Purses w/built in holsters.

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  • RichardR

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    My wife's birthday is coming up & I was thinking of buying her a purse w/holster built into it and I was wondering if any of you ladies has any experience with them and which one (if any) that you would recommend.

    Oh and if it makes any difference it'll have to fit a j-frame (.38spl snub-nosed revolver).

    Thanks!
     

    sj kahr k40

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    Sep 3, 2009
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    My wife's birthday is coming up & I was thinking of buying her a purse w/holster built into it and I was wondering if any of you ladies has any experience with them and which one (if any) that you would recommend.

    Oh and if it makes any difference it'll have to fit a j-frame (.38spl snub-nosed revolver).

    Thanks!

    Don't lie, we know it's really for you:D
     

    kimmi

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    One of the guys at Bradis tried to sell me one, but I'm not so into purse carry. For me, it's way too likely that a BG would grab the purse before I had time to draw from it, and then I'm left with nothing.

    Now if she's not comfortable with a waistband or shoulder holster, this could be a good way to get her accustomed to carrying a firearm in general.

    I personally would rather my firearm be actually on my body, though.
     

    Joe Williams

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    One of the guys at Bradis tried to sell me one, but I'm not so into purse carry. For me, it's way too likely that a BG would grab the purse before I had time to draw from it, and then I'm left with nothing.

    Now if she's not comfortable with a waistband or shoulder holster, this could be a good way to get her accustomed to carrying a firearm in general.

    I personally would rather my firearm be actually on my body, though.

    True story, but as Cathy has discovered there are times where there just isn't much choice, like when she's all tarted up in a dress or skirt for an evening out. Nowhere to carry her gun, except in her purse. At least until we can afford to get her an LCP to drop in her bra.

    As for what purse she carries, it doesn't have a brand name that we can find on it. It's a rather nice leather purse, seperate zipped pocket for the gun and holster. It's big enough for all the crap she carries in the purse, and is used as her "EDC" even though she doesn't usually carry her gun in it. We bought it for $65 at the 1500, somewhat less than the several hundred dollars Galco charges for theirs.
     

    RichardR

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    Don't lie, we know it's really for you:D

    LOL well truth be told .. there are some days that I have to carry more stuff than what will fit into my pockets, but not enough stuff to warrant carrying a backpack or duffel bag around with me that I really wish it was acceptable for a man to carry a haversack or a messenger bag or something along those lines without worrying about someone calling it a murse.
     

    RichardR

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    One of the guys at Bradis tried to sell me one, but I'm not so into purse carry. For me, it's way too likely that a BG would grab the purse before I had time to draw from it, and then I'm left with nothing.

    Now if she's not comfortable with a waistband or shoulder holster, this could be a good way to get her accustomed to carrying a firearm in general.

    I personally would rather my firearm be actually on my body, though.

    Good point Kimmi, that would probably be one of the main problems/concerns with carrying in a purse, and even though I have a ton of holsters from decades of carrying, she just carries it in her purse as it is .. oh it's in a holster but it's "loose" in there and get's lost underneath other junk, I figure she'd be able to draw much quicker from a purse with a holster built into it.
     

    kimmi

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    Good point Kimmi, that would probably be one of the main problems/concerns with carrying in a purse, and even though I have a ton of holsters from decades of carrying, she just carries it in her purse as it is .. oh it's in a holster but it's "loose" in there and get's lost underneath other junk, I figure she'd be able to draw much quicker from a purse with a holster built into it.

    True story. If she's already purse-carrying, this would be a great birthday present for her. It would take her current situation and make is easier to actually draw if she needed to (and therefore safer).

    I'm not sure what the brand was on the one Bradis had, but it seemed like a nice one. The holster was on one side so you could carry it next to your body, accessed by a zipper. It looked like a normal purse, so no one would think twice about it. I guess if she were in a situation where she felt uncomfortable, she could pre-unzip the pocket to save precious seconds.
     

    RichardR

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    True story, but as Cathy has discovered there are times where there just isn't much choice, like when she's all tarted up in a dress or skirt for an evening out. Nowhere to carry her gun, except in her purse. At least until we can afford to get her an LCP to drop in her bra.

    As for what purse she carries, it doesn't have a brand name that we can find on it. It's a rather nice leather purse, seperate zipped pocket for the gun and holster. It's big enough for all the crap she carries in the purse, and is used as her "EDC" even though she doesn't usually carry her gun in it. We bought it for $65 at the 1500, somewhat less than the several hundred dollars Galco charges for theirs.

    The whole bra carry concept is interesting, do they make bras with holsters built in or do you think that a soft IWB clip type would work? I do have an LCP, it's on my ankle at the moment, I'd hate to give it up but I suppose I could always get another one, they are not all that expensive.
     

    RichardR

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    True story. If she's already purse-carrying, this would be a great birthday present for her. It would take her current situation and make is easier to actually draw if she needed to (and therefore safer).

    I'm not sure what the brand was on the one Bradis had, but it seemed like a nice one. The holster was on one side so you could carry it next to your body, accessed by a zipper. It looked like a normal purse, so no one would think twice about it. I guess if she were in a situation where she felt uncomfortable, she could pre-unzip the pocket to save precious seconds.

    Thanks Kimmi I'll have to stop out at Bradi's and check them out.
     

    JetGirl

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    May 7, 2008
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    In no way do I advocate off-body carry... BUT... if you're going to do this, let HER pick it out. Purses are one of those things that's a personal choice based on a zillion different factors. Color, strap length (and 1 or 2?), types of closure, pockets, material, what it matches...etc.
     

    Jackson

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    Mar 31, 2008
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    In no way do I advocate off-body carry... BUT... if you're going to do this, let HER pick it out. Purses are one of those things that's a personal choice based on a zillion different factors. Color, strap length (and 1 or 2?), types of closure, pockets, material, what it matches...etc.

    If it were me I'd go with this right here. No matter which one I bought, it would almost certainly be the wrong one for one reason or another.

    (Of course, she will also be disappointed that I didn't surprise her with something. So I can't really win. :) )
     

    Pami

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    And make sure the gun actually fits inside the holster and purse before you buy it. I bought one for my P250, which was at the Raven booth having a holster made for it at the time, and guessed wrong on just how big that P250 is. I still love the purse and carry it all the time. My firearm of choice just doesn't fit in it.
     

    Cru

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    Aug 4, 2010
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    And make sure the gun actually fits inside the holster and purse before you buy it. I bought one for my P250, which was at the Raven booth having a holster made for it at the time, and guessed wrong on just how big that P250 is. I still love the purse and carry it all the time. My firearm of choice just doesn't fit in it.

    Sounds like time for a new gun... you know, one that will match your purse and shoes! :D

    Also, I don't like the idea of bra carry... one accident, and you've just shot something beautiful!
     
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    LOL well truth be told .. there are some days that I have to carry more stuff than what will fit into my pockets, but not enough stuff to warrant carrying a backpack or duffel bag around with me that I really wish it was acceptable for a man to carry a haversack or a messenger bag or something along those lines without worrying about someone calling it a murse.

    Hey I always saw Jack Bauer with his man-bag. :popcorn:
     

    schafe

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    Oct 15, 2009
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    When my wife purse carries, she uses a Galco she selected from internet info. It's a quality leather piece with a lifetime guarantee, but
    I didn't like the included holster, so I got her an Ohai holster, from Crossbreed, which velcro'd in quite nicely. I do encourage her to be prepared by unzipping the compartment, and having her hand in the compartment if she feels the least bit unsafe. It could save some precious time. Of course we attempt to avoid those situations like the plague.:)

    P.S. Many of those quality purses have lockable zippers for the gun compartment. They aren't very sturdy. It won't keep a determined adult out for long, but would surely help with little ones around.
     

    drgnrobo

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    Galco purses was the brand my wife swore by.Very good construction,I put a S&W 357 4" in it just for kicks.Lasted about 2 years before the leather on the bottom started wearing thin . like mentioned let her pick it out & make sure the pistol fits.
     

    88GT

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    Oh, bother. All this talk about how awful purse carry is irritates me. Yes, statistically, there are drawbacks to carrying in a purse that you don't face with carrying on the body. But it's no where near as bad as it seems, particularly when it might be the difference between carrying or not carrying at all. I have yet to see stories in the news about women who were victimized because they didn't have enough time to get to their firearm on their purse.

    That said, OP, I carry a J-frame snubby as my purse gun and here's the process I use when finding a purse.

    1. Has to be strong enough to support the added weight. My .38 is also a light-weight model but it can still rip the stitching out of the cheapie purses.

    2. Has to have a pocket/division/whatever that I can devote solely to the firearm/reloads. If I have to do more than one function--open a pocket, unzip a zipper, unsnap a snap-- to access the firearm, it's a no-go.

    3. The holster. I use something similar to this. The ones enclosed on the muzzle end help keep it clean and the strap pulls double duty keeping it in the holster and the hammer from being accidentally pulled back.





    I think the rooting for the firearm can be eliminated by finding a purse that has a dedicated pocket/compartment for the firearm. To that end, if the pocket is bigger than the firearm to the point that the firearm moves around too much, you can sew some Velcro to the interior and super glue the corresponding strip to the holster to help hold the firearm in place.

    Just try to avoid the purses that have no internal supporting structure. If they collapse into a heap of fabric on the counter when you set it down, chances are, she'll still have a difficult time getting to the firearm as there's nothing to direct the contents to their own areas.

    I know that doesn't exactly answer your question for brand/manufacturer recommendations, but frankly, I don't like the purses manufactured specifically for purse carry. I'm particular about the style which is very limited. And I've never found the carry pockets/compartments to be up to par for sizing and access. I've purse carried for 10 years and I've always returned to the above process.
     

    drgnrobo

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    The Galco my wife had a dedicated pocket ,She would just put her inside of the gusset & grip the pistol if she felt threatened.Her plan was to shoot through the purse in a emergency situation ( if not enough time to pull it from the holster)& then could buy a new one.She practiced quit a bit with her draw technique ( empty revolver) and was surprisingly fast .
     

    drgnrobo

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    Good price compared to others but dont know the quality ,looks nice from the pics but it looks like something Brenda Lee Johnson would carry(The Closer)
     
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