Guys, what's a good conceal carry weapon for a female?

Any of them. People get hung up to much that women can't handle what men can because of pride. Get something that she likes and fits her and her needs wells. Then have her shoot with it. That is all that matters.

..that's the plan.

Wasn't saying it as much to you as to the 17,000 replies you will get to only getting her a revolver.

I had my fiancé just find something she liked and that's what we got. I know that's not helping you with a model

Rape whistle.

What ever she is most comfortable with carrying and using

Springfield XDS 3.3" 9mm

Main thing to remember is let her choose the one that feels best to her. Also best if you can find a place to rent the gun, or very similar model, to shoot and try before you buy. Looking for good hand fit and recoil tolerance.

Revolvers - pro - relatively simple,seldom malfunctions, easy to reload; cons - heavy trigger pull, heavy weight (except airweights), low number of shots, slow to reload

Semi-Autos - pros - usually better trigger pulls, more shots, faster reloads, more calibers to choose, lighter weight, smaller models available ; cons- need more training on how to handle jam/failure, must have enough hand strength to function the slide.

All this being said, I have trained many women in handling pistols and usually recommend a semi-auto. But you must find one that they have enough hand strength to handle and retract the slide. Some women can handle a Glock 19 very well. Others don't quite have the hand strength and must find what they are comfortable with. I would suggest sticking with either a 9mm or 380 if they are recoil shy. 9mm is better but 380 with the proper ammo will do the job.

Here are some suggestions to try, that seem to work well with women or any persons with reduced hand strength (elderly men, arthritis, etc)

1) Glock 19 - 9mm
2) Ruger LC9s - 9mm
3) EAA Pavona - 9mm (Womens Gun of Year 2015)
4) Taurus PT 111 G2 - 9mm
5) Glock 43 - 9mm
6) Glock 42 - 380
7) Ruger LC380 - 380
8) Walther PK380 - 380
9) Beretta 84 - 380

Revolvers - stick with either 2 or 3" barrel, 38 specials from S&W, Taurus, Charter Arms, Rossi, Ruger

Also, most women seem to like the medium size pistols best after shooting them. Many do not like the snappy recoil of the small 380's such as Keltec P3AT or Ruger LCP. While very light, small and easy to carry, if they are considering these make sure they shoot one before buying. If they must go with the small semi-autos, then drop down to the 32 caliber to reduce the recoil. 32 in the pocket beats almost all other non-gun options.

Lastly - restating - let her pick what feels best to her.

Sure wish we could get the admins to put a sticky on this topic. Comes up at least weekly.

Good luck

Jimbeaux

Most women do eventually elect to purse carry. Most methods of on body carry that men use do not work with women.

There are 2 major issues with purse carry:

1) you must use a purpose designed carry purse which will sufficiently secure the handgun. Having a handgun flopping around a normal purse with all of it's contents is a recipe for disaster
2) If you purse carry, you cannot simply leave your purse somewhere, even for just a minute or 2.

Both issues can be worked out but must be understood.

quote:

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what's the problem with purse carry?

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Have you seen how violent a purse snatching is? There's no way you could combat that if you have to fight him for your purse to get your gun. I always say that purse carry is slightly better than not having a gun. But on-body carry is ideal.

You've gotten some good suggestions from Jimbeaux. The main thing for women is that they wear tighter clothes than us, so getting her a single stack is usually necessary.

Women are capable of racking a slide rather than permanently having her stuck with a revolver. A revolver is not a bad gun because it's still better than no gun, but revolvers are very difficult to shoot well and are very hard on your wrists. Here is a proper racking grip.



And ultimately as others have said, let her choose her own gun. She's more likely to use it if she picks it herself. Plus she will have more confidence if she chooses it herself and finds she's comfortable with it. Good luck.