Pocket carry gear?

Nikguy

Amateur
Hi all,

What do you use for pocket carry of a snubby or mouse gun?
Specifically I'm wondering about holster types you like.

Also, do you change holster types if it's in a coat pocket vs jeans vs gym shorts and so on?

my particular set up (though not ideal) is a S&W bodyguard (internal laser). I'm mostly thinking for really hot weather when it's tough to carry my other guns.

my criteria is:
1. Hard protection over the trigger guard
2. Guarantee that the gun comes out of the holster when needed (instead of the holster coming out of the pants)
3. Doesn't print a lot/isn't bulky


any suggestions? Anything I should add/subtract form my search criteria?

thanks in advance for the help!

-Nick
 

Nikguy

Amateur
BFG’s pocket holster. Previously used a leather Galco of the same style.

That's an option. Always a bit worrier if lean into a smart rock (or counter corner) and get into the trigger guard of the soft material. Like push it inward and discharge the gun (saw a post where someone blew a hole in their butt by leaning on their soft holster).
 

jBravo3

Regular Member
Remember that a key benefit of carrying a pocket holster is the correct and reliable (repeatable) orientation of the weapon within your pocket. I really like the BFG pocket holster for my Bodyguard. It fills all your criteria except the hard cover over the trigger guard, but... Your concern is exactly why, in the extremely limited occasions I choose to carry a pocket gun, I carry a Bodyguard as opposed to an LCP or G42 or whatever (even tried a Sig P238 - because of the safety - but it was way too big for me to personally hide in a pocket - G42 was too BTW).

When I carry a pocket gun it's because I'm not supposed to have a gun or because it's the smallest I'm personally willing to go AND I'm doing something pretty active which presents a legitimate fear of the gun going bang when I don't want it to.

Examples are gym shorts carry while actively lifting in the gym, walking across the parking lot to and from vehicle into BJJ class (yes, of course it goes off body when rolling), or long distance (relative term) backpacking.

The Bodyguard fills a very small niche for me, and I only use it in very specific contexts. I choose it or a 9mm Shield because of one feature they share; a safety. Actually, two features - the safety, and the fact that I think they're a decent balance of reliability/affordability and I don't care a bit if they get destroyed externally. I do trust them to go bang. Others have not had similar experiences with the BG.

As a general rule, I would never advocate for a safety on a defensive firearm, and I know most wouldn't either - rightly so. But, I choose to carry with a safety in limited situations, fully cognizant of the limitations imposed by the device.

I got tired of getting "made," or "busted," or "called out" on a gun in my HPG Kit bag whilst hiking/backpacking here on the east coast, and I had to transition to something way lower profile (nothing against HPG btw - great gear and I love it, it just is what it is).

Based on my experience, I would consider popular trails such as the AT essentially NPEs, and the Bodyguard or Shield allow me to carry as such (ie, deep) with confidence and peace of mind that the gun will not go bang unless I want it to. Understand that when I'm out there, I'm in running shorts, trail running shoes, and a T shirt with a lightweight pack and I like to move fairly fast.

So, I put my Shield or BG in the right hip belt zip pocket of my pack, safety engaged. Surefire Backup light in left zip pocket with a reload and Spyderco Delica 4.

It's not optimal but it gives me options and I can still move light and fast. If I get to town or when I set up camp (when pack comes off), I tuck AIWB using an attached clip w/o holster or trigger guard cover. That safety let's me do that and feel ok. Key word: feel.

There are a lot of tradeoffs and I'm not oblivious to them. Context, context, context. Any reason you can't carry a bigger gun?

There are other times I occasionally carry in a pocket - that occassional day where my back tells me I shouldn't get out of bed, but I do anyway, etc, but those are extremely rare.

As a side note to your original question: If hot weather is your only reason for pursuing pocket carry, I'd really encourage you to not do it and to carry a "fighting" pistol. I know that answer is waaaaaaay more than you asked for, but that context word... It's big.
 

Nikguy

Amateur
Thanks for the info.

And yeah, 90% of the time I'm carrying my glock43 or my CZ p10c. But this is just for whenever I'm wearing something other then jeans (at the gym, at work with my shirt tucked into my slacks, and so on). Or anytime I'm doing a bunch of manual labor, or lifting stuff/building stuff in such a way that my shirt might come up and expose where I'd usually be appendix carrying.

The whole drive for the trigger guard thing was because I'd like to (as much as possible) still reduce my draw/ready time without having to mess with that safety that's in a weird spot to reach. Even when it's just a wimpy gun in my pocket.

What do you all think?
 

jBravo3

Regular Member
No, you're right, and most guys on here would agree with you ref. the safety. I carried an LCP in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster at work for years, but rolling around with dudes and moving through brush and woods at night just made me nervous about it going off in my pocket - most likely a needless worry, but still something that made me uneasy. I ended up having Raven Concealment make me a kydex pocket holster that worked pretty well, but, kydex in the pocket printed pretty obviously.

I've got a lot of reps drawing from the pocket and I'm ok getting it off safe and on target, but it ain't perfect. I think one of the benefits of having something in a pocket is being able to already prep somewhat innocuously (already having hand in pocket), so there's that, but, it's pretty difficult to draw with my support hand too (a lot of cops carry in support hand pocket as back up to primary). A lot of negatives and trade-offs.
 

Nikguy

Amateur
No, you're right, and most guys on here would agree with you ref. the safety. I carried an LCP in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster at work for years, but rolling around with dudes and moving through brush and woods at night just made me nervous about it going off in my pocket - most likely a needless worry, but still something that made me uneasy. I ended up having Raven Concealment make me a kydex pocket holster that worked pretty well, but, kydex in the pocket printed pretty obviously.

I've got a lot of reps drawing from the pocket and I'm ok getting it off safe and on target, but it ain't perfect. I think one of the benefits of having something in a pocket is being able to already prep somewhat innocuously (already having hand in pocket), so there's that, but, it's pretty difficult to draw with my support hand too (a lot of cops carry in support hand pocket as back up to primary). A lot of negatives and trade-offs.

That all makes sense!
 

JeffM.

Amateur
Prior to reliability issues developing with the gun, I carried a Kahr PM9 in a Dark Star Gear shell specifically designed to bolt to a RCS Pocket Shield. While it "printed", the size and shape of the shield prevented it from creating a discernible silhouette. Something like the Pocket Shield, which can be cut down to suit the need of a smaller profile, attached to a soft holster (perhaps bolted through the flap area of the BFG pocket holster) could serve to protect the trigger from an outside influence. Just something to mull over.
 
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