Hey y'all,

My gf's moving to a big city for work and I've been slowly (but surely) getting her acclimated to the self-defense world. She recently purchased a G43x and I was wondering if any of y'all had recommendations on ccw options for females? I've found a few good options (e.g. Alexo, gtmoriginal) but would love to hear what's worked for everyone else's significant others!

p.s. Thanks for all the female-oriented videos, WPS. They've shaped my approach to introducing the women in my life to shooting without overwhelming them. If more Pistol 1 classes open up in Dalton, we'll be there!

I am currently doing some similar research, my wife was introduced to the enigma holster system and it actually looks pretty promising so you can carry without a belt too.

There are a growing number of options out there these days. A lot of it will be just you and your wife going to a store and getting it in your hands and more importantly letting her try out a few. I have found that getting a holster for a woman is actually much harder due to the vastly varying size and shape of their hips. Being able to try one on is really critical. Belly band style holsters are quite popular these days as most women are wearing yoga pants or some variation thereof. The belly band style keeps the gun very secure and flat to the body without the need for a gun belt. I also recommend that women appendix carry if possible because of the fact they tend to wear tighter fitting clothing and having a weapon on their side will make it print very clearly.

That being said I cannot specifically recommend a specific holster or brand but I can tell you two things to specifically stay away from.

1. DO NOT use the holsters that attach to the bra (Flashbang). They are a good concept if you have all the distance in the world to draw the gun. However in a struggle reaching up into your shirt to draw a firearm is a great way to get your arms pinned by the perp or get your gun snagged in the material. Also useless if she has a dress on.

2. Make sure that its an on body holster. Too many women carry in their purse. First thing to get snagged by the perp? Purse. Snatch and grab is the primary method these days. Then boom, she is unarmed and has just suppled bad guy with a Glock 43x for his next victim. No bueno.

Hey all! Just a quick IMO. My current EDC is a Glock 43 with added Sheild red dot and a Streamlight TLR-6. I LOVE THIS BEAUTY! However, it proved to be a little difficult to find the perfect holster, until WPS turned me onto Teir 1 Concealed holsters. It took a bit to have them custom build this for me and it had a little higher price point than I anticipated but it was well worth the time and money. I ordered this with the Ulti Clip so I could wear it with most things. I did find that it works best with jeans or a more heavy duty pant. Not so well with leggings (I believe due to the added weight of the gun). My carry of choice with leggings is my Ruger .380 lcp because of it's size. Remember if she's not comfortable she ain't carrying it!! Best wishes and good luck

I'm a woman who is 5' 1", 115 pounds, so concealed carry can be a challenge. I use the Teir 1 appendix holster for concealed carry with the ulti clips, and jeans with a thick elastic waistband instead of a belt. I can get away with a carry belt if I'm wearing a jacket or baggy tee shirt, and I use the standard belt clips. The rest of the time I open carry with a Vedder holster (legal in my state).

I would recommend she look into Flashbang holsters (a waistband holster is best), and Dene Adams carry options. Make sure you buy the trigger guard with the Dene Adams stuff for safety.

An easily accessible gun is fastest, but it's better to have a harder to access gun than to not carry one at all. Her carry option needs to be comfortable for her or she won't carry it.

One recommendation or your consideration...

For whatever carry holster/method being employed, conduct "practice carry" and some various "stress challenges" for your chosen rig over a solid period of time (couple weeks or more). I recommend employing a bluegun/trainer of your exact make/model. This is because, in live training ...if/when you lose it, you will have learned your lesson without horrible pain.

I am dead-dog serious about this. Live carry training with a model, and not your real firearm, will shake out limitations and/or flaws in your intended carry modus and/or chosen rig..
Example: I have an expert system for a certain type of carry I enjoy. but I did not know it has a certain flaw, perhaps 'limitation', considering my specific firearm. I lost my trainer during live action out in the field and did not find out until that night. This made me focus harder on the holster features and testing its limits and finding out "the deal". After testing two customizations I landed on a flawless solution. I now remain confident, and with one of my favorite holster selections, and never worry about any sort of accident, unwanted movement, or difficulty in presenting with (from) this rig.

Sorry for the long windedness, but if it saves you from a very undesireable situation, that's good.

Stress testing means just that.... stress the assumed retainment your holster is intended to provide, both directly, and under real life actions. Remember that your hunk of metal, under acceleration due to sudden movement (or even wind if you ride]), may twist, or jog (up/out), lose its intended resting position where retainment is effective. ...Twisting, pulling, pushing, jarring test need to happen (these may happen under sudden motion). ALSO you want to test by jumping, running, sudden turning, (a LEO will want to do some upside down stuff to emulate fence hopping, falling over backwards, and other stuff).
think about, if you need to suddenly run, jump, hop on a bike... can you be assured its going with you? If you are madly riding out in the open, is an outrageous gust going to dislodge it?

Never assume retainment just happens, is just "there", or will not fail. Its imperative to test.

Good luck finding a happy carry fit!
HTH