Weapons, shooting, guns.

[Colleen_definitely]

I wouldn't carry a gun in a purse because if a thief walks by and takes the purse, the thief gets a gun. I always carry on body. I carry a Smith & Wesson M&P340PD. This  is a .357 magnum with a scandium frame and titanium cylinder. Even loaded the pistol weighs barely a pound and it's super easy to conceal. Plus it's a .357 which has a lot of stopping power. I'm actually going to a womens concealed carry fashion show this weekend because I am looking at moving to a 9mm instead of .357 and a 9mm has a lot more carry options. But my .357 isn't going anywhere. It's small enough to put in a pocket. It did take me about 5 months of dedicated range time to figure out how to effectively shoot a snub nosed revolver.

My hand hurts just thinking about shooting that thing.

[tgirlamg]

My hand hurts just thinking about shooting that thing.

Ha!!! 🤗👍... A friend once let me shoot his Charter Arms snub nose .44... My hand felt like I  had just hit a brick wall as hard as you could with a baseball bat... I handed it back to him after two rounds and I think I took the second shot under protest!!!

[Colleen_definitely]

Back when I was going through my "snubbies are cool, I should get one" phase I tried some really hot defensive .38 loads through an airweight S&W.  I fired one cylinder worth and by that time my palm was tingling and the cylinder release button had peeled the skin off of my thumb knuckle.  I bought some standard pressure loads after that.

Full house .357 through the super lightweight version?  No thank you.

[Linde]

Ladies, you are supposed to help me to select a nice little gun, and not make it more difficult!  I have this nice Bersa 380, which I thought was good for me as a guy (mostly to be with me in my motorhome), but now that I am a little , helpless old lady, the thing is to big and heavy.

I would not even know how to conceal this under my female clothing!  I live in southern Florida, one tends to wear as little of the fabric things as possible!  I see my purse as the only means to have a gun along!

[V M]

Are you an opportunist? 

Mmmm no, I was just kidding around, I don't even actually like guns anymore and got rid of all of mine

But I am realizing as things change where I live I may need one for self preservation

Don't worry yourself on it, I'll be okay

Hugs

[phydelia]

Look at a Ruger LCP II if autos are your thing.

Beat me to it. I used to carry a Bersa Thunder .380 until I found the Ruger LC9, which is lighter, more compact, and is chambered for 9mm instead of .380 (and 9mm, despite being a more powerful round, is significantly less expensive than .380- it's win-win on everything besides size/weight).

The LCP is even smaller, but for me it was too small- I couldn't fit enough of my hand on it to really be comfortable shooting it. But, if compact size is your thing, it's a good way to go. You could also look into the Kel-Tec P3AT, or P32 if you want to get REALLY small (.32 ACP isn't a super exciting round, though).

And there are good and bad ways to do purse carry. I've got a CCW purse from a company called *cringe* Pistol Packin Mamas that is very well thought out- underneath the stylish leather shoulder strap is the real strap, a sturdy woven nylon, that isn't going to fall to a quick slice of a box cutter. Wear it cross-body, and it's not going to be an easy grab for anyone.

[Colleen_definitely]

The LCP was too small for me as well.  It was a super convenient item to conceal though.

I have an LC9s and it's a surprisingly solid little gun.  Thanks to the locked breech the felt recoil is less than that of a Bersa Thunder .380 despite being chambered in 9mm.  The original LC9 had a godawful trigger, but the LC9s version has a super smooth striker action with a really great trigger.

I would not even know how to conceal this under my female clothing!  I live in southern Florida, one tends to wear as little of the fabric things as possible!  I see my purse as the only means to have a gun along!

There are a bunch of holsters that work with feminine attire as well.  I often purse carry, you just have to be mindful of things.

[Linde]

The LCP was too small for me as well.  It was a super convenient item to conceal though.

I have an LC9s and it's a surprisingly solid little gun.  Thanks to the locked breech the felt recoil is less than that of a Bersa Thunder .380 despite being chambered in 9mm.  The original LC9 had a godawful trigger, but the LC9s version has a super smooth striker action with a really great trigger.

There are a bunch of holsters that work with feminine attire as well.  I often purse carry, you just have to be mindful of things.

I have my wallet and everything in my purse, and I hang onto it like onto my dear life.  Forgetting it is not very likely.

I do not plan to go into a war zone or an inner city ghetto( I did not do this as a guy, and plan not to do this as woman).  I just want to have that little bit extra security against some thugs who feel they could do an older lady bad.   I very much believe that for most of those, just pulling the gun out of the purse is enough to send them running.

Yes, there are concealed carry holsters for females, but they don't work if one just wears a shirt and shorts or capries.  There is nothing available to hide one.

[Colleen_definitely]

Oh you'd be surprised.  If you go up a size from your usual and get a low riding holster, you can hide more than you might imagine.

That said, purse carry is WAY easier at the expense of being a bit less secure.  My Kahr CM9 is in my purse unless I'm flying.

[Zumbagirl]

Ha!!! 🤗👍... A friend once let me shoot his Charter Arms snub nose .44... My hand felt like I  had just hit a brick wall as hard as you could with a baseball bat... I handed it back to him after two rounds and I think I took the second shot under protest!!!

I didn't think I could handle a snub nose either but I kept at it. Week after week I kept going to the range blowing through boxes of .38 special with an occasional box of .357 (.357 is about a dollar per trigger pull so its expensive stuff). It took me about 5 months but one day at the range I had a eureka moment when I realized I had figured out how to properly handle and shoot a snub nosed revolver. Now it's easy but I know when I take a friend to the range and they want to try my carry gun they usually stop after a few rounds saying "I don't like this, it hurts too much". Been there done that is my usual reply.

[Cassi]

A handful of pebbles and a double barrelled sling shot.  Not really,  2" .357 Mag with grip extender.  Almost a Dirty Harr(iette)

[christinej78]

A handful of pebbles and a double barrelled sling shot.  Not really,  2" .357 Mag with grip extender.  Almost a Dirty Harr(iette)

Hi Cassi,                            30 April 2019

Where have you been all this time? I'm going to guess at a shooting range.

I have a S & W Snubby I'd like to part with. Nice for concealed carry and when you have to pull it out, most baddies will poop themselves and run. If you have to pull the trigger, there'll be lots of DoDo to clean up.

I hope You have been doing well since your last post and update us on all the adventures in your life.

It's great to see you back.

Best Always, Love
Christine

[Cassi]

Thanks Christine.  I've been doing okay.  As with anything, things could be a lot better but they're not all that bad.

Haven't been to a range for years, lol.  Though I'll be needing to for CCW recertification.  Darn, it's things like CCWs that make me want to move to a state that doesn't require and licensing

[BeverlyAnn]

...with an occasional box of .357 (.357 is about a dollar per trigger pull so its expensive stuff).

One of the reasons I took up reloading.  LOL  I found a box of .357 Speer Gold Dots buried in with some other ammo.  I don't know when I bought them but they were $7 for a box of 20 so a .35 cents a round.  Almost hate to shoot them. 

Talking about concealed carry both on body and off body, I generally wear Riders by Lee stretch jeans and they have belt loops.  I use a Safariland belt with a Colt Mustang .380 in a Safariland holster with the thumb break strap that blocks the hammer for on body carry.  It's small enough that, with a slightly loose top it doesn't print. 

If I have to carry off body, I use a Montana West concealed carry purse with a built in holster.  With the holster built into the back, it's almost as quick to deploy as on body carry.   The purse is adjusted to carry cross body so hard for someone to snatch and the strap is wide leather so it would be difficult to cut.  Also, since I keep the Colt cocked and locked, I don't keep it in the purse.  I carry a Glock 43 with the Pearce +1 floor plate so one extra 9mm.

Ladies, you are supposed to help me to select a nice little gun, and not make it more difficult!

Linde, if you want to stay with .380 have you looked at the Glock 42?  Normal capacity is 6 plus 1 but you can add the Pearce +1 floor plate which allows an extra round and gives a little longer grip on the pistol.  This is what my wife has.  Try to find one with night sights or, if not, have them added.  We have the night sights on all our Glocks.

[Linde]

Linde, if you want to stay with .380 have you looked at the Glock 42?  Normal capacity is 6 plus 1 but you can add the Pearce +1 floor plate which allows an extra round and gives a little longer grip on the pistol.  This is what my wife has.  Try to find one with night sights or, if not, have them added.  We have the night sights on all our Glocks.

I tink you misunderstood my need.  I don't need night sides, I don't need a capacity of 8 rounds, I just need max 3 rounds.  I do not want to participate in a new version of the OK Coral event, I just want to be able to scare the occasional thug away.  If that thug will not be stopped by 3 rounds, the person will not be stopped by 8 rounds either.
I tested several pistols, and to get them ready to shoot, i. e., pull the carrier back, I would have to ask any given thug, to please wait with the assault, because I am trying to pull that thing back!.  It seems that I lost a lot of upper body strength!
I settled for this little girl, I can caulk the hammer with my thumb while holding the revolver in my hand, and it is ready in no time.  It is small enough to fit into any of my purses, I don't need to buy a special purse for it, and the grip is nice and comfortable for my hand.  As I said, if I cannot stop the occasional thug with this one, any other will not do it either!

[Gertrude]

I tink you misunderstood my need.  I don't need night sides, I don't need a capacity of 8 rounds, I just need max 3 rounds.  I do not want to participate in a new version of the OK Coral event, I just want to be able to scare the occasional thug away.  If that thug will not be stopped by 3 rounds, the person will not be stopped by 8 rounds either.
I tested several pistols, and to get them ready to shoot, i. e., pull the carrier back, I would have to ask any given thug, to please wait with the assault, because I am trying to pull that thing back!.  It seems that I lost a lot of upper body strength!
I settled for this little girl, I can caulk the hammer with my thumb while holding the revolver in my hand, and it is ready in no time.  It is small enough to fit into any of my purses, I don't need to buy a special purse for it, and the grip is nice and comfortable for my hand.  As I said, if I cannot stop the occasional thug with this one, any other will not do it either!

Never carry with an empty chamber with a semi auto. It's asking for trouble. With a double action revolver, you can just pull the trigger.


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[BeverlyAnn]

Never carry with an empty chamber with a semi auto. It's asking for trouble. With a double action revolver, you can just pull the trigger.


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As a friend in the Liberal Gun Owners says, "Carrying a semi-auto with an empty chamber, you may spend the rest of your life chambering a round."

[Devlyn]

We've been watching Scott at Kentucky Ballistics, what a hoot!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_lQ_KhJBX4hAQ6rqbg0Bw

[Kay226]

Well Devlyn, my shoulder hurts just watching that video. My brother had a shotgun 12ga. We fired some 3 inch magnum rounds and that was enough recoil for me. I shoot pellet guns and I am a decent shot. My pellet guns are for shooting aluminum cans not for protection.

Kay

[D'Amalie]

As a friend in the Liberal Gun Owners says, "Carrying a semi-auto with an empty chamber, you may spend the rest of your life chambering a round."

All I carry is semi auto and I always carry condition 1.  Chambered, cocked with safety on.  Well, depending on 1911 style with thumb safety, or XP with grip safety.  Any more than that and you might as well not have it.  Okay, a slight exageration, but it isn't conforting knowing there is a forced delay in ability to respond to the threat.  Its never comfortable, just being paranoid.