Pocket carry vs holster in the waistband

Fall, winter, and cool spring, I like the right rear jeans pocket for carry here on the farm...works well with any 4" or a bit more, revolver or automatic. For casual walking it does fine.

On the tractor, in the truck, or on horseback, I prefer the old Tom Threepersons design as sold by El Paso Saddlery and others. It's a strong side carry for me, conceals well with any handgun with a 4" barrel or less, but does require a cover garment if you're going out in public.

For general carry where concealment is a factor, I carry a S&W 637-2 in the side cargo pocket of my trousers. It's not quick but does allow me to conceal.

The pics below show some of our home built efforts.

HTH's Rodfac

P8091544.jpg
Tom Three Persons with a S&W 637

Sm32Duke.jpg
The "Duke's" rig with a Ruger Birdshead Single Six in .32 H&R
 
MLeake covered the major reasons why I don't and won't pocket carry.

Add to the fact that it would be very easy to have the hand in the pcoket checked from drawing and leave you with only one to try to defend yourself.

Besides the problems with seated draw, try drawing while getting off the x (not the single side step or two, but really moving off the line of fire...) :eek:
 
What I've always believed, and this thread backs it up, is that a person really needs to find what works for them. What works for me may or may not work for another, so this kind of advice needs to be taken as an "idea to try".

I stand 5'7", and weigh 140 lbs. I've found that I can carry some guns in several different ways in complete comfort. Other's are more limited in the ways I can comfortably carry them, depending on their size, shape, and how they fit my body.

A J-frame or similar snubbie is very easy for me to conceal, in several different places and ways. My G-23 requires an OWB holster for me, with or without a cover garment, depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going.

Find what works for you, and go with it.

Daryl
 
I agree you have to find what works for you. I practice draw from a pocket holster for my pocket guns. I also understand that all of my pants do not allow me to draw as easily or at the same speed. Some are super easy because of the depth or mouth opening and others... well I just don't pocket carry when wearing those. I should note that when I find the perfect pants with the perfect pocket I buy many pairs to prolong my favorable experience.

I started pocket carrying because I as a course of habit have walked with my hand in my pocket (40+ years). It drove my parents nuts for a long time. Now instead of fumbling with keys or change I run my fingers over the grip and never the trigger! (its an OCD thing).

There is no one size fits all or one solution for every scenario. That is why people end up with so many holsters. You have to find what works for you.
 
I prefer to pocket carry with my CCW, and its extremely easy with the clothes I wear for the pocket carry. The holster(uncle mikes) doesn't come out of the pocket when you draw the weapon(most probably know that its made for this - I have to pull on the holster to get it out). There is no fumbling at all. that being said I have a very nice holster for my gp100(not my CCW) and when I start spending more time outdoors and stuff it would be perfect on my belt OWB and I look forward to it. Definately some carrys wouldn't work for another person. It all depends. My pocket carry is always easily accessible and on my shooting side(I have heard others do the opposite of their shooting hand&I don't understand this except maybe its a safety thing for them). I offset the little weight with my keys and whatever else on my left side always. Of course my ruko (buck 100 copycat) is always on my belt in its sheath(left side as well).

ONLY PART EDITED: I MISTYPED; I MEANT BUCK 110 COPYCAT.
 
Last edited:
opposite of shooting side...

... not sure why others do it, but the reason I sometimes do is if the pocket carry is BUG to a K or N-frame or GP100 on in a strong-side holster. (I really like having more than six rounds, so I like the NY reload option if carrying a revolver.)
 
pocket carry is a good choice if you are limited to that and have a small enuff gun. before you give up on waist carry you might try a kholster iwb holster. i resisted trying one for awhile, they arn't pretty but they're not real expensive and they really do work. i carry a taurus pt-145 in a kholster and it is so comfortable i forget its there. i just did a 500 mile car trip wearing one and it never bothered me even once. i usually wear just a t-shirt over it and it disappears and i'm alot heavier than i should be. they ain't pretty but i will be buying more of them because they work so well.
 
I prefer pocket carry. Usually carry a mouse gun in my right front jeans pocket. As mentioned. It does limit your use of that pocket as you don't want anything else in there to get in the way if you need to quickly draw it out.

My prefered pocket carry is in a jacket front pocket. I can carry my Colt Defender or my Taurus Mod 85 in a Uncle Mike's pocket holster that works very well. Just be sure to make sure your jacket pockets are big enough for you to quickly draw the gun you are concealing in there.

Try both styles and decice what works best for you.:)
 
I looked for a long time and found my "answer" for a holster.

The Crossbreed Supertuck Deluxe. I am a bigger guy 6ft at a previously athletic 240 lbs :D. I need to be able to tuck my shirt and this has worked great for me. I have one for my XD and one for the CZ83.

P1080012.jpg


I still pocket carry a LCR when I might go without a shirt in the summer boating, working, etc....

Beentown
 
i pocket carry my p32 in my right rear butt pocket, just moved my wallet to the left side. its an easy draw, and readily accessible(except sitting, but i have a truck gun for that), and indistinguishable from a wallet.

this is the most comfortable way for me to carry, and its always there. even if i owb/oc my 1911, sob my xd40sc, or watch pocket my mini.
 
I carried a J frame Smith 340PD in a Mika pocket holster for seven years. Switched over to a Kahr MK40 and a "Beltster" from Bandera Gun Leather some months ago. Great if you can wear a shirt tail out or a covering garment. I have a Kahr P380 and a Sig P238 that I can carry in a pocket but the Beltster thing is so comfortable and conceals so well I've pretty much given up on the pocket carry.
 
waist for me, mainly because i carry a full size 9mm. i have been looking at a midsize .380 to consider pocket carrying because in more formal clothing, IWB holsters dont work so well.
 
90% of my carry is pocket carry. In the winter, it's 100% of the time in my deep jacket pocket. And I mainly carry .45ACP semis. I've found that even in jeans pockets, as long as I have a baggy & longer shirt, it's never been noticed.
When I do carry one on an inside the pants holster, it's no problem either.
 
My pocket carry LCP/LG-431 is always there. Since I've carried with a bellyband for about 25 years, for acceptable trigger protection I merged a Bianchi with a Crossbreed SuperTuck Deluxe for my main carry - Glock 27 (magazines vary with conditions). If I had known about the Vanguard trigger holster sooner (http://www.themalabarfront.com/product_info.php?products_id=1617) I would have probably just combined it with my De-Santis bellyband, but the Crossbreed gives better level one/positioning. I just couldn't make any of the Crossbreed clips work for my setup.
 

Attachments

  • IMG00466.jpg
    IMG00466.jpg
    195.5 KB · Views: 21
I only just got my CCW in the mail three weeks ago but I've been using a Galco belly band to carry a Sig P220. I'm pretty beefy in the belly as well.

There are things I like about it:

-Can position it where I want
-It literally makes the pistol disappear, even under a moderately close, not tight, T-shirt
-Can tuck in any shirt into my pants without any trouble whatsoever.
-Almost all seating positions are comfortable.

Some things I don't like about it:

-Feel is not what I was hoping. Sometimes, I can't even tell I have the gun on but that's probably a good thing. Other times, it feels like it's not positioned right.
-Even though I can move it around where I want, that pistol is so huge that it sometimes takes some serious trial and error to get it to not print.
-Either my pants tend to fall or the belly band rides up. It makes me want to fidget with it.
-In the car, can't draw 'cause the seatbelt straps right over the top of the gun.
-Should I take it out of the holster in the car, it's a bit tricky to get it to reholster so doing so in a public parking lot is out of the question.

The only other thing, and this is what I've been told, is that in the summer, it's going to cause me to sweat. I'm wearing a t-shirt under the belly band at the moment to keep it from chafing so I have a feeling it's not going to work at all during the summer.

Even though the "pro" list above is shorter, I think I'm okay with this thing. As a newbie, I don't know if my discomforts are just 'cause I'm new at it or if it's something that is unique to this holster.

At any rate, so far, nothing is keeping me from carrying at this point.

--Wag--
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top