Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Is there anything wrong with pocket carry?

Absolutely this....a gun is not intended to be comforting, not comfortable.

I am not a big guy, about 5'6 180ish, and I manage to carry a double stack compact 9mm and a spare mag in nothing more than a pair of cargo shorts and a T-shirt each and every single day. In cooler weather, a full size double stack is even easier. Buy a decent holster, dress like a normal human, and carrying an effective fighting gun is not difficult at all.

The lead detective on my home invasion case told me that I would have been well within my rights to have used lethal force because they had placed me in a life threatening situation hitting me with that brick among other things. He said that the Castle Doctrine would have justified it. My Para 1911 was locked in a bedroom drawer and that is what I went for when two of those guys were sacking my son's room. Logic would say that I should have locked the bedroom door and called 911. Jacked up on adrenaline, bleeding, scared and mad as hell, let me tell you that you don't think logically at a time like that. They heard me loading that pistol and ran out. Had that handgun been with me or even loaded when I got to it, I have no doubt that I would have shot someone. The Justice Department picked up my hospital bill, but I think that I would have been on my own in a civil trial. I think about that when ever I carry a handgun now. A good read is "In The Gravest Extreme" for all you guys that carry a handgun.

458Lott,

What is that holster please? I also have an lc9.

The lead detective is a fool for giving legal advice....

It should be on your belt whether you're home or out. Glad you made it.

As I recall it's a Desantis.

sometimes I put a kahr p380 in my front pocket but you cannot get it out to easy if your sitting down, that is the only problem with pocket carry that I know of.

Mall Ninja doctrine.

I carry a g27 a lot in a kydex holster shorts and a T shirt, often I put a spare magazine in my pocket. I think a lot of people carry a spare magazine. I don't think a G27 or G26 rises to the paranoid fantasy level.

I'd be interesting in knowing who amongst you (non LE folks) carries a gun AT LEAST 10 hrs a day (uninterrupted - the gun never comes off), 7 days a week. If you carry less than that, please do not reply. If you do, I'd be interested the following:

1. What do you carry?
2. Where do you carry it?
3. What do you do for a living?

Conditionally, my answer is yes, I do. During the school year, I cannot carry at work, but at every other time, I do. Certainly all summer, all day, every day. Weekends, and all breaks from the school schedule, it's carried all day, everyday. On work days, seven or eight hours of carry is the norm. The gun is almost always a Glock 17 in an El Paso Saddlery C-Force IWB. On rare occasions, it's switched out for a Glock 43 in the same carry mode. The most recent example where I switched to the 43 was when, last week, I went to the blood lab for a blood draw on doctor's orders. Other examples are visits to the dentist. The reason: I'm sitting next to someone in close contact with me for an extended period of time, and don't want any possible printing to prompt a conversation about what's under the shirt. Another example where the 43 would get the nod would be social gatherings where hugging might be a normal greeting.

If you think carrying a serious handgun on the belt is a problem, you haven't made much of a serious effort to figure out how to do it. It's quite comfortable when done right, even with a full service-size handgun. For years I carried a full sized 1911 and for other years I carried a steel K-Frame S&W revolver. Admittedly, the steel 1911 became a bit of a burden on hot days where I was engaging in a lot of outdoor activity, which is one reason I don't carry it anymore. I'd still be carrying the steel K-Frame (Model 13) if it weren't for a desire for greater capacity. It was 100% comfortable carried IWB all day.

Perhaps....I simply dont see the point in wearing a gun if im not going to wear an effective one.

And yes, I get paid to carry a gun 40(ha!) hours a week, but the remaining hours are my choice, and I carry one every single hour I legally can. The vast majority of those hours, I carry a M&P 9c in a Comp Tac MTac. Times when I am going where I the possibility of having to use a gun increases, I carry a 5" M&P in the same holster. A reload for the Compact can go in the offside pocket, while a full size reload requires a pouch.

Hahahahaha........40 hour weeks!

FWIW........daily carry off duty is either the 642 or an XDs. Both are wearing kydex from a local who does outstanding work. The 642 does an equal amount of time in a pocket holster when it's 'secondary'.

A 320 (compact/subcompact) will, eventually, be the primary once I get our transition finalized at work.

George

Yeah, I giggled a little just typing that

1.Primarily a Shield in 9mm.
2.IWB right hip, Blade Tech holster.
3.I'm a mechanic basically.

I put the Shield on when I get dressed and unless I go to the PO, it doesn't come off till I go to bed. That means all day at work crawling around on tractors, trucks or cars, play (I shot a steel challenge match today and still carried the Shield), church or whatever. Now I do have an Airweight 38 that I carry in a custom Kydex holster, usually IWB on my hip when I run and I did buy a HPG kit bag for when I'm on longer runs such as training for a marathon due to everything else I have to carry.

I sometimes carry the Shield in either a T-shirt with a built in holster or soft shoulder holster rig if I need to tuck my shirt in for church, funerals, weddings or such. I wear Wrangler jeans and pocket carry in them is out of the question. I guess I could wear cargo shorts and pocket carry in those but I promise you my draw time will be quicker with my IWB holster.

I carry a SP101 357 in my pocket every day.

I did not have a holster at first, but I do now.

Much better with the holster, maybe a bit slower though.

I have carried a gun full time for years. I retired in 2013 and even before than when I was in sales, I carried (at the time) a S&W 642 in a Blackhawk holster. No one was supposed to carry at work, my boss knew I did and approved of it due to his confidence in me. I ALWAYS carry on an OWB holster at 3:00. Over time since I retired, I have rotated a number of guns since I've retired. I carry various guns now mostly semi autos in a Zack Davis Leather Holster. From the time I put my pants on in the morning till the time I get ready for bed around 11:00pm I have a gun on me. On the VERY RARE occasion I don't have my holster on, it is rare but it does happen, like when I am planning on going on base for health care or to pick up a prescription. On those occasions, like going to the grocery store in the evening if for some reason I don't have a gun on I will put one in my pocket and it will be a Ruger LCR, or a Ruger LC9.

Having said all that I would never carry in an ankle carry due to my body build. No way I could get to a gun in a realistic time frame. I don't see a problem if someone wants to pocket carry a gun. For me to do it is pretty rare as I carry too much stuff in my front pockets. If I'm going to pocket carry it's probably going to be in a back pocket. I'm a big guy and my pockets are bigger than a lot of peoples so I can carry in my back pocket pretty easily and it's pretty easily available. However there is always the issue of sitting on your gun and then you are screwed pretty much. That's why I approach things the way I do. On the other side, I haven't ever noticed someone pocket carrying. Just tonight at Golden Corral, I noticed 3 people carrying and they were all carrying OWB. I was in a smallish area and there wasn't that many people, but you would think I'd have noticed at least 1 person pocket carrying.

I wear a gun unless sleeping. Glock19 in a CoM aiwb when concealed, at home it's the same G19 in owb in a kydex tech on a Montana Sling leather belt. My last job was firearms instructor, have been retired for1.5 years.


mike r

My two Rugers are .38sp and .22. The .38 gets carried in my front pocket in a pocket holster whenever I don't feel the need to carry my G-19 or my 1911. Or sometimes it gets carried as a bug.

Reading this thread I'll have to say when I carry it's a LCP in my right front pants pocket in a pocket holster. I rotate magazines every month and keep the pistol clean. I need to start pulling the pistol out of my pocket and place it in the console when driving because I couldn't get the pistol out seated.