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Small woman looking for suggestions for my first CCW

4K views 54 replies 45 participants last post by  hardluk1 
#1 ·
Hi there, I’m new to the site and looking particularly to get suggestions on what would be a good choice for my first CCW. I’m a small woman (5’2/110lbs) despite my size I can handle a bit of recoil due to working my entire life as a farm hand, that said, I love to shoot and would like to have a gun that’s also comfortable shooting for long range days to get proficient at using the weapon for self defense purposes. I would have to carry on person (I don’t like the idea of putting my gun in a purse which could be separated from my person) so it also needs to be small enough for a small woman to conceal on person, I’d prefer 9mm/.380acp caliber particularly 9mm but if there are great .380 options I’ll consider them. Just would love to hear opinions and hear gun options that I’ve maybe not already looked into. I live in a gun friendly state so I don’t have to worry about CA compliance or anything of that nature, thanks in advance!
 
#3 ·
Welcome to the forum. There are lots of good choices and it all depends on what works for you personally. The Shield, as Mike1956 suggests, is one of them. My wife has carried a Glock 26, a Glock 43, and currently carries a Sig P365. You need to find a local gun store/range that will let you rent/try some different models to figure out what works best for you.
 
#13 ·
The single best recommendation is to go rent/borrow as many pistols as you can that fall in your interest criteria.

My wife ended up, much to my surprise, preferring the S&W 442 in 38Spl. She tried several autos but she felt most comfortable with that old wheel gun. Good luck with your search and welcome aboard.
 
#5 ·
From my own inventory I'd recommend the 3.3" Springfield XDS in 9mm for a small woman to carry. It's an easily concealed single stack 9mm. Small yet comfortable enough to shoot that you could enjoy some range time with it. There are a number of good options out there. The XDS is certainly one of them.
 

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#6 ·
Welcome to the forum. You're the same exact size as my wife. When we looked into her getting a concealed carry gun, we looked at everything. Including revolvers. She decided on the Taurus G2C. It's cheap. But the quality is on par with the more expensive striker fired guns. It's very light weight. Accurate. Pretty small. Carries and conceals easily. I'm not saying this is THE gun for you. But your situation sounds the same as ours. They also make a sing stack version called the G2S. The G2C in slightly wider, and offers a good deal more capacity. She has shot the thing for long periods at the range without problems. Good luck.
 
#7 ·
Hi Averi, and welcome to our fine forum.

Many excellent options for your first CCW. If you want simple reliability and ease of use, you might consider a smaller revolver, such as a .38 caliber.

If you trend toward a semi-automatic, their are many possibilities; and I recommend that you try the SIG Sauer P365 (just because I like mine so much).

Please keep us informed of your decision-making process and your final selection.

.
 
#18 ·
^^^ Good Advice ^^^

In the 30 years sine I left the Corps I have owned nine 9mm pistols from duty size to sub compact and one 380. I have two guns today, a RM 380 for the rare time I need very deep concealment and a Walther PPS M2 in 9mm. The Walther is my EDC both IWB and OWB. You should consider it and try it if you can rent one. If you can handle 9mm forget 380. No reason to lose power unless you must. The video link is of a woman who specializes in training females. Her review of the PPS M2 is worth watching.

 
#9 ·
Welcome to the site!

My wife is about your size, and carries her Ruger LCP in a Flashbang bra holster. She finds it less constricting than the Kangaroo holster she was using previously, and she is carrying more regularly now.

A lot will depend on how you dress. Do you wear belts? Or do most of your clothes not accommodate a belt? How about dresses? How tight do you wear your clothes? That will impact concealment and the need to wear a cover garment.

There are a lot of good sites with info for women, such as CorneredCat. Take your time, get some training, and if possible, try a gun before you decide to buy. Buy what works best for you, not what some tactitard recommends.

You will probably find that there is no perfect gun. The small ones are easier to carry concealed regularly, but not always fun to shoot at a long range session. Large guns are more pleasurable to shoot, have more ammo capacity, etc but can be challenging to carry every day concealed. Remember rule 1 is "have a gun" so be realistic about what you will actually carry daily and don't think you can't defend yourself without a howitzer.

Good luck in your journey!
 
#14 ·
I would seek out a reputable trainer and see about some training. You may then have a better idea what will work for you. The other idea from PPS1980 to go rent various pistols is good, but without any training or at least a proficient friend it will be difficult to gain any real insight.
 
#16 ·
I agree with this. Any recommendation by someone who does not know you is just a WAG that will lean toward our personal preferences instead of yours. My wife is the same size as you and prefers 4 inch + magnum revolvers so you just can't make these types of recommendations without the above advice coming first. How many here would have recommended a magnum revolver for my wife?
Probably none which just goes to show its your personal journey to find what works for you and then when you dial that in lots of people here can help with specifics models,etc.
 
#15 ·
Welcome to the forum! Good advice from the others. I always recommend to my new students that they try before you buy! (Rent or borrow before buying.) I always have several common choices available for my students to try out. Like Bad Bob said above get some training! Good luck!
 
#20 ·
Welcome! My daughter in law wanted a gun for home defense, but small enough to carry with her if she wanted to. She wasn't comfortable enough yet with semi-autos and racking the slide so she went with a Airweight revolver.

I mention this just because I think there is more to consider than just recoil. She would have struggled with what to do if she had a malfunction with a semi-auto and probably wasn't going to put in the range time to become pro-efficient yet. She thought a small revolver would be a better choice for her right now. She is busy working and has two little girls that take all her time right now.

The stock grip was a little uncomfortable for her so they swapped it for one that I wasn't familiar with prior to shooting the gun, the Ergogrip. It's kinda funky looking, but the gun points well and recoil seems more manageable for her. She shoots it well. Just something to consider.

Here's what the grip looks like on her gun.

 
#21 ·
Good morning, averijohnson8, and welcome to the forum from Arizona. There are lots of great small 9mm out there that will fit you well. That being said, sometimes the smallest weapon is not the best fit. Give yourself the opportunity to try everything before you purchase. Among very nice 9's that I've used, the Kahr PM9, Sig P239, and CZ Rami stand out to me. Good luck, and welcome aboard!
 
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#22 ·
Make sure the gun feels good in your hand, the barrel naturally aligns straight with your arm, and you can easily reach the trigger. I'm 5'10", but I must have short fingers, because with many handguns I have trouble getting my finger flat on the face of the trigger without compromising my grip. Small guns that feel "right" to me are the LCP II and the LC9s Pro. (Unfortunately, I think the Pro model is discontinued and you have to get one with a superfluous manual safety.)
 
#23 ·
Welcome from the Texas Gulf Coast.

My wife carries a Smith and Wesson Shield 9mm using an on-body belly band holster. I frequently carry a Shield .45 when I need deeper concealment. There are several excellent 380's and with modern ammunition are suitable for self defense. One thing to remember is that the smaller the gun, the more pronounced recoil becomes.

You been given excellent advice to find a range that will let you "test drive" various guns. Then make sure, before you buy, that you check carefully and sleep on it overnight. Some guns are very aggressively marketed because they have some flaws that could cost you your life.

Good luck, and again, welcome.
 
#24 ·
If you can shoot a 9mm, get a 9mm. I have had to downsize in caliber and also in physical gun size due to arthritis and other health issues, but I carried and shot 9mm for over 20 years. The advice to try as many different guns as you can is the best advice - even if you can't actually shoot them. It only takes a few seconds to figure if a grip will fit your hands, to rack the slide and dry fire the trigger once or twice. If you are in a store that won't let you do that, leave and go to one that will!

You didn't mention budget considerations. You can buy almost 2 Shields for the price of one SIG. If you have a limit on how much you can spend, do yourself a big favor and don't look at guns that are way beyond that amount of money. There is nothing much more frustrating than finding that "perfect gun" and then finding out that you cannot afford to buy it and have to settle for something else that might have made you very happy had you not tried out the too-expensive one.

Other $$ considerations are the availability of holsters and pricing for them, and the biggie of the cost of ammo. 9mm ammo is anywhere from 5 to 9 cents cheaper per round than .380. A range session of 100 rounds of ammo can result in a potential difference of $9 out of pocket for one range session. If possible for you, it is almost always less expensive per round to buy in bulk case lots (1000 rounds) on line. ALMOST, because once in a while a local store will have a super-promotion.

Holsters are even more individual-specific than guns. 'Nuff said now.
 
#25 ·
Welcome to the Forum! Wealth of information from it's Members here, both old hands, and younger ones too!
I know you're looking at 9mm and 380acp guns, but another option is, S&W model 642 or 442 revolver for personal protection. 38 Spl and you can shoot wadcutters ( target loads) or +P 125 gr defensive loads out of it. It's hammerless, thus it won't snag on your clothing or jeans if you pocket carried it. easy to load with speed loaders (5 shot gun) and easy to check to see if it's loaded before heading out....
Just another thought to consider..

As being a former FFL and current retail sales for a large gun store, I would say, try to shoot several, including 5 shot revolvers, but intimately, choose what fits your hands best, as that will help you shoot best.
We look forward to your posts and what you chose as a gun....
 
#26 ·
Lots of great advice so far. My wife is a 4' 11" petite redhead. She chose an S&W 640 .357 magnum J-frame revolver back in 1992 when she got her first concealed permit. She outshot most of the guys in her class. She carried it until her arthritis got too bad recently. She had to use both index fingers to pull the double-action only trigger. She tried many guns. She had a hard time racking many of the semi-autos due to her arthritis. She ended up with a Sig P938 9mm.
 
#27 ·
When I saw this thread my first thought was the Kel-Tech 32.
Then buy a bunch of affordable ammo online.
They are cheap and you can always get something bigger, later.
Get something you can handle and become confident with.
Something like a 9mm Shield is a lot of gun.
Just my $.02

Me and my brother have been gun nuts all our lives. We've both scaled down from 9mm's and 45's to 38's and 380's because they are easier to shoot. And I would like to have a Kel-Tech 32.:wink:
 
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