Need suggestion of concealed carry for a woman

[mugsie]

Last week I took my wife and she got her ccw permit (it's a simple process in PA). Then I took her to the range to try several different cartridges. We shot a 22LR (in a S&W model 22A so it's a heavy gun and a tiny round), a Ruger LCP in .380 and a Ruger LC9s in 9mm. She was ok with the 22, but that's because of the large gun relative to the round. She didn't like the .380 (too much recoil) nor the 9mm.

So, a couple of questions, who makes a 22lr pistol, small enough for a concealed carry, and if there are any women reading this, where do you carry it? Not in your purse I would think - probably not a good idea at all.

Concealed carry for an older woman presents a whole new set or problems!

Thanks all.....

 

[C0untZer0]

So you want to buy your girlfriend/wife a gun

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=564531

 

[mugsie]

My wife, yes.

 

[TarDevil]

The problem wasn't .380 or 9mm, but the guns used to fire those projectiles.

 

[kcofohio]

The problem wasn't .380 or 9mm, but the guns used to fire those projectiles.

+1 This ^^

In 380, try something along the lines of a Bersa Thunder in 380. A bit heavier, but less felt recoil.

 

[Sol]

Have fun trying holsters out, renting guns and paying for ammo with your wife!

 

[TarDevil]

Most of all, read the thread in post #2!

 

[MedWheeler]

My current signature appears below.. and I'll quote it again simply so it stays in the post even if I change it later..

If you're not picking out your wife's sewing machine, hair dryer, slow cooker, or shoes, why are you picking out her gun?

Now, that being said, my wife got her first exposure to handguns about a year ago, and the aforementioned Bersa Thunder 380 was one of them. Her pencil-thin wrists and disproportionately-small fingers did not lend well to that, a .38 revolver, or my P32. What she did take a liking to was the Taurus PT-22, and she did surprisingly well with it.

The Ruger LC380 (not the LCP), being a locked-breech pistol, may well have less perceived recoil than the Bersa, a blowback (fixed-to-frame barrel) does.

 

[MICHAEL T]

M wife and 2 daughter's all carry P-32 KelTec . None like my 380KT but they all like the 32 .

 

[JohnBiltz]

I'd have her try a Glock 42 if she is recoil averse.

 

[FLNT4EVR]

Find a Sig P 238 for her to try. Preferably the all stainless HD model. It's a bit heavier ,but that just acts as a recoil damper. With the extended magazine they really are quite comfortable to shoot.

 

[Assault]

I started my wife out with a XDm 3.8, she said to big. Got her a P22, didn't like the Safety. She ended up with a XDs 9mm.

 

[Jaymo]

The Glock 42 could very well be a great choice for her.
The Beretta 84 is sweet, too.
The Beretta 86(IIRC) was the tip-up barrel version of the 84.
A tip-up barrel Beretta would eliminate her having to rack the slide load a round.
The Beretta Tomcat .32 also has a tip-up barrel but is more compact.

 

[RainDodger]

The first things I learned about equipping a woman with a concealed weapon:

1. Ask her if she wants to carry and wants the responsibility (looks like you have that covered).

2. Be SURE she knows the law about when she can pull it, and when she can actually use it.

3. Be sure she knows the ramifications of doing so... it's one thing to think about it a little... it's a whole different thing to know you're likely going to be cuffed and detained until it is all sorted out... but in the worst case scenario of course, she'll be alive to even BE detained.

I went over this stuff with my wife (I'm a former federal agent and do have professional training, so I speak from a tiny bit of past experience... although not really recent). She does have a CWP and can legally carry, but she told me she does not want to carry and doesn't want the responsibility. Problem solved for me. I went and bought myself another gun instead of one for her.

(Really: I don't mean to sound like I'm telling you stuff you may already know... most guys here on THR know the score. I'm surprised all the time though, when I talk to guys that carry and don't have any idea of the real responsibility of doing so. Some guys tell me they'd pull their gun to "scare" someone off. In my mind, it is better to walk away and nobody knows you're packin' than to have an attitude like that. If you have a gun and you pull it, you need to be able to pull that trigger almost reflexively. My opinions throughout... but based on a few years of experience, fwiw.)

 

[Float Pilot]

My wife is a 50 yo Army vet who is about 5' 6" and around 140lb. She carries a KAHR CW9 with Hornady Critical Defense loads.

 

[KY Sparky]

Post #2, and it looks like no one has posted this yet, take a look here for a women's perspective and some good info:

http://www.corneredcat.com/contents/

 

[krs]

My wife has a J frame .38. Prefers revolvers across the board both because they're old-timey and because the doesn't have to rack slides or remember safeties.

The Cornered Cat site posted by KY Sparky above me is excellent.