Posted: 11/21/2007 9:29:22 PM EDT
| What do you think the best option is for a female CCW? ankle? Purse? IWB? any insite? my girlfriend just got her CCW and before we purchase her a pistol we want to how she is going to carry it. thanks |
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ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=71&t=642097 Here's a current similar thread in the women shooters forum, you might keep an eye on that discussion. |
I have a hard time packing one even under the heaviest of winter coats....best place for them is in the trunk.  Really I am just tagging this. My wife's outfits change multiple times a day and I can't even get her to carry a knife regularly. Even keeping stuff in her purse has cost me multiple multi tools as she takes them out and forgets them. |
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depends on what they wear--most/lots of women tend to wear attire thats not so accomidating to most men-style CCW gear if a lady tends to wear pants/slacks and the like, std IWBs will work fine--just watch the shirts the main thing, is to have said carry firearm, whether its in a purse/bag, etc, on the person at all times taken from another post of mine to a lady: "the problem is, if your attire changes regularly (say a skirt one day, slacks or pants, and style of shirt, etc another), then on the body carry might be tricky as you will either have to have different holsters at different spots (and practice drawing from those locations) to conceal it if you can at all... so maybe for you, and thousands of other women, your purse might be the best place to hide your CCW... if you do wear the proper/best concealment clothing, then i would recommend a strong side, Inside The Waistband (IWB) concealment holster...h/w, the best way to conceal these are w/ a loose shirt and pants other carry options (i dont usually recommend these for guys who carry, but i have seen some women who have had sucess w/ em, esp if they wear a dress or something like that): there are those belly band holsters--these strap on above your waist line and wrap around; gun and extra mag are contained sideways" this site might help: www.corneredcat.com/ these topics too: ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=71&t=640818 www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=71&t=611914 |
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I tried to get my wife to carry IWB, but it's just not practical for her. So we went to the mall and got her a purse with a large out pocket that closes with a magnetic flap. She puts her Kimber Aegis in the pocket, so it's separate from everything else that is in the main compartment of the purse. The most important thing is that she practices drawing and firing with it, and she has gotten fairly quick at it. Also important is that she is always very conscious about where her purse is and never leaves it alone outside the house. |
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the only option I dont really like is the purse. The first thing usually grabbed of a female is the purse. worse case scenerio not only were you mugged but you armed the attacker. other than that its a matter of comfortability. whichever the user can handle and be comfortable. I find alot of times if someone doesnt or cant find a comfortable way to conceal they tend to forget their gun alot |
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My wife always carries in an uncle mikes fanny pack. Or openly in a belt holster, this is AZ after all. She prefers the fanny pack to a purse because of the obvious grab issue. Also, since we have 3 kids, having a hands free option is a good thing. Obviously this is a blue jeans type of attire thing. |
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I know a couple women that live together have been considering a pistol, at least for the home, but only one could successfully CCW... Women dress for style (tight) rather than function like men. Most women wouldn't want to change their dress to carry a firearm, especially if they're not into it in the first place. They would need a strong reason to change their dress for a CCW, more than just 'chance' - They would need to fear for their safety, by personal past experience. Any woman might be willing to carry in their purse, but that is the worst place to do it. They may even get blindsided and drop the purse... Now they're laying on the ground or being shoved into a vehicle and their pistol isn't with them. If they had it on their body, even if they didn't draw it right away, they would still have that option while on the ground/in vehicle. |
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Women typically opt for the purse. It's just easier. My wife carries in her purse and sometimes a kel-tec on her ankle. Most womens pants are cut properly at the ankle for it. It's just easier for her because her gun does not dictate her clothing. As well as most of my female students choose the purse. Getting a woman to carry a gun is a hard enough task. The easier you make it, the more they will. J |
| My wife carries in her purse most of the time. I really prefer the gun to be on the body somewhere. As well as purse theft, she could possibly set the purse down and forget to pick it back up. She is very careful but I wish she would use her belt holster more. |
Sorry......   From my point of view it's always better to carry on her person. In true Arfcom fashion, I 'do both' with carrying in a purse and on my person. IWB is my preference, but if she dresses with coats, flannel shirts, etc she can even do OWB. Ankle is fine for a BUG too, but remember that even though most womens pants are cut to be able to conceal it, it would be very difficult to get to, let alone draw that gun if she needs to quickly. Thigh holsters are also available if she wears dresses/skirts a lot, belly bands are there for skirts. I also have a carry purse from Coronado Leather. I got it on special and it's cute as can be. I LOVE it. It has a separate pocket for the gun, and that pocket has its own locking zipper (good for in case the kiddos like to go through mommy's purse while she's home. I found that the purse was a good choice too because of the way the pocket was designed- it was very easy for me to unzip that pocket and slip my hand in there while I walked out to my car. No one could see a gun, it just looked like I had my hand in my purse. Also if it got snatched, I had my hand on my gun so they would get the purse, but my gun would stay with me. A couple other things: a carry purse should have a relatively wide strap so that it doesn't become uncomfortable cutting into her shoulder..... we carry enough crap in our purses, the added weight of a loaded firearm (plus extra mag(s)) can quickly become too much. And she can use a standard purse/handbag (i.e. she's a Coach fanatic and doesn't want to give that up), but make sure she uses a separate pocket for the gun.... it's possible to have someone sew a dedicated pocket into the lining of the bag. Regarding IWB carry.... I typically carry at 11 or 1 o'clock. That way if I'm attacked and thrown to the ground, I don't have the gun in the small of my back where I can't get to it (and it's just given me a back injury), and also if someone approaches me from behind, I'm able to covertly draw without giving myself away. There are a lot of womens shirt styles now that are very conducive to this type of carry: empire waist, trapeeze, babydoll, etc. It's easy to wear those shirts over a pair of jeans and just carry IWB. I've worn just my normal T-shirts and jeans and carried IWB too, I *know* I've printed, but no one has ever said anything to me. Maybe they just think it's an insulin pump.  Yeah, it makes my waist look a couple inches bigger than it is, but hey- I'm married, and he knows what size I am... I don't need to impress any strangers.  Best of luck with whatever she chooses. Regardless of what she DOES choose, make sure she trains with it. After I got my CCW, I started carrying right away, but was unpleasantly surprised at how slow I was to be able to actually fumble for the gun and prepare to fire. She has GOT to practice drawing from concealment.... in the clothes that she will wear in the real world. Yes, I've gone to the range in my 3" heeled boots, just to get a feel for what it would be like in the real world. And just like you guys, don't be surprised if she has to go through a dozen different holsters to find the one she loves. |
Do you have any pics of your set up? |
I don't, but I'll see what I can do. I'll definitely take some pics of the holster and purse, and maybe some of me wearing it. No promises though. Don't have pics of the purse.... although you can see all of the different purse styles on the Coronado Leather site. eta 11/30: Here's a couple of quickie pics from today. They're a little odd because I took them of myself.  My favorite holster right now for this little S&W airweight is just a little cheapy one that one of my hubby's friends gave him. I commandeered it. It works well.  
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nice SW 642 reloads in speedstrips or speedloaders? |
Nice timing. I just had a friend ask about this same thing. All I could offer was "Personally I think carrying in the purse is a terrible idea." Especially when someone has kids. http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/440135 |
| my daughter is petite. She carries a colt govt model 380 in an inside the waist band holster. It seems to be the thinest pistol that she liked. A little pricie when you can find them. a little under powered in my opinion, but better then no gun and a lot better then pepper spray or stun gun. She also practices a lot with it. |
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My girlfriend uses a cheep uncle mikes IWB holster and a glock 26. I worked very well but was a slow draw because the almost the whole grip ends up in her waist band. She also has an ankle holster but doesn't use it much. I told her the same thing people told me, your going to have to change your dress to fit the gun. So far it's working well as she got to do some shopping! |
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I'm glad this topic didn't die. Getting re-married soon, it is one that I and apparently a lot of other guys, consider for the women we love. That said, it is common, I think, for us men to want to "find the solution" or "fix" things for our women -- especially about a "manly topic such as guns"...but women are much different than men. Their bodies are different, and their clothing and style is different...and for that, we men should be thankful!!! Yes, it's easy for us to say, "you'll just have to change yourself to fit the gun" but in reality, that just may not happen. Carrying a gun is not like putting on a watch...it takes a mindset and dedication that some people just don't own. When we want to "fix" things for them, we have to realize that we can't always use solutions that work for us. I agree that carrying in a purse is not ideal, but that is my feeling on the subject. I carry a full size 1911 w/ light IWB on my hip and a j-frame in my pocket most days. That just would not work for most women. For a woman, they have a different set of needs than we do. While it is still an individual preference, from what I have observed, Bed Head's solution of using IWB in the front, seems to be one that works the best for many women. It is carried on body, is easily accessible and under the most control. Unfortunately, I think the purse is often the only realistic place left for many women to carry a gun if they want to have it close at hand most of the time. Sadly, it is too easy to become separated from that "life line". I think finding the "right gun" is also important. The gun must balance size and weight with recoil control and shootability. Many women just are not going to dedicate themselves to carrying a full size 1911 daily...but then again...neither do most men. But while men's clothing can work with carrying a gun, most women's clothing cannot. Men's clothes typically have sturdy waistbands and generous pockets...where as a lot of women's clothing does not. Additionally, where men can easily wear a belt, often women cannot. As a firearms instructor, I like to hear and learn what works for others, including women, as I often must give ideas to the fairer sex when they go out to work the streets in plain clothes. Thanks for the input Bed Head. eta: had to check for spelling... |
Thanks for posting that BH. Would you care to comment on the quality of your purse. I've been contemplating buying one for my wife and the only other ones that look fashionable are the Galco ones. I trust Galco quality and am wondering if these are comparable. I don't mind spending the money for a high quality item, so long as it's high quality. |
Quality is great. I was never really a purse kind of gal until the last few years. (Something about having to carry kid stuff for my kids AND myself I guess... better than a diaper bag though!) Anyway, point is that I'm very hard on purses. It's holding up VERY well, the leather and stitching are excellent. The only problem that I'm noticing is that I got my purse in pink and it's getting a little dirty now. I need to figure out how to clean it up. It just hasn't been a priority for me though.If she prefers a Coronado style over a Galco style, rest easy getting the Coronado. The quality is worth the price. 
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