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Thread: J frame pocket holster comparison and experience

  1. #1
    Team Garrote '23 backtrail540's Avatar
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    J frame pocket holster comparison and experience

    Lately I’ve been experimenting with a snub as a lounge gun in shorts, sweats etc..during baby days when I don’t want to necessarily get fully dressed or while doing yard work and as an occasional bug. I started by finding common pocket holsters that came recommended on the forum and initially bought the desantis nemesis and a safariland 25. Recently I added an elite survival systems #3 and a blueforce gear ultracomp to the lineup. Here are some initial thoughts after trying each with dry practice and several clothing types.

    Three of the holsters are traditional “wing type” pocket holsters which have an extension that catches on the edge of the pocket and keeps the holster from being drawn with the gun. The desantis is a large extension that goes the whole length of the grip side of the holster under the grip. It does well at stabilizing the gun but makes for the largest overall package of the group. The elite has a smaller wing extension and it also has a slant to the wing which allows for a smaller footprint but still grips the edge of the pockets on the garments that I tried. The bfg has a distinct small wing but with a sharp downward angle on top and it grabbed the edge of the pocket even on the most loose of pockets. I get the feeling from use that this is the main retention feature being that it is so thin and several times the wing was the only thing keeping the holster from coming out with the gun, but it did keep it from never having come out.

    All of these holsters also have a treatment on the outside of the holster to aide in grabbing the pocket material and keeping the holster in the pocket. The desantis uses a rubbery material with grippy dots that protrude in a tight pattern and works well. The elite #3 uses a rubbery material as well as dots but they are much smaller and in a tighter pattern. It feels more sticky but I’m not sure it’s the smaller pattern or difference in material. The blueforce utilizes no bumps but has a sticky laminate that grips the pocket well while allowing the hoslter to be amazingly thin. The safariland uses suede on the outside for grippiness and a plastic shell that the material is sewn too.

    All holsters allow a full grip on the gun while in the holster with several grips, though the blueforce has a sharp edge at the bottom of the trigger guard that gave me trouble when using the ergo delta grip, but was not an issue with traditional grips; boot or otherwise. The blue force also didn’t cover as much of the gun, terminating at the cylinder, whereas the rest covered to the hump on my 442 with the safariland offering the best coverage going all the way to the grip.

    As far as stability goes, it was very much dependent on pocket shape and depth. For deep pointy pockets the safariland was my preference while more square pockets the other wing shaped worked better, as the safariland would get tippy and allow inconsistency.

    As far as garment types, all worked well in my preferred cargo shorts with preference going to the safariland or elite depending on pocket shape. For sweats the elite or nemesis were my favorite as they were tight on the pocket laterally and allowed consistency in presentation. None of the options concealed well enough in dress pants to not scream gun, none worked in jeans though I’d go bfg or safariland if forced. The extended guard on the 25 did best to conceal shape and the bfg was most thin for that application. I tried them all in a single pair of 5.11’s and the nemesis was too large while the bfg let me get hung up on the draw if I wasn’t particular on how I drew the gun. The others I didn’t have any hangups. For me the best applicationis on loose garments that have slant pockets that are fairly deep. Tighter clothing printed and tighter pockets were harder to draw from as well as horizontal cut pockets.

    As far as retention, the safariland has the most loose grip on the gun by far. The 25 simply wasn’t molded for the exact gun and being plastic it allowed a bit of movement. I didn’t find it an issue as most retention comes from the pocket itself, but it’s worth mentioning. I honestly think if it was tighter on the gun it would come out as there is no wing and the suede isn’t the most grippy of material. The bfg was tightest but the others were solid as well, noting that the elite and nemesis were easiest to reholster as they kept their shape; the bfg simply collapsed. The wing on the bfg was prone to bending in the pocket. It didn’t affect performance but was odd as it sometimes became pokey but not enough to discourage use for me.

    These are all great options and i plan on using all of them depending on the application. I think with pocket carry, there is no one answer and having several options makes the process easier. None of the holsters were expensive and most were available on amazon. Elite was $17, safariland was $26, Desantis was $20, and the BFG was $25. At those prices it is worth it to have several options available and see what works with your particular wardrobe and preferences.

    If I had to rate them as one holster options, I would say the elite would be my first pick as it was more size efficient than the nemesis while offering better stability in a variety of pockets than the safariland and kept shape better than the bfg for range practice. It was also very comfortable. Next would be either the safariland or bfg as they were the thinnest options that worked with the largest variety of pockets. The nemesis is too large for my clothing if I needed to conceal, though for lounging and yard work it is sufficient.

    I’m going to continue working with these and will update the thread with experience and pertinent information. For now I like it as a searchable reference for others who may like to see others experience. Below are some pics for comparison.

    Would love to hear your experiences and have them added to the thread.
    "...we suffer more in imagination than in reality." Seneca, probably.

  2. #2
    Team Garrote '23 backtrail540's Avatar
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    "...we suffer more in imagination than in reality." Seneca, probably.

  3. #3
    I recently purchased the BFG holsters for both my j-frame and my RM380, after trying the Safariland, Aholster, and Desantis. I’m so far quite pleased with the BFG offering simply due to the thinness of the material and overall minimalist approach to the holster. Being small statured, the pants that I can pull off pocket carry with are limited indeed. So far, Carhartt’s have worked decent, but Mountain Khakis are awesome, if a bit pricey.

  4. #4
    Member Gray Ghost's Avatar
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    I've been using the same Mitch Rosen PSF pocket holster for years. It has carried three different J-frames. The kydex hook broke off at one point. I sent it back, and they fixed it at no cost. It is well made, and the kydex hook works very well for making sure the holster stays in your pocket when you draw. The shape does a nice job of making sure it doesn't print. It is very much a strong hand holster though. You would need to order a left hand version to carry on the other side.

    Here is a stock photo from the website. I'll try to post a photo of mine when I get home.


  5. #5
    Member Glock1911's Avatar
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    I’ve had great experience for 25 years with a Kramer Pocket Holster. It is flat on one side to break up outline and make it appear like a wallet. The one drawback it’s pricey.
    For half the price Gallo makes an ambidextrous pocket holster. It also mask the weapon.
    Either one I’d buy again.

  6. #6
    Member Gray Ghost's Avatar
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    Here is my 642 performance center in the aforementioned holster:

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  7. #7
    Site Supporter
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    After trying several pocket holsters for guns of a very wide variety of sizes, I have become a fan of the Aholster. It adds very little to the total bulk that must be concealed. Because the bottom is curved, it allows the muzzle to be vertical rather than canted, significantly reducing printing. The inward curve of the bottom wing further reduces the bulge. Retention is good without being excessive for a pocket holster, and separation of the holster from the gun is very reliable.

    The first Aholsters I purchased had a pointed hook by the rear sight. I rounded this off and wrapped a few layers of Moleskin around it. For my second order, I requested a wider paddle instead of the point, and got a much more rounded point. I had no need to round further, but still wrapped Moleskin around it.

    Mine has been used with a Glock 26 (a real challenge for pocket carry) and a Sig P365.



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    Any legal information I may post is general information, and is not legal advice. Such information may or may not apply to your specific situation. I am not your attorney unless an attorney-client relationship is separately and privately established.

  8. #8
    Member Hi-Point Aficionado's Avatar
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    I've been pretty exclusive with one of my Mika round cut rigs for my LCR:



    Also have a square cut for pockets what need it. A spare of each cut stored away in case I wear one out.

    In my life, Mika mosty reliably stays in the pocket while not having a massive footprint. In the rare case it comes out with the gun, I have found a Mika to most quickly and easily flick off the gun, adding about 1/4 second to my time in a draw to first shot.

    While a bit thick, it does make a snub print even less like a gun and more like a worn-in old man wallet. Not to say that it visibly prints in all of my pants. The generous material pads my thigh from the cylinder. And possibly the cylinder from bumping into things.

    Unlike kydex, I like that it can be a bit of a universal gun pouch. Unlike a broken, in DeSantis Nemesis which forms tightly enough to a specific gun to have some clicky passive retention as well. A J-frame and LCR holster are different but can work for the other model in a pinch. Either will also properly carry an H&R model 733 or 732 which is quite a different beast.

    Mika holsters are truly ambidextrous. Where the wing on a Nemesis takes a set to one particular angle and print awkwaedly when swapped until settled in, a Mika just slips in and behaves. Nevermind a permanently set kydex hook. Or many pre-set leather wings.

  9. #9
    Here is my aholster pocket holster when I use it, which is not much but I really like it for the slimness of it. Most of my pants have really small pockets due to my small statue so I rarely use it except in a coat pocket sometimes. I assume a bigger fellow would appreciate this rig though..
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  10. #10
    Hoplophilic doc SAWBONES's Avatar
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    It's pretty rare that I pocket carry a J-frame nowadays, though I used to do so daily for years.

    To date I'd used DeSantis, Uncle Mikes, Mika square & Mika round, and several other cloth/composite pocket holsters, as well as both Lou Alessi's and Pocket Concealment Systems (French Curve) leather examples.

    All have worked fine, and one or another will excel the others in certain pockets (coat vs. pants pockets, square bottom vs. round bottom pockets).

    Recently, though, I've found that the single best choice for sake of least possible bulk (re: NPE pants pocket carry), is AHolster's Pocket Backbone, and I liked them well enough that I actually got both left hand and right hand examples, for both J-frame and Ruger LCR models.

    (I also found the owner/maker a very agreeable fellow to deal with; responsive, friendly and accommodating.)
    "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

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