Female and Tiny... How Should I Conceal?

[MamaLiberty]

Welcome, and I'm delighted that you want to carry. Cornered Cat is an excellent website for women who wish to conceal carry. Cornered Cat - Table Of Contents I carry openly mostly, but do conceal at times. I'm only 5 ft. tall and am still working on finding a really good and comfortable way to cc the size guns I prefer. I have an XD 9mm compact for OC now in a regular belt holster, and use the old Ruger SP101 .357m revolver in a holster fanny pack for those times I need to conceal. It's not the best, and anyone who knows guns can spot it as a CC holster, but it beats anything else I've tried.

Please do some research before you try the small of the back carry. It is difficult to impossible to access from some positions, such as while driving. Just think what would happen if you fall or are shoved to the ground, or into a wall. The gun can seriously injure your spine.

I would also urge you to take some classes from qualified instructors who can help you try many different guns and carry options, and teach you how to make the most of whatever seems to work best for you.

Good luck! And keep on training always.

 

[Night Shadow]

MamaLiberty, I've thought about open carry but am worried it would make me a target. I've read the forums on this site that argue against that fear. However, as a smaller woman, do you have any advice in that area? Did you take a class on weapon retention first? Have you had any bad/good experiences? Thanks!

 

[MamaLiberty]

MamaLiberty, I've thought about open carry but am worried it would make me a target. I've read the forums on this site that argue against that fear. However, as a smaller woman, do you have any advice in that area? Did you take a class on weapon retention first? Have you had any bad/good experiences? Thanks!

OC does not make you a "target" any more than anything else in this world. That is a myth with nothing to back it. You are FAR more apt to be a target for robbery, rape, etc. if you are seen to be small, weak, female and unarmed!!! The important thing here isn't a visible gun, however, but a visible attitude of confidence and refusal to be seen as a helpless victim.

Now, whether you will be comfortable carrying openly depends a great deal on where you live and the attitude of your neighbors, the "law enforcement" people, and a few other things. OC simply works best for me out here in wild and woolly Wyoming. I suspect that you can find an open carry group there in NC if you find you'd like to explore that. OpenCarry.org - Discussion Forum This forum has a separate section for each state, and they'll be glad to answer your questions.

CC may well work better for you, your lifestyle and work. Only you can decide that, but it really helps if you can find a good instructor or two. They can give you the training to achieve that confidence and avoid some of the more dangerous or expensive mistakes you'd likely make trying to figure it out on your own.

I've written a small book on self defense, especially for women, as a supplement to my classes. The first chapter is the story of the man I had to shoot to save my life. Link Removed

I'll be glad to share it with anyone who sends me an email address. mamaliberty - at - rtconnect.net

I'm also happy to discuss anything with you or answer questions that are within my scope of experience.

 

[SGB]

A subcompact appendix carried would most likely be your best bet for on the person concealed carry.

 

[spirit4earth]

Crossbreed Supertuck at 3:30. I'm also going to try a UBG Regulator owb---it's on order.

 

[Rocketgeezer]

I'm looking at handguns, but haven't decided on one yet. What gun I get probably depends on where I decide to carry it. I've looked at the Kel-Tec 380, the Glock 36, and a couple others that are smaller. I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl with an athletic build, so I don't have a lot of curves to help conceal anything. I'm thinking small of back might work, but I've heard its very uncomfortable.

The 36 is a very good choice, however about the only place you can carry that size weapon concealed is small of back or poss inner thigh, the Glock 26/27 is a bit smaller, your in the same boat with the XDs, also it depends on what caliber you want to stay with, 380, 9mm, 40, or 45, your best bet would be, go to a range/gun shop that rents guns and try whatever apeals to you, as far as a holster those inner thigh holster are probably online only, whatever you decide just remember you need to be able to deploy your weapon in a timely manor should the need arise,

 

[fudo]

I POSTED THIS IN ANOTHER THREAD, BUT POSTING IT HERE FOR THE OP.
For the very tiny, the XD-S is really the gun for you. It makes the G36 look huge.
I went to the gun show yesterday. I got to handle a S&W Shield, a Beretta Nano, and a Springfield Armory XD S. they are all VERY tiny. Especially the XD-S. I have very large hands and even though I never thought I would never say this, but I have to say that there IS such a thing as too small. If you have small hands, the XD-S is for you. The one I saw was $530.
My favorite small guns are the Colt New Agent, the Glock G36, and the Kimber Solo (assuming that you can find one that works.) The Kimber's are grotesquely overpriced and have issues, but they have all the great handling qualities of the 1908 Colt's and the controls of the 1911. They would be perfect if they were reliable and priced about $650-$675.