I'm finding that ever so often, I need to carry very deep and discreet. All other times, I carry a 4in 1911 or a .357 snubby. I keep reading and now I think that I have analysis paralysis. I know that pocket carry is not ideal, but it's necessity is a reality sometimes. I'm also getting a lot of conflicting information between .380 and 9mm. I know that 9mm will probably mean a gun with more recoil (more unpleasant to shoot). I can carry the snubby in a pocket, but it is kinda heavy. I need some information and advice from the guys who have experience with such. This is not a gun that will be carried IWB or AIWB (I'm way to fat for that nonsense). This would be strictly a gun to be carried in a pocket in a pocket holster. I'm not a new shooter and I believe in training with any firearm that I intend to carry.
Pocket Pistol
- Thread starter PreachTheWord
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Lighter than an S&W 340 PD .357 in a well built pocket holster is doable, I. suppose. But then you're training new - especially auto. The 340 is shrouded hammer too. And if you don't want tho practice 357 there's.38 special. Maybe your lock is the mind saying you just need a better padded holster with a good draw?
Nah! who am I kidding,a new gun is always better, right?
Nah! who am I kidding,a new gun is always better, right?
IMO, the ultimate pock carry gun is a snubnose revolver. You could get a .38 special or .357 snubby with a concealed hamer that would be easy to carry, easy to pull out when you need it and super reliable. Not to mention it would pack a ton of punch.
Theres nothing wrong with a .380 or 9mm if thats what you like but if I were picking out a pocket gun that might save my life some day, Id look no further than a snubnose revolver.
Theres nothing wrong with a .380 or 9mm if thats what you like but if I were picking out a pocket gun that might save my life some day, Id look no further than a snubnose revolver.
Although I'm not a fan of pocket carry, I won't try to dissuade you from it. As I see it, there are four issues to consider, weight of the gun, bulk of the gun, manner of dress and adequacy of caliber. Starting with manner of dress, will you be carrying in a front pants pocket? How loose is that pocket? Are you wearing pleated dress pants? Or a chino type slacks or jeans? I have a Kahr PM 9 that is one of the smaller 9mm pistols and I would have great difficulty getting it in or out of a jeans front pocket, less difficulty getting it in or out of chinos and probably no difficulty getting it out of pleated dress pants. And then there's the question of bulk. Even if you can access the gun OK and the weight was acceptable, will you be OK with the bulge in your pocket? That would obviously depend on your manner of dress and the use of a good pocket holster. An airweight J frame revolver would not be to heavy, but it might be too bulky. I wouldn't even consider an all steel .357 mag for full time pocket carry, YMMV. Because of the flat profile, I think a smaller semi auto would be ideal, so then the questions are reliability, shoot-ability and adequacy of caliber. My PM9 is very reliable, shoot-able and of adequate caliber. I would consider it at the maximum limits of bulk and weight for pocket carry, as I would an alloy J frame revolver. There are some .380s that are harder to shoot than some small 9mms. The .380 caliber with newer defensive ammo is in some circles considered perfectly adequate for self defense as are some .32 ACP rounds. The Ruger LCP seems to be very popular, but I have no personal experience with it. I would truly love to have a Seecamp in .32 ACP. That would probably be ideal, but hard to come by.
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When I pocket carry (and that is about 10% of the time) it is most often a Colt Detective Special, Sig 230 or an East German Makarov. Yes, they are all heavy but just as with OWB or IWB, a good gun belt as support makes things quite pleasant. I generally choose a gun belt from High Noon Holsters. The next most important factor has been a really good pocket holster that keep the gun oriented and also smooths the profile. The holsters that have worked best for me in pocket carry have been from Lou Alessi (back when Lou was still with us) and High Noon Holster.
I prefer small revolvers, been carrying a J-frame for over a decade. However, my shorts & t-shirt gun is a Ruger LCP. Almost brutal to shoot it is so small & light, but better than nothing. A Sig P938 is not a lot larger, but has enough more mass shooting 9mm is not as rough as the 380 in the LCP. Have a feeling one is coming home with me in the next couple months.
Everywhere I go I carry my Ruger LCP .380.
I carry front pocket in a sticky holster most of the time. When I carry back pocket I use a leather “wallet “ holster. The mag in my weapon is a plus 1 and I normally carry a 2nd mag in the watch pocket of my jeans. I use Hornady Critical Defense.
I have been an LEO for 32 years and have taught firearms for many years. People laugh at what I carry but I laugh back at them. It’s much better than the 1 you don’t carry.
Below are a few pics. Some are before I added the laser and some are without the plus 1 magazine. But you can see just how small it is. The leather holster with weapon fit in the back pocket of my jeans.
I carry front pocket in a sticky holster most of the time. When I carry back pocket I use a leather “wallet “ holster. The mag in my weapon is a plus 1 and I normally carry a 2nd mag in the watch pocket of my jeans. I use Hornady Critical Defense.
I have been an LEO for 32 years and have taught firearms for many years. People laugh at what I carry but I laugh back at them. It’s much better than the 1 you don’t carry.
Below are a few pics. Some are before I added the laser and some are without the plus 1 magazine. But you can see just how small it is. The leather holster with weapon fit in the back pocket of my jeans.
- Thread starter
- #8
My style of dress when I would need to carry would be pleated dress slacks. If I'm wearing jeans, I carrying something bigger. I have a snubby, but was thinking about thinness and weight. My snubby is kinda heavy.
Not a big fan of pocket carry...or .380s either. But on many occasions the combination comfortably fills a niche that larger size firearms and an OWB holster (my preferred mode of carry) may not.
The combination pocket/wallet holster from Ritchie Leather, Buffalo NY works quite well with my Ruger LCP II.
The little IWB also from Ritchie is also a legit carry method for those who favor IWB carry.
So would you also be wearing a suit jacket? I know you said IWB was out, but I usually carry my J frame revolver IWB without a holster using Barami Hip Grips. DeSantis makes a comparable replacement grip. If your tucked in dress shirt blouses a bit over the waist band of your trousers, the protruding grip is almost hidden, probably only recognizable by a an experienced gun person. I also have a hip pocket holster for it, but I never carry it that way.barami hip grip - Bing images
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- #11
I would be, but sometimes I want to be able to remove my jacket without tipping folks off that I'm carrying. Today I just pocket carried my snubby. Since I wear braces with my suits they help to hold my pants up.
I carried a S&W ti lite, a hammerless DAO j frame for a while, usually in pleated pants until my wife started "making" it repeatedly the day we ran the Republican headquarters in the last presidential election. After I picked up a couple of Sig's a P238 (.380acp) thinking my wife would like it, and a P938 (9mm) for myself I got a wallet style pocket holster from Red Dog Leather. It has a flap that folds over the butt so if seen, it is not recognizable as a gun. I carry the P938 most of the time. It's simply a miniature 1911, and is only marginally larger than the .380, and my holster will fit either gun. Like most very small handguns, I do not get the accuracy that I get with a full size handgun, but that's the nature of the beast and not being able to practice with it enough. As I have gotten older, pushing 73 this month, like most guys have developed a mild gut so holding pants up to proper waist level is a bit of a problem so I took to wearing suspenders a while back. They help with the additional weight of the handgun in my front pocket.. I know the pocket carry is not the best or fastest, but it's better than nothing, and I try to be aware of my surroundings.
Having a pocket carry option is a great idea. It is not ideal but if it is the only way to carry then why not have the best option to do that. Additionally, let's say you are still carrying a full size gun in the winter time under 4 layers of jackets, sweaters, etc., wouldn't it be easy to just have a pocket carry gun in your jacket to quickly deploy? Whatever your decision is, here is what I believe might help.
Caliber selection has to be 9mm or .38 spl; .380 is simply not a ballistically efficient caliber to reliably stop a threat (especially if going through multiple layers of clothing). The Ruger LCR chambered in 38 special (not 357 magnum) is the single best pocket gun made because it is the lightest weight snub nose revolver made and the grips it comes with make it very comfortable to shoot and it has a great trigger (which also helps it shoot well). Revolver sights are typically not the best and round capacity without fast reloads sucks and the LCR is no exception to this. That being said, the rounded form factor of a hammerless snub nose revolver is the best to not catch on pockets during deployment, which is the single biggest problem with pocket carry. Unless you carry in some type of cargo pants-like patch-style pocket, the slide of 9mm semi autos catch when snatched out of pockets like front pants pockets or side jacket pockets. The LCR is also lighter than what I believe is the lightest reliable single stack 9mm - the Glock 43.
If you have to go semi - it's the Glock 43. If you have to go semi and the Glock 43 is too big, I think the Kahr PM9/CM9 is the smallest 9mm you can buy. However, it doesn't meet my (it might for you) classification of reliable and I believe the Ruger LCR is easier to shoot of the two. If you do chose the Kahr, make sure you test it sufficiently for reliability and your draw.
Also Pro-tip if you go with Ruger LCR - the grips are super cushiony mitigate recoil but the material is rubber and can stick to clothing... If you are having trouble, wrap them with some type of athletic tape and it won't stick to fabric.
Caliber selection has to be 9mm or .38 spl; .380 is simply not a ballistically efficient caliber to reliably stop a threat (especially if going through multiple layers of clothing). The Ruger LCR chambered in 38 special (not 357 magnum) is the single best pocket gun made because it is the lightest weight snub nose revolver made and the grips it comes with make it very comfortable to shoot and it has a great trigger (which also helps it shoot well). Revolver sights are typically not the best and round capacity without fast reloads sucks and the LCR is no exception to this. That being said, the rounded form factor of a hammerless snub nose revolver is the best to not catch on pockets during deployment, which is the single biggest problem with pocket carry. Unless you carry in some type of cargo pants-like patch-style pocket, the slide of 9mm semi autos catch when snatched out of pockets like front pants pockets or side jacket pockets. The LCR is also lighter than what I believe is the lightest reliable single stack 9mm - the Glock 43.
If you have to go semi - it's the Glock 43. If you have to go semi and the Glock 43 is too big, I think the Kahr PM9/CM9 is the smallest 9mm you can buy. However, it doesn't meet my (it might for you) classification of reliable and I believe the Ruger LCR is easier to shoot of the two. If you do chose the Kahr, make sure you test it sufficiently for reliability and your draw.
Also Pro-tip if you go with Ruger LCR - the grips are super cushiony mitigate recoil but the material is rubber and can stick to clothing... If you are having trouble, wrap them with some type of athletic tape and it won't stick to fabric.
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My older S&W 342 Ti Lite, same form factor as the RUger LCR, a hamerless, DAO 5 shot revolver weighs in at 11.4 oz vs 13.5 for the Ruger. I found it hurts to shoot with the +p 38 special loads and a little bit less with standard heavy bullets. It's simply not a gun I want to go out and practice with. My Sig P938 at 16 oz by comparison is a pussycat to shoot, plus it carries two more rounds.
I've got a little S&W J-frame in 38 special. It's good for pocket carry - but would be better if I chose the model with the enclosed hammer.
One thing many don’t consider, the size and depth of the pocket. This S&W 442 and Andrews Leather Pocket Holster works fine in cargo jeans or those I got from Duluth Trading. In jeans made by a number of other companies, no bueno. The Ruger/Ritchie combination has yet to meet a pocket it doesn’t like.
That's why I no longer wear jeans. I stick with cargo pants, or dressier types starting with dockers, dickies, and some of the much better wool blends from Dillards.
Wow! That is light! I am assuming they are no longer in production? Not sure how fun that light a weight gun is to shoot on a regular basis but that if you can find one that would be interesting.
These are the 2 mouse guns I've carried for the past couple decades.
I carried the baby Browning on the left first. I was not happy with a hammerless sear gun as it needed to be carried un-chambered so I got the one on the right that is safe enough to be carried chambered.
For me size and always being there trumps grain weight etc.
Current 380 carry with the "pocket camo" bits
I carried the baby Browning on the left first. I was not happy with a hammerless sear gun as it needed to be carried un-chambered so I got the one on the right that is safe enough to be carried chambered.
For me size and always being there trumps grain weight etc.
Current 380 carry with the "pocket camo" bits
I’m with you Mick!!
Along the same lines as: anything in your pocket is better than the one you left at home!
Along the same lines as: anything in your pocket is better than the one you left at home!
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