kmbwbconcealed-620x330

By Jeff Lehman via wideopenspaces.com

Women and men are different in many ways. They don’t necessarily do the same things the same way. So why would a woman carry a gun the same way as a man? Sure, there’s no reason they can’t, but due to fashion and lifestyle sometimes carrying a 1911 is not feasible. So a woman needs to choose a carry gun that will fit her daily life. Be it a pocket gun for a purse for a full-size Glock, a woman needs the chance to figure out for herself what she needs in a carry gun . . .

In this video from Babes with Bullets, Camp Director Deb Ferns and Instructor and Competitive Shooter Kay Miculek take some time to present ideas and alternatives for women who want to carry a handgun.

As you can see, the options are varied, but it all boils down to the fact that a woman needs to choose the gun that fits her the best. While a man can help, they need to allow the lady to choose her pistol for herself.

And men, a woman can carry and use anything she wants. Stop trying to make them only carry a .38 Special revolver.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

73 COMMENTS

  1. Guys, even if you’re paying for her gun you have no say in the selection. Or anything else.

    • Unless she wants a Cobra/Jennings/Raven, then say something. This is true though, they need to learn what they like and what they don’t. My wife bought a Bodyguard 380 and she hated it, I bought a Walther PPX and we ended swapping

    • Yes, sir.

      Any of ya’ll figure out how to get a woman to do something she doesn’t want to, you let me know.

      We will write a book and sell millions.

      • Dude, most of us can’t get a woman to do something that she wants to do, much less something she doesn’t.

        • ROHC, my favorite statement was “you were right, I was wrong, I’m sorry and I’ll never do it again.” Didn’t even matter what “it” was.

        • Arguing with a woman is like getting arrested.
          Anything you say may be used against you.

        • Tom, it’s far worse than that. Anything she thinks you said can and will be used against you.

      • The only fault with women, is they don’t say anything right, and they don’t do anything right!……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

        Usually.

      • This is the difference between a woman and a terrorist: while it is bad policy to negotiate with a terrorist, it is at least physically possible.

  2. A woman should use the same standards a man uses for concealed carry. Carry the biggest caliber you can control in a platform you can both conceal and still reasonably comfortably shoot. If that’s a pocket 9, go for it. If it’s a .380 mouse gun, fine. If you can handle a .45 (and conceal that tank) do so. Just practice with it and carry as often as you can.

  3. Last I checked a “38 special revolver” is just about the most reliable arm out there. On top of that they are simple and easily concealed. Do I detect a note of disdain on something that has worked for generations of men and women? A 38 will kill you just as dead as a 9mm.

      • I love a 38 snub. My wife doesn’t. She ended up with an LC9s. Sweet shooting gun for its size/weight.

        and yes, she picked it. No it’s not pink.

    • Most the men that darken my door asking for a 38 j frame for the wife are under some odd misconception that the j frame is going to be the best option, that their wife will not be able to rack a slide or clear a mechanical failure, or manipulate a safety and therefore she should put the .38 in her purse. I tell these men to come back with their wife because you can show anyone how to get a slide racked, how to clear and reload, and get them a holster that will carry the pistol comfortably on their body. I’m bored to death with middle aged men under the illusion that they know something if they’ve been shooting casually for a few years or watched a few YouTube videos. You cannot pick a gun out for any person other than yourself, including, children, wives, girlfriends, parents, or other men, isnt that why every agency and branch of .gov is always bitching that some of their agents want a different gun and most guns given as unsolicited gifts sit in closets?

      • I’m bored to death with your long winded dissertation. Some of us middle aged dudes know a couple of things about shooting. We don’t need those who pervay the latest and greatest to lecture unless they can convince. Been there, done that….

      • Been selling guns for a few years now. I agree with Sacorey 100%. When women bring along a “gun guy” the guy usually makes the process more difficult for everyone. The best guy is the one who says “it’s your gun, not mine, pick the one you feel is best.”

        • That’s generally good advice – when you’re dealing with a competent and intelligent salesperson. Sometimes the guy behind the counter is the one with the wrong-headed ideas and would prefer to espouse their opinions rather than provide useful information to help guide the buyer’s decision. Unfortunately, newbies often assume that just because someone works at a gun shop, they’re knowledgeable experts, which is not always the case.

        • Yeah, you’re right. The shop where I work generally has only minimal amounts of derp, but a recent trip to the new Cabela’s reminded me that we’re the exception rather than the rule. So best advice for a new shooter is do as much research as you can beforehand and don’t trust any one person’s opinion.

    • 38 special snubbies are an acquired taste. My S&W 637 is my go to carry gun now, but the thing was a literal and figurative handful when I first got it. You can’t just drop one on a person with limited experience and expect them to enjoy shooting one, let alone hit what they are aiming at.

    • It’s recoil, mainly. I carry a .357 snubbie personally (loaded with .38 because .357 is too much of a beast out of a 12 oz revolver!), and I love the simplicity of operation, but I don’t think my wife could shoot that accurately past the first shot. A pocket .380 would work much better for her.

      Now if they made an ultralight snubbie in .380…

  4. Loved the comment about the Raven. My wife,(all 5 feet, 95 pounds of her) carried a full sized Kimber .45 and shot competition regularly. Went to a gun show one day and while she was browsing, the doofus behind one of the tables suggested a Raven .25 for the ‘little lady’. My wife pulled back her vest and asked him if she should trade for this and revealed her Kimber. He shut up fast. Sadly she developed cancer and although now completely healed, she has trouble with the slide on her .45. She now carries a S&W air weight .38, and she does just fine with it. In time she may be able to once again manipulate her favorite .45, but until then she is content with the .38.

      • No, actually have not given the .45ACP revolver a consideration. Good idea, thanks for the suggestion. She does have a .357 SP 101 which she also carries on occasion, so she still have the ‘hand cannon’ feel when she needs a ‘fix. Thank for the suggestion.

    • She will be able to work the slide, there’s plenty of techniques for people with diminished strength

      • She’s working on it. Had a lot of tendons and nerves cut in surgery and quite a bit of muscle removed on her right side. Fortunately she is left handed, but her right hand is almost useless for pulling the slide back right now. Physical therapy is doing wonders but as yet she cannot hold a set of drum sticks (she is a drummer) for any length of time. She keeps trying to rack the slide on her .45 and can do it once or twice at a session, but she’ll get there eventually. Thanks.

  5. “Be it a pocket gun for a purse for a full-size Glock, a woman needs the chance to figure out for herself what she needs in a carry gun . . .”

    This is the barrier I’ve observed; Making up one’s own mind requires a collection of data and analysis of said data. I’ve yet to meet a woman willing to do that. As with everything else, they find it way too much trouble when they can just manipulate a dumb man with sex… It doesn’t lead to accomplishing the goal of useful self-defense, but they never think that far ahead.

    Call me names if you like, it’s what I’ve observed of women. Reality is not nice, but I won’t live in denial of it just because someone will call me names for telling the truth.

    I have a neighbor lady who bought a Bodygaurd in spite of the fact that her degenerative neuro-muscular disorder prevents her from racking the slide. She can’t even load the mag. She refused to even consider a hammerless revolver because they aren’t cool.

      • Yep, I’ll pull up a chair right next to you. This is gonna be good. Make some extra pop corn, I’ll bring the beer…haha….

    • I’m not gonna call you names (you can put away the popcorn, guys, lol)

      But that is not my experience.

      I’ve always been a 2A supporter, but wasn’t sure if carry was right for me until I read books with studies that show how safe and effective it can be. In the 15 years since I got my CHL, I’ve only made a mistake on one gun, the Airweight that is just too painful for me to train with. I bought a Kahr PM9 when they came out and that’s been my carry gun for years.

      • Airweights are snappy as hell. I’ve loved them for over 40 years and wouldn’t think about going out and about without one in my pocket. I do consider them to be the best “last ditch” handgun and most powerful contact weapon ever invented, but I don’t recommend them for everyone. And practicing with an Airweight, or an Airlight, is no fun at all.

    • My wife picked out her first gun after doing her own research, only asking for my opinion after she found what she liked (including renting it and trying it out). She’s now wanting to sell the M&P9 for an M&P45.

      Of course, your extremely limited experience is enough to blanket apply to all women everywhere forever, right?

      • No, my exceptionally broad experience uniquely qualifies me as an expert on the topic, but thanks for throwing your baseless presumptions out there…

        It’s hard to find a woman who doesn’t tow the Obama line for absolutist civilian disarmament, much less looking for a gun, much less even paying attention… Anything the free money pols tell them to do…

        • Eh, virtually all of my female friends and relatives think women should carry guns, and Obama is Satan’s spawn. I’m in Texas though. Maybe you need to look here or somewhere similar.

        • It sounds like your “exceptionally broad” experience is with an exceptionally limited subset of women. It’s not that hard to find a woman who is the exact opposite of what you describe; I know quite a few personally.

          Shockingly, women don’t share a single, monolithic hive mind. They’re actually widely varied individuals with their own thoughts and ideas. It’s almost like they’re real people.

    • Dustin, you are entitled to your own opinion (though I personally disagree with it). As a fellow dude I wish you had kept your opinion to yourself in this case. Saying offensive things about women in a gun forum is not going to help the image of gun people and is not going to help anti-gun women feel like they can trust guys with guns.

  6. Selecting a gun for you wife / girlfriend is just as dangerous as buying cloths for them, the odds of hitting a winner first time out are really long.

    My wife’s favorite gun is a .357. Her logic, she can’t rack an auto and even has some issue with the high trigger pull on a DA (she is disabled). She shoots single action, she know she probably only has one shot and will make it count. He gun has big ugly black rubber grips, nothing pink. Could I have possibly predicted this?

    • When I bought my ex-gf a gun, I asked her if she wanted pink grips (she loved pink). She said, “No. If I have to point it at someone, I want him to think ‘oh, sh1t’ not ‘how cute.'”

      • As a 6′, 200+ pound full grown man, I’ve thought about carrying a pink gun. If I have to pull it out I wouldn’t mind that guy giving me an extra second as he thinks “what the f*ck?”

        Lol

      • Yup, the women in my family are the same and tend toward black or stainless. I’ve gone with guys and gals to gun stores or shows to advise, but the choice is their own.

  7. Most women have smaller hands than men and instead of just buying a Glock or Sig, other brands should be considered. The Ruger SR9 usually fits women better than many semi autos.

    • My wife has tiny, elfin hands (she’s just over 5′) yet handles my 1911 just fine. She has a full size M&P9 for herself. Women should try out every gun they can and decide for themselves.

      • This goes for anyone, honestly. Try as many different guns as you can and find out what fits you best.

      • 1911 single stacks are usually easy for people with small hands to operate. Double stacks are problematic.

  8. Baretta used to make a little automatic in 32 cal., that had a “Tip up” barrel for loading the first round in the chamber. Although not a very potent round, it is just right for someone with severe arthritis or similar problems.

    The biggest problem, would be finding one.

    • It’s a Baretta Tomcat. On Baretta web site, shows a tip up barrel in .380 caliber.
      Have some really nice vintage, out of production revolvers. But for CC, have a reliable,
      commonly available, inexpensive M206 ROCK ISLAND 38 SPL .38 6 round 2″ remarkably smooth 10 lbs. double 5 lb single action. Brother & his brother-in-law both really liked it as did my sister-in-law. Not really such a thing as a girl’s gun, just guns.

  9. There is no such thing as a women’s carry gun. Women should carry the gun that is best suited to her needs and her preferences. My wife carries an M-9 because she wants to and makes the appropriate fashion adjustment. If she has fashion constraints to meet then she has safe full of pistols to do that.

  10. My wife likes the G26 EXO, so that’s what she packs…

    She likes the Hornady Zombie 9mm ammo too, cause it’s has neon green tips, so she has the G26 loaded up with it.

    If she doesn’t like it, she likely won’t carry it, and men aren’t any different.

  11. I ended up going with a .357 snub nose revolver. I invested the time and money to learn how to shoot it and now I’m happy with my snubbie.

  12. The NRA should just pay off the homosexual cabal dictating women’s fashion to make baggy clothes a thing again. Then, the women you pedestalize can conceal X-frame Smiths. Duh. (Kinda /sarc but really not)

  13. My wife picked out her xd sub compact and her xds .45. She loves them and can shoot them well. I will refraim from the wife comments because she might read this, and maybe I’m scared…love ya honey…I’m not like these other guys, no really…

  14. I have one daughter who carries her Ruger sp101 on her hip, nicely concealed every day. I have another daughter who carries her S&W .38 in…you guessed it…the bottom of her purse…under the makeup, hygiene products and miscellaneous crap she throws in there. No amount of reasoning, debate, or arguing will ever change her. Useless for her to carry. But the other daughter, well, “That’s my girl!” I don’t worry too much though, since they’re always together. The younger one (with sense) can hold a bad guy at gunpoint while the other clubs him on the head with her purse.

  15. I have known two women (employees) who will admit to handgun ownership. One has a .45 semi and the other has onerous of those .45/.410 revolvers.

    • I’m curious if it depends on the area of the country one lives in. I don’t know any women who do not carry or at least have a handgun around here. Most are very proficient, and knowledgeable in both use and facts about guns. Even my 82 year old mother carries and is proficient with one. And most of the gun shops around here are co-owned by women or have women on staff. Would be interesting to know if it is different in different areas of the country. Here in rural Pennsylvania it is more strange to meet someone who is NOT carrying.

  16. “Stop trying to make them only carry a .38 Special revolver.”

    I had my wife try a variety of guns at the local range over a period of three months, some were mine and others from the range. They were the SR9c, Glock 26, LCP, Kahr CM9, Kahr P380, Springfield XDS 45, and a Walther P22(Only Walther they had). She was not comfortable with any of them and hated both of my Kahrs. So we rented a revolver, the LCR. She absolutely loved the gun. Her shot placement was accurate and tight. At 7 yards she shot a very good smiley face ala Lethal Weapon. We bought her a LCRX and it is her carry gun. She practices once a month with it and still loves the gun.

    So I tried to “make” her use a semi and it didn’t work. She picked the “.38 Special revolver” herself.

  19. I really wish people would stop acting like purse carry is a valid option. One of the most common non-sexual crimes committed against women is purse snatching. You want women to arm their own rapists?

  20. Why do people think it’s wrong for a woman’s gun to be pink if that’s what she wants? I started my wife shooting because she wanted a pink SIG. It’s not wrong if a girl doesn’t want a pink gun, but I don’t see why one should get crap for it. These days she’s begun to like FDE though, and wants a SIG P320 in FDE

  22. I would no more pick a firearm for a woman than I would a man. Take them to a range and have them try out different action types and weights. Let the target choose the weapon.

  24. Would you want your wife or female significant other picking out the gun you would have to carry? No, you wouldn’t.

    Do you think, “But that’s different?!” You’re wrong. I don’t care how much expertise you think you have. I wouldn’t let you pick out the gun I would have to carry, and your wife or female significant other deserves the same freedom regardless of their level of expertise. It’s more about feeling comfortable with the choice than it is being objectively the “very best choice,” if such a critter even exists.

  25. Buy your woman a .22 LR pistol. Carries a lot of rounds and doesn’t ‘kick’ at all. She’ll only need to learn to aim and pull. Unless of course she into the whole ‘gun culture’ thing, you lucky man.

  26. Two points to consider. In every video where guys are attacked there is usually their girl close by. several guys without warning start beating on the unsuspecting guy. Call situational awareness all you want, but sooner or later, we will all be caught off guard. In every one of those videos, I saw the multiple attackers ignore the woman. Had she been carrying, she could have easily shot a couple of them before they knew what was happening. My point is, a gun on your girl is better than a second on your ankle.

    Point #2 your girl has to carry it all the time. If your girls are anything like mine she wants to wear tight fitting stylish clothes. Sure you can carry that Kimber 1911 in jeans and a loose hoodie, but what about that thin miniskirt and a halter top from the latest designer. Even the Keltec .380 prints terribly in a skin tight hot outfit. Our solution: NA .22Mag. And before anyone says, “oh a .22 anything is worthless, I’d ask you to stand in front of a .22 short and let someone shoot you with it” The .22LR will kill, and if you look at the statistics kills more often than .45 and 9mm every year. My wife can easily group 6″ at 21′ which is more than accurate enough. It isn’t the size of the dog but the size of the bite that counts. And a .22Mag will bite hard enough to make the vast majority of gang bangers and would-be thieves and rapists scatter for their lives. Only a drugged up attacker would stand up against it and then they would also against most other handgun rounds as well. Her other carry guns are Glocks, but only when she is wearing her fluffy clothes.

Comments are closed.