What weapon do you carry?

[PappyD]

Wife of mine carries a Taurus Model 85 .38 Special in stainless. Usually tucked away in her purse in a separate pocket. Sometimes she puts it in a fanny pack, again kind of in a separate pocket so it isn't rattling around with car keys, cell phone etc.

May upgrade to a new 85. One of the hammerless models. She really likes the simplicity of the revolver and the visual check to see if it's loaded, etc.

Only a few of her closest friends know that she carries...she is very careful about who she tells.

[Pami]

+1 on getting as many types of firearms in her hands as she can before she makes her final (or first?) purchase.

+1 on getting formal training -- makes a HUGE difference.

+1 on trying to avoid off-body (purse) carry as there are just tooooo many things that can go wrong with that.

Read these threads:
http://ingunowners.com/forums/women_...your_life.html

http://ingunowners.com/forums/women_...un_owners.html

Especially Cornered Cat: Cornered Cat -- EXCELLENT resource for women that covers what to carry, how to carry, why to carry, and a variety of other topics related to carrying that are important to women. Written for women, by women (well, A woman, with a plethora of input from other women). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Originally Posted by NIFT

That said, the primary and absolute requirement for any defensive firearm is 100% reliability under all conditions. One gun-caused malfuntion is too many! Some ladies have a hard time racking slides on semi-autos, and a revolver is a better choice for them. I recommend either Ruger or Smith & Wesson revolvers in .38 or .357 mag., and I supply those guns to my students, with ammunition, to use in my basic NRA classes.

For semi-autos, again, absolute reliability is the primary consideration.
Glocks, Springfields, Sigs, Berettas, are good choices, but I recommend guns with fewer "gizmos," such as external safeties, decockers, and so on. In a deadly force encounter, fine motor skills go away, and, for that reason, I don't recommend 1911 types for beginners; plus, many 1911 models are prone to malfunction.

Be very, VERY careful how you choose to state these truths. From personal experience, some women will take offense to the "you can't handle this because you're a woman" approach and immediately choose the most complicated semi-auto available (such as a DA/SA SIG Mosquito or P226). Be sure to clearly state that beginners (women AND men) have issues with certain types of pistols, and explain it similarly to the second highlighted statement above rather than the first. If you MUST point out that slides are difficult to rack due to weaker hand/arm strength, be sure to point that out, not necessarily because she's female. Have her try to rack several as she's looking at the guns in the case -- I certainly turned down several models just because I couldn't rack the slide. Even as a newbie, I recognized that I wouldn't be able to do that in an emergency situation.

Choose simpler pistols because she's a beginner, not because she's a woman. Be very, VERY clear about that.

[tharlow514]

My wife preferes a semi-auto to a revolver. I agree, reliability is important when selecting any handgun. Everyone is different (hand strength, finger length, ect.) so it is best to get your hands on as many guns as possible and see what works best for you.

[IndyRoadie]

The NRA Basic Pistol course is a must, in my book. AND she will get to shoot several different pistols in most cases.

Let me just add, my wife cannot rack the slide on my Bersa. However, she may be able to do so on other semi autos. I plan on taking her to an NRA course as soon as possible so she can try out some options, as well as get the needed training.

[ftbstrd]

My wife carries a Ruger SP101 snubby with 110 grain Winchester so recoil is less! All that I have ever been taught or read was to never carry in your purse, cause if they snatch it you lost your purse and weapon too!

[kludge]

Originally Posted by stilllearning09

My sister has decided that she wants a weapon that she can carry. What weapon do you carry and what is your method for carrying? A holster? A purse holster?
She has started to read but hasn't become a member yet. I am hoping that your input will encourage her to become a member, too. Your thoughts, please.

First things first - get her to a class so she can try a few things for herself. No amount of advise will take the place of getting several guns in her hand and then trying a few that "fit".

I would stongly discourage a purse holster. Women tend to set them down leaving a loded gun accessible to unauthorized people and children. Also it's the first thing that a mugger will try to steal... and then he has your gun.

There are several fanny pack holsters, and that would be much better than a purse.

My wife thinks a belly band is very comfortable, and if the gun is small enough is only a minor detriment to the wardrobe.

A vest is another option to a regular in-waistband (IWB) or hip (OWB) holster, but an IWB or OWB can be brought to bear more easily and that is the reason for their popularity.

I have two guns that I carry on a regular basis: A 4" Springfield XD-40 Service Model and a 2.25" Ruger SP101 .357 Magnum (can also shoot .38 Special and .38 Special +P). I'm a big guy, 6'3" 225#, and have no problem concealing either under a shirt, but the SP101 is much more comfortable, and the weight of the SP101 over a typical aluminum frame snubby .38 makes it much more comfortable to shoot too.

A third gun that I carry only occasionally is a Bersa Thunder .380 - it is very comfortable as well.

My buddy took my recommendation for the XD and got a 3" XD-9 sub-compact which he absolutely loves.

Other good models are the Smith and Wesson M&P compact, Glock 19 and Glock 26 (or 23 and 27 if you want a .40 cal).

For revolvers... Ruger SP101 and Ruger Speed Six snub nosed or a Smith and Wesson snub nose revolver (too many to list).

[Yellow Rose]

The first handgun we purchased for me is the Ruger SP101. I am not comfortable with it because of the grips - I have long fingers and the grip on this revolver just doesn't feel comfortable to me. My current handgun is a Kimber Ultra Carry in .45. Down side is I have trouble with the slide so we are looking at alternatives. I have my lifetime LTCH.

[IndyRoadie]

Originally Posted by Yellow Rose

The first handgun we purchased for me is the Ruger SP101. I am not comfortable with it because of the grips - I have long fingers and the grip on this revolver just doesn't feel comfortable to me. My current handgun is a Kimber Ultra Carry in .45. Down side is I have trouble with the slide so we are looking at alternatives. I have my lifetime LTCH.

Welcome Yellow Rose!

(what is it with all the women here having better guns than I do?? Oh, yeah, my BUDGET, lol)

[Jay]

Yellow Rose....

Try this, if you haven't already...

hold the pistol in your shooting hand...(assume it's your right hand), with your right forearm gently against your right side, just above belt level.

with your left hand, grasp the slide with four fingers and the heel of your left hand.

you should have the pistol in both hands, with the pistol just below your belly button.

Grip the slide hard, and hold your left forearm tightly against your body, and with your right hand, quickly shove the frame down, and to the left. You want to make this a quick jerk with your right hand, not a p u s h .

With a magazine in, hopefully you can lock the slide back.

Regards, Jay

[Joe Williams]

Originally Posted by Yellow Rose

The first handgun we purchased for me is the Ruger SP101. I am not comfortable with it because of the grips - I have long fingers and the grip on this revolver just doesn't feel comfortable to me. My current handgun is a Kimber Ultra Carry in .45. Down side is I have trouble with the slide so we are looking at alternatives. I have my lifetime LTCH.

I highly recommend ordering a pair of Trausch grips. They are a European company, and not often seen in stores around here, but well worth ordering. The grips are larger, have very nice palm swells, make controlling full power loads very doable, keep your middle finger from getting whacked by the trigger guard, and generally feel much better. The downside is that the gun is bigger, and therefore not quite as concealable. It's still a lot easier than a full size gun, though.

Welcome