Carrying Concealed As A Woman
More and more women are getting their permits to carry, and women face some unique challenges to carrying a pistol concealed. The two main challenges that women face in carrying concealed are
- How to Carry
- What to Carry
- 1. How to Carry
Carrying On Body
- Here are a few pictures of both types of On Body Carry
Precautions for off body carry (in a purse)
- The Purse/Bag must have a strap that allows for cross body carry
- The Purse/Bag must have a specific compartment for the pistol
- The Purse/Bag must never be left un-attended
- 2. What to carry
Women have many choices when it comes to a firearm for self defense. As a general rule I recommend that no one carry a pistol/ammo combo that does not meet the FBI standard of 12" of penetration in ballistic gel.
For more info on this keep an eye on the blog.
With rare exception, to meet this standard the minimum caliber needed is 9mm/.38 special.
The trade off in pistols for concealed carry is that the smaller and more powerful the weapon, the higher the recoil. That means that you need to find a comfortable medium of size and power.
What pistol is right for you?
Semi-Auto or Revolver
When a woman walks into almost any gun store, the man behind the counter will recommend her a 5 shot revolver. Why? Because of the myth that most women can't effectively rack the slide on a semi-auto and that revolvers are inherently more reliable.
Revolvers are fine weapons for self defense and anyone who is comfortable with them should have no qualms about using one. You just need to know the benefits and drawbacks of both revolvers and semi-autos.
Revolver
Pros
- Ease of use
- Small size
- Can be fired from within pocket/bag
Cons
- Heavy trigger pull (up to 12lbs)
- Limited capacity (5 shots)
- Slow reload time
- Semi-Auto
Pros
- Small size
- Lighter trigger pull
- Higher capacity
- Faster reloads
Cons
- Cannot be fired from within pocket/bag
- Slightly more complicated
Look for upcoming posts that cover each topic more in depth.
Here are some resources for women who carry
- A woman who reviews holsters, firearms and gear for ladies
- http://www.faliaphotography.com/
- http://www.youtube.com/faliaphotography
- Coronado Leather, the best concealed carry purses I have seen
- http://coronadoleather.com/
- More Great Purses
- http://www.designerconcealedcarry.com/
- Women's Holsters
- http://www.fist-inc.com/holsters/lady/Default.htm