PackinMama

SavageSig, Did you not read my post above? Let's Get back on topic!!! If you want to talk about the inhumanity of animals or man, please do so elsewhere.

This thread has drifted pretty far from the OP. You guys are free to start another topic on animal nature in General Off Topic if you'd like. Can we please get back on topic now? Thanks! So.....any updates on the Perv in the Hood?

Welcome to TGO Danariel! I don't blame you for wanting to trade your CW9 in on a G26! I carry a G27 myself and it's a great gun! One thing I might mention.....from switching between a larger Glock like the G19 and up, over to a baby Glock, you need to watch your grip. The baby Glocks are very sensitive to limp wristing.....much more so than the larger Glocks.

Awesome!!! Cool Pics too! Thanks for bringing more women into the shooting sports!

I bought my first Glock in 1990 - a 1st generation G17. I, along with several of my friends, put a good 10,000 rds. through that thing without one single jam or problem of any kind. It was 100% stock factory and I hardly ever even cleaned it. I'd still have it if it hadn't burned up in a house fire I had several years ago. The only problem I ever had with a Glock after that was when I first got my G27. The problem actually turned out to be me.....I was limp wristing it. Once I tightened up my grip, it ran perfectly. Some people might say they're ugly (I actually like the way they look), but no one can ever say they're not tough as nails and as reliable as you can get......and if they do, they're a liar!

Congrats! Although......I'm sorry that you had to be 35 before you found this out!

I would never recommend a semi auto pistol to a novice shooter....male or female. I believe that you need to have plenty experience with shooting a revolver before making the leap to a semi auto. Then, after you get your first semi auto, you need to know it up one side and down the other and get plenty range time with it.......and definitely know how to clear a jam. You need to know how to remedy anything that might go wrong with it like it's second nature. Semi autos just have too many things that can go wrong on you - and usually at the worst of times. Revolvers are the best guns to start out with. They are pretty much fail safe. You pull the trigger - the gun goes bang. You don't even have to keep them well oiled and/or clean.....they'll just work when you need them to. They're simple - no safety, no slide stop, no mag release, no decocker, etc. - nothing to get a novice confused. I'll probably get some flak over this, but IMHO, beginning shooters should never start with a semi auto - period. I would advise anyone to get a couple years and a couple thousand rounds under your belt before you get your first semi-auto. Then get at least a thousand more with your new pistol before you carry it.

I've heard so many people complain about the recoil of the lightweight snubbies.......but I just can't understand it myself. I'm a woman and I have arthritis in my hands, and I have no problems at all with shooting the airweights or ultra-lites. The regular non +p loads are a breeze to shoot and the +p are a bit snappier, but still tolerable. Maybe it's just me, I don't know. Even my mom has a 442 and she's 79 with severe arthritis in her hands. I bought her some low recoil Federal Nyclads and she can shoot it with no problem. The low recoil .38 loads are great for anyone that might have a problem with the regular loads. For target practicing, it might be a good idea to get your wife some good padded shooting gloves. That will help absorb some of the recoil and keep her hands from getting sore. If she (or anyone else) ever has to shoot in a real life situation, believe me, the adrenalin will absorb every bit of the recoil!

I have a 442 and love it. The concealed hammer is nice for pocket carry.....it doesn't get snagged on anything and you can shoot through your pocket if needed without worrying about the hammer getting caught up in your clothing. I've also had two Taurus 85's, one was a Titanium with a ported barrel and the other was an Ultra-Lite. The Ultra-Lites are a couple ounces heavier than the Titaniums and about $200 cheaper......other than that, they were very much alike as far as accuracy and trigger pull. I did like the ported barrel on the Titanium though. It seemed to have much less muzzle rise and you could get back on target quicker.....but I love all ported guns. As convenient as a concealed hammer revolver is, having a hammer to cock when you want to is nice as well. If you're in a hurry, you don't have to cock the hammer......but if you're just target practicing or shooting for fun, cocking the hammer gives you that hair trigger that will improve your accuracy greatly.......which makes shooting much more gratifying! As far as quality goes between Taurus and S&W.......I can honestly say that I could not tell one bit of difference. I think the Taurus revolvers are just as nicely made as the S&W's and are a great value. As far as exposed vs. concealed hammer goes.....I think that's a matter of personal choice really. If you're wife likes to shoot for fun as well as carry for self defense, then I say go with a hammer. If this will be purely for self defense and she'll just be shooting it enough to familiarise herself with the weapon, then I'd go with a concealed hammer. Another revolver to consider is the Ruger LCR. I have no personal experience with these, but from everything I hear, they are sweet! Supposedly the DA trigger is about as smooth and crisp as they get out of the box, and they're nice and light too.....although a bit on the ugly side. One thing for sure I can tell you is to go lightweight! No steel frame revolvers for carrying purposes....especially for the ladies! If it's too heavy, she won't like carrying it. You'll have a better chance of getting her to carry it on her person (vs. in her purse) if it's nice and light. Hope that helps some. Let us know what you wind up getting for her and tell Mrs. D3vo that I hope to see her on here soon!

In my backyard! (and fish & hunt too!) I love the country!!!

Awesome! Good for her!! However, she was lucky. This situation could have turned out much worse because her gun was in her purse, not on her person. If any of you ladies here carry your gun in your purse, please read this story.......hopefully it will make you think twice about purse carry. Keep your gun on your body girls!!!

I'm with you there. Like a P3AT or LCP. Maybe a Smart Carry rig would work?

Deerslayer, Springfield sure got that gun back to you fast! That's good news. I need to send my EMP back to them, but things have just been really crazy around here with my son out of school. Please let me know how it runs for you when you get a chance to put some HP's through it. You can get a good idea of how it will feed by just loading up the mag and cycling through it yourself. Mine hangs up on almost every round of Federal HP's when I do that. When you sent yours in I figured they would just polish the feed ramp and then send it back. They must have done some measuring and found that it was off a little or something. It'll be interesting to see how the new cut works! I'll get some pics of mine before I send it to them to compare the difference.

I have a friend that is also a convicted felon. This person occcasionally rides in my car with me, or I with them. I am always cc'ing, and although I don't broadcast it and it's not talked about, this person knows me well enough to know that I most likely have my gun on me. Could this person get in trouble if we were pulled over and the officer found out that I had a gun and that my friend was a felon?

I've never heard of them, but I will check them out. Thanks for the link Papa! My sister just took her HCP class through Bass Pro last weekend.....I didn't know it was sponsored by them. She is afraid to get her permit now though.........they showed a bunch of video about the legal consequences of shooting someone in self defense. They pretty much said to be prepared to get a lawyer and go through a bunch of legal garbage and then probably get sued afterwards if you have to shoot someone. I quoted the famous saying "It's better to be judged by twelve than carried by six" to her. I also said, "Answer me this: Would you rather be killed, or have your grandson killed, and not have to worry about the legal ramifications of a self defense shooting - or be able to have a gun and defend yourself and loved ones if you need to?" I think I saw her wheels turning......I just hope they turn the right way!

Many women find that carrying in the 1-2 o'clock position works best for comfort and concealment. This is called "Appendix Carry." You're right on the money about the belt and looser fitting shirt too! I never wore a belt until a few years ago. I decided that changing my dress to accomodate my gun was much easier than getting my purse stolen with my gun inside of it!

You're welcome! (Even though I don't get to buy your Crossbreed now! )

Wow! Those look like they'd be awesome! Thanks for the link Brian! It even has a review from a guy that put them on his EMP....said it required just a bit of trimming with scissors, but then fit perfectly. I'm going to order those for my EMP!

You paid over $1000 for your EMP......don't stick tape on it! Spend the extra $50 or whatever it costs and get it checkered.

Fwdftw, the following should answer your question:

Countrygirl, First off, Welcome to TGO and congrats on getting your HCP! Paddles holsters, IMO, are really uncomfortable and don't hide your gun very well either. My suggestion to you would be to get a good IWB (in waistband) holster. (I'm assuming that you wear a belt since you have a paddle holster right now.) A few that you might want to consider, and that are very popular, would be the Crossbreed Supertuck, Kholster, & M-TAC. These are all depth/cant adjustable leather/kydex hybrids that are all very comfortable and would be far superior to your paddle holster. Another option for you would be to go with all leather. A couple custom leather holsters that are really nice are the K&D Holster Thunderbird Defender and the D.M. Bullard Dual Carry. These are both IWB and depth/cant adjustable as well. Hope this helps! Let us know what holster you end up with!

Wow! Pretty cool! Where did you go to school?

Good for you Countrygirl....and your family!!! IMO, There's absolutely no excuse for a woman (or a man) not to have the ability to protect herself and her family if needed.

I tried the MTAC and I personally didn't like it. I think the Crossbreed and the Kholster are both much more comfortable....and cheaper.

I can't understand when I hear people say this about j-frames. I can shoot my j-frame without giving a second thought to the recoil, especially regular loads. My 79 yr. old mother has a j-frame and she can shoot it just fine with the lower recoil loads.....and she's 115 lbs. with severe arthritis. I guess not every gun is for every person, but please don't rule out getting a j-frame for your wife. They are super dependable and very easy to operate......which is exactly what a novice shooter needs. The lightweight ones are also extremely comfortable to carry. I also have to comment on the last paragraph in packingvol's quote above. Let me tell you from experience that it is much more important to have a gun that you are comfortable carrying on your person, than to have one that you enjoy shooting at the range - but is too big and heavy to carry anywhere but in your purse. It would be better to get your wife a little .380 if that is all that she would be comfortable carrying on her body. I'd rather have a .380 in my pocket (or even a .22!) than a .45 in my purse any day! If you have to, get her a small gun that she can carry and another gun to shoot at the range. If she ever needs to pull her carry gun and shoot someone with it, I gaurantee that she won't even feel the recoil!