Just received my pistol permit. I am female and need something small and concealable. All the guys at the gun range I've started going to recommend the p365 9mm. However, I don't think there's a safety on it, and I'm a little hesitant to carry something without a safety.
Whatever you get, please carry it on your body. It can be harder to get to in a purse. A belly band is a great way for women to conceal if you like to wear dresses, etc.
Regardless of where you carry it, please carry it in a holster to prevent NDs (negligent discharge).
I carry an HK P30 LEM. It's a full size pistol (probably too big for you) but it is a safety-less hammer fired pistol. I've carried various LEM guns (HK 45c LEM and HK P30sk LEM) and never had a problem. Personally I prefer a hammer so that I have a physical hammer that I can ride going into the holster to prevent an ND. With striker fired pistols (P365), you just need to be careful of obstructions when reholstering.
here is the belly band i have and can recommend. more importantly, daddy 'hey its james again from tfb tv' also vouches for it. very nice for carrying without a belt
I did a bunch of research on this finding a pistol for my wife.
Little light 9mm pistols tend to be pretty recoil heavy and therefore harder to shoot. If you have good grip strength and aren't recoil shy, the 365 is a good option.
If you arent sure, a compact 380 like a glock 42 or a sig p238 (which has an external safety) will be much easier to shoot and than 9mms in the same size range. Shot placement is more important than caliber.
If you look into a 380, avoid micro 380s like the Ruger lcp and Kel-Tec p3at. They are extremely difficult to shoot well.
If you can go with a slightly bigger pistol either of S&W's ez pistols are great options, along with the Bersa thunder 380 and pretty much any Makarov.
Some P365's have a safety. Mine does, add manual safety to your search. Manual safeties aren't necessarily the best thing. Its an extra step in an emergency. Its something to consider. The ones without a manual safety do have trigger block safeties where they cannot fire unless the trigger is depressed. -edit- I should clarify that even with a manual safety, the trigger safety is still a part of most modern pistols to prevent firing from dropping it.
My experience with the P365 (and similar), due to tiny size, are pretty snappy when shooting. Its not something you'll shoot on a regular basis for fun as an example.
I'd suggest also something more like a Glock 19, CZ P07, CZ P10c, HK VP9, SW MP2 compact, or similar. Its a compact, still concealable especially with a good holster, but much more comfortable to shoot.
I find the p365 to be very controllable for a compact, and much less snappy than other similar size pistols. It has become my edc with 12 round in the well, and a 15 backup. It shoots great, highly recommend. Don't worry about safety, gun will not fire unless trigger is depressed.
Its not that its too snappy, though it is snappy enough that I wouldn't shoot it for funzies outside of maintaining proficiency. Its just that given the OP's statement about it being a first pistol it wouldn't be the one I'd go with. Its one of the guns in my EDC rotation, but it wouldn't be my only pistol.
There are different ways to carry and is dependent upon your clothing. Men generally wear pants or shorts. Women wear different clothing that may not work. A belly band wouldn't work if you wear a dress.
If you're going to go for a subcompact like a p365, you're probably going to want a .380 unless you have man strength. Also, a tiny gun like a Keltec P32 is a great thing to keep around if you need to dress up and need something extra-concealable.
The sig P365 is an outstanding choice. It's very compact and remarkably accurate for such a short barrel when you take your time shooting.
A few caveats:
For some very small-framed women, racking the slide may be excessively difficult. Go play with it at the gun range. If you can't do it consistently/at all, you need to buy a gun that has an "easy rack" slide. This isn't a uniquely SIG issue; the slide on this gun is as easy/hard to rack as any other handgun I've fired. It has some cuts in the slide for better grip which helps when it's really hot and my hands are sweaty.
The recoil will be a little be snappy as it's 9mm in a package that seems more attune for .380. It's not bad at all. But if you're smaller framed and can barely rack the slide, take this into consideration.
As for safety concerns: You can purchase with or without a safety. I would avoid the SAS model because the controls are so shortened as to be virtually unusable. The trigger is pretty standard and fairly long; negligent discharge is of minimum concern so long as you maintain trigger discipline and carry it in a proper retention system.
Just received my pistol permit. I am female and need something small and concealable. All the guys at the gun range I've started going to recommend the p365 9mm. However, I don't think there's a safety on it, and I'm a little hesitant to carry something without a safety.
I would really appreciate some advice.
Show us your tits
Whatever you get, please carry it on your body. It can be harder to get to in a purse. A belly band is a great way for women to conceal if you like to wear dresses, etc.
Regardless of where you carry it, please carry it in a holster to prevent NDs (negligent discharge).
I carry an HK P30 LEM. It's a full size pistol (probably too big for you) but it is a safety-less hammer fired pistol. I've carried various LEM guns (HK 45c LEM and HK P30sk LEM) and never had a problem. Personally I prefer a hammer so that I have a physical hammer that I can ride going into the holster to prevent an ND. With striker fired pistols (P365), you just need to be careful of obstructions when reholstering.
here is the belly band i have and can recommend. more importantly, daddy 'hey its james again from tfb tv' also vouches for it. very nice for carrying without a belt
Thank you!
I'd gay for James.
I did a bunch of research on this finding a pistol for my wife.
Little light 9mm pistols tend to be pretty recoil heavy and therefore harder to shoot. If you have good grip strength and aren't recoil shy, the 365 is a good option.
If you arent sure, a compact 380 like a glock 42 or a sig p238 (which has an external safety) will be much easier to shoot and than 9mms in the same size range. Shot placement is more important than caliber.
If you look into a 380, avoid micro 380s like the Ruger lcp and Kel-Tec p3at. They are extremely difficult to shoot well.
If you can go with a slightly bigger pistol either of S&W's ez pistols are great options, along with the Bersa thunder 380 and pretty much any Makarov.
Show toes and bobs for proof
Glock 42 vs Glock 43
Glock 43x vs Taurus G3c
M&P Shield 2.0 vs Sig P365
I’m not a lady so I can’t recommend holsters for you, but here’s
The basic requirements for an acceptable holster
Some P365's have a safety. Mine does, add manual safety to your search. Manual safeties aren't necessarily the best thing. Its an extra step in an emergency. Its something to consider. The ones without a manual safety do have trigger block safeties where they cannot fire unless the trigger is depressed. -edit- I should clarify that even with a manual safety, the trigger safety is still a part of most modern pistols to prevent firing from dropping it.
My experience with the P365 (and similar), due to tiny size, are pretty snappy when shooting. Its not something you'll shoot on a regular basis for fun as an example.
I'd suggest also something more like a Glock 19, CZ P07, CZ P10c, HK VP9, SW MP2 compact, or similar. Its a compact, still concealable especially with a good holster, but much more comfortable to shoot.
I find the p365 to be very controllable for a compact, and much less snappy than other similar size pistols. It has become my edc with 12 round in the well, and a 15 backup. It shoots great, highly recommend. Don't worry about safety, gun will not fire unless trigger is depressed.
honestly, even compared to my glock 17, i never found my p365 too snappy. nice trigger and very shootable for whatever reason
Its not that its too snappy, though it is snappy enough that I wouldn't shoot it for funzies outside of maintaining proficiency. Its just that given the OP's statement about it being a first pistol it wouldn't be the one I'd go with. Its one of the guns in my EDC rotation, but it wouldn't be my only pistol.
There are different ways to carry and is dependent upon your clothing. Men generally wear pants or shorts. Women wear different clothing that may not work. A belly band wouldn't work if you wear a dress.
Check out the following video, it may help.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UvKaaj6e7Vk
If you're going to go for a subcompact like a p365, you're probably going to want a .380 unless you have man strength. Also, a tiny gun like a Keltec P32 is a great thing to keep around if you need to dress up and need something extra-concealable.
The sig P365 is an outstanding choice. It's very compact and remarkably accurate for such a short barrel when you take your time shooting.
A few caveats:
For some very small-framed women, racking the slide may be excessively difficult. Go play with it at the gun range. If you can't do it consistently/at all, you need to buy a gun that has an "easy rack" slide. This isn't a uniquely SIG issue; the slide on this gun is as easy/hard to rack as any other handgun I've fired. It has some cuts in the slide for better grip which helps when it's really hot and my hands are sweaty.
The recoil will be a little be snappy as it's 9mm in a package that seems more attune for .380. It's not bad at all. But if you're smaller framed and can barely rack the slide, take this into consideration.
As for safety concerns: You can purchase with or without a safety. I would avoid the SAS model because the controls are so shortened as to be virtually unusable. The trigger is pretty standard and fairly long; negligent discharge is of minimum concern so long as you maintain trigger discipline and carry it in a proper retention system.