# Concealed carry for women



## ketone (Dec 18, 2009)

I'm pretty new here, but this looked like as good a place as any to ask. 
My sister has gone ahead and got herself a CCP, and she's been looking around at some of the options out there. Naturally, I'm interested in making sure she gets herself a good weapon, if only because it gives me an excuse to play with some new guns.  
She's pretty average size, about 5'4" and normal weight. She also is fairly experienced with guns, but that's mostly with rifles/shotguns, hunting deer, ducks, and the like. 
She doesn't really use a purse, so she'd probably carry it in the small of her back or a shoulder holster. The fellow at the local Sportsman's Warehouse recommended a snub-nose revolver, something like the Smith and Wesson 642 Airweight. The other option he put out there was the Sig-Saeur P238 in .380 Auto, or the Taurus TCP. 

So my questions are kinda open ended, but I'm interested in ya'lls take on compact carry for a woman. What do you think about the guns I mentioned, the calibers, automatic/revolver(always a hot topic, I know), accuracy, weight and recoil, all that. I know a fair bit about guns myself, but not so much in the realm of handguns, so I'm interested in what you gun nuts on here have to say about this. Thanks in advance.


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

I've never been impressed with the help at Sportsman's Warehouse.

There are plenty of viable options other than snubby revolvers and teeny tiny autos.

The 642 isn't a bad gun, but it's rather limited due to it's 5 shot capacity. Unless she has other .380s and a nice stock pile of .380, I would not get a Sig in that caliber as in the last year I've only seen three boxes of .380 on the shelf.

Cornered Cat, is probably one of the best resources out there (for those that don't know, Kathy Jackson who runs that site co-authored a new book that's out "Lessons from Armed America") for women.

Also *my wife *(that was a hint to all, don't make any rude/crude comments or I'll stomp a mud hole in your chest) has several videos on YouTube that show exactly what she carries despite being 5'4" and 106lbs.

Holster Talk Part 1

Holster Talk Part 2

Holster Talk Part 3

Holster Talk Part 4

While we do own a snub-nosed revolver and small .380 autos, I really don't think they make great first guns. A subcompact 9mm can be hidden just as easy. My first suggestion of a make and model would be a Kahr CW9 or P9.

Other than that I would say that your sister needs to go out and rent/try out as many guns as she can at a range and see what she likes.


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## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

My wife is about the same size as your sister. She can grip any semi-auto well enough to shoot quite well. Her favorite semi-autos are the Glock 26, H&K P7, and the CZ85. She used the Glock to qualify for her CCL.

However, she prefers to carry a hammerless .38. It has more recoil (less gun weight), but she likes the fact that she will not have to deal with clearing a jammed slide, which is something she is not greatly proficient with. Yes, she knows that ammo capacity is limited, but she also knows that five rounds is better than none.

Of the three handguns you mentioned, I think that the revolver would be the best choice. You can find many different grips for them, and can therefore find something that will enable her to grip it well enough to effect good control. Load it with a good SD load (I like the Buffalo Bore +p lead semiwads), and she will be good to go. One has to keep in mind that a lot of women will not shoot a lot, and it's likely that she will not practice enough to become proficient enough to carry a semi-auto. If that's the case with your sister, then a revolver would be easier to learn, and therefore safer to carry. A small revolver can indeed make a good first gun, as long as the loads are light, and the grip is large enough. As proficiency advances, switch to higher loads, and smaller grips.

OTOH, if your sister will shoot enough to become proficient with a semi-auto, then consider the sub-compact 9mms from S&W, Glock, Springfield, Beretta. 9mm is easier to find, and cheaper to shoot than .40 or .380. You can use the longer magazines in order to give you a full-sized grip at the range, and then switch to the shorter mags when carrying (not sure if you can do this with the Beretta). The Kahr CW9 idea above is also a very good one too. I have two girlfriends who carry them, and they are very happy with them. I would carry one too, if I didn't alreay have a PM9. In retrospect, I should have just gotten the CW...

I would not recommend the Sig .380 as it's a single-action design and that design will take more training to become proficient (not the mention the cost of ammo, which was already mentioned). Also, the .380's will have a surprising amount of recoil, as the guns themselves are so light in weight. The type of action the Sig has will absorb a bit of recoil, but it will still have kick, and the small grips will not help the situation. Also, it seems to me that the smaller the semi-auto, the more it takes to keep them running well. IOW they are more demanding about how clean they are, and are more picky about what you use to clean/lube them and what you shoot through them. They can even be picky about how you hold them when firing. That's why I won't ever recommend a .380 for a novice.

hth,
PhilR.


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

VAMarine said:


> Also *my wife *(that was a hint to all, don't make any rude/crude comments or I'll stomp a mud hole in your chest) has several videos on YouTube that show exactly what she carries despite being 5'4" and 106lbs.
> 
> Holster Talk Part 1
> 
> ...


That's YOUR wife? Lucky guy.. she's a cutie. (you don't stomp mud holes in people for compliments about your wife do you?)


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

zhurdan said:


> That's YOUR wife? Lucky guy.. she's a cutie. (you don't stomp mud holes in people for compliments about your wife do you?)


No, compliments are fine. :smt1099


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

I found those vids a while back and had my wife watch them all. She came away much more informed. I appreciate her putting those up because, as we all probably realize, women would rather listen to other women than their husbands when it comes to learning something new. :mrgreen:


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

zhurdan said:


> I found those vids a while back and had my wife watch them all. She came away much more informed. I appreciate her putting those up because, as we all probably realize, women would rather listen to other women than their husbands when it comes to learning something new. :mrgreen:


Thanks,

I'll pass that along to her. :smt023


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

For a woman who would be content with what I picked for her, I would choose a Kahr K-9 with Crimson Trace Laser grips, because I have one that just seems like the perfect carry gun. I don't carry it because the trigger reach is too short for me, but it should be perfect for a woman. The K-9 is all stainless steel, so it has enough heft to it to cut down on the amount of recoil that is felt by the shooter. The MK-9 is exactly the same gun but is about a half-inch shorter in length and in height. The other Kahrs, with polymer frames are also excellent handguns.

I would stick to 9mm, unless she needed to pocket carry, in which case something in .380 that is about equal in size to the Ruger LCP would work, although they have considerable recoil, are harder to shoot accurately, and ammo is currently difficult to come by, and expensive. They are also considerably weaker than a 'regular' 9mm (9x19).

Or, if she could not learn to deal with the slide on a semi-auto, the S&W 642 is my choice in a .38 special. It's hammerless, light, and not that unpleasant to shoot. Also, the Ruger SP-101 is a good choice in a heavier gun that shoots .357 magnum, if she's up for that, or .38 special.

In the end, let her choose something that she likes to shoot, so she will practice enough to become a safe and confident handgun shooter. Just having a gun, and being able to stay calm enough to put rounds on target, gives her the best chance of coming through an attack safely.


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## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

Bisley said:


> The MK-9 is exactly the same gun but is about a half-inch shorter in length and in height. The other Kahrs, with polymer frames are also excellent handguns.


The best trigger I've ever felt on a semi-auto that wasn't a 1911 belongs to a friends MK9. Granted, that pistol has had thousands of rounds through it, but that thing is jaw-droppingly sweet.

The only reason why I own a PM9 instead of a MK9 is that I am happy to gain a bit of recoil in order to loose some weight.....


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## YFZsandrider (Feb 28, 2009)

VAMarine- So you're _that_ marine!:smt042

I've seen you mentioned in your wife's posts on Defensivecarry.

...its a small world, on the internet:mrgreen:


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

YFZsandrider said:


> VAMarine- So you're _that_ marine!:smt042
> 
> I've seen you mentioned in your wife's posts on Defensivecarry.
> 
> ...its a small world, on the internet:mrgreen:


Yeah, I go by JD there.


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## zetti1 (Dec 14, 2009)

I agree with PhilR. You cannot go wrong with a revolver. My first handgun was a Smith and Wesson .38 snubnosed. I wasn't in to guns so I wanted something reliable and simple.


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## Koop (Nov 13, 2009)

I bought my wife a S&W Sigma, but it had issues. She took over my SIG Sauer P239 in 9mm. This is an excellent CCW piece. I want it back, but I doubt if that will happen


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## hideit (Oct 3, 2007)

sig sauer P238
or 
a single stack 9mm like Walther
there are others that are single stack


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## hideit (Oct 3, 2007)

the others are 
Kahr pm9 or p9
SIG p239
Walther PPS


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