While I’m a strong advocate for firearms for personal defense, over 20 years of law enforcement experience has taught me that there’s a definite place for less lethal tools in your defense preps. First off, not every threat justifies the use of lethal force. Getting into a wrestling match or a pugilistic throwdown is probably suboptimal for most of us. This is where pepper blasters like the Umarex P2P HDP 50 Compact fill the less lethal gap.
The Umarex P2P HDP 50 Compact
There are a lot of handheld, less lethal options like batons and stun guns or short-range things like OC spray. However, having an option to drive off a suspect from a greater distance gives you a big advantage. The TASER is a great choice. But they can be expensive, have a limited number of shots, and don’t always work through heavy clothing or if you don’t get a solid hit with both barbs.
Another more affordable option is a pepperball gun, such as the HDP 50 Compact from Umarex.
P2P HDP 50 Compact Features
The HDP 50 Compact is a .50 caliber CO2-powered personal defense device—part of Umarex’s Be Prepared 2 Protect® line. Basically, it’s a semiautomatic paint gun. However, instead of paint balls, it’s designed to fire .50 caliber OC-filled pellets or solid rubber balls.
The HDP 50 Compact has a 2.75-inch smoothbore barrel and is just over 7 inches long. It has a snag-free design and weighs in at just 1.3 pounds.
The HDP 50 is about the size of a Glock 19 or similar firearm. It seemed chunky to me at first. However, when compared to one of my compact 9mm’s, they’re extremely close in size, and the HDP is lighter.
The HDP is powered by an 8-gram CO2 cartridge and holds four rounds in an integral under-barrel magazine. The CO2 cartridge is loaded in the grip, much like conventional CO2 pistols. However, it isn’t pierced when you screw the cartridge into place. The HDP uses what Umarex calls the Quick Pierce Knob—a big button on the bottom of the grip.
When you’re ready to use the device, you just smack the button with the palm of your hand. This breaks the seal on the CO2 and charges the system. A red-lined pin pops out of the rear of the HDP when it’s charged. This lets you visually and physically confirm that it is ready to fire.
Simplicity by Design
The gun has no external controls other than the charging button on the bottom. The HDP fires with a double-action-only trigger. The trigger has a Glock-style blade safety, so there’s no need to manipulate a manual safety before use.
It’s designed to be simple and easy to use. Aiming is via a simple trough that runs along the top of the pistol and contains a rudimentary set of low-profile fixed sights.
The HDP 50 ships in a retail box containing the gun, two 8-gram CO2 cartridges, ten .50 caliber rubber practice rounds, ten .50 caliber pepper defense rounds, an Allen wrench for the CO2 nut, and a barrel cleaning squeegee. The MSRP is $119.99.
For training, an inert powder round that mimics the spread of the OC powder in the pepper rounds is also available. Spare ammunition and CO2 cartridges are available directly from Umarex or through their licensed online dealers.
Hands-On the P2P
The HDP 50 is pretty simple to use. When I first opened it up I took it straight over to one of my buddies houses. He had asked me about less lethal pistols in the past. So, I figured we would take a first look together.
We grabbed the PDP 50 Compact, an 8-gram CO2 cartridge, a tube of rubber balls, and a tube of the powder practice rounds, and headed out into his backyard. We figured out loading by taking a look at the box.
To load the HDP 50, you pull down on the trigger guard, exposing the integral 4-round tube magazine located below the barrel. Pull the follower back, slide it into the locking notch on the side of the tube, and drop four .50 caliber rounds of your choice in place. Release the follower and close the trigger guard.
If you haven’t already inserted a CO2 cartridge, you can do so now. Umarex recommends placing a drop of silicone oil on the top of the cartridge before inserting it. Once in place, hand tighten the knob on the bottom of the grip. When you’re ready to fire, strike the big button on the bottom of the knob to pierce the cartridge.
I followed those steps, but nothing happened when I went to fire the first round. We tried again with the same results. Inspecting the HDP, we noticed that the pin that pops out when the gun is charged was not, in fact, popped out. We pulled the CO2 cartridge, and it was not pierced. We reseated it and tried again with the same negative results.
Reading the Manual
At this point, we retreated to the house and read the manual. If you grew up shooting CO2 air guns, then the HDP loading is counterintuitive. It turns out that you insert the cartridge in with the nozzle side down, towards the butt of the grip. Not up into the grip like what you’re probably used to.
When you look at how the big button on the bottom pierces the cartridge when you smack it, this actually makes sense.
A 30-second read of the manual would have shown us this. But hey, he’s a chemist, and I’m a cop with decades of experience. So why would we need to read the manual?
In our defense, the HDP pictures on Umarex’s website actually show the cartridge inserted the wrong way, too! Do yourself a favor and read the manual. It’s pretty concise and only takes a few minutes to go through the whole thing.
There’s actually a good video on the Umarex website that walks you through loading the CO2 cartridge and explains the proper way to discharge the air and swap cartridges. It’s well worth watching. I discovered it later.
Back to the Range
On our second try, after loading the CO2 cartridge correctly, things worked as advertised. A sharp wrap to the big button on the bottom of the grip with an open palm easily pierced the cartridge. We could actually hear the hiss of the cartridge seal breaking when we did it properly. The pin indicating the HDP was charged also popped out as it should.
As noted earlier, the HDP sights are rudimentary. There’s a tiny rear notch and a tiny front sight. Both are contained in a trough that runs the length of the top of the pistol. I found that you are basically just aiming along the trough. If you’re old enough or into obscure guns, it reminded me of the old Smith & Wesson Model 39 ASP conversions.
Despite the basic sights, I was surprised at the accuracy of the HDP. The trigger is fairly long but not overly heavy at only 5.75 pounds of pull. At 10 yards, I was able to drop .50 cal rubber balls on top of each other in one tight group.
For our initial testing, we just used a big old tree in my buddy’s backyard. The rounds impacted with significant force. Most bounced off after leaving a dent in the bark, but a couple actually lodged into the thick bark layer. I have no idea what kind of tree it was. I’m a cop, not an arborist.
Running the Powder Rounds
We switched to the powder rounds, and I found those hit slightly to the right, possibly affected by the wind. It wasn’t a gale, but it was right before a storm hit, and there was definitely wind. With that said, they would have still easily been center mass on a person. The powder rounds hit and created a cloud of powder around the impact area.
My buddy’s 20-year-old daughter came out to supervise us. So, I gave her a quick rundown on how to load and use the HDP and let her shoot as well.
She has very minimal shooting experience. However, after a round or two to get used to the trigger, she was also stacking rounds on top of each other. The complete lack of recoil and noise with the CO2-powered pistol certainly helped her quickly master the system.
Practice Anywhere
I had another practice session at my house a few days later. It’s worth pointing out that I did this both times in suburban backyards. That’s one of the great things about the HDP. You can practice anywhere. You could even shoot in the garage or even inside your house or apartment. However, you might want to build a bullet trap out of a sturdy box.
My 21-year-old daughter helped me with this practice session. My daughter has a little more shooting experience than my buddy’s, but still not a lot. She also mastered the HDP quickly, though.
We used two targets for practice. One was a 4-foot piece of diamond plate, and one was a standard full-sized silhouette target on a heavy cardboard backing. We shot the inert powder rounds at the steel to see what kind of spread we’d get. It was a lot easier to see on the plate than on the tree.
Using slow-motion video and burst shots on the camera, we were able to capture the spread of the cloud and saw that it covered about a 3-foot diameter at full spread. That was a pretty impressive payload capacity, I thought, for the .50 caliber ball.
We fired the rubber training balls on the silhouette target. When shooting at the tree, I could generally get one-hole groups at 10 yards—even with the simple sights. My daughter’s groups were a little bigger, but still plenty good for minute of bad guy.
It’s worth noting, too, that if you’re using the OC rounds, you don’t need a direct hit. You don’t even need to hit the person at all. A hit on the wall or door frame nearby is still going to catch them in the OC cloud.
Packing a Punch
While shooting, we noticed that the rubber balls were actually punching through the cardboard backing and zipping down into the woods behind my house. The backing I used was heavy-duty quarter-inch thick corrugated cardboard, not something thin like an Amazon box.
After noting this, I deliberately fired at areas that were solid, with no previous holes nearby. The results were the same.
The solid rubber balls hit with significant force. At 360fps, that’s about 60fps faster than a paintball gun. And you’re shooting a solid projectile, not one that breaks upon impact. It probably won’t kill someone, but it sure as heck is going to hurt.
I’ve had pretty good welts and broken skin from paintballs. So, I wouldn’t be looking forward to getting hit with a hard rubber projectile. It’s an option if you don’t want to use OC for some reason.
Putting the HDP 50 Compact to Use
So, where do I see the HDP 50 Compact fitting into your defense plan? A few places, actually. It can be a good less-lethal defense tool if you already have a firearm at home or even in your vehicle. It gives you options, and options are always good.
I can also see it being very useful for someone who doesn’t have access to a firearm, who isn’t comfortable using a firearm, or who lives in a restrictive area that makes firearms ownership difficult. For those folks, something like the HDP 50 gives them an option that’s better than harsh language and prayers.
No self-defense system is foolproof. However, having something that lets you keep some distance from an attacker is a better choice than a baseball bat. I don’t hate the idea of having the bat as well. But again, it’s nice to have an option that doesn’t require you to get too close.
There are actually holsters available for the HDP 50 if you choose to carry one when out and about. I’ll insert the obligatory know your local laws statement here. However, it should be less restrictive than actually carrying a firearm in most places.
My daughter—and my buddy’s daughter—mastered the system quickly, and said they’d feel comfortable using one or having it around in their apartment. That level of confidence is important in a defensive tool. People won’t train with, and will hesitate to use, something they’re unsure of. I plan on showing my wife and son how to use it as well.
A Great, Less Lethal Defensive Option
In my opinion, the HDP 50 Compact is a great defense option that lets you put some distance between you and an attacker. Distance is time, and time gives you a chance to get away or get help.
The fact that the HDP 50 is simple to learn, and easy to train with, is important too. CO2 and training ammo are inexpensive, and you can train with it around the house. The $120 MSRP of the HDP 50 Compact isn’t going to be a barrier to most folks either.
For more information, please visit UmarexUSA.com.
Umarex P2P HDP 50 Compact Specs
| Trigger Action | Double |
| Barrel Length | 2.75 inches |
| Overall Length | 7.17 inches |
| Weight | 1.3 pounds |
| Caliber | 0.50 |
| Capacity | 4 rounds |
| Power Source | 8 gram CO2 |
| Trigger Pull | 5.75 lbs. |
| Velocity | 360 fps |
| Barrel | Smooth Bore |
| Front Sights | Fixed |
| Rear Sights | Fixed |
| MSRP | $119.99 |
