PackinMama

As a matter of fact, I am in the same round boat as you. I wear a belly band in the summer mainly for working and playing around my house and property. We live in a very rural area and there are Copperheads, Coyotes, Bears, and you just never know about the two-legged critters either. The police are far away, so the law has to be taken into your own hands if necessary out here. The belly bands are a little hot, but not unbearable at all. However, You will sweat on them and if your gun is susceptible to rust, it most likely will. You can try following a nightly oil and wipe down regimen.....but that has never worked with me. When you're a mom with a little one, there is just no time for such sillyness! So, my solution is one of two things: Get a gun that is made from Titanium, or just get a cheap but dependable lightweight gun (like the Kel Tecs) that you really don't care if a little rust develops on. I'm carrying a KelTec P11 that I recently acquired and it's already started rusting on the slide. I think I might check into getting it duracoated or something of that nature to prevent the rust. I was carrying a Taurus 85 Ultra-Lite .38 and it didn't rust, but it turned a blackish color around the edges of the frame. I was told by Taurus that it wouldn't hurt it a bit.....it was purely cosmetic....so I never worried about it. The barrel, cylinder, trigger, hammer, and internals were as shiny as new.....it was just discolored on the frame. I'm thinking the frame was multi-alloy and the other parts were Titanium??? I'm not sure though. If you do go with a belly band, the very best advice I can give you is to get a 4" one (not as hot as the 5-6" ones), and use a very thin and lightweight gun in it.....Like a lightweight revolver or maybe the PF9 or P3AT. My P11 is a little thicker than the PF9 and it is almost too heavy for my 4" band when I carry a spare mag with it. The thicker bands are good for holding up more weight, but you pay in discomfort and sweat....in the summer anyway. I'm going to start looking for my summer wardrobe right away. I want to find some nice jeans shorts with pockets and belt loops so I can wear my OWB holsters when I go out under a loose t-shirt. I'm hoping to keep the rust off them better that way. But around the property, I'll still be wearing my belly band. My P11 might need a refinishing by the end of the summer.....but so be it. Btw, ncissig, Welcome to the forum!!! I'm sorry it took me a while to respond, but I've been down and out with a nasty flu virus since last Friday.

I'd like to add a true story that happened to my uncle last year. He owns a large painting business in New Jersey with about 30 crews out and working every day. His office/shop/garage is located on the outskirts of a very prominent and wealthy, somewhat rural, community. It's a quiet and peaceful place with very little crime. He has a small safe in his office where he keeps the cash. He keeps a gun in his desk, but does not wear it on his person. One late afternoon, there were 5 employees inside the office, including the uncle's daughter, and a couple guys out back in the garage area, when two men pulled up in front and went into the office. They had ski masks and were both armed with semi auto pistols. They came in so fast and started pointing their guns at everyone and telling them to put their hands in the air and stand up. My uncle had no time to even think about getting the gun out from his desk. The gunmen ordered them to step away from the cover of their desks and sit down on the floor against the wall. They then told my uncle to get up and open the safe. One guy covered the people that were sitting and the other guy covered my uncle. My uncle opened the safe and gave them the cash, although luckily for him, he had recently made a deposit and there was only a couple hundred bucks in the safe. A few hours earlier, there had been thousands! (Very bad timing on the gunmen's part!) So, the gunmen took the money bag and then asked everyone for there wallets/purses. They told them they will know where they live and should not describe them well to the police or they would be sorry. They got away and haven't been caught yet. Thank God they didn't hurt anyone......but, if they had wanted to, they could have very easily. If my uncle would have had his gun concealed on his person, he would have been able to defend himself, his daughter, and his employees if needed. Of course, in this particular situation, it might have been best to just let them go anyway since they did not hurt anyone. However, had they started shooting, my uncle would not have been able to get to his gun in the desk without getting shot. If he'd had the gun on him, he very likely could have. My point in telling you this story is to show you that there really is no safe place and no way of predicting an attack. My uncle has had his office there for many years and never had a problem....not even a theft at night. He felt so secure there that he didn't even have a video surveillance system in place (he does now). My uncle is also a veteran, sportsman, and shooter....and a darn good one at that. So he knew how to use that gun......there just was no time to get to it without risking getting shot (or having his daughter shot). This true story just illustrates the difference that having a gun near you or on you can make in an attack.

Big Poppa said: Let me first say that Big Poppa is a professional firearms training instructor and if you hadn't taken me seriously, I hope that his post will at least make you think about what we're telling you. You absolutely can not ever know or predict when or where you might need to defend yourself. There is nowhere that is immune from violent attacks. Just watch or read the news.....church, school, hospital, court room, and even military base shootings.....home invasions, car jackings, etc. Of course, you are not allowed to carry in some of these places, but the point is that there is no 100% safe place. An attack will usually happen when you least expect it, so you must always be prepared and aware......and carrying your gun on your person wherever and whenever it is allowed. This quote from peejman has some great advice as well: The sentence I bolded is absolutely true. Concealed carry is a lifestyle choice, and a darned smart one, especially for women! A gun empowers the physically weaker (on average) female to become a force to be reckoned with! Keeping the gun with the holster (or belly band, Smart Carry, etc.) in your purse while working then going to the bathroom to put it on before you leave is a great idea! That way, you can be a little more comfortable at work, but still have your gun nearby. If you use a Smart Carry or belly band, you could actually keep the rig on you throughout the day without the gun in it....then just slip the gun in there before you leave. (I'm getting ready to order a Smart Carry myself....they get great reviews and I'd like to try one out for summer carry.) That Cornered Cat website has some excellent reading for women as well and I would also encourage you to check it out. The forum Women and Guns has some good info as well. I truly hope that we all might have at least made you think about and possibly reconsider your carry plans.

If it's under a tucked shirt, all you have to do is pull your shirt out and grab the gun. With a little practice, you should still be able to do this in 3 seconds or less. Danger is often in places that you would least expect....at times that would seem least likely. Would you only want your insurance policy on your home to be in effect at certain times of the day? A gun is much like an insurance policy......it is far better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.

I would never recommend purse carry to anyone....for several reasons. First off, what do theives usually want from their women victims? The purse. I used to carry in my purse about 50-60% of the time when I went out. I was in the Walmart parking lot putting my groceries in the trunk and my purse was stolen out of the cart in a two person distract and grab scheme.....with my nice Taurus Total Titanium ported .38 inside. That was the last day I ever carried a gun in my purse and I have not looked back. Second, 90% of the time, if you need your gun, you need it immediately. You need to be able to draw your weapon and fire in less than 3 seconds. Can you do that with your gun inside your purse? Maybe....if you have one of those special (and expensive) concealed carry purses and you walk around with your hand in or very close to the gun pocket. Third, do you have kids or are you ever around any kids? A gun in the purse is not safe with children around. I would respectfully urge you to reconsider the purse carry idea. If you're going to take on the responsibility of carrying a gun, you need to do it the right way. The right way is to have the gun secured on your person. I don't know much about the Bersa's to be honest with you, but from what I've heard, they're fairly small. Finding a way to carry it on your body somewhere shouldn't be too hard. If the Bersa seems to be too big to carry on your person, then get something smaller that you can carry comfortably. There are several great semi auto choices that are lightweight and thin......making for easy and comforable carry. KelTec PF9 or P3AT, Ruger LCP, Taurus Slim, Kahr PM9 are the first ones that come to mind. Or, possibly a S&W 442 or Taurus Ultra-Lite 85 .38, if revolvers aren't out of the question. Those lightweight snubbies are super easy to carry and although you only have 5 shots, they are rock solid reliable and will go bang when you pull the trigger 99.999% of the time. The most important thing in carrying a gun comfortably & concealed is the holster or method of carry. My recommendations for that would depend on your normal style of clothing. If you can wear a belt, then a good IWB holster is the best (K&D for some awesome leather holsters, Kholster, Supertuck, & M-Tac for leather/kydex hybrids)......worn in the appendix carry position, which is 1-2 o'clock for a right hander. Just make sure you get one with a neutral or crossdraw cant, or one that can adjust to neutral, if you go this route. If you're style of dress can't include a belt, then I'd suggest a belly band, or possibly a Smart Carry. Either of these can be worn under just about any kind of clothing, and both conceal your gun extremely well. I can tell you that the belly band is super comfortable and holds the gun very securely. I don't have personal experience with the Smart Carry rigs, but I've read and heard great things about them. However, you would need to be wearing pants for the Smart Carry to work. Belly bands can literally be worn under anything.....even a dress. I really hope that you'll reconsider carrying in your purse........but, whatever you decide, I hope you can find something that works for you, and I applaud you for taking the initiative to be able to defend yourself!

Thank You Dr. Alarms! Along with these to PIF: Large Caliber Glock Speedloader for .45's & maybe 10mm's Haynes Repair Manual for Toyota Camry, Solara, Avalon, Lexus 300 '97-'01 I will also PIF the following: Set of 5 14" steel wheels & tires that came off a '99 Camry. I'm sure they would fit other models and years as well. All tires hold air good & should still be balanced, and the wheels are in great shape. 4 tires are Kumho's that have a small amount of tread left....would be good enough to use until winter. One tire was the full size spare, which has a brand new Michelin on it. Of course, this will have to be a ftf. I can bring them to exit #12 (Lowland/Morristown) off Interstate 81 in East TN, about halfway between Knoxville and Johnson City. The only thing l ask is that you only take these if you are going to keep and use them yourself.....please do not take them to resell.

I'll take these Doc, if no one else needs them. I'll PIF a large caliber Glock Speedloader, I think it will fit .45's and 10mm's. It's too big for the 9mm, .40, and .357 sig. I still have a like new Haynes Repair Manual for a Toyota Camry, 1997-2001 that I will PIF as well. (I know it's not gun related, but someone should be able to use it. )

Yes, please do let her read this thread for sure....and you're welcome! Appendix carry options: First of all, you have to find a holster or rig that can hold the gun in a neutral or crossdraw position. The traditional forward cant does not work for appendix carry.....the angle is all wrong to draw the gun quickly and comfortably. There are lots of holster manufacturers that offer neutral or crossdraw options. Comp-Tac M-Tac has a neutral carry IWB holster that is specifically designed for this type of carry. A Crossbreed Supertuck IWB might be a good choice too. I just got a Supertuck with my P11 and it's adjustable enough to work for appendix carry. As a matter of fact, I like it quite a bit! Since I got it, I've been wearing it exclusively. Kholster is a good one too.....it's extremely depth and cant adjustable, so you can get them to work for any position, plus it's very comfortable and a great value at $49 shipped (pm me for a 10% rebate code if go with Kholster). There's lots of custom leather holster makers that can make you a neutral or crossdraw rig too.....IWB or OWB. K&D Holster has the Eagle Defender OWB that can be made in crossdraw, and their Maverick Defender IWB can be adjusted to any cant you like. I was looking at DM Bullard holsters last night and they have one called the Jr. Dual Carry that is made for appendix carry, and it's IWB/OWB convertible if I remember correctly. That's just a few that I know of and would recommend. If you shop around, you can find countless choices that will work for appendix carry. Just make sure you get a neutral or crossdraw cant......or one that will adjust to that position. I learned this through trial and error, but at least someone might benefit from my mistakes. I almost forgot to mention one of my favorites.....a belly band! These can be found in widths ranging from 4-6" and many different gun/mag pocket configurations. These are great for appendix carry and can be worn whenever you're not wearing a belt....under any kind of clothing. They conceal the gun very well and are extremely comfortable too.

Yep, I sure wouldn't recommend SOB carry, especially for a woman. Appendix Carry (1-2 o'clock) style seems to work best for most ladies it seems. Think about most attacks on women......what seems most common? The attacker coming at the woman from behind. If the gun is SOB, she is SOL.

I've never carried, nor wanted to carry SOB, so I'm afraid I can't help you too much there. Maybe some other ladies will chime in and have a good suggestion for you. I can tell you that K&D Holster makes some GREAT leather holsters that are totally worth the money and the wait (about 3-4 months). I currently have a Thunderbird Defender that would probably work for SOB, because it is adjustable. It's so light and comfy that I hardly know it's there....but I wear mine at 2 o'clock. I can also tell you that Kholster is a wonderful and very comfortable way to carry IWB and it's so depth and cant adjustable, that you could adjust it for just about any position that you'd want. I highly recommend both of these manufacturers. A couple other really popular IWB's are the Crossbreed Supertuck and Minotaur M-Tac. Between the two, I'd go with the Supertuck any day.....and I've had both (sold the M-Tac, will be keeping the Supertuck!). I'd say that any of the ones I've mentioned are adjustable enough to be able to carry in the SOB position. Good Luck! Hope you can find something your wife is comfortable with!

Good job Nikki! Thank you for everything you do!

Thanks for finding the dimensions for me. So it is quite a little bit slimmer than the Glock. I'd like to check one out and see how it fits my hand. Probably won't be buying one for a while since I just got a great deal on a Kel Tec P11. I've been wanting a cheap, light, & slim 9mm to carry when I'm working around the property in the summer time. The Kel Tec should fit that bill pretty well. Pm me if you decide to go with a Kholster. I'll give you a code for a 10% rebate.

Cool! Sounds like she did great! With the gun choice and the shooting! I have a question about that Taurus Slim. Do you know if it's thinner than a Glock 26/27?

I'm a 20+ year Glock owner and I don't understand why anyone would want a G19, unless 9mm is the only caliber you'll ever want to shoot. If you're fine with just 9mm, then get the G19. The G23 and G32 are the exact same size as the G19, and with different barrels and mags, you can have a 9mm, .40 s&w, and a .357 sig all in one package. The G23/G32 (and G27/G33 in sub-compact) are the most versatile Glocks made, period. If you'd appreciate the ability to have three different calibers in one package, get the G23 or G32. Whatever you decide, you really can't go wrong with any Glock......well, except for one chambered in .45 GAP!

Glad to see you're still with us SigGrl! The Taurus Slim is actually one that I've been interested in checking out. Let us know what you think of it!

I'm not sure about the Kramers and how their clips hold up, but I use both a Kholster with steel clips and a K&D with kydex clips and haven't had any problems yet. I can tell you this though.....you should always have a spare holster for your favorite carry gun just in case something happens to it. Even if you have to order another Kramer, it would be worth it in the long run...especially since it's your favorite. As a matter of fact, you should always have a backup carry gun for the same reason!

Good to hear from you Dizzie! That sounds like a great setup you have there! MK9 in a Kramer.....Sweet! You should post up a pic!

The ones for my EMP are also made by Esmeralda. Same Celtic checkering as GKar's grips, but I have the Celtic Cross and GKar has Thor's Hammer. My set was the second pair she made for the EMP and they were a perfect fit also. She does incredible work. She has several different crosses, designs, and checkering patterns too......one type of checkering is called Mosaic, which is really cool looking, and she has traditional checkering available too. You can basically pick whatever you want and she'll make it......you choose the wood, the checkering (if any), and the additional design (if any). I highly recommend her. She does grips for lots of different guns too....not just 1911's.

I have an EMP in 9mm and I love it! It had multiple problems during the first 200 rds. or so, then it magically started running smoothly. If yours is brand new, just keep it nice and wet with Rem Oil in the slide rail grooves and go shoot about 300 rds. She'll all of a sudden start running perfectly right around that 200 to 300 rd. mark. Since mine was broken in, I've had problems with it feeding certain hollow points....mostly the lighter 115 and 124 gr. loads with a very thin and sharp edge on the bullet. It does fine with 147 gr. Speer Gold Dots. I'm planning on polishing the feed ramp, but I just haven't got around to it yet. This is the most accurate 3" barrel pistol I've ever seen. It's an incredible shooter and a great carry gun because it's thin and light. Do yourself a favor and put your stock Springfield grips away and get some custom ones made. My grips are made by "Esmeralda" and so are GKar's grips on his Micro Compact. She does some incredible work......and then you can carry your gun and not worry about getting the stock grips messed up. The stock Springfield grips are really nice too and I wouldn't want to get them scratched or worn from carry. Congrats! Shoot that baby until she runs smooth and then enjoy carrying it! Just be sure to shoot a couple mags full of the load that you plan on carrying in it to make sure it feeds them properly first. Oh, btw, Springfield does not recommend that you shoot +p loads in the EMP. I was told by the rep that it's not so much that it's going to wear out the gun or anything, but that it's due to the EMP's short action.......somehow the gun might not run reliably with the hotter loads. The rep explained it to me, but I can't remember exactly what the reason was....just that the action might not function as it's designed to when using hot loads. Here's mine:

So you are probably looking for deep concealment options. I'd stick with a belly band for that. The only other thing that works well for deep concealment is Smartcarry. It's similar to a belly band, but it's designed to be worn under your pants and low. It has two pockets, one for the gun and another for a spare mag or two. You might also want to think about getting a different gun for those times when deep concealment is called for. The PT 145 is a great gun, but a little bit thick. You might want to consider something thinner and lighter like a Kel Tec PF9, Kahr PM9, or possibly the new Taurus PT708 Slim. Sounds like you just need to force your PT145 into your belly band to make it fit (try it unloaded or unchambered to start with). It will stretch out and be easier to get in there after a while.

Welcome to TGO Tiki Jane! Belly bands generally work better with lightweight guns. Heavier guns tend to make them sag where the gun is. Is that the problem with carrying your PT 145 in yours? If so, let me ask you this.....How wide is your belly band? For heavier guns, the wider belly bands work much better. I can carry my G27 in a 5"-6" band without it sagging on me. If I try to carry it in my 4" band, it sags. The wider bands can support a heavier gun without the sagging problem. The 4" bands are only good for really lightweight guns like the airweight snubbies or maybe the tiniest autos like the Kel-Tecs or LCP's. You said you don't wear tight clothes, so that's a good start for concealed carry. Do you wear a belt? If you do, or if that could be an option for you, I'd wholeheartedly recommend a good IWB holster for carrying your PT 145. There's a lot of good ones to choose from. I personally like the Kholsters for a low cost leather/kydex hybrid. If you want to spend a little more and get a good leather IWB holster, I'd go with K&D Holster. Those two are just my personal favorites though....there are many good choices out there. I'd probably be able to help you more if I knew exactly how you prefer to dress. Comfortable concealed carry depends greatly on what you wear. I used to wear mostly stretchy pants with no belt loops, which limited me to belly bands or the like. I decided to change my dress to jeans so I could wear a belt and a holster......and I am very glad I did! Now I can carry whichever gun I want with no problem whatsoever. I'm extremely happy to hear that you're wanting to get away from carrying in your purse........VERY good idea!

I have a Haynes Repair Manual for 1997-2001 Toyota Camry/Avalon/Solara/Lexus ES 300 that I can PIF. It's in like new condition, paperback.

I'll take the gun sock if it's still available.

These are on the way as of yesterday (Friday) priority mail. Sorry for the delay....I've been sick this week.

That's good to hear Nancy! Any way that a woman can comfortably carry a gun, besides in her purse, is awesome! I use a fanny pack often, especially in the summer time. Convenient!