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Old February 15, 2013, 03:23 AM   #1
hogdogs
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Female Specific Concealment Gear... Purses?

My dad has recently helped an older lady motivate to her CCW permit here in Fla...

Since her late husband left her a literal arsenal to choose from, feel free to not be concerned with what she will be carrying....

Her first thought was a gun friendly purse...
So we will open with that... I think I remember a concealment purse with an easy access gun holster pouch...

And what about fanny pack gun gear?

And lady friendly IWB or other on the person concealment options???

What are some brands (links too please)... and models I can share with her?

Any and all options are invited as she can easily weed thru them in her leisure. She is computer literate just not real savvy on the "google-foo" skills...

Also... while not likely looking for farkle encrusted fashion stuff... Just consider that money really is not an issue in the least... She would rather own a high quality suitable item for $500 than to buy a $20 dollar piece of junk...

Brent
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Old February 15, 2013, 03:54 AM   #2
alex0535
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This video will likely be enormously helpful. Female perspective on a variety of holsters for concealed carry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogGBPVk5GQk
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Old February 15, 2013, 04:11 AM   #3
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Hogdogs,

I am not a fan of off-body carry (such as in a purse, pack, or bag) unless you've tried everything else & truly have no other reasonable options. That said, I'll put my collection of holster purses up against anyone's -- I have reason to believe that I own more concealment purses than any other private individual in America today! -- and I can tell you a little bit about 'em.

1) Get a purse that's designed for concealed carry. Not one that has been retrofitted or altered in some way, but one that was designed from the beginning to carry the weight of the gun in a secure & accessible manner.

2) Never ever ever ever throw a "gun sleeve" over a pistol and toss it into the main compartment of an ordinary purse. That's worse than a good-luck talisman; we have reason to believe it just attracts bad luck of the worst kind. There's literally no way to get to that gun when you need it.

3) Look for an ambidextrous purse if at all possible. There's one company that advertises "ambidextrous," but they lie. You want a purse that has a zipper at each end of the gun compartment, so it can be set up either way. Why? Because if you sprain your right wrist tomorrow, the day after that you can be set up and ready to go with your off hand. Since you're going to pay at least $100 (possibly $300 or more) for a holstered purse, you might as well make it able to cover you in a crisis.

4) Don't worry about reinforced straps with metal in 'em. Yes, that's a nice feature ... theoretically. Realistically? Purse snatchings are violent, and a certain number of women are dragged to their deaths by their purse straps every year. The typical way this works is in a parking lot: woman walking along, purse carried crossbody or on one shoulder. Car cruises past at slow speed. Passenger reaches out the window, grabs the bag, and driver hits the gas. End of story.

More mundane circumstances, walking down the street, criminal comes up with a knife to cut the purse strap -- strap does not cut. Now we have a violent criminal with a knife at bad breath distance, and you cannot let go of the purse because it's across your body with a reinforced strap. What happens next?

5) Not a fan of locking compartments. People forget to lock them, and tragedy happens. People forget to unlock them, and tragedy happens. If you don't want someone to have access to that firearm, don't leave your purse lying around. That simple.

6) Internal compartments typically lined with soft side of Velcro; holsters usually covered with the hook side. Those holsters are hard to get in & out of the purse, and hard to adjust. Hint: place the unloaded gun inside the holster. Wrap the outside of the holster with a stiff piece of paper. Adjust depth & angle as needed, then pull the paper out. Problem solved.

7) Setting up a thumb break inside a holster purse takes a great deal of mechanical figure-it-out that many women lack. You may be able to help with that. Remember the goal is to allow her to break the retention strap by pushing with her thumb, not by pulling it off, and that the strap goes over the back of the slide -- not over the highest part of the grip. Those two things are key.

8) Before ordering, always call and ask the company if the purse she wants will work with the gun she has. There are a lot of companies out there now making smaller purses for smaller guns, and you can't always tell from the website what you're looking at. Also, zipper length getting into the compartment really matters.

9) No matter how fashionable or comfortable, avoid backpack holster purses. You can't draw from 'em worth a damn.

10) The least-slow purse set up is a Raven from Gun Tote'n Mamas. This purse allows a rip-it-open vertical draw very similar to a well designed fanny pack.

***

Brands to look at include

Gun Tote'n Mamas (affordable, well-designed, all fully ambi, many with vertical and horizontal access options, some with reinforced straps, none with locks);

Galco (classic styles, large, locks, no reinforced straps, single access entries, permanently installed elastic holster rather than velcro);

Coronado (classic styles, different sizes, single access entries, locks, no reinforced straps);

The Concealment Shop (US-made; will custom make purse to your specs, of any size you like, in any color you like; fully lined; some with velcro entries, some with zipper entries; non-ambi);

Designer Concealed Carry
(high end fashion purses, well-designed insides as long as she selects a current model; fully ambi, locking entries; adjustable strap lengths; available in genuine croc & other exotic leathers)

***

All that said? Have her check out the holster pages on my website before she settles on a purse. Purses really aren't the best option.

pax
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Old February 17, 2013, 01:12 AM   #4
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Women & guns...

Pax had a good post. Women may have problems concealing or packing heat but as combat veteran & tactics trainer Clint Smith says; "Handguns are comforting, not comfortable."

I'd advise her to carry on her person too as much as she can. Bags, purses, packs, etc can be stolen or the gun owner could have weapon retention problems with a firearm in a off body location.
Some US firms & custom shops cater to female armed professionals & gun owners. See these sites; www.nra.org www.glockstore.com www.safariland.com www.mitchrosen.com www.bianchi-intl.com www.usgalco.com www.kirkpatrickleather.com www.blade-tech.com www.blackhawk.com www.highnoonholsters.com . New synthetics, polymers and materials make handgun holsters easy to clean or maintain. I'd also look at a few concealment garments or apparel that could hold a weapon, gear, ID, etc. Encourage her to carry spare rounds too. I've found that metal Altoids tins can hold 2 .38/.357 6rd speed strips.
Make sure she knows & understands any local gun/use of force laws BEFORE she carrys a firearm & have a qualified legal defense plan or atty ready to rep her if she has a critical incident, use of lethal force event. See www.handgunlaw.us www.gunlawguide.com www.gunvideo.com www.paladin-press.com .

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Old February 17, 2013, 10:08 AM   #5
Willie Sutton
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Another vote for Gun Totin' Mamas stuff...Significant other carries in one daily with complete confidence.

Galco is her choice for when she wants a larger bag. Quality of the Galco is very high as well.

We both appreciate high quality goods and are not price sensitive. Our choices are based on what we want, not what we can afford.


In fact, we have found the purse to be a good and flexible approach to our needs, both as individuals and as a defensive team (since we are generally together). The bottom line is that it allows a woman to carry a larger (and thus likely more controllable) daily carry gun. Examole: she gets to carry a full sized Glock 19... I just carry a 36. I may be a better shooter than she, but she's better armed. And it's not unlikely that I would end up with her pistol in my hand in any of a number of scenarios: I can access it when we walk arm-in-arm on the street as well as she can. What's not to like about having your own gun-bearer?


Willie


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Last edited by Willie Sutton; February 18, 2013 at 12:47 AM.
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Old February 23, 2013, 01:48 AM   #6
Ignition Override
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Have you watched the YouTube Channel operated by a nice young lady who demonstrates certain rifles (Robarms XCR etc), handguns, and how to conceal under female clothing?

The site is "Faliaphotography". It helps that she is attractive, though her face is partly covered, but she demonstrates her knowledge.
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Old February 23, 2013, 04:02 AM   #7
trg42wraglefragle
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Would something like this suffice?

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mb...b06o1_1280.jpg
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Old February 23, 2013, 10:59 PM   #8
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Best one yet is the Flashbang holster:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8r6CY5UZyw

http://ultimateconcealedcarry.com/fl...holster-1.html
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Old February 23, 2013, 11:52 PM   #9
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A. I'm not a girl
B. I got into a street fight after a purse snatching where a (girl) friend of mine's purse spilled all over the road. 3 bad guys, girl, me. If the contents of that spilled purse had included a gun, we would have had 4 hands and they, 6.

I'm not a fan of CCW unless the firearm is actually on your person.

Just saying. Do what is best for you.
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Old February 24, 2013, 11:27 PM   #10
SPEMack618
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My big sister is a fan of the shorts w/ belt and IWB holster under dress method.

As Iginition Override mentioned, the young lady with the YouTube videos has discussed this method.

Edit- Waspinator posted this. Which has the link to the video I was talking about, just with a Reuger LCP instead of a S&W Bodyguard.
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Old February 25, 2013, 04:34 PM   #11
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Quote:
I got into a street fight after a purse snatching where a (girl) friend of mine's purse spilled all over the road. 3 bad guys, girl, me. If the contents of that spilled purse had included a gun, we would have had 4 hands and they, 6.
I had not considered that scenario or heard that argument before. Definitely something worth thinking about - thanks.
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Old February 25, 2013, 04:48 PM   #12
ClydeFrog
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Purse-bag carry...

My largest - about bag-purse carry for females is the Texas incident where a woman with a valid CC permit & a loaded .38spl snub left it in her purse then left purse in her vehicle as she ate lunch in a large restaurant.
A spree shooter burst in & shot up the place!
She later became a 2A supporter & a state elected official.

Sidearms should be worn on your person not a briefcase, purse or shoulder-bag.
Extra rounds, gear or a BUG/2nd gun can be toted that way but in a critical event, you need a gun for a gunfight!

Clyde
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Old February 25, 2013, 04:52 PM   #13
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ClydeFrog,

You are talking about Suzannah Hupp, who followed the then-current law in Texas which forbade her to carry a gun at all. Before the Luby's massacre, she had sometimes deliberately broken that law by having a gun in her purse. Shortly before her parents were murdered while the three of them ate lunch together, she had decided to stop breaking the law and to keep the gun in her car, where it was legal.

That's hardly an argument against purse carry. It is an argument against failing to carry a gun at all.

It's surprising how many of these threads about female specific carry methods are so often taken over by guys who have never tried to figure out how to carry on a female body, with female type clothing.

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Old February 25, 2013, 04:55 PM   #14
hogdogs
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Kathy, it isn't that surprising to me... most of the time when us guys get dressed up in female attire, the concealment of that gun is not our biggest worry...

What was that do I hear??? "kittens and puppies... more kittens and puppies..."

Brent
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Old February 25, 2013, 05:03 PM   #15
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Here's a picture of me wearing a P3AT (blue gun for the camera) and a Marilyn holster from Looper Leather.

You can't spot either the gun or the holster, but they're there. Decently quick draw from that location, too.

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Old February 25, 2013, 06:46 PM   #16
ClydeFrog
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My point...

My point for both men & women is to have a sidearm on you not 15' away from you.
A SA or Special Agent assigned to to PSD(bodyguard work) for the Sec of HUD(Housing & Urban Development) was formerly disciplined for constantly leaving his briefcase(with issue handgun) at meetings/events.

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