This thread arose from another thread (LINK) where I mentioned a recent pocket carry fail. @Wendell wanted to know more about the event, so I'll share the uncomfortable details here. Hopefully hearing about my mistake(s) might be helpful to someone else.
In the past I've sometimes carried a J-frame in a Desantis M44 Super Fly pocket holster. In terms of concealment while standing, this holster has worked very well for me. The outside of the holster has a sticky texture, and I've never worried about it sliding out of my pocket. However, I have worried about the J-frame sliding out of the holster and then out of the pocket. Once the Glock 43 had been on the market for a while, I decided to try it as a potential upgrade for the J-frame. I ordered a kydex pocket holster last September after trying IWB with the G43 for maybe 11 months. (Note: most of the time I carry a G19 or G26 AIWB, so the G43 is for when I need to wear a tucked in shirt without a closed front cover garment.) This particular pocket holster has a protrusion at the top and a hook at the bottom. These features snag during draw and strip the holster from the pistol.
One recent Sunday at church, I was carrying the G43 in this holster. My wife was at home taking care of our older daughter who was sick, and I had our younger daughter (3 years old) at church. I turned a bit to my right to talk to her about something and then the pistol and holster just fell out of my pocket. Unfortunately, we have chairs instead of pews, and the holstered pistol fell through the chair onto the floor. Immediately I knew what happened, and quickly picked up the holstered pistol and hid it in my lap under a Bible. A few minutes later, I dropped it into the breast pocket of my jacket, and that's where it stayed until I got home.
The chance of the entire pistol and holster slipping out of my pocket is something that I've worried about a little bit, but obviously not enough. In retrospect, not decisively acting on that worry was my big mistake. Usually when I sit down, I put my right hand on top of my leg to hold the pistol in place while lowering into the chair. I don't remember if I did this that morning or not. If I didn't, I certainly should have. Somewhat ironically, I stopped carrying the G43 IWB at 4:00 (in kydex from a very reputable source) because I didn't feel like the pistol was secure enough and because it is uncomfortable. I typically carry AIWB and have never been comfortable, physically or mentally, with IWB at ~4:00.
From here, I'm considering several courses of action:
1. Apply some sort of surface treatment to the kydex pocket holster to make it cling better to the inside of the pocket and thoroughly test it. However, I'm sure I'll have trouble trusting this holster in an open pocket after what happened.
2. Only use the pocket holster in pants that have a zippered pocket (e.g. Columbia Roc II pant).
3. Try harder to find an AIWB holster that works for me with tucked in shirt, potentially the Garrett Industries Silent Thunder Slim or perhaps an Incog Eclipse.
4. Try an OWB holster with retention, potentially the Safariland 571 GLS but with a belt slide attachment rather than a paddle.
5. Do some "trust building exercises" with my current IWB holster and see if I can get the pistol to release unintentionally. Then just put up with it being a little uncomfortable for a few hours on Sundays.
Right now, I'm really thankful that Glocks are drop safe and that the pistol remained holstered the entire time. I'm also glad that I attend a very gun friendly church. There's zero social stigma for me for carrying a gun in church, though dropping a gun is a whole other matter. We were out of town this past weekend, so I don't know if the event will stimulate any after-the-fact discussion. I can't imagine that the people sitting behind me didn't see the pistol, though they are rather elderly and the pocket holster breaks up the outline of the pistol. I've been carrying a pistol to some degree for almost ten years, and this is the first time one has gotten away from me like this. I need to make sure it doesn't happen again. If anyone thinks I'm missing some lesson from this experience, feel free to comment or ask questions as you think beneficial.
Reply With Quote
