Looking for a CCW

M

Mary Coleman Reading

New member
I have always been a plinker for the most part of my life.. you will pry my Mark II out of my cold dead hands pretty much.. but with this said I want a ccw. I have shot a bodyguard and a LCP both I did not like at all and I don't care for a feel of a small pocket pistol for the most part..

I don't mind shooting 9mm or 40 or even 45 so with this I keep being drawn in to full frames.. and right now I really really thing I need a sig 226 or a M&P40. As I type this Dh is bring me home a M&P40

BUT will I be able to to conceal something like that on my body? I am 5'5" and around 170... I guess I could do a pocket pistol or even a 642/442 revolver but I want a full size am I over looking something I need to try out before I plunk down money on anything. As I KNOW if I don't love it when I buy it I pretty much will not carry/use it.. as I am a woman after all :P I would prefer not to carry off body too.
 
I think the best thing is to try a few different guns, in a comfortable position. I have an LCP, and honestly don't see myself being able to carry anything much bigger. I like bigger guns, but for CC, my LCP works. I figure practice with the gun and carrying will help ease any issues. I am roughly your size, a bit taller and a bit heavier, but not much. Good luck finding the right one!
 
Mary Coleman Reading said:
I have always been a plinker for the most part of my life.. you will pry my Mark II out of my cold dead hands pretty much.. but with this said I want a ccw. I have shot a bodyguard and a LCP both I did not like at all and I don't care for a feel of a small pocket pistol for the most part..

I don't mind shooting 9mm or 40 or even 45 so with this I keep being drawn in to full frames.. and right now I really really thing I need a sig 226 or a M&P40. As I type this Dh is bring me home a M&P40

BUT will I be able to to conceal something like that on my body? I am 5'5" and around 170... I guess I could do a pocket pistol or even a 642/442 revolver but I want a full size am I over looking something I need to try out before I plunk down money on anything. As I KNOW if I don't love it when I buy it I pretty much will not carry/use it.. as I am a woman after all :P I would prefer not to carry off body too.
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Look into Kahr pistol. The PM9 or it's cheaper cousin the CW9 is an outstanding ccw piece. If you want smaller still, look at the P380.
These pistols are all thin, low in height & weight, single stacked, and not long at all. I highly recommend!
 
Never buy a gun based on someone else's recommendation, including mine. Try the guns out before buying them. What works for someone else may not work for you, and vice versa. The same goes for holsters and concealment methods. The choices are almost endless, and the recommendations from others will be endless too. I myself could recommend some favorites. But it's what works for you that really matters. I can't stress that enough. My wife tried three fantastic pistols that I recommended, all great guns. She would have taken any one of them, but she wasn't enthusiastic about any specific one. Then she saw another gun at a range that was for rent, a model I had never thought of recommending. She fired it on the range and loved it. So far, I have spent two years buying her different holsters trying to come up with a way for her to carry, a problem that is uniquely tough for women. After around seven or eight holsters, bands and clips, I finally bought her a carry purse for Christmas. Luckily for me she likes it, because it was expensive. She carries sometimes now, whereas she almost never did before. She's a teacher and isn't allowed to have a gun on school property, so she doesn't have the option of carrying most days.
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There are several web sites out there devoted to concealed carry for women, including a YouTube channel (Faliah Leigh of Falia Photography) for a girl who does video reviews of holsters and guns. She's got other stuff mixed in with the gun videos, so don't get confused if something non-gun comes up when you go to her channel.
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Falia Freedom Channel - YouTube
Cornered Cat | If you have to fight, fight like a cornered cat.
Girls Just Wanna Have Guns ? A site for ladies who refuse to be victimized.
Link Removed
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Falia also has her own web site, Falia's Freedom Journal, and an article on carry for women on USCCA, https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/ccm-columns/features/concealed-carry-for-the-petite-woman/.
 
Rhino couldn't have said it better. I'll ad my two cents by saying that I carry an M&P 40 Full Size and I'm 5-8 and over 200. I feel it's a little too big for me to carry all year so I don't see how you would be comfortable carrying it concealed. Tell DH to bring you a Shield in 40 to try, then let me know how I can get one!!! ;)


This is definitely a topic you want to get as many women to respond to as possible. Us guys are generally easy to please and fit. ;)

Good luck in your search.
 
Put the Beretta PX4 subcompact on your list. Concealable...but also has the big gun parts. Lovin' mine, see what you think.
 
Here is what You should decide in order of importance (IMO)
1. Can you functionally handle it? Rack the slide, pull the trigger.
2. Can you conceal it? Assuming CC. If not, you won't carry it.
3. Can you hit you target reliably?
4. Stopping power? Still important.

I carried every day as a LEO, but got tired of trying to conceal my medium sized pistol, and started leaving in the car. (Glock 19)

I got a small 380 which got good scores for 1&2 but not so much for 3&4. I still carry it occasionally. (P3AT)

I purchased a pocket 9mm with good sites that fills all MY requirements. It also comes in .40. (PM9)

Good luck in your search.


Lets Be Careful Out There!
Ron
 
My wife ended up choosing a Glock 26. I'd never held or fired a Glock until that day at the range when she tried one out. Now I have four of them, including my daily carry gun, and I'm looking for two more. Strange how things work out. I also have four Crossbreed Supertuck holsters, which I swear by. But she doesn't like those either, partly because she doesn't wear belts. My younger son loves the Supertuck holster I got for him but he prefers his Taurus 45 to my Glock or Smith & Wesson 45s, more examples of how what works for one may not work for others.
 
My wife carries a Ruger SR9C in a crossbreed super tuck (she's 5'7"), but has been stated several times -- rent, borrow, experiment.
 
For me its more about comfort and conceal ability, I have a glock 23 (compact .40) that I love but almost never carry it now that I have a lc9 and LCP. Some people can carry a big heave gun 24/7 ( congrats to you) I can not. I think of it like this how often I carry divided by chance of ever using. My bet is I will carry the next 10 years without a issue so why carry a full size gun? Small 9’s these days feel way better to carry and will do the job if ever needed with quality ammo. Do small guns suck to shoot? Kinda but who cares I may have to use it to save my life once for every million days I carry it.
 
no sheep said:
For me its more about comfort and conceal ability, I have a glock 23 (compact .40) that I love but almost never carry it now that I have a lc9 and LCP.
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If you're all about comfort and concealability, that Glock should have been a 27, or even a 26, but not a 23.
 
I bought my wife a S&W Bodyguard 380 which she hated, its now my backup pocket pistol. She shot a 9mm Sig 229 rental gun at a pistol range and loved it. Big enough to fill her hand but still easy to conceal. She carries most of the time in a Crossbreed Supertuck but also has a purse holster for those few times when the Supertuck isn't suitable.
 
*sigh* the M&P40 came home with me... and now to start saving pennies all over for my M&P40c..... I really keen on the idea that both my home and carry guns match..... DH is going to be uh really??? but anyway I am happy for the moment and it makes me work harder for the 40c.
 
Personally I don't think carrying a full size handgun is that big of a deal. If you have made the decision to carry then carry what you feel is best for you. You will learn to dress to conceal whatever you choose to carry. I carry a full size, 5" 1911 everyday. It is what I choose to carry. I do not have an issue with weight or size. Good luck with your new endeavor! A good gunbelt does wonders!!
 
Bersa Thunder .380 which is a James Bond knock-off is a really nice carry gun. You don't trust a .380? Well Bond carried a Walther PPK .32 acp so go argue with him.

:triniti:
 
no sheep said:
bought the 23 7years before I got my ccw. My wife has the 27 and it is a great gun.
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I'm trying to get the wife to make up her mind between the 26 and the 27 so I can get rid of one and stop buying one extra caliber of ammunition. If she picks the 27, I won't have to buy 9mm ammo anymore. If she picks the 26, I'll get rid of My SIG P229 along with the G27 and I won't have to buy 40 cal ammo anymore. Then I'll have to buy two more G21SF's, one to replace the G27 and one to replace the P229. DARN! :biggrin:
 
Kahr cm9 is a nice little firearm and very user friendly. I used to have a ruger lcp but couldn't hit cr$p with it. With my cm9 I can shoot very accurately 15 yards away. Your experience may vary....
 
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