CCW for a "larger woman".....

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Ethang

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I will never admit who I may or may not be posting the question about....

I have plenty of experience and am very comfortable given CC advice to men. I have been carrying a concealed weapon for 25 years. That said, advice to a women, especially a "larger" woman, is giving me fits.

This hypothetical woman, we will call her "Godzilla" just got a new Shield and has never carried on her person before. A generic IWB foam holster has proven to not be very comfortable. A King Tuck was on the radar, but given how uncomfortable the IWB is I am not sure this will be a good fit.

I have some ideas about a IWB that takes into account a larger, or for that matter, any womans hips into account.

Any larger woman who will weigh in and give some suggestions?

PS,,, don't tell my wife....
 
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I would ask what kind of clothing she wears. If she wears loose clothing, it is easy to conceal just about anything. If she prefers tight fitting clothes, then it limits the selections.
 
I'd bet holster-makers are (quietly) asked this question more often than we'd think. I'd ask someone who's been in the business for awhile like Lefty Lewis or Ray at Lobo and see what they have to say.
 
I effing love this thread, by the way. Brilliant wordplay there.

I am not a large woman, but I will tell you what I've learned so far about being a lady and hiding guns on your person.
Fact: modern day fashion practically prohibits the carrying of a full size weapon, unless it is winter and you can stash things under a long coat.
I have had the best of luck so far with small-of-back holster for my j frame. I also can cram a LCP in many jacket pockets, or a NAA .22 in jeans pockets. Hell, I jammed a Beretta .22 in the card pocket of my Navy dress blues and marched in a parade, hopefully under the radar. If I were a "larger" woman, I would love to try the Flash Bang holster.

The ticket here is the size of the weapon. I would can the Shield idea and find something smaller. If you do figure out a way for a female to conceal something that big and still dress like a lady, please call me immediately and let me know how you did it.
 
Ethang said:
I will never admit who I may or may not be posting the question about....

I have plenty of experience and am very comfortable given CC advice to men. I have been carrying a concealed weapon for 25 years. That said, advice to a women, especially a "larger" woman, is giving me fits.

This hypothetical woman, we will call her "Godzilla" just got a new Shield and has never carried on her person before. A generic IWB foam holster has proven to not be very comfortable. A King Tuck was on the radar, but given how uncomfortable the IWB is I am not sure this will be a good fit.

I have some ideas about a IWB that takes into account a larger, or for that matter, any womans hips into account.

Any larger woman who will weigh in and give some suggestions?

PS,,, don't tell my wife....
Click to expand...

Corneredcat dot com may help.
 
VeritasVincit said:
I effing love this thread, by the way. I would can the Shield idea and find something smaller.
Click to expand...

There are very few (if any) handguns smaller than a Shield that I would rely on, or recommend that someone rely on, for self defense.
 
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Concealment purse, and don't leave it lying around. It has a gun in it.

Next question.
 
Fair enough. It's really the shape of the semi autos, not so much the size. They are bulky and boxy and it seems like no matter what I do, I cannot make it appear natural. Revolvers are a little more curvy so they are good for hiding on a woman. I'm a huge revolver fan and my love of revolvers developed after I tried to pack a Walther P99 around for awhile. Sure you can stick them in your purse, but that's a bad idea, plain and simple.
 
If this larger woman is into wearing skirts the garter/thigh style holsters work really well. The "Flash Bang" bra holsters might be an option depending on how large this person is in certain areas. Given the general shape and fashion of most women IWB and shoulder holsters are not an option and many resort to purse carry which I believe is a really bad idea.
 
W.E.G. said:
Concealment purse, and don't leave it lying around. It has a gun in it.

Next question.
Click to expand...

The problems I see with purse carry is that the purse is usually the target. Also I can just see a tube of lipstick or something getting inside of the trigger guard.
 
If she has any situational awareness, she should be able to draw from the purse before the purse can be grabbed.

If she has so little situational awareness that she cannot effectively defend her handbag, maybe she should not be carrying a gun.

You know, its not for everybody.
 
W.E.G. said:
Concealment purse, and don't leave it lying around. It has a gun in it.

Next question.
Click to expand...

A firearms instructor asked a woman friend of mine who was considering purse carry, "Will you have your purse on your shoulder or in your hand all the time?"

Good question. If it's a hand-carried purse, anything requiring two hands means setting it down. If it's on the shoulder and has one of the cut-proof cables sewn into the strap, a strong purse snatcher on the run could inflict pretty nasty injury trying to make off with it. If it doesn't have the cable it can be cut, or throw the woman off balance with a running grab.

Situational awareness is fine, but stuff happens, and a high-speed attack out of nowhere, especially from behind, could result in loss of purse and loss of handgun. And nearly all purse snatchers will be larger, stronger, and vastly more antisocial than the woman target.

I'm not a woman and don't have to consider fashion in how I dress--I'm older than dinosaur juice and nobody, least of all me, cares how I dress. But if a woman I cared about decided to carry a concealed firearm, I would want her to have it on her person and immediately accessible all the time.

Just a thought.
 
W.E.G. said:
If she has any situational awareness, she should be able to draw from the purse before the purse can be grabbed.

If she has so little situational awareness that she cannot effectively defend her handbag, maybe she should not be carrying a gun.

You know, its not for everybody.
Click to expand...

This seems to presume that her purse is worth shooting someone for. If so, maybe she shouldn't be carrying. I don't carry anything--wallet, keys, knives--for which I'd cap a mugger. Same for a carjacker. If he's trying to injure me, I'll defend myself. I'm not going to shoot someone to keep mere possessions. I carry to protect my life. Period.
 
shouldazagged said:
This seems to presume that her purse is worth shooting someone for. If so, maybe she shouldn't be carrying. I don't carry anything--wallet, keys, knives--for which I'd cap a mugger. Same for a carjacker. If he's trying to injure me, I'll defend myself. I'm not going to shoot someone to keep mere possessions. I carry to protect my life. Period.
Click to expand...

If you only carry a purse gun, then it kind of makes your purse worth shooting someone for. Once the purse is taken, not only are you disarmed, your aggressor is now in possession of a loaded gun... Not a good situation if the assailant decides he wants more than just your purse.
 
Dream to Dream said:
If you only carry a purse gun, then it kind of makes your purse worth shooting someone for. Once the purse is taken, not only are you disarmed, your aggressor is now in possession of a loaded gun... Not a good situation if the assailant decides he wants more than just your purse.
Click to expand...

Precisely my point (or one of them) in my post about why purse carry is not a good idea. Have the gun on your person and you have the choice of letting the purse go and minimizing your risk of being hurt or having to shoot someone.

I believe a key part of carrying a gun is the responsibility to reduce the risk of having to use it. YMMV.
 
I don't care if this lady is a corn-fed Iowa farm girl or a petite, perky little thing that barely tips the scale at 90 pounds soaking wet. The bottom line, especially if this is her first time carrying on her person as you said, is that it's going to take some getting use to. Just because it feels a little awkward at first, doesn't mean she can't get use to it.

That being said though, I'd probably have her take a look at some clothing options that are advantageous for concealed carry. Just because she's carrying a concealed weapon doesn't mean that it has to be IWB. There are many stylish alternatives in women's clothing that would not only look flattering for a woman her size, but would also allow her to comfortably carry concealed without having a holster crammed down the inside of her beltline.
 
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