Quote:
Originally Posted by OC Newbie
Hi all,
just registered. I have a CCW pending and am trying to decide what to carry. I am a female with a relatively small frame and hand with long thin fingers. I am just learning to shoot and know little about guns.  Any recommendations? |
These are just my general impressions. For much better info, talk to CCWI and Female Instructor, and go read
Cornered Cat.
The only right answer to this question is carry the gun that fits you. I'm not just talking about the gun that fits your hand. I'm talking about the gun that fits your hand AND your lifestyle, because the gun you take with you is always going to be better than that "perfect" gun that's sitting at home because it's awkward to bring along.
Personally, I have long fingers too. My favorite gun is my HK USP .40, and I knew it was THE gun the second I picked it up (and begged Libertarian for years to sell it to me until he finally caved). The three guns on my permit are the HK, a Glock 23 (.40), and a Seecamp .32. The Seecamp is not a comfortable gun to shoot, but it's very easily concealable, so I never have an excuse to go without.
For your carry weapons, there are a couple of things to consider aside from the usual discussions about caliber and stopping power and reliability, such as where are you going to carry it?
If you're going to carry in your purse, the size of the gun is not as big of an issue, but weight might be more important, depending on the purse. A purse with a thin strap and a heavy gun will hurt your shoulder, but a purse with a thicker strap might work better. Talk to Female Instructor (Julie) about this option. My HK is a full size, not compact, and it fits just fine in my purse, although it makes the purse a LOT heavier, but the strap is wide enough that it distributes the weight pretty well and is still comfortable. Keep in mind that good holster purses are not cheap, and you do not want to put your gun in your purse when it isn't in a built-in holster.
If you're going to carry on your body, look at what you wear, what you're comfortable wearing, and how you normally dress, because you probably aren't going to want to change your entire wardrobe around. If you wear baggier t-shirts or looser jeans, a gun you can carry in a normal IWB holster might work for you. Personally, I tend to wear low-rise pants and shirts and sweaters that are a bit stretchy, so IWB carry doesn't really work for me, but the little Seecamp in a smartcarry holster works fine.
Remember, in OC, you can have three guns on your permit, so you can have different guns for different situations. Personally, mine run large (HK), medium (Glock 23 is a compact), and micro (Seecamp is smaller than my hand). When I've got my purse, I have the HK, and sometimes also have the Seecamp. When I don't want my purse with me, I have the option to carry the Glock, which is smaller than the HK, but is more powerful than the .32. If I can't carry anything else in what I'm wearing and don't want to bring my purse, there's always the Seecamp that even fits under my workout clothes or a formal dress.
I hope that helps some... I've only had my permit for a little while. Hopefully I'll see you at the range sometime!