What are good concealed carry choices for women?

tractorshopper · Nov 9, 2017

Don't want to get too much into the back story, but recently a family member of mine got in a sketchy situation after dark at a business located in a rough area. I am thinking of helping her get signed up for a CCW class and wanted to know opinions of what would be a good carry choice for a woman who has limited experience and would be looking for an absolute last line of defense type fail safe if-ever-needed type of thing.

Would like to know about brands, types, calibers, etc, and reasons why it would be good choice for a woman. I'm sure many of you have experience in this regard with your loved ones of the female persuasion, so any insight you can share will be heeded and appreciated as I try to help one of my loved ones with a recommendation and some training.

4570Man · Nov 9, 2017

A hammer less revolver would be my first recommendation. The problem is the trigger pull will be terrible and she might not be able to pull it. Be careful with a semi auto. A lot of women can't pull the slide back. I'm not being sexist or anything but my dad owes a gun store and both of those are a common problem. The best option is let her handle several different types.

/pine · Nov 9, 2017

FWIW...4 of 4 women in this family all carry Ruger LCRs...mostly in .22WMR...they much prefer the wheel guns over auto pistols...

Ruger® LCR® Double-Action Revolvers

PJSprog · Nov 9, 2017

The standard best answer has always been to "take her somewhere to handle and shoot a bunch of different guns and let her choose what feels right to her."

Everybody likes something different. I carry a S&W J-frame revolver everyday. My Wife carries a S&W Shield 9mm. She went through a few options before deciding what works best for her. The gun she initially liked most turned out to be the one she now likes least, and even refuses to carry.

Many ranges and clubs also have women-only training classes, where they can get together without any male intimidation. If you can find one of those local to you, I've never talked to anyone who didn't enjoy them. In the end, just don't force something on her that she may not like because you think it might be better than her choice. If she doesn't like it, she won't carry it, and at that point a CCW license is virtually worthless.

fried1765 · Nov 9, 2017

4570Man said:
A hammer less revolver would be my first recommendation. The problem is the trigger pull will be terrible and she might not be able to pull it. Be careful with a semi auto. A lot of women can't pull the slide back. I'm not being sexist or anything but my dad owes a gun store and both of those are a common problem.

Yup!
The trigger pull is EXACTLY the problem.

I bought the LCR .22WMR for my 71 year old wife, but the trigger pull is too heavy for her. (I will keep it though, because I never sell a gun...any gun!)

On the advice of a woman gun store co-owner, I then bought her a Charter Arms .32 H&R magnum.
The H&R .32 magnum trigger pull is significantly easier than the .22WMR LCR, and she loves how the .32 H&R handles.
She keeps the little bugger in her purse 24/7.
Practice ammo is a lot more expensive for the .32 H&R Mag., but I think it is worth it, because she feels very comfortable with THAT gun.

tractorshopper · Nov 9, 2017

Good feedback so far; thanks. I was kind of leaning toward a small revolver before I asked so it's interesting to hear a couple of remarks that way too. I hadn't thought about a women's only training class. I'll have to ask around about that and see if I can find something. May have to go to a bigger city to find something like that or even a range where she could shoot different weapons to get a feel. I'm not aware of any local ranges with 45-50 minutes unless you count the various weekend shooters on their properties out in the sticks near us ;-)

tractorshopper · Nov 9, 2017

The LCR looks really nice. I'm going to look up the Charter .32 now.

Citydude · Nov 9, 2017

The Kimber Mico 9 impressed me however my wife prefers revolvers. She currently has a Smith and Wesson 38 special she has in her car and needs a carry for her purse. She takes forever to make decisions.

kcflhrc · Nov 9, 2017

For some reason my wife cant even pull the trigger on my Taurus PT111 9mm. She doesn't carry or shoot much at all but I think I would lean towards a small revolver, probably a 38. But she really needs to try them out herself.