Female with a CCW -- Need a different gun for concealment - Page 2

Stealth01 · April 29, 2012, 08:12 AM

Sig
p238!

CDW4ME · April 29, 2012, 12:18 PM

Kahr P9 - thinner
Glock 26 - smaller

UpstateGlocker · April 29, 2012, 01:06 PM

+1 on the Kahr PM9

9mm, very concealable, DAO, single stack/thin for smaller hands. You can get a model with external safety if you don't like the idea of carrying with a round in the chamber w/o the manual safety.

There are other similar guns (Rohrbaugh; Boberg, Ruger etc) but Kahr's PM9 has all the features you would want.

ponchsox · April 29, 2012, 01:11 PM

M&P Shield

jct_ucb · April 29, 2012, 01:55 PM

I'm a small woman in exactly the same situation. Have an SA XDm 9mm 4.5 that I love to shoot but there is no way to carry it. I know about dressing to carry, but guys - there's no way to do that without looking 20 lbs heavier. I know it sounds shallow, but it's tough.

I had always wanted to try the M&P line, so I picked up a new Shield for $380 - still getting used to the shorter sight radius, but it handles beautifully. Will try a few holsters , but this will be *much* easier to conceal.

+1 on the Cornered Cat.

Good luck!

JT

ShipWreck · April 29, 2012, 02:09 PM

I would second the M&P Shield. I rented one yesterday and was VERY impressed. And I have never cared for M&P guns before. The trigger on the shield is different. Much crisper. Also, less recoil than those small Kahr pistols.

I plan to get one in the next week

ponchsox · April 29, 2012, 02:13 PM

Great choice! I love my Shield. It's a sweet shooter for a single stack.

tomrkba · April 29, 2012, 03:53 PM

Never jump on the bandwagon with new designs. I recommend waiting for at least a year on the M&P Shield. There may be some bugs in it. Several major gun companies in recent years had to recall guns or send repair notices to customers.

As for Milt Sparks, just make the order today. You'll receive a package sometime in the next six months. It'll be like Christmas!

Madcap_Magician · April 30, 2012, 08:38 AM

I think we would need to know a little more about your wardrobe choices. My wife almost never carries for the same reasons... women's pants were just not designed to have holsters in them. Can't imagine why. Also, women tend not to wear belts as often as men, and when they do, their belts tend to be narrower and more aimed for fashion than to hold heavy weights.

I know everyone is raving about the S&W Shield, which is the new hotness, so I hesitate to add to that furor, but I think a single-stack 9mm in a Remora holster would probably work out well for you.

I like the Shield because I feel like it has less recoil than any of the other small 9mm guns I've shot, but some other options would be the PM9/P9 from Kahr, Ruger's LC9, and the Walther PPS. The Remora holsters work well because they don't require a belt.

btmj · April 30, 2012, 08:53 AM

RNMama - - I was in your exact position a couple of years ago. My Glock 19 was supposed to be my concealed carry weapon, but I found that I could conceal it only during the winter months. Once I stopped wearing jackets and sweaters (April), It was just too large. I am a 180 lb man, 5' 10".

I looked at all the alternatives, and I chose the Walther PPS. It was the most "Glock like" handgun I could find. The only real difference (operationally) between the Walther PPS and the Glock 19 is the magazine release.

My wife is quite fond of her Ruger LC9, so you might want to check it out also.

themalicious0ne · April 30, 2012, 09:37 AM

like stealth01 said, sig p238. Taught my old roomate how to shoot, she is in love with that gun, p238 lady.

1funvet · April 30, 2012, 10:56 AM

My wife,all 5'0" and 100# of her carries the Walther PPS 9MM.

Mrgunsngear · April 30, 2012, 11:51 AM

The before mentioned flashbang holster seems to work pretty well for the women I teach. The way women's clothes are made/fitted, it is tough to find a system that you can carry with and still wear form fitting clothing.

I wouldn't recommend purse carry as that's the thing theives like to steal, but having a gun is better than not having a gun I suppose...

gggplaya · April 30, 2012, 01:57 PM

My wife carries a ruger LCP 380 with a lasermax trigger guard. It's a tiny little gun which actually fits nicely into a cell phone holster if she wants to outer carry. It also pocket carries very well and comes with a pocket holster. It's about the same size as my cell phone so pocket carry is no problem.

I carry a walther pps, it shoots like a full size pistol and most people proclaim it has one of the best factory triggers for a double action. It carries well on me, but i'm 5'9" 160lbs male. I can wear loose fitting clothes, we tried my pps on my wife, who is 5'6" 110lbs and because women wear such tighter form fitting clothing, it was showing unless she wore a regular t-shirt or regular jeans. Of course she chose the clothes over protection, she'd rather die looking sexy rather than protecting herself.

With the ruger LCP, she can wear an IWB holster and super tight close, the gun will show, but doesn't look like a gun at all. Just looks like some round object because it's so small. 380 doesn't have the knockdown power, but a few shots to the chest will allow you to run to saftey, they won't be following you.

Pilot · April 30, 2012, 03:18 PM

How does the "Shield" compare to the Walther PPS which it seems designed to compete directly?

I know that S&W is Walther's distributor here in the U.S., and that the S&W is a bit less expensive. I've always wondered why there isn't a Walther USA.

plom · April 30, 2012, 06:26 PM

Try a Walther PPK or a Sig P232, they're pure joy to carry!

coolbreezy · April 30, 2012, 11:26 PM

the glock 29 is an absolute beast if you can handle it, but I'd recommend either the g30 or g36. Both are .45, difference is one is wider and utilizes a double stack mag and the other is slimmer and single stack. It's your preference, capacity vs. Comfort.

ClydeFrog · April 30, 2012, 11:35 PM

I'd think twice before looking into buying a PPK .380acp.
Many pistol shooters get "bit" from the PPK's sharp slide.

I also read a detailed NRA article that did a T&E on several popular .380acp semi-auto pistols. None of these major brands did very well.
The PPK is widely known for feeding/cycle problems(jams) with carry-protection rounds too.
In 2012, you can buy a .40, .357sig or 9x19mm to protect you that is the same size/wt as a Walther PPK.

thefamcnaj · May 1, 2012, 12:06 AM

My wife is a small lady 5'4 130 lbs. She carries a cm9 in the summer. It tucks away nice on her. In the winter she carries an xdsc.

ROCK6 · May 1, 2012, 10:04 AM

Well, you hit the right sites with Cornered Cat and Falia Photography’s Youtube videos; my wife really learned a lot from them. For my wife’s deep concealment, she has a Kel-Tec P3AT .380; it’s small enough to wear in a bra-holster under the arm with a tight T-shirt or a small custom (I think it’s a Crossbreed) holster for the small of her back.

She also has a Bersa .380 which she still loves and uses the most and more recently she’s been enjoying a Ruger SR9c. The SR9c is almost as big as the Glock 19, but a tad slimmer in profile. I’m thinking on picking up a Kahr PM9 or CM9 for myself and letting her try it out.

Women’s clothing can be hard to dress around a gun, but my wife has really took it on as a challenge. She’s been buying light-weight casual-dress vests that drape over her shirts or even dresses. She’s tried ankle holsters, shoulder holsters (both are good for driving longer distances), Inside and Outside waistband holsters, etc. She has probably a good dozen holsters for her pistols. She also wants to try a garter holster for when we attend more formal dress events, but her favorite holsters are by Crossbreed. She’s found instead of carrying on hip, she has it more stationed in the small of the back due to the more tight fitting clothes. She really like the shoulder holster when traveling, but would rather carry inside her waistband if at all possible which is also what she practices with at the range the most.

I myself ended up carrying my Glock 26 over my Glock 19 for most of my summer-weather carry. During the winter when I can wear a jacket, I’ll pack a larger pistol.

Once you find out which carry systems are best for your choice of dress, make sure you practice drawing at the range with them. That little “bra” holster conceals extremely well, but my wife has to practically expose her chest to draw quickly and engage

…I made sure to have her practice that over, and over, and over again

…fortunately we were on a pretty isolated range, so I was the only one enjoying the practice

Good luck and please follow up if you select a new gun and holster system; there are a lot of women who could benefit from other women's experiences.

ROCK6

scottycoyote · May 1, 2012, 01:59 PM

+1 on the g26....my gf tried several different guns out (kahr, sig), but always came back to the g26 as her fav, so i got her one

.

Topkicker · May 1, 2012, 03:53 PM

My wife got her CCW about a month ago. She was carrying my LCP and didn't mind the recoil. She went with the S&W bodyguard 380. It's ballanced a bit better than my LCP IMO and does have a built in red dot laser.

Chris_B · May 1, 2012, 05:20 PM

I've yet to hear anything bad about the PPS, but somehow it's not the name on everyone's lips

baccusboy · May 1, 2012, 06:07 PM

M&P Shield every day of the week, and twice on Sunday for a lady.

People who get them are just going nuts over 'em. And almost every single one comments about how the recoil is so subdued. Better that a little .380 -- and doubly-better for a lady. And it's a more powerful round, to boot.

I have a feeling an M&P Shield is going to keep its value far, far better (if not go up in price soon).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1pu0CCkvak

April 29, 2012, 08:12 AM	#26
Stealth01 Senior Member Join Date: November 16, 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 240	Sig p238! __________________ Ken

April 29, 2012, 12:18 PM	#27
CDW4ME Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Posts: 1,321	Kahr P9 - thinner Glock 26 - smaller __________________ Strive to carry the handgun you would want anywhere, everywhere; forget that good area bullcrap. "Wouldn't want to / Nobody volunteer to" get shot by _____ is not indicative of quickly incapacitating.

April 30, 2012, 11:51 AM	#38
Mrgunsngear Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2011 Location: Carolina Posts: 3,415	The before mentioned flashbang holster seems to work pretty well for the women I teach. The way women's clothes are made/fitted, it is tough to find a system that you can carry with and still wear form fitting clothing. I wouldn't recommend purse carry as that's the thing theives like to steal, but having a gun is better than not having a gun I suppose... __________________ Mrgunsngear Youtube Channel

April 30, 2012, 03:18 PM	#40
Pilot Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2000 Posts: 4,193	How does the "Shield" compare to the Walther PPS which it seems designed to compete directly? I know that S&W is Walther's distributor here in the U.S., and that the S&W is a bit less expensive. I've always wondered why there isn't a Walther USA. __________________ Pilot

April 30, 2012, 06:26 PM	#41
plom Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Posts: 582	Try a Walther PPK or a Sig P232, they're pure joy to carry! __________________ DUX BELLORUM

April 29, 2012, 01:06 PM	#28
UpstateGlocker Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2009 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 104	+1 on the Kahr PM9 9mm, very concealable, DAO, single stack/thin for smaller hands. You can get a model with external safety if you don't like the idea of carrying with a round in the chamber w/o the manual safety. There are other similar guns (Rohrbaugh; Boberg, Ruger etc) but Kahr's PM9 has all the features you would want.

April 29, 2012, 01:11 PM	#29
ponchsox Member Join Date: April 28, 2012 Posts: 56	M&P Shield

April 29, 2012, 01:55 PM	#30
jct_ucb Junior Member Join Date: November 6, 2011 Posts: 11	I'm a small woman in exactly the same situation. Have an SA XDm 9mm 4.5 that I love to shoot but there is no way to carry it. I know about dressing to carry, but guys - there's no way to do that without looking 20 lbs heavier. I know it sounds shallow, but it's tough. I had always wanted to try the M&P line, so I picked up a new Shield for $380 - still getting used to the shorter sight radius, but it handles beautifully. Will try a few holsters , but this will be much easier to conceal. +1 on the Cornered Cat. Good luck! JT

April 29, 2012, 02:09 PM	#31
ShipWreck Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 1,744	I would second the M&P Shield. I rented one yesterday and was VERY impressed. And I have never cared for M&P guns before. The trigger on the shield is different. Much crisper. Also, less recoil than those small Kahr pistols. I plan to get one in the next week

April 29, 2012, 02:13 PM	#32
ponchsox Member Join Date: April 28, 2012 Posts: 56	Great choice! I love my Shield. It's a sweet shooter for a single stack.

April 29, 2012, 03:53 PM	#33
tomrkba Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2011 Posts: 751	Never jump on the bandwagon with new designs. I recommend waiting for at least a year on the M&P Shield. There may be some bugs in it. Several major gun companies in recent years had to recall guns or send repair notices to customers. As for Milt Sparks, just make the order today. You'll receive a package sometime in the next six months. It'll be like Christmas!

April 30, 2012, 08:38 AM	#34
Madcap_Magician Senior Member Join Date: August 13, 2009 Location: MN Posts: 668	I think we would need to know a little more about your wardrobe choices. My wife almost never carries for the same reasons... women's pants were just not designed to have holsters in them. Can't imagine why. Also, women tend not to wear belts as often as men, and when they do, their belts tend to be narrower and more aimed for fashion than to hold heavy weights. I know everyone is raving about the S&W Shield, which is the new hotness, so I hesitate to add to that furor, but I think a single-stack 9mm in a Remora holster would probably work out well for you. I like the Shield because I feel like it has less recoil than any of the other small 9mm guns I've shot, but some other options would be the PM9/P9 from Kahr, Ruger's LC9, and the Walther PPS. The Remora holsters work well because they don't require a belt.

April 30, 2012, 08:53 AM	#35
btmj Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2011 Location: Near St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 864	RNMama - - I was in your exact position a couple of years ago. My Glock 19 was supposed to be my concealed carry weapon, but I found that I could conceal it only during the winter months. Once I stopped wearing jackets and sweaters (April), It was just too large. I am a 180 lb man, 5' 10". I looked at all the alternatives, and I chose the Walther PPS. It was the most "Glock like" handgun I could find. The only real difference (operationally) between the Walther PPS and the Glock 19 is the magazine release. My wife is quite fond of her Ruger LC9, so you might want to check it out also.

April 30, 2012, 09:37 AM	#36
themalicious0ne Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2012 Location: Oconomowoc, WI Posts: 345	like stealth01 said, sig p238. Taught my old roomate how to shoot, she is in love with that gun, p238 lady.

April 30, 2012, 10:56 AM	#37
1funvet Junior Member Join Date: April 27, 2012 Posts: 1	My wife,all 5'0" and 100# of her carries the Walther PPS 9MM.

April 30, 2012, 01:57 PM	#39
gggplaya Member Join Date: February 9, 2012 Posts: 62	My wife carries a ruger LCP 380 with a lasermax trigger guard. It's a tiny little gun which actually fits nicely into a cell phone holster if she wants to outer carry. It also pocket carries very well and comes with a pocket holster. It's about the same size as my cell phone so pocket carry is no problem. I carry a walther pps, it shoots like a full size pistol and most people proclaim it has one of the best factory triggers for a double action. It carries well on me, but i'm 5'9" 160lbs male. I can wear loose fitting clothes, we tried my pps on my wife, who is 5'6" 110lbs and because women wear such tighter form fitting clothing, it was showing unless she wore a regular t-shirt or regular jeans. Of course she chose the clothes over protection, she'd rather die looking sexy rather than protecting herself. With the ruger LCP, she can wear an IWB holster and super tight close, the gun will show, but doesn't look like a gun at all. Just looks like some round object because it's so small. 380 doesn't have the knockdown power, but a few shots to the chest will allow you to run to saftey, they won't be following you.

April 30, 2012, 11:26 PM	#42
coolbreezy Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2010 Posts: 271	the glock 29 is an absolute beast if you can handle it, but I'd recommend either the g30 or g36. Both are .45, difference is one is wider and utilizes a double stack mag and the other is slimmer and single stack. It's your preference, capacity vs. Comfort. __________________ S&W highway patrolman 28-2/ Springfield mil spec 1911 (semi custom)/ Sig P220 match elite .45 acp/Kimber micro 9 stainless/ Remington 870 tac14/ Taurus pt22/ S&W 629-1 3" .44 mag/ S&W 629 PC V-Comp/ Beretta M9/ Stevens/Savage 311A 12 ga double bbl/ Magnum research Desert Eagle XIX .44 mag/ S&W 460 xvr/ Glock g40 10mm longslide/ H&K usp compact .45 acp/ Ruger SuperBlackhawk Lipsey Edition/ S&W 686+ 3-5-7 talo edition

April 30, 2012, 11:35 PM	#43
ClydeFrog Junior member Join Date: May 1, 2010 Posts: 5,797	Walther PPK .380acp, .380acp pistols in general.... I'd think twice before looking into buying a PPK .380acp. Many pistol shooters get "bit" from the PPK's sharp slide. I also read a detailed NRA article that did a T&E on several popular .380acp semi-auto pistols. None of these major brands did very well. The PPK is widely known for feeding/cycle problems(jams) with carry-protection rounds too. In 2012, you can buy a .40, .357sig or 9x19mm to protect you that is the same size/wt as a Walther PPK.

May 1, 2012, 12:06 AM	#44
thefamcnaj Junior Member Join Date: April 30, 2012 Posts: 10	My wife is a small lady 5'4 130 lbs. She carries a cm9 in the summer. It tucks away nice on her. In the winter she carries an xdsc.

May 1, 2012, 10:04 AM	#45
ROCK6 Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2004 Location: Georgia/Afghanistan Posts: 314	Well, you hit the right sites with Cornered Cat and Falia Photography’s Youtube videos; my wife really learned a lot from them. For my wife’s deep concealment, she has a Kel-Tec P3AT .380; it’s small enough to wear in a bra-holster under the arm with a tight T-shirt or a small custom (I think it’s a Crossbreed) holster for the small of her back. She also has a Bersa .380 which she still loves and uses the most and more recently she’s been enjoying a Ruger SR9c. The SR9c is almost as big as the Glock 19, but a tad slimmer in profile. I’m thinking on picking up a Kahr PM9 or CM9 for myself and letting her try it out. Women’s clothing can be hard to dress around a gun, but my wife has really took it on as a challenge. She’s been buying light-weight casual-dress vests that drape over her shirts or even dresses. She’s tried ankle holsters, shoulder holsters (both are good for driving longer distances), Inside and Outside waistband holsters, etc. She has probably a good dozen holsters for her pistols. She also wants to try a garter holster for when we attend more formal dress events, but her favorite holsters are by Crossbreed. She’s found instead of carrying on hip, she has it more stationed in the small of the back due to the more tight fitting clothes. She really like the shoulder holster when traveling, but would rather carry inside her waistband if at all possible which is also what she practices with at the range the most. I myself ended up carrying my Glock 26 over my Glock 19 for most of my summer-weather carry. During the winter when I can wear a jacket, I’ll pack a larger pistol. Once you find out which carry systems are best for your choice of dress, make sure you practice drawing at the range with them. That little “bra” holster conceals extremely well, but my wife has to practically expose her chest to draw quickly and engage…I made sure to have her practice that over, and over, and over again…fortunately we were on a pretty isolated range, so I was the only one enjoying the practice Good luck and please follow up if you select a new gun and holster system; there are a lot of women who could benefit from other women's experiences. ROCK6

May 1, 2012, 01:59 PM	#46
scottycoyote Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2005 Location: southwestern va Posts: 830	+1 on the g26....my gf tried several different guns out (kahr, sig), but always came back to the g26 as her fav, so i got her one . __________________ "i got the most powerful gun in the world........an .88 magnum. It shoots thru schools......"

May 1, 2012, 03:53 PM	#47
Topkicker Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2008 Location: Wentzville,MO Posts: 160	My wife got her CCW about a month ago. She was carrying my LCP and didn't mind the recoil. She went with the S&W bodyguard 380. It's ballanced a bit better than my LCP IMO and does have a built in red dot laser. __________________ "Our houses are protected by the good Lord and a gun. You might meet em both if you show up here not welcome, son."-Josh Thompson.

May 1, 2012, 05:20 PM	#48
Chris_B Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2007 Posts: 3,101	I've yet to hear anything bad about the PPS, but somehow it's not the name on everyone's lips

May 1, 2012, 06:07 PM	#49
baccusboy Senior Member Join Date: October 30, 2011 Posts: 147	M&P Shield every day of the week, and twice on Sunday for a lady. People who get them are just going nuts over 'em. And almost every single one comments about how the recoil is so subdued. Better that a little .380 -- and doubly-better for a lady. And it's a more powerful round, to boot. I have a feeling an M&P Shield is going to keep its value far, far better (if not go up in price soon). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1pu0CCkvak