Good carry gun for a lady?

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

I'm lookin for a handgun that my wife will feel comfy carrying around with her on her person, in her purse and in the truck. We looked at a few in the last couple of days and that just got us more curious what would be best. This will be her first carry gun, in fact her first handgun period, so I want it to be effective but I still want her to feel ok about packing it or she won't really take it along all the time. She is used to my Glock 17 and shoots it quite well (has no prob busting 12 oz cans at 25 yds) but she wants something a little smaller that won't be a burden. I've got my sights on a nice G-26 for her since she likes the Glock 9mm and that is just a smaller version. Even though Glocks are light though it is bulky even with the short bbl and grip. It's pretty fat so a little hard to conceal or carry easily in a pocket or a wasteband holster. My gun shop buddy tried to sell me on a Kel Tek .32 or .380. These were much much lighter, thinner and less expensive but seemed more like toys to me. I must admit though, they are very easy to carry and for up close self defense work would prolly do the job and because of their size and weight she would definately carry one of them more since they will fit in a back pocket, hell you could put one in a shirt pocket or bra for that matter. We looked at a Bersa .380 today that was about a midway point between the G-26 and the really smaller stuff. It had about the same weight as the Glock with a skinnier profile and grip. She liked the way it handled better. We're tryin to keep it in the $200-400 range since I can get the Glock for that.

Any ideas?

What does your lady carry?

What should be a minimum acceptable cal.?

Is the Kel Tek a POS?

[Ruffian72 548]

Cobra, My wife carries the G-26, Unless skimpy dressed (love that) can conceal well, usually has it in holster/purse or oversized carrybag/purse (whatever women call them) Also carries S&W 640 (pistol alone $425)with crimson trace grip loaded with 38+p Damn good sauce, will be ordering again

[ironhead7544 35]

The Glock 26 is a top choice for a carry gun. Have been using one since they came out. Had a 17 for an issue duty gun. Can shoot the 26 nearly as well. The gun disappears under a T shirt in an Andrews Custom Leather inside holster. If you must have a smaller gun then the KelTecs are OK. Silvertips in the 32 and Hydrashocks for the 380. The little guns are best with eye socket hits. The 9mm is minimal and I use the CorBon 115 grain that goes 1260 from the 26 barrel. Just my .02.

[dinzag 31]

I'm assuming you are leaning towards an auto for the slim profile...

 

I wouldn't let my old lady run with anything less than a .380acp (9x17mm). We shot her aunts .32 tomcat and her .25 and neither could penetrate thin plywood.

 

I own a Bersa 380 and it's way better than the Kel-Tec 380 as far a trigger pull & profile. (IMHO) Plus it's loaded with all the goodies. Yes I've shot both side-by-side. I couldn't get past the trigger on the Kel-Tec.

 

Makarov is another that's similiar in size and cheap. I think you can get those in 9x18 & 9x19 (9mm).

 

The G36 is kickass if you go that route, but it's a fo-tay-5. Big bark! - if she misses, the perp may shit himself and leave her enough time for a follow-up.

 

My wife prefers her 4" .357 wheelgun...can't get her talked into the glock 36 yet.

[AegisDei 2]

Do a quick search on this forum and you'll find a lot about the Kel-tec (and often Bersas in the same thread). I used to have one, but got rid of it b/c I didn't feel it was 100% reliable and thus I wouldn't consistantly carry it. I just didn't have the confidence in it that I needed to always have it on me. They're still good guns, but I just had a few too many jams/misfires to keep me happy. So long as she's confident with it, I think it's a perfectly fine gun. Just never ever feed it winchester ammo and it will be reliable and not shake her confidence.

 

Also, the Kel-tecs are so light that they're a very "whippy" gun. The center of mass is very high so it torques in your hand a lot and can easily lead to limp wristing. I just don't find them a comfortable gun to shoot so she may not want to practice with it as much as another type gun, and won't have the confidence she may want. That being said, for a female CCW I think it'd be very good, especially with the right ammo just b/c of size and price.

 

The Bersa is a good gun for the money. It's still small, but heavier than the Keltec so it's more comfortable to shoot. The Millenium Pro by Taurus is a good gun too. One thing to consider is that there's a greater chance that a gal will lose their purse (not b/c of negligence, but because they're more likely to be stolen or left somewhere) than a guy is to lose his CCW kept in a pocket or a holster. Thus, I'm not sure if I were a gal if I'd like my wallet, phone, and a $600 gun stolen at the same time. Losing a wallet, phone, and a $200 Kel-tec wouldn't be nearly as bad.

 

My next CCW will be a Kahr PM9. They're TINY, but extremely durable, reliable, accurate, and 6+1 (9mm). The PM40 is also an option as it's 5+1 (.40) but it'd kick too hard for the size of the gun, so I'd not recommend it. There's also the CW9 by Kahr which is more affordable than the PM9 but almost as good (main difference being fixed sights, and it's steel framed i believe).

[Ronswin 26]

I use a .380 Bersa for concealed carry and I love it. When I first bought it I took it to the range for once a week for 4 weeks and fired 40-50 rounds of ball each time out without cleaning. It was very accurate and I could not get the gun to jam even switching brands of ammo and no cleaning.

[dinzag 31]

+1 to that. Never any trouble with any ball ammo in the Bersa, except for a couple bad primers in a box of Wolf. I ran close to 800 rounds through that little puppy so I can speak to that one's durability. Of that, I ran about 150 rounds of magtech hollowpoints and they did fine as well. My buddy's Keltec is going strong as well.

 

Aegis, women should always carry their um, piece, in a garter holster! That way they don't have have to rifle through their damn purse in a stressful situation...Hell I spend 5 minutes looking for keys in my wife's purse!

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Thanks for all the comments guys. Dinzag, garter...lol!

I'm starting to lean pretty hard toward the Bersa, as much as I would like her to be able to share ammo with me and my 17. Do they make a 9?

[dinzag 31]

Bersa Thunder 9 Ultra Compact

http://www.bersafirearmsusa.com/detail_bersa9.php

black, nickel & stainless

 

 

[Wakal 10]

My wife carries a Kel Tec P40 in a Coronado small square pack, and a Kel Tec P32 in her jeans pocket.

 

She wants me to build her a STI Commander in 9 by 23 (like my carry gun), though.

 

She buys what she wants, and decided that the P40 was smaller and lighter than my Glock 27 (she was right) yet held the same number of rounds. The nice folks at Kel Tec enjoyed talking to her at the SHOT show a few years ago...seems that they discontinued the P40 (although they will sell you a converstion kit for your 9mm if you ask them nicely) because a lot of men couldn't make it run due to limp wristing. I guess my huge wife (5'7" 135) is just mean enough to shoot the .40

 

 

 

 

Alex

[Tokageko 8]

How about a Walther PPK clone? They can be found cheap, are chambered for 9mm short, holds 7+1 (I think), DA/SA trigger, thin, light-weight, reliable....

 

I believe the Hungarian version is called: PA 63... or some nonsense like that.

[Bvamp 604]

well, let me see here, I can actually comment a little, even though Im not much of a pistol guy.

 

the bersa thunder 380 - my stepmother carries one. she has a hard time working the action, and is going to switch to a berretta tip-up. it is loaded with frangible rounds. the reasoning for the beretta tip up is that it is very easy to charge, is right in the 200+ range, and is a decent little gun. be sure to get mankillers if you carry a 380. it wont stop anyone otherwise, save for a shot to the head, or a point blank shot to the heart, and I dont know if it will drop someone fast enough with a heart shot to keep them from killing you in the 10 or 20 seconds they have till they meet the maker. otherwise, the bersa is double and single action with an exposed hammer, and you can actually hit a beer can at 30 yards with it pretty consistantly.

 

the taurus millenium in 40. my father carries one. neither of us can hit a fucking thing with it. the double action only doesnt suit it well for accurate target practice, and we have noticed that when you start to pull the trigger through the first half of the trigger pull, the slide MOVES. this is bad because any movement of that slide translates to the barrel muzzle moving. thus there is no such thing as shooting a coffee can past 20 feet with it with any consistancy. nice little gun and fells nice to shoot otherwise.

 

another option, which if I carried concealed, I would carry, is a compact cz75b. not too sure if thats really a girl gun or what, but it shoots nice and is cheap.

 

yet one more thing to actually consider is a derringer. you can get them in basically a pocket cannon, and if your femme isnt afraid of a roaring pistol, this would definately be the way to go, as I highly doubt anyone will be getting up from two loads of 410 buckshot to the chest or a 45 long colt placed the same. my sister carries one of these. she wont let me shoot it, so I cant give any more insight on how hard it is to control, but she blew the living hell out of a paladin target with it. the bark alone will scare the bejesus out of any sane person.

 

of the above, the only gun even capable of killing a snowman (yes, Im actually using that as a medium), would be the derringer with a slug. not even the 40 penetrates. yes, we tried it.

[kresk 10,063]

How about a Walther PPK clone? They can be found cheap, are chambered for 9mm short, holds 7+1 (I think), DA/SA trigger, thin, light-weight, reliable....

 

I believe the Hungarian version is called: PA 63... or some nonsense like that.

I would second the PA-63. Light, compact, good balance, fits small to average hand well, priced reasonably. Spare mags not too hard to find on eBay and GunBroker.

[G O B 3,516]

For price, reliability and availability, a Star BM is hard to beat, however it is NOT a lightweight. The grip will work well for most shoters, but not for verry smal hands.

 

G O B

[headshot 52]

A Glock 27.

My sister is a pretty small woman with pretty small hand, and she carries one.

 

She'll also outshoot most people too.

 

Then again, she is a cop.

[bernerz 11]

Someone earlier mentioned the Kahr 9mm, I have tried that one out and found that the trigger pull is a bit smother than that of the glock and much better than the Kel-tec. It is a pretty well-made little weapon that's low maintainance and it's made right here in the US.

[redbear 0]

For a carry gun, two things are most important;

 

RELIABILITY

If a gun isn't reliable, why bank your life on it?

ABILITY TO CARRY EASY, EVERY DAY

If you can;t carry it comfortably every day, you'll stop carrying it, breaking the first rule of a guun fight. [have a gun]

 

With these two things in mind, coupled with my eperience as a guun salesman in the shop, I recomend the KAHR P9 as a semi-auto and the S&W 642 as a revovler. HTH~

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

It looks like she's leaning pretty hard toward the .38 Taurus Ultralite alloy revolver now. She says it fits her hand better, is lighter, and she doesn't dig the slide on SAs too much. I'm a SA man myself. That is I prefer semi autos for various reasons. In fact my other handguns are SA too (single actions...lol) But a good double action wheelgun does have it's plusses for a carry gun. Load it once, put it away for as long as you want, no safety to mess with just pull it out and start squeezing and it will go bang every time (till those 5 or six shots are gone that is). That should be enough for anyone from less than 7 yds.

 

Another good point my buddy made at the gun shop today was if you happen an a dud round for some reason you can just keep squeezing and it will shoot the next one in line, or in the cylinder rather

[Bvamp 604]

yup, a good wheelgun is 100% reliable. thats why almost all survival pistols are revolvers....im fairly certain almost all of them are also double action, as well....

[Wakal 10]

As the man said, tain't nuthin' 100%...

 

Airweight .38 with hot loads: if one of the other rounds jumps the crimp and lodges against the frame it will lock the gun up tight...seen it a few times over the years. With some .44 mag, too, now that I think about it.

 

Nothing wrong with a wheelgun, but like any other mechanical device it can and will fail. But keep it clean and practice with it regularly and you should be just fine. Practice with your carry ammo, too

 

 

 

 

 

Alex

[Driftwood 0]

Just my humble opinion...S&W Airweight .38+P hammerless.

 

S&W wheelgun. Very reliable.

 

Airweight. Easy to carry.

 

Most shootings involve one to two shots...so the five round capacity is plenty.

 

.38+P has reasonably fine stopping power.

 

No hammers, safetys, switches, buttons, anything to hang up, mess up, or worry about in what would be a panic situation. Never worry about "Is is chambered? OMG!! Is the safety on?!?! OMG!!" The frame won't grab on a purse strap or anything.

 

Ability to shoot thru a purse or pocket without worrying about a slide.

 

Even for a small grip, it fits pretty good in hand.

 

About $325 at Academy...

 

Just my personal commentary here. For a carry gun, and especially for the one you buy your wife, it's best to keep it as reliable as money can buy and simple as anyone can get. Save the guns with cool features for your own messin' around. Pure utility is the name of the game when it comes to this decision. And spend the extra money for the Smith.......I'm sure the Taurus is a fine pistol....but consider what you're protecting with it. Don't try to save a few bucks on this investment...

 

I'd say let her fire some low grain .38s thru one and see if she warms up to it?!?

 

Edited August 20, 2006 by Driftwood

[glocklon 0]

Go with the Glock. My wife was a first time shooter and she took to the Glock 19 like a natural. The Glock 19 holds 15 plus one in the pipe, so 16 rounds total. Also as you may know the Glock 17, 17 rounder will pop right in as well.

So have alot of other woman that were in my CCW class swear by the 9mm Glocks.

I have owned and shot every glock model except for the 10mm. The 19 is overall a very nice carry gun and they shoot great. The 26 is nice also but, takes a little more concentration to shoot. I reccomend the plus one finger extention on the mag for the Glock subcompacts. Gives you a little more controlability.

I like the Glock 30 and 21 personally .45ACP for my own carry. But would not hesitate to carry the Glock 19 loaded with Ranger HP +P. I have never had a Glock fail to cycle or fire. Reliablity is the key when talking about semi-autos.

 

Stay away from the Taurus. My brother went through 3 last year. Taurus kept replacing them though to their credit, but They all broke! Go with a Smith and Wesson if you want a realible wheel gun. Also get a stainless snubbie. Still light enough, will not hurt to shoot by recoiling too much, and will be easy to maintain. I have an Air weight so I know what i am talking about. Wish I would of gotten the stainless!....I still lean towards the Glock, after all i am Glocklon! LOL

[getitat 609]

Hello, Cobra

My wife qualified for her CHL with a 4" XD-9. She just loved it! I have a Glock 36 for her, (single-stack 45 ACP) but she really wasn't too keen on the 45. I use the 36 now.

I also got her a U/L Taurus .38 in Ti, that gun she likes to carry, but hates to shoot. Terrible trigger pull in single, too hard to cock the small serrated semi-concealed hammer in double, too light to be a stable shooting platform for her. I got the LaserGrips on it, too.

 

I'm gonna get her a XD-9 in 4", or maybe a XD-9 sub-compact for her birthday, depending on how the sub feels to me. Looks like the hi-cap subcompact 9mm holds 12+1, that's acceptable firepower w/ a 9, I guess...

She's currently packing a KelTec .380 w/ HydraShocks. I've got one too, pushed 250 rounds through each one to smooth 'em out. Mine goes 4-5 mag's before stovepiping on the last round in the clip, since I only carry one clip, I reckon it'll do. Hers has never jammed yet, even dirty. I am gazing at those new Bersa .380 C/C units, though.

 

Obviously, I spend a lot of time and $$$ arming my wife.

 

I have a XD .45 ACP w/ 4" barrel, it's hands-down my favorite pistol. Kinda bulky for concealed carry, but wow, sure do like that 13+1 capacity! Shoots like pointing 'yer finger, too. It's my next-to-the-bed house pistol, now, I want another for a "truck gun". They hinted that there may be a .45 ACP sub-comp. after the first of the year...

 

I kind of cut and pasted some of this from a reply to Ranger, so it may look familiar...

 

Respectfully posted,

Guido2 in Houston

[jon elia 0]

hey cobra,

i had this same question come up, and looked at the bersa 380, i've never shot the 380, but i've handled the thunder .45 and it was nice, but when i qualified for my chl the lady next to me was using one, she was limp wristing....shooting pretty bad and had one jam....

 

i went with the (taurus) rossi, 2" 357 mag...its a 6 shot, instead of 5, and its been real good, the trigger is very smooth, but very heavy also the wife keeps this one handy, loaded with .38 spl +P golder sabers

 

one of my dads older firends who has arthritis, carried a sig in .380, and he swears by that thing, its pretty small conceals good and he says never a fte or ftf.....

[glocklon 0]

The Springfield XD is a nice choice also in 9mm. I have one of those as well in .40 S&W. They feature a grip safety too!

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Thanks for all your input guys.

[Bvamp 604]

qualify. funny thing. dont we have a right to bear arms, if they are legally obtained?

 

qualify....thats funny.....sorry, people. I dont see christians, jews, or muslims, QUALIFYING for thier right to free religeon?????

 

qualify....sorry....I thikn you all know how I feel...violation of my second amendmant right. QUALIFY MY ASS.

[DaGroaner 2]

Of all the pistols my daughter had to choose from, she took one of these when she left home. It wasn't the one I would have picked for her but she's used to it, she hits with it and is confident with it and she loves the little thing so what can you say? The thing should be in a safe but oh well...

 

 

Her's is in .32.

Edited October 7, 2006 by DaGroaner

[RDSWriter 5]

S&W Airweight 38

 

I gotta agree with driftwood. My wife shoots an XD40 for fun at the ranges and because it's our bedside pistol. For carry I bought her a S&W Airweight 38. She practices with it each time we go to the range, but just doesn't enjoy shooting it as much as the 40. In addition to all the positives about wheelguns previously mentioned... it is lightweight and small... crucial for carrying on a regular basis for most women.

 

In addition, revolvers can be reliably fired from inside a coat pocker or purse. NOT that she'd ever shoot through her purse though!