This is more of a table top review with a performance update once I have a chance to shoot some practice rounds.Also, this is a review from a self-defense point of view. I have been around guns as a youngster and have fired many types of weapons, but have not owned a gun as an adult. I am one of those individuals who do not feel comfortable with with the idea of owning a firearm, especially with a child at home. The risk of injury or accident outweighs the potential benefit derived from the unlikely event where I may have to use the weapon in self defense.The first thing you'll notice when you pick up this tracer is the build quality and weight. It doesn't feel like the real thing. It is the real thing -- you'd be forgiven to think it's simply a modified non-lethal version. Of course, I am talking about the quality and not the function.IMPORTANT: If you expect to see a safety pin or toggle, you will not find one. Just like the regular version of this gun, there is no additional safety toggle on the gun itself. Something to keep in mind if you plan to conceal carry -- although a proper holster and handling will ensure safety. The trigger has a safety pin built in, which you can see in the photos. I believe the new Smith and Wesson version does have a separate safety switch. I will probably buy that one in the future as well, so I'll review it as well should that happen.This gun will fire pepper balls as well as rubber balls. If you don't think this is enough of a deterrent, please research further. At 355 feet per second and a typical range of say 15 to 20 feet in a self defense situation, this gun will deliver a very painful sting from physical impact and, if using quality pepper balls, it will create a cloud compatible in effectiveness to a quality pepper spray. I don't think this is one of those situations where a motivated attacker will continue to advance, in my opinion at least. The stated five joules of energy is definitely achievable if you do the math.I hope this is helpful to those who are considering this gun. If you are looking at the other products on the market, I believe you'll find this one to be of superior quality. Don't be swayed by the fact that this gun's primary function is to provide a cost effective training tool for law enforcement and remember that quality may ultimately translate to reliability and that is always the key with any self defense weapon. This is certainly a great option to consider if you're looking at the popular Salt Gun (or the non-Salt Gun branded alternative). The only plausible advantage they have is that they use a larger caliber ammunition and therefore would theoretically deliver more pepper material. Plus, they also include a tear gas component. I hope additional pepper balls will be made for the .43 caliber in the future.I'll update the review once I have a chance to practice.Below is not part of a review -- more of a personal advice to those considering this type of weapon for self protection.One more comment I'd like to make for those who are trying to decide if this non-lethal or less-lethal option is good for them. In most situations, using a deadly force is not warranted. Statistically speaking vast majority of burglars are not armed. In addition, using a deadly force comes with profound implications. This alone can make you hesitate to defend yourself or even become nervous enough that you handle the gun poorly. There is data to support it. You're already under stress and now have to make a very consequential decision and making the wrong one could result in an innocent person being injured or killed. We all like to think we'd react correctly but reality is very different. Law enforcement trains regularly and they still make mistakes.UPDATE:I've had a chance to shoot with it. It's way fun. Waaaaay fun. Accuracy was surprisingly good. I had no trouble hitting a small target (wine cork) from 15 to 20 feet. I tried to gauge the long-range performance as well by tagging a tree about 50-60 feet away. I was able to observe a significant drop of the projectile. In this case, it was a standard paint ball. Performance may vary with rubber balls or pepper balls.The marker operated flawlessly. No issues at all.I have also tested the quick pierce magazine. Works exactly as advertised. Overall, fantastic marker. The only concern I have regarding the use of pepper balls as alternative self defense means is the caliber being small. Obviously the larger the ball, the more pepper material it contains. Therefore, something like the Salt Gun or the PepperBall may ultimately be more effective.