Reading that again, the mental image will be with me all day. Not that its a bad thing; I’ve had much worse mental images on the same chalkboard. 
I’m now signed up for the Illinois Concealed Carry class on the 28th and 29th of this month. I’m interested to see what the heck happens for 16 hours. I suspect there’s some dicking around. Especially with first day registration and getting everyone fingerprinted. Something tells me they’ll take their time.
I’ll have completed a private training class the week before (on the 21st for three hours) and possibly Ladies Night for another hour and a half at a gun club on the 27th. I don’t think I’ll have any issue with the live fire qualification.
This is hilarious. Thank you for the link, and I’m picturing Una carefully placing a huge, hot revolver in her waistband. OMG now I’m laughing harder!
oh dear, Una…
Y’know, besides the far “hotter” load on the .44 Mag, there’s another factor to what they did: the revolver has the actual barrel directly exposed while with the autoloaders most of the barrel is surrounded by the slide when in battery, with some insulating gap along much of its length. An exposed-barrel auto like a P38/P1 may be more like the revolver in terms of comfort when tucked down your pants.
I’m also curious to run a few tests of my own. I’ve burned my neck (to the point of blister) several times coming to “shoulder arms” with flint and caplock longarms. I wonder if they burn hotter than say a K-98.
I will resist the temptation to stick either in my shorts. 
My snub-nosed .38 goes in an IWB holster. Yes you best be careful while re-holstering it.
Heh. I’m finding that holster choices for women are - complicated. I’ve found an acceptable removable one for my bags (dedicated compartment in each), and an interesting compromise one that can be used anywhere on-body, where I’m interested in under arm and small of back. But re-holstering seems to be the biggest compromise with that one as it’s fabric and will likely take some doing. But - I figure re-holstering will only be a pain during practice and if I ever need to actually pull my gun, re-holstering will be the least of my problems.
I know a couple ladies who use this and while it looks silly at first they really do seem to work.
Much better than one I saw in an old demonstration film from the 50s maybe where it was basically a 2 shot “built in”. To fire it the lady only needed to throw her arms to the back. Recoil must have been ----- unpleasant.
I went with a customizable belly band of sorts. I looked at those flash bang ones, but my bras are for holding my boobs, and they fit accordingly. There’s no space for a holster plus gun that weighs I think 26 ounces + 13 bullets. Plus, boob sweat. The band I bought will allow similar placement without using my bra. Plus anywhere else on my torso. A promo video: Best Concealed Carry Holster For Women - YouTube - I figure if nothing else, it will help me figure out where is best for me so I can concentrate on best holster for that spot in the future. In the winter, when I’m wearing a coat that goes down to my ankles, plus several layers, I think my croos-body bag will be best option.
At any rate, I still have 90+ days to think about it and practice at home, because it will take that long to get the permit.
The rule of thumb is to expect to go through a bunch of holsters before you find the one that’s right for you. Often, you won’t know it’s right (or wrong, usually) until you’ve spent quite a bit of time using it. All that said, this site, and this article in particular, goes into a bit of detail about the special difficulties women find dressing around a concealed handgun.
FWIW, I recommend against small of back, though I’m not sure how much to believe the conventional wisdom that SOB carry greatly increases the risk of spine injury in the event of a fall. I just don’t like how presenting the pistol works from that holster area. Much easier to do it from a 4 or 8 o clock position, and it hides about as well IME. Still, if SOB carry is the only way that you’ll carry, and you want to carry, it’s better than not carrying at all, I guess.
I’m not a woman, but I am a fan of these holsters and these holsters. Both will stay in place while jogging, etc. The Minotaur/MTAC presents and reholsters a lot better and is more comfortable, but it does require a belt and some shifting of the whole enterprise when getting dressed. The Remora just goes behind my hip in my waistband and out the door I go. Much quicker.
Congrats on your new purchase and hobby.
When you eventually decide on your next handgun (yes, it will happen, Resistance is Futile!), take a look at the CZ-75B (available in 9mm and 40 S&W) CZ-85B (ambidextrous safety and slide release), or the CZ-97B (.45ACP)
The 75/85 is one of the most ergonomic and comfortable semiauto handgun out there.
I have a 75B and love it, and I’m planning on picking up a 97B at some point as well
Welcome to the club, the more the merrier 
Well, I was gonna come in an post what the Ranger said upthread but, obviously, he beat me to it. I have this annoying habit of bouncing empty shells off the dividing walls of the stall and having them land between the temple arm of my shooting glasses and the temple spot on the side of my head. D@mn that burns!
So I noticed the last responder above referred to the CZ pistols. I thought I’d chime in with a semi-alternative: European American Armory (EAA) out of Florida imports from an Italian imitator (Tanfoglio) a pistol called the Witness. What I like about that series is that it doesn’t just come in several calibers, you can also purchase aternative innards to fit your frame. So if you’re shooting in a .22 match, you’d fit your frame with a .22 barrel and mag adapter. Then when you compete in the .45 match you’d use the same frame and fit it with the .45 barrel & mag. Or change as you like or need, maybe depending on the availabilty of .22s that month. Cool piece. I once thought I’d put a pic of mine in the Dopers gallery.
And, yeah, I’m far enough left to make Karl Marx seem like a libertarian :eek:
I think gun ownership should be licensed like driving licenses with even tougher written and practical tests (not the ridiculously easy test I had to take for the CA permit). On the other hand, I’m sure I’d pass such a test, so maybe that’s rather elitist. And, for that matter, I’m well aware that the invention of firearms was a major game-changer in the way personal and large-scale conflicts were conducted up until that time. The whole point is that any idiot can use one without having to spend years training and developing technical expertise (as one does with a bow, blade, etc.).
–G!
My suggestion is to try as many different handguns as you possibly can at the range.
There are a huge number of different varieties on the market and most shooters and gun enthusiasts have their own preferences - for example, I really don’t like Glock handguns but plenty of people rave about them.
At a minimum for 9mm handguns, I’d suggest trying, in no particular order:
- M1911
- CZ-75
- Beretta M92FS (also known as the M9 in US military service)
- Glock 17
- Sig-Sauer P226
- Browning Hi-Power
- Heckler & Koch USP
That will give you a pretty good overview of the “Main” 9mm semi-autos and a good comparison point for some of the many other varieties which are available.
as far as the Glocks go, they’re good guns, technically proficient, excellent, reliable, and durable guns, amazingly simple (around 40 parts total compose the Glock handgun) and robust, a great example of reliability from simplicity
I’ve owned a generation 2 Glock 21 (.45 ACP), and Gen4 Glock 17 in 9mm, but never fully warmed up to them
What do I currently own?
Dad’s old Ruger New Model Single Six .22 LR / .22 Mag single action revolver (family heirloom that’ll never be sold) and the CZ-75B, it’ll also never be sold, I had one a few years ago, traded it in and always regretted it, took a long while to find another 75B in my local shop, this one’s here to stay
I grew up around guns, owned them in the past, but don’t own any now. I do shoot sometimes when I visit my parents in East TN. My Dad is a lifelong hunter and shooter, and has held world records shooting. He’s always disagreed with his hunting/shooting buddies; he has no problem with waiting periods, licensing, and assault weapon bans. I’m extreme left on a lot of issues, but I part with a lot of my lefty friends on gun issues. The public debate seems pretty polarized, but I imagine folks in the middle get lost in all the noise made by those on the extremes.
Just my .02 but I’ve never liked the idea of carrying where the gun is not attached to my body. If it’s in a bag or purse, there’s the possibility that someone else is going to grab that purse or bag and take off with your gun. Set that bag down for a second, put it in the shopping cart, leave it in the vicinity of a curious child…
I want that thing strapped to me. If someone touches my gun, I’m going to know instantly.
I largely agree. I think it depends on how that bag is used. I only wear cross-body. I already know where everything in the bag is and use one hand for retrieval. The pocket where I currently hold Mace and a flashlight is where the gun would go. It stays on me, though sometimes pushed to my hip at 4 o’clock if I’m sitting at a table. I generally don’t set it down unless I’m in a booth and it’s next to me on the inside. There are still some issues, absolutely, but in those cases I’ll be able to holster it on body. I’m still working on it and have at least 100 days to figure it out.
Well, hell, might as well toss my 2 cents in wrt your next purchase (yes, there will be more):
What was said upthread about Glocks, especially since the fanboys have largely dried up; they were mostly tacticool otaku first-time gun owners who bought into Glock’s marketing, and touted Glock as the best. Firearm! EVER! even if they couldn’t hit the broadsides of a barn, even if you put them right in the middle of the damned thing!. You can generally recognize them at your local range by their combat boots, camo fatigues, boonie caps, Oakleys, tactical vests, and smug sense of superiority over all the other non-Glock owners around them.
CZ is an excellent brand for a good price. Can’t go wrong with the CZ-75, I highly recommend it, although I personally prefer my CZ-85.
If you get bitten by the 1911 bug…then I pity you; I had a run-in with it myself a few years back. You can’t remedy it, you just have to let the sickness run its course. It typically runs out about the same time your money does, though, so no worries! And the good news is that I’m almost back to a positive cash flow! 
And I now have only three beautiful 1911s in my gun safe.
My Euro-9 fave is the Walther P99AS, and PPQ M1; the only firearms I’ve owned that truly felt like they were made with my hands in mind. The “M1” is the “1st Gen” identifier that retains the paddle-mag release on the trigger guard; the “M2” is the “2nd Gen” identifier which uses the more recognizable push-button mag release. Some don’t take to the paddle-mag release, although it never bothered me one bit.
Walther’s not as large a brand as Glock, HK, or Sig, in spite of its longer history; with smaller production runs, finding them can be a bit of a trick at times.
If you’ve a mind for a Beretta 92, I’d actually recommend the Taurus PT-92 or -99. But Taurus has a spotty rep for quality control and customer service, even if it has improved dramatically over the past few years. In fairness, their “bad rep” never really applied to their PT-92 or -99. I had a PT-99 at one point, a solid, reliable shooter that only ever gave me problems once due to some cheap surplus ammo.
I sold the -99 because it was, well, boring. It went "bang!’ every single time I pulled the trigger, and shot tight groups. I now seriously regret letting it go, and have picked up a sporty bi-tone -92 as a replacement. The difference between the -92 and -99 is that the -92 comes with fixed rear sights, while the -99 has adjustable rear sights.
I’m enjoying all the recommendations! I’ll definitely be using this thread for reference in the future. I want to concentrate on the current barely week-old little guy I’ve got for now. I want to get proficient if not pretty darned good with it.
So far I’ve tried the following, of which I remember brands but not really model numbers, those I’m having a harder time remembering and they all blur together:
2 Glocks, one 9mm, one .40
2 Walthers, both 9mm
3 Sig Sauers, all 9mm - really love the p320 - the Springfield I bought is closest to this at a lower price
2 .380 revolvers
1 little snub-nosed revolver
2 Ruger .22’s
And then the Springfield XD mod.2 - How I happened on this one was I liked the p320 at one range (and I borrowed a friend’s, too) - but another range we went to didn’t have the subcompact. So I asked the knowledgeable seeming guy behind the counter to hook me up with something he thought was comparable. And he handed me the Springfield. Liked it a lot. Did some research and pricing out between that one and the Sig once I decided it’s time to buy. They can both be hard to get, they’re very popular right now. The Springfield is a little easier to come by, it’s a little less expensive, and I like the grip safety.
I believe you all when you say this won’t be my only gun!
My issues with Glock handguns are threefold - firstly, they don’t sit comfortably in my hand and I don’t like the trigger pull on them; secondly, a tendency from some of their more enthusiastic owners towards what I call the Glockenspiel (basically what ExTank said); and thirdly, I think they’re really, really boring. It’s a chunky square black polymer frame design with no “interesting” features. No hammer decocker, no external safety, no external hammer, nothing.
From a technical and functionality perspective I respect the design - it works extremely well and it’s very simple; you point it at your target and pull the trigger and all the bullets will go where they’re supposed to. But it just doesn’t appeal to me; I like guns with more character.