Ok guys, I’m looking for some solid input on this one because I’m kinda at a loss. My little wife has had a double mastectomy ( breast cancer ) and 3 lower back surgeries. She is in constant pain but she is tougher than most Marines ( no disrespect meant, she’s tough ). She wants to be able to protect herself when she goes out but the weight of her current carry is too much in her purse. That one is a Sig P938 SAS. I compared it to a Hellcat, a P365, and a 43X. They are all really close to the feel. I’m wondering if a G42 would be noticeably lighter or if y’all have any ideas. Input will be much appreciated and weighed heavily. Love y’all!
Maybe this will help you out @steel.horses101
My SO weighs less than 90 lbs. Although not in the wheelhouse of what you mentioned. I’m a firm believer in being ready for where you’re headed in lieu of where you are.
https://palmettostatearmory.com/beretta-tomcat-tb-32-acp-pistol-fde-j320126.html
Thanks. I probably should have mentioned that I’m willing to think outside the box and look at .380, 32ACP, or a nice Ti wheel gun by Smith or Colt.
A G42 is roughly 3oz lighter than the Sig. It’s hard to say if that amount of weight is gonna be a difference maker for your wife or not. The Beretta Tomcat is around the same weight as the Glock.
The Ruger LCP Max comes in at around 10 and change ounces. I really doubt you’re going to find anything lighter than that that’s still capable as a weapon.
If racking a slide is an issue for her as well, that’s another advantage for the Beretta since it has a tip-up barrel.
i can second the little berettas, i have one in .25 acp. i’ve also had a bodyguard 380 from smith and wesson… the bodyguard 380 is like the Ruger Lcp. very small, very light weight… or if you want a wheel gun, try out the bodyguard 38 its a no hammer revolver, that is very small and very light. same sister to the bodyguard 380. i think you would like both of those for your SO because of the sizes, and weights. the 380 version i think holds 7 rounds. maybe 6. and i think the 38 is a 6 rounder, but if not i know its a 5.
best of luck.
I have often said I would rather have someone next to me with. 22LR that trains with it and is proficient with it than some one that has a 45 that is still on the same box of 50 that they bought with the gun 5 years ago.
I’ve found the lcp max to be a highly capable platform, though you may want to simply look at other options for holsters/carry methods provided she shoots her existing gun well. A gun in the purse is simply dead weight added to it, whereas a holstered firearm will generally distribute weight to other parts of the body, such as the hip girdle. There are also belly band style holsters and fancy items like the phlster enigma that don’t require a belt. In my experience, weight limitations for carry guns are generally a holster/attire issue, same as packing before a ruck. For guys it’s easier, just slap on a pair of suspenders and now you can cc your desert eagle like God intended. Hope this helps!
The .380 Bodyguard is a capable alternative to a larger 9mm. The round is effective in most close range scenarios. Mine is accurate out to 10 or even 15 yards. My daughter swiped my first one when she went off to college and uses it as a purse gun. No need to even draw it out of the purse at close range. I hope your wife gets some relief from her pain.
I agree completely. those 22 can be lethal with a well trained rifleman or pistol man
I’ve always laughed at people that say you can’t use .22LR defensively.
Is it the ideal and most efficient choice? Of course not…but .22 pistols and wheelguns don’t kick, and that means you can put a lot of very little holes in something very quickly. Much more quickly than you can take accurate follow-up shots with a pocket rocket 9.
It may not “blow the lungs out of the body”, but people don’t exactly shrug off .22 like it’s nothing. People need to stop acting like it’s the equivalent of an air rifle.
I third that notion. The Israeli Mossad and Israeli Air Marshals put the little .22lr Beretta 71 to really good use suppressed and unsuppressed. I love shooting them. I have several of the little 71. I have many different. 25acp, .32acp, 30 Luger, .380acp. All of my small Berettas, Colts, FN and Mausers run like well oiled sewing machines.
In my experience when something is uncomfortable or causes pain over time most people quit using the item that is uncomfortable or painful. It is just human nature. I would rather my wife ALWAYS carry a .22lr, .25acp, .32acp or .380acp as opposed to a 9mm or other cartridge only part of the time. As long as someone is proficient with a firearm that is what really matters. I can’t recall the exact time frames on this but I did read FBI study of crime statistics pulled from LEO reports. They found that more people were killed with “Saturday Night Specials” in .22lr, .25acp, .32acp and .380acp than the more popular “self defense calibers”. Most of those confrontations took place at close range. Most real world self defense situations are going to be at shorter distances than most people realize. In LE we trained more at short range drills then we did at 10, 15. 20. 25 and 30". There was very good reasons for that. Like @mr.jeffdh and @GamecockOperator said any weapon carried is better than the one left at home in the nightstand when you really need it.
I carry a Sig P938 so I empathize with her. Virtually ANYTHING will be lighter than the P938. I plan to switch to a PSA Dagger Micro. Might as well get some extra capacity for the same weight (if not less).
I don’t have the carry limitations that she does, so I normally carry IWB, but when I go for a trail run, I carry in a belly band. The P938 is not too heavy for that, and it is still easily accessible, concealed, and comfortable.
I would recommend switching to a lighter gun, or encourage her to try a belly band if she wants to carry the P938 on-body
A grenade in each cup of her old bras. Go out in style! Teasing obviously. I’m a big fan of pocket carry so I have a handful of tiny guns, and if she wants 9mm, maybe a P365XL, but no smaller. Tiny guns have big recoil. If carrying heavy is a problem it seems likely that hard recoil is going to be as problem, too. With 380 I’ve found nothing has good recoil that isn’t also large. Things like the Bodyguard 380 or LCP are seriously snappy. But if you want to select the One True Caliber, go for a 32. The Beretta is fine but seriously the best 32 is the Keltec P-32. I have the Beretta Bobcat in 22 and 25, but not a Tomcat in 32 yet. The Keltec is tiny, but large enough to grip. Light, but heavy enough to take the recoil down. This is one of Keltec’s oldest models so it really doesn’t have any problems of note.
The Tomcat with the threaded barrel may change your mind on the Keltec .32. People often confuse bulk with weight and I’m not saying this is the case here but I’m kinda reading it as bulk and handling. A Browning tilting barrel design would be the last thing IMHO you would want to attempt a purse shot.
So what you’re saying is I need to get a Tomcat 32 and test… Challenge accepted! I think the Beretta tilting barrel design is incredibly inventive, and their focus on minimal controls or complications really does make for an ideal pocket pistol.
Browning design the breech tilts down in the cycle barrel tilts up. Push the barrel against the end of a purse or whatnot and it won’t fire.
I hate purse carry. I’ve talked with a lot of women about this and us gun nerds get the technical reasons like the Browning action you mentioned, but I go with a simpler reason. What’s a mugger going to go for first? Your purse. So you’re gift wrapping a gun for some criminal. Please don’t do that. We’re getting off-topic, but please no purse carry. To any woman reading, or the men that care about them, you don’t have to dress like a tactical hobo, but please carry on-body.
I don’t feel we’re getting off topic. Just giving things to consider. Important things.
I agree!!! the 22 is lethal and is the #1 killer caliber still, i believe if i am not mistaken
@1911 yeah the Mossad are bad arses with the 22. i’ve never shot or seen the beretta 71, i’ll have to check one out one day sir… I have a 1911 .22 from gsg that i like though, and she shoots real well. I have a few other .22 pistols and they’re great fun. I only have one .25 it i is a little jetfire Beretta, and i like it well enough. I have a feeling i’d love to have one of those ol beretta 71’s.
yeah most confrontations happen below 7 yards, so thats less than 21 feet, and that distance can be closed rather quickly. .so its best that you have a gun you’re comfortable with and one that you can get to quiclkly, and safely.
oh wow… i like that beretta you have in the very first, and the one on the very last. those two sing my name… they look gorgeous Thanks for sharing the photo of your 71’s. …
@SuperPredator birds of a feather brother man! i havent decided if i want to swap mine out for the dagger micro yet or not, it will depend on what i think of it when it is in my grubby little hands. For the longest time i carried a bodyguard 380 w/laser. the laser was a gimmick, but the pistol was great, very light, very small, and it worked great… I only got rid of it cause im a fan of 1911s and the 938 is like a baby 1911 in my mind… I tend to carry in my pocket mostly. but im not against iwb carry. have her check out the bodyguard 380 or if she likes a revolver the bodyguard 38 both by smith & wesson. those are very light and great workers.
@brade also you could try the Walther PP and PPK in 32. afterall bond cant be wrong… or the original bond anyways… 
agreed about the tomcat… but really really agreed about the tilt barrel design being inventive, and amazing. it really is helpful too to folks who lack hand strength to rack a slide.
@BradE i’ve not really ever thought about the purse issue being what they’re going for first… but now that yall have discussed it, it makes pleanty of sense that a woman should carry on their person instead of in their bag. man… i dont know why i hadnt thought about that before. i’ll have to talk to my ladies in my life about that.