Personal Defense for Women

by Gila Hayes

  Speed reloads with the semi-auto can be practiced at home, with the gun’s slide and barrel removed and magazines inserted only into the frame. Disassemble the frame from the slide, then practice over a bed or couch to buffer the magazine’s fall. The disassembled gun removes the danger of handling a fireable gun in an unsecured area. Alternatively, Brownells sells the Safety Mag, a solid synthetic replica of magazines for a half-dozen popular types of semi-auto pistols. Its use accommodates cycling the slide after a dryfire reload, but for safety, it must only be used where no loaded magazines are available.

  Live-fire Practice Routines

  Just like your smooth trigger pull, clearing malfunctions is a habituated skill, and one more crucial to the semi-auto shooter. Revolver shooters simply give the trigger another pull and hope the fault was in the ammunition, not the gun. Semi-auto shooters can reinforce speed and ability to clear semi-automatic malfunctions on the range using dummy cartridges. Produced by Precision Gun Specialties, and sold by Brownells2 the bright orange Saf-T-Trainer dummy rounds can be interspersed with live rounds in a magazine, simulating a failure to fire. When a trigger pull produces a click instead of bang, the student performs a failure-to-fire malfunction clearance drill.

  Load several magazines at random, mixing in three or four dummy rounds with the live ammunition. Have a friend load the magazines, or mix several magazines until you cannot anticipate in what order the live and dummy rounds will come. The element of surprise makes the training realistic. Along with rapidly performing the clearance drill, watch your front sight during the dummy round’s trigger pull to observe any flinching caused by anticipating the shot. Making the conscious connection between your flinch and what happens to sight alignment when you flinch is a valuable training epiphany. Attaining this realization, the shooter is able to feel the flinch building before it happens and redouble attention on making a smooth trigger pull and surprise hammer fall.

  As the empty magazine is released from the pistol, the shooter’s hands have already accessed a loaded magazine from the belt pouch in which she carries it.

  Randomly loading live ammunition and Saf-T-Trainers into a semi-automatic magazine, this shooter prepares to practice both malfunction clearing and trigger control.

  Malfunction drills are a valuable part of your practice and training. Clearing malfunctions increases your understanding of how your gun works and increases your gun-handling capability. Repeating clearance drills imprints the correct motions on your mind, and should the weapon malfunction during a class or a match, you will be gratified by a skilled, smooth response that puts your hands in motion to get the gun back in the game. More important, if the gun fails on the street, your rapid, trained reaction, performed while moving to cover, may save your life. In addition, reloading, drawing and trigger control drills can be performed with Airsoft pistols, realistic spring-and air-powered faux firearms that shoot small plastic pellets.

  When you go shooting with friends or practice alone, make the accuracy of each round fired of paramount importance. Take care to avoid making poor technique a habit. Even when shooting just for fun, shoot with a strong grip, stance, and precise sight alignment. If shooting with others, set up a friendly competition with some kind of stakes. Every shot outside the X ring can “cost” a quarter’s donation to a charity or an organization like your area’s grass roots gun rights lobby. With shooters of varying skills, establish a handicap, like the more skilled shooter firing left-handed to make it truly competitive.

  Notes

  1Saf-T-Trainers and Snap Caps sold by Brownells, 200 S. Front St., Montezuma, IA 50171, 515-623-4000, www.brownells.com

  2Ibid.

  SIG Sauer’s Airsoft pistols are used in scenarios taught to help students grasp proper tactics against an armed attacker.

  CHAPTER 20

  Concealed Carry

  The “art” of concealed carry is more complex than stuffing a revolver in your handbag or in the waistband of your jeans! Newcomers to the world of armed self defense are dazzled by the array of holsters, gun bags, and other carry devices marketed. The topic is one of such depth and breadth that it deserves its own large book, but until that work can be attempted, let’s cover the high points about how to carry a concealed self-defense gun.

  There exists no utterly comfortable way to wear a concealed handgun. The best we can hope for, primarily, is complete concealment of the gun. Comfort can be fine tuned with different holsters, maybe even using various models of one brand of handgun for various situations. Winter clothing will accommodate a larger, generally higher capacity handgun than the lighter garb of summer. Two guns, one large, the other small, with comparable locations for safety and magazine releases can make it easier to carry a gun all the time.

  Unfortunately, it may take several purchases to find the right holster for you and your gun. Nearly every gun owner I know jokes about wanting to have a holster garage sale. Like me, they own several holsters per gun, some they know they will never use because they looked more functional than experience proved them to be. The following principles may keep new gun owners from spending money and accumulating way too many holsters in an attempt to find one that works.

  Start with the Basics

  Among experienced armed citizens, the primary holster choice for concealed handgun carry is generally some variety of belt holster. Many women have tried holsters made for men and given up prematurely on the idea of using a belt holster. Before you admit defeat, try one of the belt holsters made specifically for women from makers like Kramer Handgun Leather1, Blade-Tech2, Mitch Rosen3, Rusty Sherrick4, FIST Holsters5, or Matt Del Fatti6. Other women have found the cross-draw holster is a good belt rig alternative.

  Like any other personal-safety issue, learning to wear a holstered gun and becoming accustomed to its presence is not altogether easy. It takes effort, patience and ingenuity. A belt and holster place some restraints on your wardrobe. Casual garb is more likely to accommodate a belt and holster with minimal fuss. Until I began using a tailor, I fought suits on which the trousers belt loops were too small for the belt that fits most of my holsters.

  There are numerous belt holster variations, but you should insist on one with a rigid mouth that remains open after the gun is drawn. Sometimes, a spring steel band will be enclosed in leather to keep the holster open for safe, one-handed holstering. Other holsters rely on very stiff construction, like Greg Kramer’s premium-quality horsehide holsters or Jim Murnack’s duplexed Kydex and leather holsters.

  Kramer Handgun Leather’s women’s holster uses an extended belt loop to position the gun lower on a woman’s body.

  The precision fit of belt, holster and magazine pouch from one holster maker is best, as seen with this set from John Ralston’s 5-Shot Leather.

  Blade Tech’s dropped and offset holster.

  Mitch Rosen’s women’s holster cants the muzzle forward of the hip.

  Rusty Sherrick suggests a cut down the front of the holster to make it easier to draw the gun.

  Jim Murnack at FIST holsters has ingeniously duplexed Kydex®and leather in a handsome holster that is both thin and rigid.

  Matt DelFatti uses a long belt loop extension at the back of his holster to pull the gun’s grips away from a woman’s ribs.

  This is an important feature should you find it necessary to hold an assailant at gun point. What will the police perceive when they come on the scene? How will they know you are the victim, not the assailant? Trust me, the gun in your hand marks you as an unidentified threat to officers responding to your call. You can avoid a mistaken-identity shooting by discretely holstering the gun the moment before officers arrive. The rigid, open top allows you to holster the gun without looking, so you can keep your eyes on the assailant. Rigid nylon holsters, like the Bianchi7 Accu-mold line, and gear made from other synthetic materials like Kydex approach the performance of leather and are often less expensive. You should, whatever the material, insist that the holster remain open at the top when
the gun is drawn.

  A Better Fit

  For the womanly figure, I like a concealment holster positioned in what is called appendix carry, tucked in the concave curve between abdomen and strong-side hip. It was recommended to me when I was first carrying a five-shot revolver and when climate allowed an over shirt or vest to conceal the gun. I continued to use it when I carried the larger Glock 23. Although the gun seems obvious to the wearer in this position, it quite invisible to those not in on your secret.

  For the same reason, cross draw holsters work well for women. A woman’s figure is studied in the buttocks or bust line. The abdomen is not subject to that much scrutiny. Although care must be taken to do so safely, the appendix carry is very fast from which to draw and the only downside I discovered was that it required a closed vest or shirt to conceal it.

  Small Kahr Arms PM9 simply disappears beneath a light shirt when carried just forward of the strong side hip.

  Women are substantially shorter through the torso than men. Recently, a 5’8” tall friend described trying out her husband’s paddle holster. We laughed as she indicated the spot in her armpit to which she reported the grips of her Glock 23 extended, yet we were happy she hadn’t paid $80 to buy the holster only to discover that men’s high-rise holsters rarely are functional for women. One of my leading criteria in belt holster selection for women is a holster mouth must not sit any higher than the beltline.

  Mitch Rosen’s American Rear Guard holster is an excellent example of a very high quality holster that sits low inside the trouser waistband for the best-possible concealment. While many find an inside the waistband holster uncomfortable, Rosen’s design eliminates many of the problems by angling the gun at an extreme cant. For several years, I carried a Heckler &Koch P7M8 in the Rear Guard, and it was so comfy that at times, I would check to see if I’d forgotten to put on the gun. It remains the only gun and holster I’ve ever worn that I could literally forget I had on. John Ralston’s Inside Burton Scabbard has proven nearly as comfortable for the Springfield EMP I carry today. Not surprisingly, it also carries the gun at quite an angle directly behind my strong side hip.

  In this mode of carry, one learns not to lean over in public, since the butt of even a small gun makes a recognizable outline even when covered by fabric. In the grocery store, for instance, I’ll squat to pick up items on low shelves instead of just bending over to collect them. Choose a good quality holster from a reputable manufacturer. Readily available choices include Bianchi, Galco, Blade-Tech and DeSantis.8 Spend a few more dollars and you can have the workmanship of a Milt Sparks, Rusty Sherrick, Greg Kramer, or Mitch Rosen rig.

  Some holsters come outfitted to accommodate several widths of belts. My Milt Sparks Executive Companion, for instance, has two screws that attach the belt loop to the holster.9 A smaller loop is sold for 1-inch belts and costs $9, which I gladly spent, knowing some trousers wouldn’t accommodate my inch-and-a-quarter gun belt. And speaking of belts, your common dress belt isn’t going to last long under the weight of your gun and holster. Budget $90 to $125 for a rigid gun belt produced by a reputable holster manufacturer. A sturdy belt, like Galco’s Contour Concealable, is critical to successful belt holster carry, as it eliminates most of the holster’s movement.10 The contour cut lets the belt snug to your curves with surprising comfort and having worn contour-cut belts for years, I cannot imagine why a woman would try to carry a holstered gun on anything else.

  The cross draw holster, this one from Galco International, can hide the gun beneath a blouse or vest draping loosely from the bustline.

  As the Internet brings smaller artisans into the public eye, I’ve discovered holster maker John Ralston of 5-Shot Leather11, who crafted a belt, holster and magazine pouch set that incorporated a contour belt with thinner front section, the exact angle I prefer on the holster and other refinements individual to my needs. This kind of service is available for the asking and comes highly recommended.

  John Ralston of 5-Shot Leather custom fit this belt, holster and magazine pouch set to the author’s needs. The belt has a contour cut, and the holster has just the right angle for comfort.

  Learning to Wear It

  The new concealed carry practitioner is uncomfortably aware of the gun and holster, especially during the break in period. It takes self-control to avoid fiddling with the gun, holster and clothing. In public you may only give the concealing garment a pat or pull when alone, upon standing up or getting out of a car or at other times when adjusting one’s clothing would be normal without a holstered pistol. Press through this disturbing period by practicing concealed carry at first in privacy.

  Not everyone is willing to endure the initial discomfort of breaking in and becoming accustomed to wearing an inside the waistband holster. Female figures, especially those with a tiny waistline and curving hips, may find an IWB intolerable, although a radical angle (cant) provides some relief. Usually, these more womanly figures find carrying in the appendix position their most comfortable option, or they give up on IWB altogether. If wearing a belt scabbard on the outside of the trousers, you will need to exaggerate concealment techniques: rely on bulkier clothing, heavier fabrics, and roomier fashions. With a belt scabbard, the trouser fabric won’t cover the bottom of the holster, so the covering garment must be considerably longer, too.

  Author’s daily concealment rig custom built by 5-Shot Leather.

  Galco’s Concealable Contour belt has proven both durable and comfortable.

  Alternatives to the Belt Holster

  It takes a few years to replace ordinary garments with those that will accommodate your belt, holster and gun, so it might be good to start with more than one carry method, including a sturdy “belly band” that holds the gun tight against the torso with wide, Velcro®-secured elastic. Sources include DeSantis, Gould & Goodrich12, Galco and other holster companies.

  Another alternative to a belt-holstered gun is the shoulder holster. The majority of shoulder holsters sold will not conceal a defensive handgun on a woman’s body, because it is carried horizontally and the muzzle extends beyond the back. Trust me, the distinctive outline of the muzzle or the tip of the holster can be mistaken for nothing but a shoulder holster—something everyone has seen repeatedly on TV cop dramas.

  Invest the time and effort to shop for a vertical shoulder holster if this is an on-body carry method you favor. Choices from well-known manufacturers include Uncle Mike’s13 and Bianchi International. The gun is carried beneath the non-dominant arm with the muzzle pointing down and the pistol’s grips forward. A good harness should distribute the weight of the pistol and spare ammunition. Concealment, of course, requires a jacket or loose over-garment, as well as some care that a collar covers the material of the harness.

  My friend Jane, who introduced me to the Milt Sparks Executive Companion inside-the-waistband holster, carried her Glock in the traditional position, behind her strong side hip. She is taller and has a trimmer waistline than I, and her gun concealed comfortably in that position. Nonetheless, the last time I saw Jane, on a humid July day in western Washington, she was toting a .38 Special revolver in a waist-pack holster. Hot weather will be a determining factor in how you carry your gun. I also sometimes concede to hot weather by tucking my semi-automatic into a specially designed waist-pack. I prefer nylon to leather, since it has a more common appearance that does not announce “gun!” Some holster fanny packs have wide Velcro straps to secure the gun, an elastic band to hold an extra magazine in place, plus a cord for a downward rip to unzip the carry pouch and expose the gun for the draw. Others have a built-in holster attached to the back panel of the bag.

  Choices include Bianchi’s roomy nylon pouch with side pockets, an unusual detail I appreciated. I like a small pocket to serve exclusively as magazine pouch or place to tuck pistol permits and identification papers or other objects I don’t want mixed with other things. DeSantis was the original designer to use Velcro on fanny pack pockets, a design they’ve patented. For years
, I used their Gunnysack II, an extremely well-designed fanny pack with a full rip-away front panel that reliably exposes the holstered gun for a fast draw. I loved the bright colors in which it was made, since that made it just look like a tourist’s pack.

  Men do have it easier in a few regards. Not only do men’s rest room lines move faster, men don’t have to give birth, and they can wear ankle holsters with nearly all of their trousers! An ankle holster is one of the hardest-to-detect modes of concealed carry. I’m always a little jealous as I watch my husband tuck his .38 Special airweight revolver into an ankle rig deeply concealed beneath his dark dress socks.

  Holster alternative: the bellyband is versatile and lets you carry a gun under all kinds of clothing.

  Women’s fashions change every season. When slim-cut trousers are the rage, the ankle holster reverts to a gentleman’s carry option. However, boot cut jeans, painter pants, straight-legged trousers and cuffed chinos will generally camouflage a tiny .380 ACP semi-auto carried in a trim elastic holster worn on the feminine ankle. While drawing from this method is a bit slow, and absolutely does not work while you are moving, it allows you to remain armed in an office where blouses and dress slacks are the daily uniform. Of course, you must sit carefully, avoiding crossed legs that expose the gun. An inch or two of extra length at the trouser hemline will assure that when you sit, the fabric will not ride up and reveal your handgun tucked on the inside of your calf right above the ankle bone. For better comfort, wear a thin stocking beneath the holster, then add a second thin stocking over the holster, pulling it up to the grips of the gun, but not over them.