Holster or not ?

R

ragwd

New member
In a previous thread someone put a idea out. That holsters are not needed, just carry in pocket. Obviously, he was talking about a small pistol. I have never tried to pocket carry, but this would make life simpler. We all have our likes and dislikes and whatever works is the way it should be. No right or wrong here just what you prefer but I am curious about how many ccw pocket carry as opposed to holster and why?
 
99.9% of my ccw carry is in a owb holster but sometimes if just going to the mailbox, over to a friends house, etc... I will just put a P3AT in my pocket with no holster. Not that I recommend not using a holster to anyone.

Shooters Plus
 
The holster provides a valuable safety feature by covering the trigger so it cannot easily be actuated by brushing against something. I pocket carry, but never without a holster.
 
I'm a big fan of down coats and vests, and I try to get them with an inside, zippered pocket. My Walther PPK/S rides nicely in them and is a lot easier to get to than in an ankle holster. The puffy goose down keeps it from printing, and I can take the coat off in a restaurant without exposing it.

The down side of it is that goose down garments tend to be lightweight, and a gun pulls the carry side of the coat down (lot'sa "downs" there :D). A cop in another jurisdiction "made" me because of that.
 
Generally speaking, always use some sort of holster. Lots and lots of people have shot themselves with unholstered carry guns. There's a guy on GT, right now, who just shot himself through both legs with an unholstered carry gun. (A cocked and locked 1911!)

I carry a Beretta Alley Cat in my front left pocket; I use a Galco pocket holster; my wife carries a Ruger SP-101, either, in her purse or in one of her pockets. She uses a Kramer Handgun Leather pocket holster.

Where pocket carry is concerned, it's the only sensible (and safe) thing to do.
 
Convenient you should ask that today. From today's news on the Fox website, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,306719,00.html

Texas Office Worker Accidentally Shoots Himself in Both Legs While Sitting at Desk

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

FORT WORTH, Texas —

A 47-year-old man was shot in both legs when he accidentally discharged a handgun while sitting in his cubicle at an insurance office, police said.

The man, who hasn't been publicly identified, had put his .45-caliber gun into his jacket pocket and then draped the jacket over the back of his chair, said Brett McGuire, Lake Worth police chief.

The gun discharged Tuesday morning as the man settled into his chair. He said the man must have done something to make the weapon fire.

The bullet passed through both of the man's legs and a bookcase before lodging in the wall of a cubicle.

McGuire said there was no indication the man had brought the gun to target anyone.

"He wasn't having problems with his bosses or co-workers that we know of," McGuire said.

McGuire said his department has no record of the man being licensed to carry a concealed weapon. He said detectives would wait until the man, who was taken to a hospital, had recovered before deciding whether to pursue charges.
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If you carry in a pocket, a holster designed for pocket carry, which covers the trigger and trigger guard area securely, is absolutely necessary. It is non-negotiable.

From a thread here on TFL awhile back (http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204507):

I know a person who was somewhat paranoid and 'carried' a Glock (not sure what model it was). He apparently carried it much of the time except at work where it was prohibited by company policy. Several years go he had a serious accident with it one evening at a movie theatre (a Disney movie - Finding Nemo or something). The gun was in his jacket and it discharged inside a theatre full of families and kids. He took most of it himself in the abdomen but the round went thru him and lodged in the back of an empty seat a row behind him. Kids were sitting in adjacent seats. He was seriously hurt but recovered. The theatre was of course emptied of terrified patrons.
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If you carry in a pocket, a pocket holster which covers the trigger and trigger guard is not a luxury. It is a necessity.

pax
 
My "preference" for a Pocket Gun is a holster.

I find that a holster helps to beak up the outline of the gun, thus providing more concealability.
 
i dont use a holster,(except for special occasions when i use a drop leg holster) but i always stick my gun in my belt. I never had the guts to just stuff it in my pocket though,too many other things in there to get tangled up! however i know of lots of folk, who carry glocks, in thier front pant pockets.
 
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Coins and other things get into pockets and can get into a trigger guard.

Holster. Always. Even a Nemesis, which are what, $14?
 
IWB

My Milt Sparks Versa Max II IWB conceals my Glock 26 better than any pocket would do. Nobody sees ist, even if I just war jeans and a T-shrit tucked in.

And: I keeps the gun in place and angle so that I can draw real fast.
 
all my handguns ride in leather by Sam Andrews or Bob Mernickel. A holster provides better access, the leather protects the gun, helps reduce 'printing' and is more comfortable.
 
If you carry in a pocket, a holster designed for pocket carry, which covers the trigger and trigger guard area securely, is absolutely necessary.
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Point well taken, Pax, but I have to counter with the idea that it depends on what gun you're carrying. For Glocks and other pistols carried cocked & locked, I whole-heartedly agree.

But I chose the Walther for a reason. I won't say it's impossible; let's just say it's highly unlikely that a double action pistol, hammer down, with the safety on and of a type that's unlikely to snag on clothing, is going to go off while riding in a zippered pocket.
 
I carry the keltec without a round in the chamber, I don't find the split second it takes to rack the slide worth the danger of carrying it with a round in the chamber. Still, keys, coins whatever go either in a back pocket or left front pocket, only thing in the right front is the keltec, it's a habit now. When I carry the sp101 I carry it in a bianchi OWB under an untucked shirt, but the keltec is easier.
 
I believe in pocket holsters.... 15 bucks, kydex, keeps the pistol (KT p32) in alignment, grip up, for ease (speed) of access. Also protects the trigger and helps prevent a negligent discharge when I accidentally throw loose change into the pocket. Also obscures the shape of the pistol into that of a small wallet. kept in the upright position it's print is smaller than an unholstered gun which has sunk down onto its top.

However, when I pocket carried the far less satisfactory Taurus PT22 (think beretta tomcat) I didn't use a holster, it had the heaviest, longest trigger known to man, as well as a very tight manual safety. However the pistol had a knack for falling upside down and lengthwise in the pocket making it's shape very apparent. It also would have been slow on the draw due to fumbling with its unpredictable position.

Pocket holsters are incredibly cheap and provide only benefits - so why not?
 
Personally (not formally recommending it to others), I think a gun with a heavy trigger pull can be safe in a pocket without a holster. Of course, holster or not, change, keys etc. do not belong in that pocket.

Even with a holster I'd be scared to keep a 1911 or glock in a pocket.

I keep my snubby in an uncle mike's pocket holster, but mostly to break up the barrel, keep it from wearing out my pocket, keep it in position.
 
My P11 has a very long and hard trigger pull, similar to a revolver. For a long time I was using a DeSantis IWB, but once I found out about the factory belt clip, that's all I use now. Works fine, a lot thinner too.
 
Well thanks for everyones input. As always I learn a lot from you guys. I carry in a owb holster and I am really surprised that so many pocket carry with or without a holster. Guess I will have to buy a Seacamp .380 and see if it works for me. Thanks again all.
 
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