concealed carry for female - suggestions?

Hello.

I have been trying to figure out a way to conceal my J-Frame S&W lemon squeezer, but it seems impossible. I am a very small lady, and although I don't wear particularly tight clothing, on women what is considered loose clothing is still quite a bit snugger than mens clothes tend to be. I am also very not curvy, so no way to use my body shape to conceal it.

IWB holster - looks like I have testicles or a growth or something. Not cool. Ankle holster - super obvious, even in bell bottoms, my leg is not wide enough and the handle sticks out. A regular belt holster secures it nicely to my side and it doesn't stick out super far, but the handle is still a super obvious corner jutting out - no mystery what that could be. I've considered just carrying it this way anyways and not caring if it is concealed - here in AK it is legal to carry in public un-concealed - but I don't want to draw attention to myself, it sorta defeats the purpose.

I know there are much smaller/lighter guns out there to carry, but they are not as comfortable to shoot - I'm already accustomed to this one and it is surprisingly accurate for a 2in. barrel. My husband bought a Ruger .380, which is much more concealable, but lame to shoot and I don't really trust autos not to jam at exactly the wrong moment anyways.......... ANY SUGGESTIONS?? THANKS!!

-Brandi

Welcome to THR! Could you hide it in something like this?

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:wJax20D-eulKWM:http://hisvorpal.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/b52.jpg

Alright, that's not funny. On a serious note, are you sure you're printing real bad? Sometimes our perception is a bit out of kilter.

Genuine suggestions: 1) try 4 O'clock. Blouse the shirt out over it. 2) cover garments (vests, light jackets, etc.). Every time I see a guy wearing a vest in MN... when it's 80+ degrees outside... :scrutiny:... I know what's up. Thing is, I don't think the unarmed sheep are even remotely aware of it.

Thunderwear!

http://thunderwear.com/images/happy.jpg

Don't you and your husband want to look like those two?

Loose and baggy pants with a Mika pocket holster, change your grips to Boot style grips. Dress around the sidearm.
Other options are the classic holsterpurse, not one I reccomend, same with the fanny pack. Both can be ID'd and taken quickly.
A flatter sidearm might work better for you, especially IWB. What kind of holster were you using? A cheap rig is worse than useless, while a good one will slip it away out of sight. Perhaps a good IWB with something like a Rorbaugh 9mm, or Micro Eagle 380?
Check with GOOD holstermakers to seeifthey offer holsters for women, as you hip lineand bustline often mean holsters set for men's concealment will not work quite right.
My wife uses an HBE Specialty Leatherworks IWB with her RAMI,

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/PICT0449.jpg

and this Hazel Leather IWB for her P01,

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/JoAccessorize.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/jocarryingp01inHZholster.jpg

But she is a big girl. I would reccomend contacting either maker to see what they can do for you.
I hope that helps.

I was at the range the a while back and saw a lady walked in with a small IBM Thinkpad laptop bag. Guess where she was packin'. I was impressed, no one on the street would ever guess.

On a side note, I proposed to my lady last week. The ring box was square with sharp corners. It was in my pocket, printing badly for most of the day. I was certain I was going to get 'made' but she didn't notice. Ohh and she said 'yes'. :).

the only suggestion I can make is to wear a loose fitting vest with an inside pocket for your .38.
that's what my wife did but she carried a Beretta .32acp.

Check corneredcat.com for some ideas. Might have to go with a looser fit, more casual look. We have several ER nurses that CCW (in **********, who would've thunkit) and most either purse carry or wear a looser top not tucked in with IWB holster with .380 or small 9mm, although we have one that is pretty much eye candy and can hide a small .45 pretty well with jeans and t-shirt. Also might not be too much of a problem with vest even if it screams CCW. If you are dressed like you are carrying and don't care who knows people tend to think "cop" and predators tend to look for an easier victim. I didn't say "print", I said mode of dress. Got that from-you guessed it-a cop.

Thanks for all the suggestions, will see what I can find for a vest.
By the way blind bat congrats.

-Brandi

If you are dressed like you are carrying and don't care who knows people tend to think "cop" and predators tend to look for an easier victim.

That is a really good point.

get a .32 ACP beretta tomcat , or any good gun in .32 acp , its small and lighter then a j frame and less recoil then a .380 . trust me a .32 acp will get the job done, if it dont get the job done after you empty the magazine of .32 acp in the rapist, then looks like you needed shot placement. best point of aim is that real soft spot at the bottom in front of the neck, no bones.

saw a lady walked in with a small IBM Thinkpad laptop bag. Guess where she was packin'. I was impressed, no one on the street would ever guess.


No, but guess what one of the absolute first items a criminal thief/robber would go for? The laptop bag containing a several hundred or thousand dollar computer. It would be yanked from the person early on.
Which means the first thing to be taken would be the gun.

Similarly is why carrying in a purse is a bad idea.

I know of one holster designed by/for women, the Megan Magnum (http://www.kelloggcustomleather.com/MegMag.html) from Kellog. Perhaps someone will be along with a first-hand review of it, MrsBFD packs in a custom purse, and my CC methods probably won't work for you.

One more vote for http://www.corneredcat.com/TOC.aspx#Holster ...

lpl

Take a look at the Ladyfist holsters by FIST.
http://www.fist-inc.com/holsters/lady/Default.htm

It will give you some information and some choices. Good luck!

No, but guess what one of the absolute first items a criminal thief/robber would go for? The laptop bag containing a several hundred or thousand dollar computer. It would be yanked from the person early on.
Which means the first thing to be taken would be the gun.

Similarly is why carrying in a purse is a bad idea.

For years, my grandfather, who was into photography and had a lot of high end equipment (for the time), carried all of his camera equipment in a diaper bag because he thought any criminal in his right mind would not want to steal a bunch of baby bottles and dirty diapers.

He never got his camera equipment stolen, but it might have helped that he carried a .357 or 10mm most of the time.