Hello ladies. Advice needed.

[getafterit]

My wife and I have to re-qualify for CCW this weekend. My wife wanted to practice a bit before the test so I took her out so she could study up.
She failed miserably. Those were her words not mine.
She carries a Ruger LCR .38
I must admit it is a challenge to shoot (and hit the intended target)
I encouraged her to shoot my Kimber Ultra Covert II (.45) and my USP compact .40
She loved them both and was excited at how much more accurate she was with them.
So, she wants something different. She has decided she wants to carry a semi auto. She is ok with .45acp or .40 s&w
She does a fair amount of hiking and walking our dogs (so weight and size is a concern) This is the reason she got her permit.
I have encouraged her to carry more when just out and about but she has never really found an acceptable holster that she liked.
So I guess my first question is what are you ladies carrying? For both hiking and or walking and just everyday carry?
What rigs do you use and how do you carry?
I know the answers that I will get are not a one size fits all answer but we are just hoping to make an informed decision on our next purchase.
Thanks for any and all help and most of all thank you all for being involved.
It helps to make us men feel a little less obsessed.

[movie zombie]

hello, getafterit!
love your area of California!

there are a lot of threads within this area of calguns written addressing the questions you have asked.
there is a thread re a lace wrap for ccw that puts the gun in the midsection. it is in a thread reporting about Shot Show. I think grantar posted it.

if you haven't done so already i'd encourage you and/or your wife to poke around 'cause I think you'll find some interesting info.

eta: not the lace one, though: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s....php?t=1033227
ah, there it is re the lace one: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s....php?t=1032372

good luck and please keep us posted re the search, thoughts re items, and how a final purchase works out.

[Steyrlp10]

Morning, thank you for supporting your wife in her quest to re-qualify. When you said she failed miserably, did you mean the practice or the actual qualification course? Sorry, I just wanted to confirm.

I understand the anxiety associated with performance issues, especially if she's one of the few women in the class filled with men who happen to have stronger grips. I'm familiar with the Ruger and was wondering if the trigger pull is the original one right out of the box. Sometimes, taking the gun to a gunsmith to lighten the trigger will help. Double-action triggers are tough if you're expected to shoot 200+ rounds.

Hope that helps too

[Off the Roster]

My wife and I have to re-qualify for CCW this weekend. My wife wanted to practice a bit before the test so I took her out so she could study up.
She failed miserably. Those were her words not mine.
She carries a Ruger LCR .38
I must admit it is a challenge to shoot (and hit the intended target)
I encouraged her to shoot my Kimber Ultra Covert II (.45) and my USP compact .40
She loved them both and was excited at how much more accurate she was with them.
So, she wants something different. She has decided she wants to carry a semi auto. She is ok with .45acp or .40 s&w
She does a fair amount of hiking and walking our dogs (so weight and size is a concern) This is the reason she got her permit.
I have encouraged her to carry more when just out and about but she has never really found an acceptable holster that she liked.
So I guess my first question is what are you ladies carrying? For both hiking and or walking and just everyday carry?
What rigs do you use and how do you carry?
I know the answers that I will get are not a one size fits all answer but we are just hoping to make an informed decision on our next purchase.
Thanks for any and all help and most of all thank you all for being involved.
It helps to make us men feel a little less obsessed.

Her not knowing that she fails (her words not mine) with what she is currently carrying is a HUGE red flag.

That said...

Smells like the Ruger is no bueno for her. As every other thread here advises: her + rental wall, try lots, find happiness and buy. It does not matter what ANY of us carry, only what your wife finds comfortable = accuracy = excitement = practice = success. If she is already CC on a gun that she can't shoot (and more importantly didn't know that she couldn't shoot it), she has been set up for failure. IMHO any other information/training that she received from whomever helped to create this situation needs to be examined to find and fix any other problems that were created and have gone unnoticed.

ps. find the gun 1st, worry about the rig 2nd.

pps STOP buying guns for your wife and just give her the *%@& credit card!

[getafterit]

Thanks for all the replies ladies.
Sorry, I should have been more clear when I said she failed. We went out a day or two before we re-qualified.
In all honesty she has not shot her gun since she first qualified two years ago.
I know that practice is something that we could all use to keep our skills honed.
No real excuse aside from time being a scarce resource.
With that said. In this part of california instructors demand only what the state/sheriff require. That is a total of 50 rounds fired from 3 yards, 9 yards and 15 yards with 85% of the rounds on target.
It is a very easy test so I am not sure why she had trouble with it. When she fired my USP compact she was nearly 20 for 20 on target at all three distances.
Same with my Kimber Ultra Covert II.
That is what spurred her to look for something different.
As for the credit card. I dont choose for her. The choice is 100% hers to make. I only offer advice as to what to keep in mind when shopping for a carry gun.
Although the Ruger LCR is a nice concept and works for some it is not a pistol that I would have recommended to her.
Im not a big fan of wheel guns in the first place. add to that the double action only LCR and it is a no go for my taste.
She wanted my Kimber, which I would have gladly offered up but I suggested that she shop around and try and find something that fits her a little better.
Today she decided on a S&W Shield in .40 s&w.
I have to admit I feel she will like it. It is only two ounces heavier than her LCR and the ballistics outperform when compared to the 38 special (non + rounds)
Again I know that practice is key so we are going to develop a program that we can utilize to keep things fresh in our heads.
I will post up once she has a chance to run it. I will also post the results of our re-qual.
Our new test date is on March 21st. Wish us luck!

[Off the Roster]

Good Luck!

But if she decides she dislikes the S&W she gets the Kimber right?

[getafterit]

Lol, I've learned, about 14 years ago I have a tough time telling her no.

[AAShooter]

. . .

pps STOP buying guns for your wife and just give her the *%@& credit card!

Wise advice. I teach so many women that have unusable guns for them where their husbands/boyfriend bought them the "perfect carry gun".

[Off the Roster]

Lol, I've learned, about 14 years ago I have a tough time telling her no.

That was my nice way of saying: She shot the Kimber well, she likes the Kimber, she asked for the Kimber, AND you told her to go find something that "fit her hand better".... Ergonomics and weight also are part of fit, not just gun size...


Has she ever shot the Shield before? There is a huge difference between liking how a gun feels and loving how it shoots.

I love men, you guys are fantastic in so many ways! Unfortunately, there is a humongous glitch where you guys fail to see where you, yourselves, create the problem that turns "your" woman off to shooting.

[movie zombie]

That was my nice way of saying: She shot the Kimber well, she likes the Kimber, she asked for the Kimber, AND you told her to go find something that "fit her hand better".... Ergonomics and weight also are part of fit, not just gun size...


Has she ever shot the Shield before? There is a huge difference between liking how a gun feels and loving how it shoots.

I love men, you guys are fantastic in so many ways! Unfortunately, there is a humongous glitch where you guys fail to see where you, yourselves, create the problem that turns "your" woman off to shooting.

amen.....and sig worthy!

[getafterit]

That was my nice way of saying: She shot the Kimber well, she likes the Kimber, she asked for the Kimber, AND you told her to go find something that "fit her hand better".... Ergonomics and weight also are part of fit, not just gun size...


Has she ever shot the Shield before? There is a huge difference between liking how a gun feels and loving how it shoots.

I love men, you guys are fantastic in so many ways! Unfortunately, there is a humongous glitch where you guys fail to see where you, yourselves, create the problem that turns "your" woman off to shooting.

I really appreciate the advice but you are failing to understand that weight and size of both my HK and Kimber make them a less than ideal choice for her. As you know body size and build as well as the weight and walking or gate all factor into what works for any individual.
I guess in my first post I should have articulated the fact that she was impressed and surprised at how well she shot with them.
I can tell you that although the HK USP compact is considered a carry gun it is not the ideal gun due to its size when considering conceal ability.
And again, I did not pick her first gun (LCR) nor did I choose the Shield. They were both her choices. I only advise her as to what I know to be factual. I lend to the discussion how thing like slide or barrel length as well as weight help reduce recoil. And how barrel length is generally more accurate.
Larger calibers don't mean better. Shot placement and training for real life scenarios will beat hours spent at the range. Just picking up a gun and shooting a round, adjust grip and fire another round do very little for real life encounters.

[BonnieB]

I read what the OP said, originally, TWICE. What he asked was

• what guns do women of the Women's Forum carry ?
• what holsters do we use to carry them

He did not ask for recommendations on what his wife should carry. He did not ask for opinions from the men of Calguns on what his wife should carry.

The answer to the first question is "all sorts". Each of us women have different preferences, depending on a ton of variables. But the RIGHT ANSWER is:

• whatever she shoots most accurately
• whatever she can actually conceal on her particular body
• whatever feels best on her body, in the holster of her choice.

This may seem unhelpful, but the solution is for her to rent or borrow a whole selection of appropriately sized guns and shoot them until she finds a favorite. Sub-compact .45's will not do the job, they kick like mules, as opposed to a full size .45. I'd bet my life on a Glock 27 .40, but it's my favorit gun. I'm comfortable with a .380. That's because shot placement is always more important than caliber.

Holsters are a different matter. It's a real issue with concealment on women's bodies, it's so different from men's. But search the Women's Forum on "holster" and you'll get more input than you hoped for. For myself, I'd go to a well-stocked LGS at 2 pm on a Tuesday or Thursday, when it's slow, and get the sales help to let me try on holster after holster that fits the gun of my choice, until I find one I like.

Concealed carry for sports (running, the gym, etc) is an entirely different topic. I don't do sports, other than shooting, so I won't address it. But I think the consensus has been belly bands.

Good luck with this and congrats for encouraging your wife for carrying and protecting herself.

[getafterit]

Bonnieb, thank you. I really just wanted ideas as I don't really have the time nor do my local shops have a plentiful selection of smaller pistols. I mostly wanted to narrow the field some.
Thanks again ladies for all the input. We are waiting for a call from the LGS to let us know when they can get a 9mm shield.
By the way, has anyone seen the glock .380? WOW! I for one feel this could solve many issues when it comes to conceal issues. Now if they would just figure out a way to make them available to non Leo's. Or, better yet why does glock not make a single stack 9mm?

[BadKitty]

By the way, has anyone seen the glock .380? WOW! I for one feel this could solve many issues when it comes to conceal issues. Now if they would just figure out a way to make them available to non Leo's. Or, better yet why does glock not make a single stack 9mm?

Yes! The G42 is a pretty little shooter! I was holding out for the Glock single-stack 9; but, I guess they're going to make everyone wait. So, I went with the G42. She's a charmer and I don't regret getting the .380!

[getafterit]

Yes! The G42 is a pretty little shooter! I was holding out for the Glock single-stack 9; but, I guess they're going to make everyone wait. So, I went with the G42. She's a charmer and I don't regret getting the .380!

Badkitty, are you LEO? If not mind telling me how I can get one?