What are good concealed carry choices for women?

[Larry Caldwell]

A woman shouldn't carry unless she will pull the trigger. Many won't.

 

[mbohuntr]

A woman shouldn't carry unless she will pull the trigger. Many won't.

^^^ This! And they need to practice with it until they develop muscle memory... When some is kicking in your door is not the time to look for it, figure out how to load it, and remember how to shoot it.

 

[Laderbuilt]

My wife hates recoil but she didn’t feel a .22wmr would cover her for both two and four legged predators. So with some input from me she chose a Ruger LCR in .357mag. Her “carry” load is Ruger ARX Ammo chambered I’m .38 special. She wishes it was less recoil still however she feels she can live with it. It’s not like she wants to shoot competition or anything. Plus if she had to she could reload from me. My backup gun is a .357. She can shoot that round but most certainly not her first pick. Lol. I am considering taking hers to a gun smith to smooth out the trigger pull.
Don’t get me wrong the Ruger trigger is good out of the box but I think I’m the right hands it would go from good to GREAT.

 

[k0ua]

I have trained about 600 women. And there is a HUGE, difference in women's abilities. It is true that some cannot hardly even pull a DA trigger on a revolver, and some cannot pull a slide back on a semi auto either. The majority can do both. Sometimes it takes practice and shown the proper technique. Like for instance , don't pull the slide back at all. Push the grip frame forward with their strong hand while holding the slide static with their weak hand. And let it go, and not "follow" it with the hand. This will allow most women to manipulate the slide. Also putting the index finger on a DA trigger up to the first joint will often allow them to pull a DA trigger. Also don't forget that a good gunsmith can slick up a DA trigger to make life easier for the weak of finger.

I always introduced women to shooting with my .22Ruger MK2 target pistol. This builds on the basics, and is easy to hit with building confidence. Then I always introduced them to a .38 S&W revolver and a Glock 19. Then if there was time, other semi autos, including Kahr compacts etc.

But I will tell you this. Some gravitated to the revolver and wanted one of their own, and Many liked the Glock. Some of course wished they had a handgun as easy to shoot and hit with as the .22. But of course the .22 is not as effective, and is rather large and about worthless for any kind of carry. Although I have seen some women's handbags it could disappear into along with a brick of ammo. .

I am of the opinion to introduce them to various handguns, and see what they like and are comfortable with. When you ask, what is a good handgun for a women, my answer is "depends on the woman". They are all different and have different abilities and weakness's and strength's. My wife is partial to a 1911 in .45acp. But she is OK with her Sig 226 in 9mm.

 

[fried1765]

A small hammerless revolver. Easy to pull from a purse stick in their belly and unload.

EXACTLY CORRECT !!!!
No need for a blunderbuss!
Just convenient for a purse, with very manageable recoil.

 

[azranger]

Don't want to get too much into the back story, but recently a family member of mine got in a sketchy situation after dark at a business located in a rough area. I am thinking of helping her get signed up for a CCW class and wanted to know opinions of what would be a good carry choice for a woman who has limited experience and would be looking for an absolute last line of defense type fail safe if-ever-needed type of thing.

Would like to know about brands, types, calibers, etc, and reasons why it would be good choice for a woman. I'm sure many of you have experience in this regard with your loved ones of the female persuasion, so any insight you can share will be heeded and appreciated as I try to help one of my loved ones with a recommendation and some training.

I am a Certified NRA pistol instructor, and also work in the law enforcement field. I will tell you my recommendation for someone who has little to no experience with firearms, and is considering carrying. I believe before anyone carries a firearm they should mentally answer one question "can I kill him?" If they cannot answer that without hesitation ,then they should not carry a firearm, because they may be put into a situation where they are forced to make a choice and that is not the time to make it. There are those out there carrying and I have heard them say they would "scare them" with it..:irked: No, that will get you killed.

1. Now for what type of firearm for a woman? I without a doubt would recommend a revolver.
2. Reason: Under stress with a automatic she may draw it and forget what she has to do to make it work. With a revolver all she has to do is pull the trigger which makes it fail safe. The trigger pull will be a little more than an auto,but under stress she will not have any trouble pulling it.
3.With that being said anyone can learn to handle any firearm,but the key is practice,practice, that includes drawing and re holstering.
I hope this helps some, just my :2cents: from things I have seen and experienced.

 

[Garandman]

Semi autos tend to be flatter and easier to conceal than revolvers.

In addition to extremely popular choices like the S&W Shield, Sig Sauer makes a lot of compact semi autos, and Kahr made it a focus.

All Pistols | Sig Sauer

Kahr Shop/ Pistols

The manual of arms is relatively simple.

Many of the modern polymer pistols come with multiple grips. How a handgun fits your hand has a huge impact on accuracy. Had a S&W Chief Special 9 that I did not shoot well, while the only slightly larger 3913 is great.

 

[Laderbuilt]

Semi autos tend to be flatter and easier to conceal than revolvers.

In addition to extremely popular choices like the S&W Shield, Sig Sauer makes a lot of compact semi autos, and Kahr made it a focus.

All Pistols | Sig Sauer

Kahr Shop/ Pistols

The manual of arms is relatively simple.

Many of the modern polymer pistols come with multiple grips. How a handgun fits your hand has a huge impact on accuracy. Had a S&W Chief Special 9 that I did not shoot well, while the only slightly larger 3913 is great.

The last paragraph is dead on for me. I wanted a small compact firearm for many reasons and was good with most of them. However the moment I put the S&W .45 Shield in my hand it just felt well.... perfect. Not to fat,short or unbalanced. Out of all the compacts I have bought or borrowed non fit my hand or felt so right in my hands. With that said it is thee most accurate compact I shoot and not far off on accuracy when compared to my full size choices.

 

[LD48750]

My wife took her class with my Ruger Standard .22. As stated , it isn't a gun to be carried for self defense.
(All the women in the family like that gun.)
She didn't like to shoot anything I had so I got her a Bersa Thunder .380.
She liked it but had trouble racking the slide. Taught her to push with both hands to the center of her body & it worked.
Picked up a Ruger LCP that she never did like.
She tried A Ruger LCR in .38, a Kimber P238, & several others that family & friends brought to the backyard range over the years.
Wandering threw a local gun store she saw a Beretta TomCat .32ACP with the flip up barrel. Didn't need to rack the slide on that.... I found & bought her one.
Not too long after that, she decided to start carrying. (Picture me doing a Happy Dance )
She was carrying in her purse but at least she was carrying. Bought her a couple "carry purses" and waited for the next step.

Again, she was with me in a gun store & saw and fondled a Glock 42 (.380) . Sales LADY showed her the Glock 42 she carried & appendix holster & sold her on the system.
The Glock is the softest shooting .380 I have ever handled and she has no problem racking it.

Bottom line, let her shoot as many guns as she is willing to shoot & DON'T push her. Let her tell you what she wants and how she wants to carry.

 

[4570Man]

I wouldn't recommend a 357 mag especially in a snub nose package. They're just too violent. Unless you're going after a bear a small caliber is going to get the point across.