[angelsonmyside]

One thing to think about, NEVER carry it in your purse. All to often women in parking lots have their purses snatched off their shoulder by some perp and there goes the very protection you might need. I have very small hands and a 32. Kel Tec is great, very light weight, easy to handle and you can get holsters to fit on your belt. If you live in a state where they must be concealed the size is something you need to consider. A S&W 38 revolver is nice but for me hard to pull the trigger and the 9MM Glock 26 is great to shoot but is a bit harder to conceal.

A lot of the ranges have ones you can rent that would be the best bet. Just find what ever is comfortable for you. I would strongly suggest taking some courses. Even if you are comfortable with them they can always give you great tips to tighten up your groupings.

[livius]

Thank you all for interesting comments. I have been dithering about this for the last few weeks, and now I have a lot of websites to check out and I think I will go to my local range as well. I went into Gander Mountain a few weeks ago but I wasn’t quite sure how to explain what I wanted without sounding like an idiot and I felt a little overwhelmed so I left without getting anything.

[PapaBear3625]

One thing to think about, NEVER carry it in your purse.

It's best to carry on your person. This can create issues for women, since clothing choice may result in having no place to put it.

The solution generally is to first think "Am I going someplace where I want to carry?" and then think "OK, what can I wear which will enable me to carry on my person?" (and somewhere preceding that "What should I have in my wardrobe that allows me to carry concealed?")

[Atlas Sneezed]

One thing to think about, NEVER carry it in your purse.

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Bad advice. Better to have on in your purse than none at all.