CCW for my daughter

[ISCS Yoda]

For normal, every day carry, whether in a purse or carried on her body, in my experience most women are best served by a 442, 642, 638, etc. If they have serious intentions in re carrying pistols and can rack slides then anything from a Ruger LCP and up will work depending on concealment issues.

Since I carry a 642 every day I'm partial to it, anyway!

***GRJ***

 

[shouldazagged]

There are better conceal options but this is the one my wife makes sure she doesn't leave home without...

I applaud your wife's taste in handguns. Might lead one to suspect she's good at picking a husband as well.

I said "might".

 

[eyegots2no]

The guy behind the counter did good.

I think the chiefs are best too....but---it still always boils down to what THEY want or like. If they have it in their mind they want an automatic, that may be it. Often---I have seen gals gravitate toward the chiefs even when they had "auto" on their mind however.

I am happy to see that so many gals are carrying "heaters"

BTW, a good action job is very helpful on a chief.

 

[MichiganScott]

1st thing she told me when she saw one in pink was "don't even think about it, mine will be black or stainless"...

Mine told me that if I ever bought her a pink gun the first thing she shot with it would be me.

 

[BigBill]

My wife took the ccw course after four decades of telling her too. She shoots revolvers in double action. I'm proud of her.

 

[4011]

Not only do women have trouble with the slides. Arthur keeps me from racking the proper way. I have to rack to the left under my left arm. I'm OK with it. But I cannot teach anyone else to do that. At a range I must turn the left arm down range to rack the slide. PITA !

 

[lonestarjeff]

Still looking for her a J-frame...she decided to borrow my M37 temporarily & we can get her a 442/642 for Christmas. :-/

In the meantime, I have been looking at options with a laser....the Bodyguard or the 442/642 with laser grips. Prices are all surprisingly close to each other.

I have not handled the Bodyguard or anything with a laser grip. How is the laser activated on these weapons? I'm wondering if they are a good option for wagging around in a purse....will other stuff in there accidentally turn on the device?

Also, are the laser grips substantially larger than the standard synthetics on a 442/642(which she likes)?

 

[wrangler5]

In the last 20 years or so I've taken 3 (non-family) women shooting for their first time. All were about my age and of "average" build (i.e., not small). All were perfectly healthy, with no disabilities that interfered with normal daily activities. But none were able to rack the slides on any of the autoloaders I had available. Even using the crossarm technique suggested above.

My daughter, OTOH, who is smaller than any of the other women I taught to shoot, can rack the slide on any autoloader I've ever owned with no difficulty. (She is also the only member of our family who has shot a bolt action 50BMG offhand. It's one of my favorite photos.)

So, I think it all depends on the woman.

 

[g8rb8]

...

After shooting all the autos on the list she told me she didn't really like any of them. The one that shot & handled best was a revolver....I said "what revolver? I didn't put a revolver on the list!" ..... A M442 is what she prefers. I still can't believe I didn't suggest it!

Jeff

Further proof women are the more intelligent of the species.

The last young lady (early 20's) we introduced to conceal carry choices evaluated a wide variety of new and old, semi-autos and revolvers, and ended up with a .38 M&P from the late 1940's. It has as much character as she does. However, just like the guys, one is never enough so she has also acquired a 638.

John
Scoundrel and Ne'er-Do-Well in Training

 

[g8rb8]

..... How is the laser activated on these weapons? I'm wondering if they are a good option for wagging around in a purse....will other stuff in there accidentally turn on the device?

Also, are the laser grips substantially larger than the standard synthetics on a 442/642(which she likes)?

Of the various laser grips I prefer the Crimson Trace for J-frame revolvers because they work simply. They follow the KIS(S) principle = Keep It Simple (Stupid).There is an unobtrusive button under the front surface of grip just below the trigger guard. Squeeze a little more firmly with your middle finger to activate and relax your middle finger a little to deactivate. The grips do not seem significantly larger than standard grips. The main downside is cost. They are reasonably ergonomic but don't repeat the same mistake by picking out the grips or laser for her. Let her pick it out herself.

According to "expert" ladies, if they are going to carry in a purse, they should carry in a separate dedicated compartment from all other items so as to not hang up on anything or get something caught in the trigger. The laser grips would not be adversely affected in a dedicated compartment of a purse. There are specially designed carry purses too. This issue could start a vigorous debate - carry in a purse versus carry on your person.

Good Luck,
John
Scoundrel and Ne'er-Do-Well in Training

 

[Double-O-Dave]

My wife doesn't like handguns. For years, the "leave me a loaded gun" when I left the house on business travel was a Model 34-1. It was all she would consent to, and I figured 6 rounds of .22LR was better than nothing. Lately, we had some break-ins in the neighborhood. So the wife reluctantly agreed to something larger. I showed her my Model 642 (equipped with a moon-clip cut cylinder), and to my surprise, she liked it!

As others have said, nothing wrong with a Model 442 or 642.

Good luck,

Dave

 

[wrangler5]

Of the various laser grips I prefer the Crimson Trace for J-frame revolvers because they work simply. < snip >

+1 for laser grips in general and for Crimson Trace in particular. In addition to making accurate hits easier for most people to come by in all but the brightest light, they are THE BEST dry fire training aid I've come across. You can fire thousands of "shots" without spending a dime on ammo or a minute traveling to and from the range. Just leave the ammo in another room, insert snap caps if you like, and use TV commercial times to carefully put shots on the corners of picture frames or on book spines across the room. (Tom Cruise makes it look MUCH easier than it really is, at least at first.)

I have both the "boot grip" style LG-405 and the all-fingers style LG-305, and find the 305 to be MUCH more comfortable to shoot, and not much harder to conceal. Dvor (the Optics Planet outlet operation) has refurb 305s on sale right now at a VERY good price - that's where I got mine about a year ago.