We've had about two weeks of "real" winter weather here and the practicality of pocket carry has been driven home even more for me.
My pocket carried Kahr PM9 is far faster into action than anything around my waist when wearing winter clothes, and it's ridiculously fast when you already have your hand inside the pocket (which is completely natural looking in cold weather).
How can you justify not having a pocket carry option, especially during the winter?
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
Hence why I've always had snubby revolvers in my carry battery.
I am the owner of Agile/Training and Consulting
www.agiletactical.com
I've been pocket carrying for 37 years and I can't imagine not doing it. If I'm dressed, there's a gun in my pocket and since I routinely carry two "pocket" guns, one of then often spends time temporarily in an outside coat pocket when circumstances warrant the practice. For anyone, but especially civilians, I really can't think of a more inconspicuous way to stage a gun without inviting scrutiny or drawing attention.
And talk about natural; I've had over 50 years of practice keeping my hands in my pockets and I've got plenty of family photos as proof.
The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.
I pretty much despise pocket carry. It is slow into action unless your hand is already on the gun, and it only works with certain pockets. Pants pockets are usually too small while coat pockets are too big. When I worked road patrol one of my back up guns was in my pocket, but uniform trousers were the perfect size for a snubby and I really didn't care about the printing. I pretty much have not had a use for pocket carry since. That being said, I actually agree with Jody's thought. Still I have problems with it. If using it in a coat, what do you do when you take the coat off? Is it in a zipper pocket so it doesn't come out when not wearing the coat? My other huge problem with pocket carry is so many people just put a small gun in their pocket and think they are GTG.
eta. Oh yeah, another issue, my pockets already have stuff in them.
Last edited by MVS; 01-03-2016 at 01:09 PM.
Doesn't everyone have a 642/442 for this!
As I look to retirement location in the future, one of my criteria will be no need for winter coats justifying coat pocket category.
Do you guys recommend different holsters for a j frame in a coat pocket vs a pants pocket or is it still the uncle mikes or nemesis all around?
Different pocket holsters for different sizes and shapes of pockets, so that the gun is quickly grasped and drawn, but basically the same gun (that is, a J-frame of one flavor or another).
"Therefore, since the world has still... Much good, but much less good than ill,
And while the sun and moon endure, Luck's a chance, but trouble's sure,
I'd face it as a wise man would, And train for ill and not for good." -- A.E. Housman
The opposite argument is used for pocket carry here: it's too hot in summer to wear a cover garment. Not true, but that's what they say. I carry my real gun IWB but I also carry a small auto in my pants pocket. There are times when it would make sense to have a hand on the pocket gun and if it all goes bad, start with that, then transition to the IWB heater if you need to.
Last edited by Hambo; 01-03-2016 at 01:42 PM.
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
I pretty much abandoned pocket carry a bunch of years ago due to some of the concerns already mentioned. Unless my hand is already in my pocket, I'm still faster from the waist band, even in a heavy jacket. I also don't like the security (like not having the gun fall out) offered by most exterior jacket pockets that would allow getting to a pistol quickly. And if I'm going back and forth between indoors and out, I don't like having a conundrum of what to do with the gun. I get that it's a super convenient means of having a gun on you, but it just doesn't jive with MY needs in most circumstances. I still have subcompacts and holsters that can fill the role, but I don't find myself reaching for them very often. [shrug]
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