Rootin' Tootin' Cold Weather Shootin'!

Well as it seems that here in New England the cold weather isn't leaving us any time soon, the hubster and I bundled up and got in some much needed time at the range!



Don't let the cold weather deter you from shooting outdoors! Nothing compares to braving the elements for some high-power fun. Trust me, once you get going you forget all about the cold! But, there's a way to do it right.

1. Dress in layers - Although it may feel freezing when you're walking out the door. You will likely warm up once the shootin' gets goin'! The hubby is a huge fan of long undies when we shoot in the cold.

2. Have the appropriate gear - You don't want to bring your super duper ski gloves to the range. You won't be able to wear them while shooting and taking them on and off will become. Take the time to find a good pair of lightweight cotton or fleece gloves with some kind of grippy material on the fingers/palms.


Of course there are always gloves made specifically for shooting, but sometimes those can come at a premium.

If It's snowing, wear a brimmed cap or a fur trimmed hood, it will help keep the snow out of your face.

Prepare for a possibly muddy situation, don't wear your best boots - they'll probably get ruined.


3. Have the appropriate equipment - Maglula Uplula is your friend! Repeat this mantra over and over!

Maglula is the key to keeping your fingers happy, in any weather really! But in the cold weather, it's truly a life saver.

4. Safety - Don't let the cold weather distract you from practicing proper gun safety. It's easy when, you're cold, to be hasty and try to do things quickly because you might be shivering. This is how mistakes get made. Remember to slow down and pay attention. No matter how warmly you're dressed a day will be easily ruined by unsafe gun handling.

5. Don't forget to have fun!! - Yes it's cold but try to appreciate that you're out in the elements with fresh air on your skin and not in a stuffy, smelly indoor range! (Not that there's anything terribly wrong with that either!)

♥
La Femme

Who Doesn't Love Coupons??

For any femmes looking to purchase a Remora Holster - which is AMAZING.. they have a special running and I thought I'd share the coupon with you all!

http://www.remoraholsterstore.com/

Course Alert: Women On Target

For any femmes looking to take the wonderful Women on Target course. One will be held at the Northampton Revolver Club on May 18, 2013. This is an AWESOME course. Everything from guns to ammo is included in the insanely low price of $50! Please please sign up if you have any interest in shooting and are new to the sport or aren't new and just want to go have a good time with some fellow femmes!

Info and signup can be found here:

http://www.northamptonrevolverclub.org/Events

You do NOT need an LTC or FID to participate.

Intimidated About Shooting? Check Out These Pint Sized Shooters...

Miss Gia Rocco (8) and Katelyn Francis (13) are some amazing little ladies! If they can do it, so can you!!!

 

 

Gia Rocco is 8 years old and VERY impressive:

 

 

Here is the link to her FB, where you can check out her videos - Gia Rocco - Facebook

 

 

Katelyn Francis is 13 years old. Here is a video of her shooting in a 3-gun Competition:

 

 

You go Femmettes!!

♥ La Femme

Visuals

Here are some cute and interesting images I've come across:

Follow Le Femme on Pinterest!

Just wanted to let you all know that I started a "Femme et Pistolet" Board on Pinterest! There are a remarkable number of gun related pins, and more specifically those by femmes! Very inspiring. I will re-pin any little tidbits I find. I've already been inspired for future posts by some Pins I've found!

Here's the link!

Pinterest: Femme et Pistolet

With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility: Preparing Yourself to Carry Concealed

Just a quick note to you femmes out there starting to consider carrying concealed:

Really this is for anyone who is thinking about carrying concealed. It is a HUGE responsibility and it is something that you need to prepare yourself for mentally and physically for. It is not something to do on a whim.

The notion of carrying around a gun as a means of protection is nice, but what happens if you are ever forced to use that gun? Will you act correctly and effectively? What if there are innocent people behind your target? Will your mind be able to take that into account? What if your gun jams? There are many questions like these that would arise in a self defense situation.

This is not meant to scare or deter you AT ALL from carrying, but rather to give you some pause for thought. There are many femmes out there who go out and grab a small revolver to keep in their purse, but don't take the time to train themselves. But there are many things you CAN do to CCW effectively and safely:

• Take a course focused on carrying concealed: These courses put you in simulated high stress live fire situations. They teach you how to act instinctively and properly. The basic pistol course is NOT sufficient for this purpose.

• Participate in Competitive Shooting: Shooting competitively is a great way to train your mind to operate effectively and rationally during a high stress situation.

• Start training yourself mentally, practice becoming VERY aware of your surroundings. While out doing errands, try to imagine at any moment needing to draw your weapon and in your mind go through the actions you would take. Where is your target? What's behind or around it? Do you have kids with you? Where do you put your kids? What are the people around you doing? <<< This is just something to do in the meantime, it should not take the place of a course.

Here are some links to help you on your way:

Courses:

http://www.nrainstructors.org/searchcourse.aspx
^ With the above link, you want to search for The Defensive Pistol Course. The Basic Personal Protection Inside the Home and Outside the Home Courses focus more on the applicable laws that are attached to defending yourself.

http://drftraining.com/classes/handgun-102/

http://www.downzerotraining.com/Course-Descriptions.html
^ With the above link, you want the Introduction to Tactical Handgun

Competitive Shooting:

http://www.idpa.com/

http://www.uspsa.org/


Remember femmes, this is not to scare you away from CCW. It is to educate you and make you a safer more effective gun handler.

~ La Femme

The Fine Art of Carrying Concealed and What I've Learned

In my quest to find the perfect CCW (concealed carry weapon) setup, I have learned one thing: It ain't easy for us femmes! HOWEVER, I've finally come up with some options that work for me. They may not work for everyone, but I will share what I've got so far.

When I left off in Taking the First Step to Carrying Concealed, I was testing out my - at the time - new Ruger SR9C. It turned out that that gun was simply too bulky for me to conceal effectively. So let's start with a chart of, just some of, your weapon options and their pro's and con's.
 
WEAPON:
 
Before I throw down my mega-chart, let me define the categories for you.

Gun: Well that one is probably pretty self explanatory!

Caliber: For this one I will refer you back to SAHM With a Passion for Weaponry, in which I defined most of the popular calibers for you.

Capacity: This is how many rounds of ammunition the gun can hold. This number will read something like "7+1" this means that the particular gun can hold 7 rounds in the magazine or 8 total with one round racked into the chamber. And for further explanation on that, I will refer you back to A Day at the Range, more specifically the "Vocab Lesson" section.
*Capacity marked with an asterisk are for revolvers. There is no "one in the chamber" on a revolver. All rounds are held in the cylinder until fired.
 
Concealabillity: I will rate it 1-5 (to keep it simple).
 
Pro's and Con's: These are going to be pretty much based on my opinion and those reviews that I've read online.
 
The delightful little gun marked in lavender is my baby! This has become my EDC (Everyday Carry) and I couldn't love it more! Noteworthy: This gun is not on the Mass Approved Roster yet, so it takes some work to get your hands on one, but it is NOT illegal to own.

Gun	Caliber	Capacity	Concealability	Pro's	Con's
S&W M&P Shield	9mm/.40 S&W	9mm: 7+1 .40 S&W: 6+1	3	This is a relatively new gun produced by S&W. The general consensus is that it's a great gun. It's small, reliable and comes in more desirable calibers than most guns its size.	As will be the case for most guns in this list, in order to be Mass compliant (and I'm pretty sure the same goes for anyone hailing from California), you will be stuck with a less than desirable trigger pull (looong and gritty). This means that if you decide to get this gun (in MA or CA) please anticipate spending an additional $125 or so on having a new trigger installed. See the last link for info on the most popular replacement trigger for these guns.
Beretta Nano	9mm	6+1 OR 7+1 (w/ extended mag)	4	Boy do I love this gun! Great size, very reliable, fairly easy to conceal, takes just about any ammo I feed it. Super comfortable to hold and shoot. Trigger is smooth. It's a 9mm which is what I prefer in a carry gun. Good capacity with an option of an even better capacity. All around great gun.	Like all guns, the Nano has it's faults. The trigger pull, though smooth, is long. I personally don't mind this, but a long trigger pull CAN affect your accuracy. A longer pull means more time for user error. Also it has no external slide lock, which isn't a very big deal, just a bit unorthodox.
Glock 26/Glock 27	9mm/.40 S&W	9mm: 10+1 .40 S&W: 9+1	2	Glocks are notorious for being fantastically reliable guns. I can't say enough about their reliability. Also, look at that capacity!	The Glock 26/27 is on the slightly larger size of the guns listed here. It's going to take a bit more work if you're planning on wearing skinny jeans most days. But it is up to you if the reliability and capacity are worth the trade-off.
Kahr PM9	9mm	6+1 OR 7+1 (w/ extended mag)	4	Kahrs are right up there on the reliability scale, they are really an all around awesome gun. Very similar in style to the Glock except slimmed down quite a bit. Great size and fantastic gun.	Biggest issue - the price tag. Kahrs carry a fairly heavy price because of their quality.
Ruger LC9	9mm	7+1	4	I'm not terribly familiar with this gun, I've never shot one, but have spoken with others who have. It's size is a great feature. It's slim and comfortable to hold.	Biggest issue seems to be inconsistent reliability. There are some who say they've never had an issue with it and others who have had nothing but issues. And again, we Massachusetts folks and the Californians will suffer icky triggers.
Ruger LCP	.380 ACP	6+1	5	Great size for concealment. From what I've heard is pretty reliable with not too many issues. Has a much more user friendly laser option with the button for the laser being placed directly below the trigger guard where your hand naturally grips the gun. Also the laser is an OPTION, which I think is great.	Again, not a huge fan of the .380, but some people have no problem with it, like my dad, he regularly carries a P230 which fires a .380 round. The difference? He's an avid shooter and competitor. He has the confidence that his first shot will land where it needs to and the caliber won't be much of an issue at that point.
Ruger LCR	.22 LR .38 Special .357 Mag	5*	4	This is a revolver. Revolvers are notoriously reliable and super easy to operate, a true point and shoot. Big pro is the AWESOME caliber option of .357 Mag. Now THAT'S some stopping power! Also this gun comes with the same more desirable laser grip option as it's cousin, the LCP.	My issues with this gun, and really any revolver, is the limited capacity, the double action only action, and the lack of a quick reload. Yes, speed loaders are available, but they don't match the ease of a magazine change on a semi-auto pistol. Again, these are just my issues with revolvers - it's not the LCR's fault.
S&W Bodyguard	.380 ACP	6+1	5	In my opinion about the only thing this gun has going for it is its size.	And the con's list begins: First, it is a .380, not my favorite round. Not a lot of stopping power. Combine that with a not terribly impressive capacity, and you're not off to a great start. Also, it has a particularly terribly trigger pull. Finally is the seemingly "pro" feature, which is the laser sight that is built it. This is a bit gimmicky to me. Take a look at the manufacturer link and observe where the button is located for the laser sight. In a high stress situation, you will never have the time or composure to activate the laser. It's just not practical. That is one BIG gap in the "pro" column <<<<<<<<<

At the bottom of this post, I have put some links to the manufacturer's page and to some reviews of each of these guns.

HOLSTER:
 
Ok so now for holsters...
 
I have found two holsters that really work for me. Holsters can be expensive so I haven't had the luxury of testing numerous holsters for this little blog of mine.
 
1. CrossBreed Mini Tuck
CrossBreed Mini-Tuck
 
 (Picture shown is with horsehide, mine is cowhide and black not tan)

Really excellent holster. Excellent quality, durability, comfort. It's slim and conceals VERY well. My only issue is it can't be appendix (a.k.a. 1 o'clock) carried which means in the front of your pants. My problem is I seem to suffer from chronic plumbers crack (TMI??) and that means that my lower back is frequently exposed if I'm bending or squatting, which with 2 wee ones happens quite frequently. I did remedy this by wearing a long fitted camisole under my shirt and tucking that around the gun as an extra layer of concealment, but it does still print on the cami. I wear my CrossBreed just off center of the middle of my back. This makes the hubby crazy. He says it's not accessible enough. As a man, he has the convenience of wearing almost directly on his hip... why? Because like most men, he isn't curvy (in all the right places) and has the luxury of button down shirts, flannels, overcoats, etc.To an extent he's right. If someone were to grab me from behind, it's fairly likely they'd feel my gun and then I could be at a disadvantage. I'm still working on this.
 
CrossBreed also makes the "Mini Clip" which I haven't tried, but it was designed for the Ruger LCP and works for other smaller carry guns.
 
2. Remora RFT No Clip Holster
Remora Holsters
Remora Holster STORE
 


Possibly the best invention known to man.. ok maybe I'm exaggerating a BIT, but this holster is super cool. It's made of a somewhat clingy/stick material which allows you to tuck it just about anywhere along your waist line - can you say appendix carry?? And you don't need to be wearing jeans or a belt. Let's face it, how often am I wearing jeans when I'm home chasing the two little ones around the house? Not very often. I've worn this holster with sweatpants, yoga pants and of course jeans.

But that's not all folks! This nifty little holster can also come with a thigh/ankle holster attachment! This allows for thigh carry on the summer days when you want to wear a skirt or sun dress, or ankle carry if you're out and in some boot-cut jeans and pumps! The possibilities are not quite endless, but just about! And if you want to be really "tacti-cool", you can carry on the outer thigh, but I'm not sure exactly what situation that would be socially acceptable in!
 
ATTIRE:
 
So even with the wide variety of guns available and some really fantastic holsters, we femmes still need to alter our attire just a weee bit. Here are some tips:

• Layers are your friend: In the winter, this should be your mantra. I like a cami tucked around and over the gun, t-shirt or whatever, then fleece or sweatshirt or some other semi thicker layer. I am often donning my signature pink North Face fleece, which is an excellent concealer and I'm never too cold or too hot.
• Think about what you're going to be doing for the day and dress accordingly. For me this means: Supermarket? This will involve LOTS of bending down because my 18 month old loves to throw things out of the cart. This further means it's a Remora appendix carry kind of day.
• The appendix carry is a bit more difficult to pull off, depending on the gun. With my Beretta Nano, it requires donning my North Face, otherwise it looks like I might have man-parts, if you know what I mean!
• Spring/Summer can mean a slightly easier carry situation, but choose flowy skirts/dresses. A pencil skirt isn't going to be your best friend. << This is all with regard to thigh carry of course.
• In the fall I will likely modify my winter carry to have my 2 shirt method plus a flannel or other light feminine button down shirt that I'll wear as an over shirt.
• White is a TERRIBLE concealer. Black is good, prints are best.
• If you're going to use a holster that has clips, get a DECENT belt. This is where it's best to sacrifice fashion for practicality. A 1/2" or 3/4" belt is not going to cut it.

I hope this helps some of you femmes take the next step towards defending yourself and carrying concealed. And as always, any questions - feel free to comment below!

Happy Shooting!

~La Femme

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Here are some links for each gun:

S&W M&P Shield:

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category4_750001_750051_780153_-1_757781_757781_image

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7pmjCWSgJU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu9GB35lQcU

https://apextactical.com/store/product-info.php?pid35.html

Beretta Nano:

http://www.berettausa.com/products/nano/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXxpkM7q_2E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY3gNMVMpHg

Glock 26/27:

http://us.glock.com/products/model/g26gen4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMXJ3W8j80Q

Kahr PM9:

http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-PM9.asp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKSvmMLJt_0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Av9COfLB_Y

Ruger LC9:

http://www.ruger.com/products/lc9/models.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeLxP6Kywzk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Av9COfLB_Y

Ruger LCP:

http://www.ruger.com/products/lcp/models.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrE371hU8m4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK4st_LfuWw

Ruger LCR:

http://www.ruger.com/products/lcr/models.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BmpQqtBAVc

S&W Bodyguard:

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_765772_-1_757892_757752_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

Hey Everyone!

Sorry its been so long since my last post, but Le Femme has been playing "Dr. Femme" to the two little ones!

Anyways, I thought I'd jump on and share this awesome and inspirational video with you all. The man speaking is a father of a child who was a student a Sandy Hook when the terribly tragedy occurred. His daughter was thankfully not a victim, but this video really gives some perspective to see a parent with this attitude:

My First Non Gun Related Post.. ENJOY!

Just to give you all a little laugh, here is a video of my 3 year old getting FUNKY at the super market - without provocation and completely out of the blue... so glad I could get my phone out in time!

♥ Le Femme

Don't Forget to Have Fun!!!

In the wake of all this tragedy and politics, etc., it is important to remind yourself to have FUN! Yesterday I had one of the best days at the range I've ever had. It's so easy to get so wrapped up in the media and everything going on around you, that you forget to focus on yourself! Aside from being a means of defense, shooting is FUN! Need I reference you to my earlier post "Plinkin and Thinkin"?

You know it's been a good day at the range when:

But, it truly doesn't matter if you shoot well, or you shoot... not so well.. who cares!!

It was a freezing day here in New England and we layered up (about 4 layers of fleece and long undies) and had ourselves a blast outside in the wonderful fresh air! We took a day away from the kids, away from TV and everything else to just "be". That's what my Nana used to call it. She would love to go to the Cape, no matter the season, and she would stand on the beach and face the water with her arms stretched up in the air (even when she was in her 80's!) and she would just "be". I always wished I could have taken my Nana shooting, she would have LOVED it!

We shot our AR-15 and some of our pistols (Glock 30, 19, 21 and Beretta Nano) but the highlight of our day was then a fellow shooter let us take a few shots with his Uzi! Sound intimidating right?? Not AT ALL!! One of the easiest and softest guns I've ever shot, but no less AWESOME!!!

It was a great day!

 

Remember Femmes get out there and have fun!!!!

Reason #453 To NOT Let Them Take Away Your 2nd Amendment Rights!!!

Georgia mom home alone with kids shoots ex-con intruder

A Georgia mother shot an ex-convict six times to protect her and her children after he apparently forced his way into the family’s home.
The mom heard knocks on her front door Friday and assumed it was just a solicitor, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

She told her 9-year-old twins not to answer the door and, when the visitor began repeatedly ringing the doorbell, she called her husband at his job and he told her to gather the children and hide.

According to the Journal-Constitution, the father then dialed 911 and his wife, who works from a home office, hid with the children in a crawlspace.

By that time, according to the paper, the intruder had used a crowbar to forcibly enter the home, and made his way to the home office.

“He opens the closet door and finds himself staring down the barrel of a .38 revolver,” Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The woman fired six bullets, five of which hit Paul Ali Slater in the face and neck area, Chapman said. But Slater, who has arrests dating to 2008 and was released from jail in August, was still conscious.

“The guy’s face down, crying,” the sheriff said. The woman told him to stay down or she’d shoot again.

While down, the woman and her children ran to a neighbor’s house, and the injured intruder made it out of the home and into his car, the paper reported.

Authorities found Slater a short time later bleeding profusely in a neighbor’s driveway.

“I’m dying. Help me,” he told them, according to Chapman.

Slater was transported to Gwinnett Medical Center and is expected to survive, the sheriff said.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/06/georgia-mom-home-alone-with-kids-shoots-ex-con-intruder/#ixzz2HIagLiNh

Something to note about this article:

By the time to police got there, if she hadn't been armed, terrible things would have already been happening to her or her children.

Fellow Femmes, we are a targeted group... we need to defend ourselves. Though the Police are there to serve and protect, they cannot be everywhere at once and get there as soon as you make the call.

If you call 9-1-1 from a cell phone it goes to a State Police barracks who then transfers you to your local police.. all this takes time - precious time. Don't get me wrong - in the event of a possible break in, by all means CALL THE POLICE, but don't make yourself a sitting duck just hoping the police will get there before the would be intruder makes there way in.

A big change is on the horizon for gun rights in this country. The voice of women in this country in favor of maintaining our right to bear arms should ring out across the country.

It is important to remember that people who intend to do bad things, be it on a small or large scale, will ALWAYS do bad things. Making guns illegal will NOT stop them. It will only take them out of the hands of the law abiding citizens who intend to use them for lawful and defensive purposes.

There are many things in this country that are illegal and yet those who want them, still manage to obtain them.

Femmes you MUST educate yourselves about guns. Ask questions, get familiar, understand the differences between a true "assault weapon" (which is used by our armed forces) and what's being labeled an "assault weapon" by those in favor of banning them. There are HUGE differences!!