Help with J-frame pocket carry

A

AlonzoMosely

New member
Looking for advice on pocket carry. I have a J-frame and have no problem with IWB carry. I've been looking into front pocket carry. I tried both the Uncle Mike's nylon and the DeSantis Nemesis. I seem to have the same two problems with both:

1) The gun still seems to print a bit. Doesn't quite look like a wallet when I look in the mirror, as the pocket is clearly thicker on one side than the other. It seems to me that an effective pocket holster should have additional thickness below the barrel and trigger guard to even out the thickness of the barrel and cylinder, and thus look more like a fat wallet. However, no pocket holster, leather or synthetic, seems to have such a feature which leads me to believe that I am doing something wrong.

2) Even with a relatively baggy pair of shorts, from a certain angle behind, the grip of the gun can be seen in the pocket. Almost like the pocket needs a strip of velcro or something to keep it closed to cover the gun, which is obviously totally impractical.

Any advice or comments would be most welcome.
 
Pocket carry is subjective...what works for some may not work for me or you. The thickness question about holsters really doesnt happen and IMO I think I know why. A snubbie in a pocket holster has a rounded contour...small at the barrel, thicker at the cylinder and then smaller thru the grip area..this leads to a natural shape..and it tends to blend more naturally, IMO anyway.
Much more so than trying to make it look like a 3"x 6" x 2" wallet/box in your front pocket...I think the natural occuring lines are a better way to go.
As for the grip showing...you can use velcro on those pants that have this pocket style...or just change you style of pants. When I wear jeans...my grip is well hidden inside my pocket. I still tend to wear my clothing like when I carry IWB and just takes the attention away in case I am printing slightly. For a J frame pocket carry with a 2" barrel or less...the Uncle Mikes is just fine and a Hogue Bantam grip is the finishing touch. Its hard to beat
There is a real benefit from a better leather holster, it is gun placement...I had one made that puts the rear sight area of the gun on the far inside seam of my pocket....it hides better and puts the grip where I can get to it in a hurry everytime I need it.
Shoot well
 
I agree 100% with C.R. Sam. I have carried concealed for many years now and up until recently the only time I carried a .38 snub was in IWB with an untucked shirt. When I had to have my shirt tucked in, as is most of the time, I would carry a small auto. I went from a .25 Beretta to a NAA Guardian .32 but still preferred the idea of a small .38. I began carrying my S&W 37 airweight in my pocket with an Uncle Mike's holster several months ago on a trial basis, just to see if I was "made" and guess what, I wasn't! So now I find myself carrying it more and more that way.

The bottomline to it is that you can carry a .38 snub in your pocket and if you don't draw attention to it no one else will either.

Mike
 
Change your pants! Really, you have to compensate for carrying by purchasing some new pants and/or shorts that 1) are deep enough to hide the butt of the revolver and 2) are constructed with pockets just "loose" enough not to print too heavily. Fortunately most of my pants were already like this when I began carrying the S&W 642 in the right front pocket. Jeans? Usually too tight unless you wear your shirt untucked. But cargo pants, khakis, things like that are usually okay. Just experiment.
 
I wondering, has anybody had a tailor sew an extra inch or two of material to make a deeper pocket?

Elliot
 
When my j frame rides a little high in the
pocket (I also use an Uncle Mikes holster) , I fold my handkerchief over the butt. While it might slow the draw down a hair, it effectively conceals the gun, and any printing would naturally be assumed to be more handkercheif.
Regards,
 
C R Sam nailed it.................

Ya know when you're out in public and you have a big ZIT somewhere on your face? Well, unless someone gets up real close and personal, no one is really going to notice, but to you, it's as big as a strawberry!

I wear docker-style front-pleated trousers almost exclusively and I carry my snub in an Uncle Mike's size one soft, flexible pocket holster. Why the Uncle Mikes? It is very light, very flexible, keeps the gun clean and softens the profile of the revolver. When standing or walking, the snubby is virtually undetectable and my pants do not look lop-sided or otherwise un-balanced.

The only time I'm ever concerned about "printing" is when I sit down and the gun seems to "grow" a bit. In all the years that I have carried in-the-pocket, I have never-never-never had anyone ask me "are you packing" or "what's that in your pocket?"

I really like the way my concealed hammer snub's grip is right there at the entrance to my pocket. Man, that sucker is quick to draw/acquire/fire.....no fumbling around.
With the proper clothing, carry in-the-pocket with confidence.
 
I have posted that I like the Nemesis for flat autos, but not for the j-frame, precisely because of the printing issue. I have a DeSantis rough-out stiff leather Pocket Pal that makes printing less of an issue with the j-frame's cylinder. Not only that, but the Pocket Pal fills the pocket more completely and holds the gun in place better - which makes the whole deal more comfortable.

I have the same thing happen with my cargo shorts. I use an open (not folded) hankie to cover the butt of the gun; no one ever looks twice.

Good luck with it. I'm sure you'll figure out an answer.
 
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