young sons and grandsons, some that can handle a shotgun will partake in clays. The real young boys are set up with supervision in a another area with different types of targets and shoot BB guns, and bow and arrow. Was thinking this would be a big kick for them to shoot something like this Full Auto Beretta 92 A1 BB Airgun. Clicked on your link saw the company located in Arkansas, went on google earth street view for a lookyloo and they are coming out of a new Walther Arms/Umarex plant. Further checking, the BB gun is sold on Amazon $129.00. Before you plan on buying one, read the Amazon reviews, questions and answers, and the customer pictures……then decide!

      • High lite the url address. Just click on the url. Normally it will turn blue in color. Then right click copy and then paste it, where ever you want to move it to.

        I learned this in college. My teachers said it was an easy way to copy and save references.

  24. If you want to learn about air guns? And I do. I watch the british air gun channels all the time. The people of Hong Kong also have some very good air gun channels as well.

  25. Sounds like a cricket bat, or golf club would be a better option. Or maybe a good blackthorn walking stick.
    Sorry, but if a new weapon doesn’t have more stopping power than the blackpowder pistol cartridges of the 1880’s, it doesn’t interest me.

  26. quote————Col. Cooper was no fan of .25 Auto, writing . . .

    “Carry a .25 if it makes you feel good, but do not ever load it. If you load it you may shoot it. If you shoot it you may hit somebody, and if you hit somebody, and he finds out about it, he may be very angry with you.”————quote

    Cooper was a loud mouthed far right bulls shitter who consistently made unsubstantiated statements with no proof what-so-ever. He was also fond of bad mouthing the 9mm as an anemic mouse gun.

    If the Cooper had bothered to watch the President Reagan attempted assassination the idiot would have seen 3 big powerful men get blown off their feet with nothing more than a .22 rimfire handgun. And no it did not make them mad, it knocked the shit out of them. The dramatic pictures of Brady and the Security Guard and Reagan getting blown off their feet proved Cooper know less about guns than he knew about people.

    The Far Right loved Cooper because they were too dumb to know they were being hoodwinked and the Far Left loved reading his ranting’s because they were so ignorant and outrageous they were a laugh a minute. His scout rifle concept was a marketing failure and he was practically laughed right out of Africa when he took it on safari to promote it. His promotion of the 10 mm as the ultimate auto pistol caliber fell flat on his face as well and decades later his favorite whipping boy the 9mm is still king of the hill proving Cooper knew less about caliber worth than he knew about a hole in the ground.

    The speed of an air pellet is regulated in Britain but not in the U.S. 17 cal pellet guns traveling at magnum velocities have killed people deader than hell instantly proving it is not bullet diameter but bullet placement and penetration and its been well known since the invention of smokeless powder that the smaller the projectile the more penetration you get even if the velocity is the same as a larger diameter projectile, but they often are higher.

    W.D.M. Bell said the 6.5 mm rifle he used out penetrated any large caliber elephant rifle he ever used and could always be counted on to shoot right through an elephants skull and when exanimating many of the big bore guns elephant rifles compared to the 6.5 the velocities were often not that far apart, sometimes the same or in other loadings by only 100 or 200 fps. at most.

    Pistolero Magazine in the 1980’s went to Mexico to shoot barnyard pigs and found zero difference in killing power between the 9mm, 45 acp, .38 special and the .357 Magnum proving how anemic pistol calibers are compared to rifles. And by the way they did indeed kill pigs with the .25 acp proving that no its not a worthless caliber at all and no they did not shoot the pigs in the head with the 25 acp in order to kill them.

    • If pencil necks are guilty of only one thing, it’s of being full of shit. I mean really, who could be so stupid? Col. Cooper survived several pistol fights and other “scrapes.” Tell us, cartoon boy, just how many life threatening situations have you been in? Scout rifle? When was the last time you walked through the woods with any rifle? Silly little men should be quite.

      • dacian doesn’t have an original thought in his head. Every thing he posts is copy-n-paste from something or someone else. He has a reading comprehension issue, he fails to understand what he is reading most times when he copies it. Especially for stats related things which means his math logic skills are basically absent if he is an adult because most 10 year olds on math logic alone (learned in school) for simple stats can see through the anti-gun crap stats and studies, but not dacian and to him its the truth. But he’s also a mindless drone, just feed him anything that he can copy and paste in relation to a discussion that’s ‘opposing’ and he believes it ’cause “they” said it.

      • If he brings that attitude of his out on the streets I’d say everytime he walks out his front door its life threatening situation .

      • To the Flag Waver
        As usual you reveal your ignorance about everything and anything. Cooper was a swaggering braggart that made a lot of self aggrandizing claims that there were no proof of. He bragged he was involved in irregular warfare yet no military records substantiated that statement. He was booted out of the Marine Corps and his application for reinstatement denied mostly because he was thoroughly detested and hated by both his men and his superiors.

        In short Cooper was your kind of hero. I supposed Adolf H was too simply because he wore a uniform which requires you to worship and boot lick all people in authoritative positions. Unquestioned obedience to authority is the hallmark of the Far Right

        • And I might add this is the kind of low life scum bag Cooper was.

          Cooper held radical far right political opinions. In 1991, he wrote in Guns & Ammo magazine that “no more than five to ten people in a hundred who die by gunfire in Los Angeles are any loss to society. These people fight small wars amongst themselves. It would seem a valid social service to keep them well-supplied with ammunition.” In 1994, Cooper said “Los Angeles and Ho Chi Minh City have declared themselves sister cities. It makes sense: they are both Third World metropolises formerly occupied by Americans.” Cooper had expressed support of Jonas Savimbi, the governments of Rhodesia and apartheid-era South Africa, proving what a racist Cooper was and again no surprise since he was a Far Right Jack Booted Fanatic.

        • Pencil Neck, say what you will. I met Cooper. Shook his hand. Had a conversation. With his daughter Lindy also. She was charming. Col. Cooper was exactly what he appeared to be. At least he spoke with me directly. You’ve not taken any of my invitations to engage in coversation. If you’re scared, just say you’re scared.

        • To Flag Waver

          quote———-At least he spoke with me directly. You’ve not taken any of my invitations to engage in coversation. If you’re scared, just say you’re scared.———-quote

          I engage with you every day in conversation on a equal basis which you detest because you have no authority over me. You would love to alter the odds in your favor but you foam at the mouth in an equal rights debate. So now you have your answer or is this getting to complicated for your Neanderthal Mentality.

  27. The insane thing is that this air-pistol, while legal in England, in New Jersey would require law-abiding citizens to:

    1) First apply for a Firearms Purchaser Identification Card (FPID Card), complete with fingerprints, fees, background checks, mental health record checks, and three letters of reference.

    2) Then the New Jersey resident must apply for a Permit to Purchase a Handgun, with additional fees, a SECOND background check, and three letters of reference.

    3) Then the New Jersey resident must go to a licensed FFL dealer, hand over their Permit to Purchase a Handgun, show their FPID card, show their driver’s license, pay a $16 fee for a THIRD background check, and wait for the NJ State Police to do the “instant” background check, which in New Jersey takes days, not minutes!

    4) If the purchaser wants to transport the air-pistol anywhere other than directly to and from a licensed gun club (the only place they can legally practice with it!), they have to apply for a CCW license, which is impossible to obtain without strong political connections, go through a FOURTH round of background checks, letters of reference, fees, etc., only to be denied because New Jersey simply does not grant CCW licenses to anyone except for police, politicians, and those with high political connections.

  28. Definitely the wrong choice of tool here, but maybe a concept that has some merit, at least theoretically.

    PCP air rifles are available in the UK, albeit with (surprise, surprise) a lot of restrictions. The big bore stuff we can buy for hog hunting, etc. is verboten, AFAIK. They do have some repeating .22 caliber PCP rifles, though. Some of them can produce mouse gun muzzle energies (60-70 FPE) and a hunting pellet will penetrate flesh. Several center-of-mass hits would be a very unpleasant experience, I would think.

    Of course, the point is moot, as using a PCP air rifle or any other self-defense tool will get you in tons of legal trouble in old Blighty these days. But it’s an interesting concept to explore.

  29. I thought it was literally illegal to defend yourself in the UK. That if you’re being attacked and they have a knife or a blunt instrument or a gun and you are facing without question serious immediate bodily harm or death if you defend yourself with anything you are actually more liable to go to prison than your attacker. Self-defense is literally illegal and the government thinks it is actually better for you to die than for you to defend yourself.

  30. – I’ve been hit with plenty of the little projectiles back in my capture-the-flag days.

    Dip those in liquid CO2, makes for a much more nasty welt. Don’t ask me how I know, pleading the 5th.

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