CCW for Women in Professional Attire?

[Cymro]

Hello!

I've got a couple of female friends who are getting into handguns and CCW. We're exploring concealed carry options, and it's a bit frustrating how few exists for women who have to dress for an office environment. I'm hoping the hive mind can help--does anyone have any solution or recommendations?

Thank you all for your time!

Michael

 

[Sam1911]

The sort of "go-to" person for advice on carry for women (and other thoughtful people who don't fit into tactical-operator or wooley outdoorsman typesets) is Kathy Jackson. Her "Cornered Cat" website is just a wonderful resource for anybody who carries a firearm, or wants to learn how to use it.

Here's her page on carry for the fashionable woman:
http://www.corneredcat.com/article/practical-issues/concealed-carry-for-the-fashionable-woman/

And a lot of other stuff your friends (and YOU!) aught to read:
http://www.corneredcat.com/contents/

 

[Telekinesis]

I'll second Cornered Cat. Great website for both men and women.

Now I'm male, but I work in a professional environment (suit but no jackets unless in a meeting) that gives me moderately similar requirements as far as carry (ie absolutely no printing, which means no belt loops etc). I've found a j frame or sub compact in a belly band worn at appendix works well. It's not incredibly comfortable but if you can avoid wearing very tight clothes the gun should get lost in the folds of your shirt.

Another option I've been looking at is Smart Carry which might work for that situation as well.

Note that neither of these methods are quick/easy to draw from (when compared to a normal belt holster), but if you're in a place where you can't be caught with a gun, they're good options.

Also remember that especially if they're new shooters, a small gun is both more difficult to shoot accurately and will have more recoil. I'd probably go with something like a Shield as opposed to a jframe (which in my opinion is one of the harder guns to shoot accurately).

 

[hso]

http://lethallace.com/

On-body carry is a challenge for many women due to the difference in clothing styles they are limited to as opposed to men who even in biz casual can get away with wearing a casual vest.

 

[Cymro]

Good information so far, friends. I thank you.

I'm going to try to convince my CCW newbies to get involved with this discussion directly. That way they can speak for themselves.

 

[340PD]

This may help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogGBPVk5GQk

 

[average_shooter]

To throw another name in the mix to check out;

I am a fan of Melody Lauer's (aka Limatunes) stuff. She is an instructor and apparently a quite slight woman who does many reviews on holsters and techniques specifically geared towards carry issues for women.

Her preferred method of carry appears to be appendix carry in a kydex IWB setup.

Her YouTube channel is here.


Formal website is here.

And she maintains a presence on Facebook (search for Limatunes or Melody Lauer) if that works better for you.