Conceal Carry Opinions for a "Small woman"

[NETim]

Is your Bobcat reliable? Can you operate it reasonably easily under stress, i.e., clear a malfunction, reload if necessary? Can you shoot it accurately? If so, it will work as a CCW piece for you.

NO handgun round is a reliable manstopper. The key is to get hits where they count, regardless of caliber and hope for the best.

I feel the best handgun round though is the one you didn't have to use because you weren't doing stupid things with stupid people in stupid places and kept your head on a swivel.

 

[SSL]

Their numbers sure dont add up. They say the 22 is head and shoulders above the 25- 50% more power but only penetrated one inch farther

Quite true. Neither one is ideal, but that one inch can make a lot of difference. Add that to most .22s having greater magazine capacities and the nod goes to the .22. Hotter .22 ammo selection might make more difference too. Note that the ammo tested is rated by Winchester at 145 foot-pounds of energy. That's close to twice the best .25 ACP ratings, but neither of them are really impressive in terms of performance. The real advantage is that .22 ammo is far cheaper and can promote more practice, and practice is important.

 

[CaptainMal]

My wife was and is "limp wristed". Bought her a Beretta Bobcat and it was a mess. I can shoot it and it is a violent little handgun but she holds it softly and it jams constantly. Sad but it is in the safe useless and I should sell it as I have many others she and I use.

She likes her S&W 22 semi with no issues. Best for her in a semi that she likes is a 380 Ruger LCPII. The slide pulls easier for her than the regular LCP I first bought for her and the trigger is lighter. He best is a 38 special 5 shot S&W Airweight. I load lighter loads for her to use but lately she can and does handle full power HP's. She is 74 years "young" and tiny/skinny. Kind of weak after her horrible cancer fight, operations and treatments. She likes here 38 and also her LCPII 380.

 

[spudgun]

Without getting too much into the fight stopping ability of any particular round, I am fond of the Glock G43 for small concealed carry. It is an inch longer than the bobcat, and about 3/8 of an inch taller, but the slide is slightly narrower. It isn't terribly hard to shoot, even for my extremely small handed daughter. Be forewarned, 9mm has more recoil than 22, but I believe a little practice will get you accustomed to it.

Before I buy any pistol, I go to a nearby indoor range and shoot their rental gun some to see if the pistol works for me. I would encourage you to do that. I've had pistols in the past that I didn't shoot well enough to be worth having. Endlessly trading guns looking for the right one just gets expensive.

The downside of the G43 is the limited magazine capacity. You have to have good marksmanship with such limited capacity.

From what I have seen in my research, a defensive pistol use is rarely a shoot to stop event. They look more like shoot until the attacker is significantly hit and decides to discontinue their attack. In that, I believe that one has to be prepared to fire every round they have, and then beat their attacker with the empty pistol if necessary.

I believe that even with perfect marksmanship with the 22, it has the potential to fail to cause the attacker to flee with a single, well placed hit. 9mm hasn't demonstrated that in the evidence I've seen.

As with any advice you get on the internet, this one is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Good luck in your search, and good for you, taking command of your own safety!

I second your decision to go rent one before you buy.

I have been selling guns for about 11 years now and I always get the first time customer that has not shot on dosen't know what too expect.

We have 3 rental locations in my area and I always tell a new customer that before they make a $300 - $500 mistake, for $20-$30 you can rent several guns and try them out so they get a feel for the operation, recoil and noise...

90% of the new buyers thank me for good advice about 45% come back to my store and buy.

I don't get paid on commission.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Continue to shoot often and practice with intending to be able to defend yourself. Do research and handle larger caliber handguns, function and fit and ammo availability should be priority. You will need to transition practice time and ammo to the new weapon. Plus side to the 22, ability to HIT the intended target(bigger gun almost useless if you miss), ammo/practice is cheaper. A 22 mag should be considered, especially if larger heavy recoil cailbers cause accuracy issues. Also bonus if rounds DO NOT exit, and strike unintended targets. On the other hand, in college I had a part time job in a small hospital in the radiology department. Helping with a older gentleman's chest x-Ray, the radiologist called us in and asked if we noticed anything. I was the only one to speak, x-Ray showed a perfect formed 22 bullet in the center of the left lung. The gentleman had been shot by his brother,accidentally, as a teen with rifle. Scared they never told their parents. He had bandaged the wound himself, and it healed with no consequences.

 

[Spoonbill]

My mother carries the Shield ez and loves it. Hell I love it too. She is damn accurate with it. Hard to keep her in ammo though. Talk about an itchy trigger finger.

 

[DocCarbon]

Persons who don't like big bark in small packages ,should consider .380 with defensive loads .

Brand depends on your budget , any of the name brand models will do an up close and personal repelling .

I own Walther's for the simple reason their full proof as well as accurate .

 

[brokeasajoke]

Not the study I was looking for but a good read anyway.

An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power | Buckeye Firearms Association

by Greg Ellifritz I've been interested in firearm stopping power for a very long time. I remember reading Handguns magazine back in the late 1980s when Evan Marshall was writing articles about his stopping power studies. When Marshall's first book came out in 1992, I ordered it immediately...

www.buckeyefirearms.org

 

[Jacks Grampa]

Check the Tomcat. Nearly the same size as Bobcat and .32ACP. Practice with the .22 and carry the .32. Hornady Critical Defense ammo is making the .32 a feasible defense load. Good luck and I pray you never need it.

 

[joshb]

Good for you, little lady! While you’re renting guns at the range, try the Glock 43x. It’s a nice little gun, very easy to operate and holds more rounds than the 43. I bought one a couple weeks ago. I like it.

 

[BlueWater]

Damsel here-

Currently I carry a Beretta Bobcat .22 pistol ...

I guess what I want to know is, what are some other options as an upgrade, but something similar to the Bobcat size to conceal and carry?

Here is one website that might help find options: Genitron Handgun Search.

You can filter for caliber, manufacturer (if one certain maker is preferred), sorting the output by overall length. That'll get you a short list of possible sidearms that might suit you.

I'm with others, on the question of caliber. If it's actually going to be for self-defense, then you're going to want something that'll fairly reliable put a halt to an attacker's violence.

I would do two separate searches, one for each of two calibers: 9mm, and .38 Special. Sorting the output by overall length. That'll get you started.

My own thoughts on which possible sidearms might be suitable for a self-defense gun on the smaller side:

Kahr MK9 9mm, pretty small, and all metal
Kahr PM9 or CM9 9mm
SIG P290 9mm
SIG P365 9mm
FN 503 9mm
SIG P938 9mm
Ruger Max 9 9mm
Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm
Smith & Wesson Shield 9mm
Glock G43 9mm
Smith & Wesson Model 60 revolver w/ 3" barrel, .357/.38
Ruger SP-101 w/ 3" barrel, .357/.38

^ That list is roughly in order of ascending overall length. At the top of the list are guns that are about as small as you're going to find in the 9mm or .357/.38 calibers.

Ditto, on the idea of heading to a couple of good gun ranges where you can try out a sizeable number of different handguns. To find something you shoot well, can control well enough, can operate reliably and effectively, and can conceal ... it might take some time. For many of us, we've already been through this across years (even decades) of trying out numerous guns and seeing what fits. I've shot many of the guns on the list above, and owned several.

It'll be well worth your time, I think, to find a gun in a "service" (self-defense) caliber that's well-regarded for its essential ability to hit hard enough and penetrate far enough to put a halt to a violent attacker. No guarantees in all of this, but an effective caliber's half the problem to be solved. The other half is to get quite good at using it. These larger rounds will have more recoil, more blast, more muzzle flip ... but those things can be managed well, with sufficient practice and determination.

Good luck on the search.

 

[AckleymanII]

Consider head and neck shots with a 22 LR HP round. Same with a 380 if you can.

ALWAYS carry a spare magazine, Always!

 

[spudgun]

Showed my friend my new conceal carry pistol.

He asked me where I was going to carry it.

I told him right behind my pants zipper

 

[Clark]

I was carrying a 22 pistol, until 25 years ago a hen went broody, had some chicks, and I had to get rid of the roosters. I had a scoped 10/22 with Federal Eagle 22LR HP. I was shooting from a picnic bench.

Body shots had no visible effect on a half pound 6 month old rooster.... but head or neck shots would take them down.

I now carry a Ruger LCP with crimson trace laser and 380 ammo that pushes Gold Dot 90 gr HP bullets at 1100 fps from the short barrel.

 

[K22]

I know I'm a dinosaur, but I'd opt for a 38 special revolver in a steel frame with a 3-inch barrel if still available. I'd load it with 125 grain Hornady XTP's.

Why a revolver? It's simpler and safer to use in a moment of stress. Yes, the recoil can be an issue for practice but not in the moment of crisis. Also, you don't need adjustable sights. You'll never see them in during a moment of stress, the focus will be on the threat this why area aiming in taught. Also, fixed sights won't catch on anything that might impede bringing the pistol into use. Just as important is the mode of carry.

For practice range sessions, a target placed 7 yards away is far enough for self-defense training, preferable just a plain piece of cardboard about the size of a piece of typing paper. A pair of shooting gloves will help minimize the recoil effect during range sessions.

In my opinion if you are making the serious decision to carry a firearm for self-defense, the most important thing you can do is take a course in the use of lethal force and tactics that also covers the laws in the state you reside.

 

[SSL]

Showed my friend my new conceal carry pistol.

He asked me where I was going to carry it.

I told him right behind my pants zipper

Guess that beats a rolled up pair of sweat socks...

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Ankle holster

Showed my friend my new conceal carry pistol.

He asked me where I was going to carry it.

I told him right behind my pants zipper

 

[jackieschmidt]

My wife, who is petite, Carries a Glock 43 9mm.

 

[Emmett Dibble]

Not reading through 4 pages… I am sure it has already been said but….

Generally what is easy to shoot is hard to carry and what is easy to carry isn’t easy to shoot.

99% of CCW is producing it and getting it pointed in the correct direction with out shooting yourself.

Try A LOT of different pistols in the size you are willing to carry. Pick what you can carry easiest AND shoot reasonably good at 10 yards.

PRACTICE producing the pistol from your favorite carry rig UNLOADED.

When caught off guard, it‘s all muscle memory.

NO ONE is checking what caliber a pistol is when it’s pointed at them. NO ONE.

Find a coach who isn’t a raging butthead, male or female. Carrying is a very serious endeavor and anyone who treats it with a lot of bravado should be avoided.

Good luck and take care.

 

[Twicepop]

The ideal weapon for concealed carry is the one you are the most proficient with. Some very large and ornery critters have been "stopped" with the .22 LR round. A good solid hit in a vital area with a .22 is much better than a mis-placed shot with something else. Carry what you're comfortable and proficient with.