First time CCW suggestion?

[Jessica Carlson]

No it doesn't adjust and it does seem to ride high. Thanks for the ideas

 

[GreenLantern100]

May I suggest either a Lady Smith or Lavender Lady They are both 38 caliber but small enough to be concealed.

 

[nwyatt]

Most of the smaller framed guns come with more recoil. I have an LCP that is extremely snappy but I can hit what I aim at and it is very easy to conceal (how many times am I going to shot the bad guy anyway). The Sig P238 might be a good option since it is a single action with a much shorter trigger pull (haven't shot this one but would really love to have one)...expensive though.

 

[Walther_Fan]

My wife lovers her PPS 9mm. She is 5'00 and 105# and has no problem with recoil.

I'm a shortie and I carry a PPS .40. Great gun.

 

[kBarbee]

I carry a glock 26 which is a 9mm. My husband got one first and I fell in love and wanted one of my own.
I also carry a ruger lcp, but the recol on it is pretty rough and the grip is very small.

As far as the flashbang goes, I have tried in the waist band carrying and I dont wear belts and it just seemed so uncomfortable to me, so I did order a flashbang from ultimateconcealcarry.com. I think you get a 2 week money back guarantee and I love it. The key is to have a well fitting bra though. I actually had to go bra shopping to find some that had a wider band between the cups to hold the holster better, but it works best for me!

 

[Fitch]

Obviously you missed the part where I mentioned I love shooting our Smith & Weston .45 I'd carry that if I could but it's a little bulky.

Based on having helped two sisters, a daughter, my wife and a niece thorugh finding carry guns that work for them I offer the following observations:

Because you are used to a 1911, you might want to try the SIG P238 (an SAO .380 and very easy to conceal) and the SIG P938 (an SAO 9mm almost the same size as the P238 and also very easy to conceal. They are licensed copies of the Colt Mustang which is also a good candidate if you are willing to carry cocked and locked. My self, my sister's gentleman friend, and my wife each have a SIG P238 and like them a LOT. The P938 is a very new gun. There are some reviews of it and it seems to like to be kept squeaky clean or it might have extraction problems. The P238 is a totally mature product - all the new gun stuff was fixed a couple of years ago. Buy a new one and you won't have any problems. I know 5 people with P238's purchased in the last year and none of us have had a single issue with them.

In a slightly larger gun, you may find a 9mm S&W M&P Shield to work really well. I've fired both the S&W .45 and the Shield. The Shield has a trigger that, while it is a striker fired gun, is closer to the S&W .45, points well, is thin, relatively easy to conceal, and mine was failure free. The Shield is new but seems to be very reliable. Mine ate everything I fed it and came back for more. Nice gun. And priced around $460.00 it's more affordable than the SIGS.

The XDs .45, while it's a really little gun for a .45ACP, isn't as much of a handful as you might think. If you can find one to try, you might like it. It is definitely concealable, in fact it's more concealable than the Shield or Glock 26. It's the same size as the MK9 Kahr in the two dimensions that count, thickness and height. That said, it is a 'very' new gun on the market. I personally really like them, want one in the worst way, but won't buy one for a year. If I thought it was "The Gun" and I didn't have a gun, I'd get something else about the same size and follow its design maturity for an upgrade later. These are new and hard to get but they are also reasonably priced at about the same as Glocks and a hundred bux more than the Shield but less than new Kahr's.

I personally carry a Glock 26 a lot. It isn't that hard to hide, but it is a full quarter inch thicker than the Shield and XDS and that is a very important quarter inch when it comes to hiding a gun. My sister and niece love to shoot my Glock 26 but can't hide it, so they carry an LCP which they can 'always' hide. The LCP is like some kind of punishment to shoot but they suffer with it rather than being unarmed. My sister carries my brother-in-law's Glock 26 now and then but it's a pretty big lump on a petite 5'-1' frame.

If you don't like long light DAO triggers, all the Kahrs, Beretta Nano, Roarbaugh and Ruger LC9 are pretty much off the table unless you are willing to compromise. I had an LC9 and did not like to shoot it - it stung my hand. The CW9 Kahr does too, the Shield doesn't. Neither does the XDs.

My wife didn't like the LC9 or CW9 Kahr either - and couldn't manipulate the slide on either of them well enough to trust herself to carry it. I've fired lots of Kahrs, they make some good guns, especially the all steel ones, but I really do not like their trigger. That said, if you can stand the trigger and do the manual of arms with them, an MK9, a PM9 or even a CW9, in that order of desirability and more proven than the new CM9 are reasonable to conceal. You won't be thinking of any of them as pocket guns, so the few ounce weight penalty of the MK9 which makes it much nicer to shoot combined with it's small size could work for you if you can live with the trigger.

So, what did the sisters, daughter, and wife choose? Youngest sister and her daughter chose the LCP because they knew they would always carry it and were willing to put up with the trigger and sting when they shoot it. They wanted a P238 but the cost was not in their budget. Other sister picked a beautiful all steel .38 Special blued Colt Detective's Special from the mid 1980's with nice grips on it - it has a double action trigger to die for - must have been breathed on by someone years ago. If she hadn't bought it, I would have just because it is such a nice little gun. My wife, after going through 3 other guns (S&W 442, SP101, Ruger LCR) ended up with a SIG P238 and loves it.

Fitch

 

[kerb]

My wife just swapped her Taurus 738 (which is the smallest and lightest pistol I've ever seen) for a Sig P238. She's very happy with it.
She didn't like the long trigger on the Taurus and it's lack of a safety which is typical of small concealment guns like that.

After shooting the P238 it's on my list of future pistol acquisitions too. It is very well made and I really like that it mimics the 1911 style. The controls are where I am used to them being.


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[SigGal]

I love my Sig P238, compact size, easy to use. The P938 is just slightly larger but it's to new for me to recommend. I did work with on but haven't shot one yet. I have some hand issues and the P238 slide is easy to rack. For a cheaper gun the Bersa is reliable and accurate. I tried a Glock 19 lately and was surprised at how easy I could rack it. Usually most guns I can't. The Glock 19 is large for me to carry though comfortably and the grip at it's smallest isn't really small enough for me. As most people say, all the recommendations still come down to your own comfort zone. Visit many gun stores, shows and try them all on. Research reviews on the ones you like the most, if it doesn't fit you then it's not worth it. Get what works for you, saving a few $ to go cheaper on the gun usually means buying what you really want later.

 

[GRIM210]

M&p is a great gun. If you liked the 45 maybe something in a compact 1911. But do a lot of research as they r not all equal and price range is very large. You can get a no frills but reliable 1911 under $800 or you can buy junk for $3000.

 

[Richard58]

Get ur self a keltec 32 acp and run FMJ. U will be happy with it. No safety's to deal with, simple and reliability is what ur looking for also. Maybe later on move up in caliber if u want...

 

[Gr8gunz]

I thought about that idea for about 5 seconds and dismissed it because I actually hate carrying purses. They are bulky, full of junk, and if stolen... well there goes the gun too. However, I know a few people who this option works great for.

I am glad you decided against a carry purse. That option can't possibly "work great" for anyone. Some may think it works great because they're accustomed to it but there are just too many inherent problems with purse carry for it to be a good choice.