What's your opinion on ccw for a woman?

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Sammenspiel

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Greetings all,

My mother recently decided that she wants to get a handgun to carry when she is out, now that I'm the last of the children to go off to college, and my father has been traveling frequently for work lately. I think that it is a good choice, even though we certainly do not live in a bad area by any means. She just doesn't want to feel hesitant to go out alone.

The thing that I'm not sure about is that she was against having a handgun in the house for the longest time. I have quite a few long guns which she has no problem with, but I think she is uneasy about small firearms because she thinks they are more accident-prone. I told her it's like any other gun, treat it with respect and it won't go bang unless you want it to. I believe she does plan on attending handgun safety and self defense courses so I think she will be able to feel more comfortable with it, and she will get a good amount of practice since she hasn't really been shooting much. Alrighty sorry for the babble, I just want to know your opinion on which type of handgun we should be looking for. My mother is around 110 pounds i think, she's small. I'm just thinking a compact 40 S&W with a decent magazine capacity that won't break the bank. Then again I'm not 21, so handguns haven't been my focus. Any help will be really appreciated, thanks everyone.

*EDIT*
I've noticed by the comments that a good portion of people think that I'm trying to pick my mom's gun for her. This isn't the case, as I have said I am not 21 and don't really know much about what exactly to look for in a handgun, and she is the one who's going to be carrying. I made the suggestion of a 40s&w from what I've heard people discussing in the shop, I guess I was wrong about it. I'm just asking for suggestions to get at least a starting point, not criticism. I guess I miscommunicated my intentions, apologies folks. :rolleyes:
 
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Most people are going to tell you to have her go rent some handguns and let her pick.

I say she needs to focus on one of two things: Easy concealability, or light recoil. You can't have the best of both worlds, but with patience, you can find a happy medium.

IMO:

Best of concealability - S&W 642 (.38+P)
Best of low recoil - CZ P-01 (9mm)
Happy medium - Glock 23 (40)
 
There are numerous threads on picking guns for other people. They all say "don't". As in, let HER choose. Take her to a gunshop, go rent and shootbsome different guns in different calibers. How do you know she likes .40 s&w?
 
Yep, go rent guns and let her try many. And don't stick with autos, she may very well prefer a revolver. Don't let your preferences put her in the wrong gun.
 
Ask your mom for a trip to the gun store, but she has to grope for herself. Some women don't mind the .40, some get skittish with a .22.


One thing you can help her consider is how she's going to carry, a gun you withdraw from the folds of a handbag has more of a chance to snag than if your mom is the sort to strap on a belt and wear a full size anything holstered inside the waistband.

If she's uncomfortable with the act of actually carrying once she has it... the odds are greater that she won't have it when she needs it most.
 
CCW for a woman is same as CCW for a man. Find a gun that:

*Fits the user's hands
*Has at least enough power to reliably penetrate to the target's vitals with the defense load of your choice
*Is not so heavy on recoil that the user will develop a flinch with the defense load of your choice
*Which will fit in the location in which the user decides to carry with as little printing as possible.
*Is reliable enough to trust to go bang when you pull the trigger, and will not go bang when you do not pull the trigger.

Other things, such as whether or not you want a manual safety, the capacity you want, caliber choice (keeping in mind minimum power and maximum recoil thresholds), are up to the user.

All of these seem to apply to both men and women. I don't see why "for women" should be considered, unless you're specifically looking for a gun that will conceal in a purse or under women's attire.
 
All of these seem to apply to both men and women. I don't see why "for women" should be considered, unless you're specifically looking for a gun that will conceal in a purse or under women's attire.
Click to expand...

This. Simple as that.
 
I'd stay away from .40 and steer her towards 9mm. Most people feel that it takes more time to get proficient with .40 due to the "snappy recoil". Today's 9mm loads are very effective. They also are easier on the wallet and recoil is lower.

Depending on where she will carry the gun on her person, different guns fit the bill. For overall purposes I love my S&W M&P 9c. It holds 12+1 and has great ergonomics for most people. The adjustable palmswells really make the gun comfortable for most hands.

I also like the CZ P-01, but it may be too heavy for some to carry around. That said, it's all steel and can be used to crack someone over the head in a pinch.
 
YOU and she should read everything at
http://corneredcat.com/
and
http://womenofcaliber.wordpress.com/

And stop even thinking about picking out a gun for her.
Your job is to get her the biggest pile of guns you can, and help her note what she does and doesn't like about each gun. You should go with her to some classes, as a student ... choose classes with range time, you're likely to find friendly people willing to let her run a few rounds downrange through their guns at such classes.
Hell, if you're near me, I might be able to provide some example guns and open up the range, although my schedule sucks right now ... if you posted a location someone might make a similar offer and/or suggest a place/person to get classes.
 
I believe she does plan on attending handgun safety and self defense courses so I think she will be able to feel more comfortable with it, and she will get a good amount of practice since she hasn't really been shooting much.
Click to expand...
Keep encouraging her to take both classes. After completing both of those I'm confident that she'll have a good foundation on which to choose her own carry gun.
 
My opinion on women carrying concealed is, find a gun you can shoot & carry well, buy it, and practice practice practice.
 
Whats your opinion on CCW for a Women?

^^The better question is what is she doing out of the kitchen!?!? :neener:



Just joking, I agree with everyone else. Rent some at a range and see what feels natural for her.

Cheers! Sorry for the joke couldn't help myself :rolleyes:
 
My Wife Has Her Carry License.

When someone tells me they want to get a gun for "self defense" and ask my opinion, I always ask them the same thing. Are you prepared to take a human life and in doing so deprive someone of a son, daughter, father, mother, cousin, best friend or otherwise loved one. If they hesitate, I tell them to get a baseball bat.

Too many long term non gun owners who have asked me about a gun, want one for the intimidation factor and not to actually shoot, want the cheapest gun they can get, want it to have no recoil, be essentially costless to shoot and require little to no training to learn how to be accurate with it. Not all are that way, but start talking about a .22 to learn on and then moving up to a combat weapon and they change their tune right quick when they learn of even the minimum time and expense I think it will take them to get up to speed.

Some people are different; my wife is one. She would shoot and knew how to handle a gun but just wasn't "into" the self defense aspect. Then one day she had to repel an 11:00AM front door crashing home intruder with the Glock 23 in her bedside table. Just recently she's bought a Glock model 26, a .22 rifle, a 20 GA shotgun (she's taking skeet and trap lessons) and a Ruger Mark III Target .22 auto. With the Mark III she entered her first woman's only pistol match two weeks ago and won!

My wife has bought into the program but it's taken years to get there. I'm a happy man for a variety of reason.
 
You'll have to find something she can handle well, and isn't afraid to practice with. I think a 9mm or .38 Special would be ideal (maybe a larger .380?), I've met plenty of women who can handle bigger calibers, but judging by the size of your mother she might not enjoy shooting a .45 or even a compact .40.

Honestly, if my mother carried I would be OK even if all she was willing to carry was a .22LR, at least she's willing to carry something.
 
"When someone tells me they want to get a gun for "self defense" and ask my opinion, I always ask them the same thing. Are you prepared to take a human life and in doing so deprive someone of a son, daughter, father, mother, cousin, best friend or otherwise loved one. If they hesitate, I tell them to get a baseball bat."

While I respect your opinion on this, I have to disagree with part of it. Throwing in the "son, daughter, father, mother, etc." spin on protecting your life puts added stress to an already stressful decision. You're also putting a human face on an inhumane person. (attacker) To me, it's like taking someone that has decided to not be a victim, and talking them out of it. Better to help her establish a mind set of not being a victim, and supporting it. As far as which pistol to get, she should try as many as feasible to make he choice. However, I'd make sure she tried out a Kahr CM9 or PM9. Easy to conceal, lightweight, accurate, reliable, and easy to shoot.
 
Sammenspiel said:
Greetings all,

My mother recently decided that she wants to get a handgun to carry when she is out, now that I'm the last of the children to go off to college, and my father has been traveling frequently for work lately. I think that it is a good choice, even though we certainly do not live in a bad area by any means. She just doesn't want to feel hesitant to go out alone.

The thing that I'm not sure about is that she was against having a handgun in the house for the longest time. I have quite a few long guns which she has no problem with, but I think she is uneasy about small firearms because she thinks they are more accident-prone. I told her it's like any other gun, treat it with respect and it won't go bang unless you want it to. I believe she does plan on attending handgun safety and self defense courses so I think she will be able to feel more comfortable with it, and she will get a good amount of practice since she hasn't really been shooting much. Alrighty sorry for the babble, I just want to know your opinion on which type of handgun we should be looking for. My mother is around 110 pounds i think, she's small. I'm just thinking a compact 40 S&W with a decent magazine capacity that won't break the bank. Then again I'm not 21, so handguns haven't been my focus. Any help will be really appreciated, thanks everyone.
Click to expand...
Ole' model S&W 640 in .38.
 
a compact 40s&w for someone's first gun? especially a 110lb woman? really? jesus christ.
 
My first gun was the smaller of the two XDm .40s (before they came out with the Compact), and at the time I was a 135-pound 22-year-old.

For those saying "you shouldn't pick the gun for her", I've actually been to the range with my Mom and knew she liked revolvers. When my Dad and I went to get her a birthday present, we picked one based on how easy it would be for my Mom to grip it, and got her an SP101. So sometimes it can work out, so long as you know what she likes.
 
The thing that I'm not sure about is that she was against having a handgun in the house for the longest time.
Click to expand...
With such a long-held attitude, perhaps she should ask herself a more fundamental question. If the moment should come when the gun has to be used, can she?
 
I don't believe a lady of her age and firearm experience is going to like or feel comfortable with a semi-auto or the .40 cal.

I'd have her look at a 38sp......S&W 642 or Ruger LCR......Ultimately it's her decision but nothing wrong with you directing her, as long as it's in the appropriate direction and I don't believe a semi-auto .40 cal is the way to go....IMO
 
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