Anything out there better for me than a Kahr K9?

[OlympicFox]

From the other photos of the K9 Elite, the flats on the grip portion of the frame as well as the beavertail are polished. The dust cover is bead blasted.

Honestly, from all the photos I've looked at, I just can't tell--how is the frame finished on the Elite?

[Bongo Boy]

ALl of my daughters are in need of a nice handgun and they like the K9 very much.

My youngest daughter handled my K40 today for the first time since I put the wooden grips and on it, and I had to get fairly stern with her about giving it back to me. I think I could easily sell her on the idea of a K9.

But, I know nothing about what carry options are practical for women--at least those in my family. These are rather stylish dressers--they don't wear T-shirts and certainly don't wear baggy clothing or gym clothes in public. I've been looking at what they wear lately with the specific question of whether they could carry on their persons at all, and I'm not seeing it. The alternative of carrying in the purse is utterly ridiculous--I've spent a good part of my life looking for sunglasses and keys in my spouse's myriad of purses, and it's no place for anything you need anytime soon. Plus, while the K-gun's DAO is a great safety feature, I believe all handguns should be holstered and all triggers protected (covered), regardless of how they're carried.

I really can't see concealed carry as much of a routine option for her, with any gun I'd consider a 'real' weapon.

[OlympicFox]

The gals ability to carry concealed is definitely hampered by society's ideas on stylish dress for women that flatters their shape, but leaves little if any room for a piece of steel.

What your daughter is able to carry concealed will depend mostly on her willingness to tweak her style a bit. A little looseness can go a long way, whereas tight/clingy clothing makes it all but impossible. One of the ideas my wife talks about is how a well dressed woman wears clothes that flatter her figure, but the most flattering are also slightly loose.

The choice of guns is an obvious factor, and unfortunately the K9 isn't the easiest pistol to conceal, largely because the gun isn't really that small or thin, especially at the grips.

Fortunately my wife isn't into that kind of dress, but then it's been many years since the girlish figure begged for it. None the less, we've spent some quality time working on carry alternatives to suit a variety of guns from a small 380 to a 4.25" 1911.

• FlashBang holster. The little P380 is a dynamite little 380 and the FlashBang holster is something that seems to work very well for most women, even with very stylish dress.
• Thigh holster. Good for when wearing a dress or skirt. Great for 380's and small nines like the PM9 or S&W Shield.
• Appendix Carry. My wife's second favorite, either IWB or OWB.
• Pocket holster. Her other second favorite. However, this requires wearing men's jeans because women's pants have useless puny pockets.
• An pancake with an extreme cant (30 degrees) worn well aft of the hip. My personal favorite for the 1911.
• Small of the back.
• Purse holster. Yes, a woman's purse can be a disaster, but a genuine purse holster has a dedicated section in the middle with easy/rapid access and a holster inside for the gun.
• A guy on her arm with a big gun. My wife's #1 favorite. Yeah, she's not real fond of shooting 45's, but she just loves that 1911 on my hip.

As for caliber. OK, I prefer a rifle over a handgun, and a 45 over a 40, a 40 over a 9mm. But, sometimes it's hard to carry a big gun even for me, so we have two 380s in the safe for those days. Even the lowly 22 gets the job done a whole lot better than anything left in the safe.

My youngest daughter handled my K40 today for the first time since I put the wooden grips and on it, and I had to get fairly stern with her about giving it back to me. I think I could easily sell her on the idea of a K9.

But, I know nothing about what carry options are practical for women--at least those in my family. These are rather stylish dressers--they don't wear T-shirts and certainly don't wear baggy clothing or gym clothes in public. I've been looking at what they wear lately with the specific question of whether they could carry on their persons at all, and I'm not seeing it. The alternative of carrying in the purse is utterly ridiculous--I've spent a good part of my life looking for sunglasses and keys in my spouse's myriad of purses, and it's no place for anything you need anytime soon. Plus, while the K-gun's DAO is a great safety feature, I believe all handguns should be holstered and all triggers protected (covered), regardless of how they're carried.

I really can't see concealed carry as much of a routine option for her, with any gun I'd consider a 'real' weapon.