Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Pocket Pistols. Really...

I was at a new but fairly well stocked LGS today and got the opportunity to do a side by side size comparison between a few pistols.

I see guys post all the time about pocket carry with guns such as the Springfield XDS and the Smith Shield.

My primary interest today was finding a pocket holster for the Shield, and seeing how it fit/looked/drew from my pocket.

I first did a side by side comparison between the Shield, the XDS, and the Bodyguard .380.
There was no real comparison with the Bodyguard. The other 2 pistols absolutely dwarfed it.

And... I did not find any pocket holsters on the wall for the XDS or the Shield. The shop did allow me to insert one, and then the other, into my right front jeans pocket.
Guys... I'm 6'7" and weigh in at 375. In a pair of Carhartt carpenters jeans there is no room for either the Shield, or the XDS. And especially not if a guy should need to sit down... Getting into the cab of my F250 would be a real chore with either in a pocket.

Now, I've used both the Shield, and the XDS on a range. Both great shooters and easier to shoot well than my Bodyguard.
Cut to the chase, for pocket carry, anything more than a Bodyguard is too much for any pants pocket that I own...

What kind of pants do you guys wear???

On the other hand, I did score an immaculate Ithaca 37 for $250 while I was there...

LCR.

I wear Levis.



Travis

I don't care for the trigger angle/distance on the LCR, but I'll agree that my 2 1/2" Smith 66 fits a pocket better than either the Shield or XDS...

I really have learned to shoot the Bodyguard well, and it is the "go anywhere" answer for me...

Some people consider a gun that somehow can fit into a pocket as a pocket gun. I don't. Some people also walk around town wearing pants with cargo pockets, which I don't. To me, a pocket gun is one that will fit in normal pants pockets, and which permits the user to obtain a full firing grip on the gun while looking very natural.

I have a DeSantis pocket holster for the XDS, and the gun and holster will barely fit in a pair of Levi's. But, I do not remotely consider that gun to be a pocket gun. It is not easy to get a good firing grip without looking weird. It is very hard to draw, and it snags. Don't know about the Shield, but it looks too big to me. Same with the Glock 26/27 sized guns.

The problem with pocket carry is getting the gun OUT efficiently, not so much that it "fits" in the pocket.

For me (5'10"/225 lbs) that maxes out with a Kahr PM9 sized pistol for everything but jeans which require something Ruger LCP sized.

Some of the guns people claim they pocket carry are ludicrous and reveal the fantasy world in which they live.

S&W .38sp Bodygaurd J-frame. Factory Laser, part Polymer, part Aluminum, small rubber grip, weighs only 12 ounces. retails for about $450.

I'm 6' 3 and weigh 240, and it drops right into the pocket of my Wrangler Cowboy Cut Jeans. Never even know it's there.

Pocket carry for me is cargo. I lift pretty heavy and have for the past 25 or so years and have the fat thighs to prove it. I buy a couple of inches to big in the waist and they MUST be relaxed fit for my legs...keys and a pocketknife are the limit for my front pockets. Timing of this is funny...just this morning I raised my leg up to tie my shoe and the hamstring/backpocket area of my pants ripped.

Some folks can front pocket carry, but not a fat azz like me.

you must wear "package hugger" pants, especially at that size and weight! sheesh. I have no problem at all ccwing and really swift draw with Sig P938 from a Kydex front pants pocket holster. Sitting down has never been a problem with it, but for long drives, I do remove it from the rig and stick it IWB, Mexican carry. I like the way that I can swap rig and all from pants to coat pocket, for cold weather ccw. Right before I enter or leave a building, if the coat is going to be doffed or donned, I swap the rig to the other pocket. Works great!

A clip combined with an LCR or J-frame solves lots of problems.

Not to mention, you can actually hit a person @ 50yds with one.



Travis

Life became simpler when I decided to pocket a J frame, and on occasion, mex-style with a D frame Colt.

I am almost exactly chlinstructors size. Tried to pocket carry a Kahr CW40 and others but for me the P3AT and other similarly sized guns are the limit. At least for comfortable carry and to be able to get it OUT of a pocket quickly

Amazing how that happens, huh?

Seecamp .32 for me with a custom Meco pocket holster.

http://mecopocketholsters.com/

nobody reliably hits anyone at 50 yds, with any handgun, while they are being shot at. Any hits so achieved are lucky flukes, for a fact. I have seen many hundreds of complete misses of the 50 yd IPSC silohuetter over the years, made quite a few of them myself, under "just" match stress, by people who could reliably shoot a 6" group at that range, IN PRACTICE. this is in good light, often from rollover prone position, on a fully erect, fully exposed, 18"x24" torso, with ear protection. So you can forget about such hits, even at 25 yds, when it's for real, even with a belt gun, and same is true at 50 ft, with a pocket gun.

You should post a pic of you and Cooper standing side by side.



Travis

That would be really swell.

Ask him about his felony record

We don't have that much time.Or bandwidth.

It's impressive.


Especially his plan to sell meth to fund fireamrs putchases, and his acted upon idea to sell homemade suppressors