Handgun Preference

[lisbeth]

What is the most preferred concealed handgun small enough for a women's purse,
but not so small it feels like a toy?

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[branson4020]

A lightweight .38 cal revolver, like S&W airweight. I would never recommend a semi auto pistol as a purse gun unless you were an experienced and practiced user.

 

[lisbeth]

thanks - i'll check it out!

 

[Throckmorton]

definately not a .357 Airweight,they kick like a really pizzed off mule ! sure,u can shoot .38's in it,but they cost more..the gun does..so why spend the extra bux ? also,some of the smith and wesson Airweights are Plus P rated,some are not.

 

[lisbeth]

what do you recommend?

 

[M67]

A lightweight .38 cal revolver, like S&W airweight. I would never recommend a semi auto pistol as a purse gun unless you were an experienced and practiced user.

+1 on the 38 special revolver, but a purse is not a great carry option.

On the body is the prefered method of carry, with a couple of speedloaders. When you carry on your body, you have more access to the handgun and other people much less.

 

[rolandson]

Sig P232 (.380), the stainless version is particularly nice.
Edit:
You might also want to consider getting a purse that was designed around carrying a handgun...like one of these:
http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterP2.asp?CatalogID=149
or
http://www.511tactical.com/All-Products/Bags-Backpacks/Backpacks/RUSH-MOAB-6.html

or a holster designed to work in a purse...

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

J-Frame

 

[Blitzkrieg]

No no no to a lightweight .38.. they are hard recoiling expert's weapons with the 2 inch and under barrels

Far better if you want a revolver would be a M65 S & W .357 magnum loaded with +P 38s or a nice compact 9MM auto pistol like a Glock or Springfield XD. Be sure to go to a range that rents guns and try them out first

if you just have to have a little 5 shot .38 then get the 3 inch heavy barrel version, it is like night and day

My qualifications to say this are 30 + years of serious gunnery, teaching many the ropes, reloader, gun builder and my wife packs these exact revolvers as well as we having owned all of them. Please PM me if you need more help

 

[Bajablast]

Depends on the size of the purse, I would think. The bigger the purse, the bigger the handgun.

------------------------------------------------------------

Capitalism is BO$$!!!

 

[EZLivin]

No no no to a lightweight .38.. they are hard recoiling expert's weapons with the 2 inch and under barrels.

+1

If they are a pain (literally) to shoot you won't practice with it.

 

[Sun195]

I'll echo somewhat what others are saying.

I'd find a range and do one (or both) of two things: 1) take an intro to handguns class - they have classes specifically for women at some ranges, and 2) try a few guns to see which one you like, and are capable of, shooting.

Some guns to try first: Ruger SP-101 2" or 3" shooting .38spls, Glock 26 9mm, Kahr PM9 9mm. Really depends on your purse size, but you can always get a larger purse if needed.

Hard to give you much more advice than that, now knowing your experience with guns, your budget, requirements, etc.

Good luck.

 

[xm193]

I like the 38 as its small enough to fit in a purse easy enough and can be fired in a purse or a coat pocket without ever showing or presenting.

 

[Bunny]

Depends on preference, skill level, and size of the purse. You can put just about any handgun in an average sized purse. But what you'd be comfortable carrying and effectively shooting is a whole different story. Your best bet is to find a place that will let you rent a variety of handguns and try em out (Baron's Den is in your area and they're really nice there.), and/or go out shooting with friends. See what feels right for you. I wouldn't suggest buying without shooting first, especially if you've never shot a gun before.

If I were shopping around for a purse gun I'd probably look at S&W j-frame revolvers (since they're easy to work and leave loaded), pretty much any of the kahrs, ruger LC9, walther ppk/s, something in .380, or a small .38 .357 or 9mm. Maybe a glock 36 if you're ok with a .45. If you're interested in a semi-auto, I'd look at single stacks. They're smaller, lighter, and imo a more natural and comfortable grip for a woman's hands.

I found the ruger sp-101 to be kinda heavy and snappy. glock 26 is nice but accuracy takes a little practice and being double stack it's still kinda heavy and chunky for a purse gun imo. Again it, really depends on how much weight you wanna carry in your purse and what you feel comfortable shooting. Hopefully this helps get you started.

 

[yurik]

My wife is very happy with her Smith & Wesson Bodyguard revolver. It shoots 38 special and 38 Special Plus, the latter is the same caliber with higher powder load so to speak. You, probably, do not benefit much from the plus with the short barrel like that. It will kick more. The Bodyguard is surprisingly comfortable for a small revolver.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

My wife is very happy with her Smith & Wesson Bodyguard revolver. It shoots 38 special and 38 Special Plus, the latter is the same caliber with higher powder load so to speak. You, probably, do not benefit much from the plus with the short barrel like that. It will kick more. The Bodyguard is surprisingly comfortable for a small revolver.

I hate them with the short barrels.. they hurt my hand far more than a 3 inch heavy barrel .357 magnum K frame and I have 2Xl and very powerful working man's hands

 

[yurik]

lisbeth, this is what my wife got for her Valenine's present

It is twice the price of the S&W Bodyguard 38, and subjectively it is twice as good

There is another one with a scandium alloy frame and titanium barrel - much less weight, but the lower the weight the harder the felt recoil, and may be not as durable, if you shoot zombies non-stop.
All S&W revolvers you buy new (and sometimes used) have lifetime service/warranty.

 

[Dnaltrop]

The best answer is to go to the gun store, and start grabbing J frames, Small semi-autos, and medium sized ones.

I tried to "buy for" my wife, She was used to shooting the family Model 10 .38. On her birthday I took her to several stores, laid out a Walther PPK, Bersa .380s, Beretta 9mms, Sigs of several flavors, J frame revolvers, Larger revolvers....

She called the PPK a "girls" gun, didn't like the weight of others, other's were too shiny. Not ONE of what I picked out appealed to her. She dug through the shelves and fell in love....

With a 9mm S&W Sigma... one of the heaviest, grittiest triggers on the planet.

Go to the store... Stick to .38 special revolvers, .380 or 9mm semi-autos for now. Find the gun that feels "right", the one you will actually CARRY. If it's not right, you wont have it with you when you need it most.

Practice with standard velocity ammo, Load +p variants for defense.

Smaller ones to start with , J-Frame revolvers, I'm not partial to airweights... the weight helps control recoil. Probably hammerless to prevent a snag when drawing. But honestly, if you really have to... just shoot THROUGH the purse if you don't have time to draw.

My favorite .380s are the Bersa Thunder line. well made but not the best finish externally. lifetime warranty. Most of these guns by nature of their small size will be a bit snappy in the hand, but usually quite easy to shoot.

Semi autos, My wife loves her Sigma, and I'll admit it's a very... functional 9mm pistol, good warranty, but I hate the trigger. She's sending it back to get it worked on by SW hopefully soon. it's decently priced usually around $300.

into the $400-600 range you have Glocks, the M&P line and the Springfield XDs. I don't get along with the ergonomics of the Glocks, I hate the loaded chamber indicator on the back of the XD's, and went with the M&P as my daily carry.

Whatever the proponents of each brand say, they all make good small 9mm versions, of fairly equal reliability, with decent support from the company behind each product.

Go to the store and Grope, Grope, Grope!!!

 

[Blitzkrieg]

To clarify my wife has her M649 stainless Bodyguard only for a BUG to her magnum, and for jogging in a Blackhawk fanny pack. She never carries it as a primary

 

[mortre]

No no no to a lightweight .38.. they are hard recoiling expert's weapons with the 2 inch and under barrels

+1

Had one, a 442. Got rid of it and don't miss it a bit. Painful little bugger. Kicked worse than my aluminum framed 3" .45 ACP...