Pocket Carry- With or Without Holster?

Kel-Tec P3AT .380 ACP in an Uncle Mike's #2 rear pocket holster; as it keeps
the weapon stable, whereas if I need it; its always there~!

no leather cause I tote a 32 Colt auto, 1903.

+1 on using a pocket holster, for any number of very good reasons, not the least of which is to help keep all sorts of normal pocket debris out of the gun's mechanism. A good holster, one that is well-made and that fits your carry piece exactly, will pay quick rewards in comfort and reliability.

pocket holster yay or nay?

In my state, I cant speak for others but if your concealed pistol is seen by someone who has anti gun leaning they can freak out and basically lie till there blue in the face and make you seem like a gun wielding nut who tried to rob a place, So i would suggest using a pocket holster for keeping the gun clean and keeping the outline from being seen and protect the trigger from accidental rubbing now that shouldnt be an issue if proper gun safety is observed and implemented, Also im sure everyone has a pair or two of jeans that have an outline of a wallet or pocket knife worn into them i know i do, And if your gun doesnt have rounded corners it will wear that outline pretty quickly even if its like a PPK and is very rounded it will still wear a pattern. a gun isnt something that will slide around in your pocket so a pocket holster will stop that from happening, also a bit of velcro the loops in the pocket and the hooks on the holster will keep the holster from coming out on the draw

Always carry Sig P238 with DeSantis SuperFly pocket holster. No problem with this holster coming out with the pistol.

i use a inside the waist band holster with the clip removed, Very thin leather, for my Ruger SP101. carry in my front pocket. If i go out to a mall i stick a handderchief in my pocket to help destory any possible outline. Most of the time have so much junk in my pockets. that no would ever know.

Before i took my kel tec P3AT to consignment . i cut up part of an old sholder harness holster that that works as good as any thing made from leather . Looks like crude but works.

Yes. I like how pocket holsters keep the gun situated. I've used all of these from time to time, plus a Nemesis not pictured. They all work, but the round cut Mika gets the nod most often. It's alot more worn now that it is in this old photo, and has never come out on the draw. I also have a square cut RKBA, which does duty in my ranch coat pocket.


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If pocket carrying I always use one. Helps with my peace of mind. Uncovered triggers worry me.

A holster is a must IMO

I think its almost a moral obligation to holster your front-pocket carry pistol, even if it is a steep double-action-only like my Kel-Tec P-11. Certainly it is wisdom to do so! You never know what may accidentally stroke the trigger - it only takes an inch of movement.

The other day I was walking around the front of an automobile and caught the bottom of the pant-leg opening of my shorts on the top of the license plate holder - almost fell to the ground. Something could catch on my pocket just as easily. There is just no telling when you're going to fall against something, snag on something pointed, sit down (or stand up) when something is jabbing into your pocket area, etc. - it is utterly unplannable and beyond your control when it happens.

Heck, I don't even feel comfortable having a loose pistol in my car with me, unless I've got a nice, tight, perfect place to jam it so it can't move - which I don't, at least not out of sight.

The only gun I've pocket carried was a S&W 642. That gun tries to roll forward in large pockets without a pocket holster.

In Ohio, I can carry any way I want... on foot.

As soon as I get into a vehicle, my handgun(s) must be

• on the body in a holster (including a pocket holster)
• in a closed glovebox or center console
• in a closed container with some kind of closing device, such as a briefcase or purse in plain view
• in a locked container out of plain view

If you want to pocket carry in a vehicle in Ohio, the pocket holster is MANDATORY.

I regularly carry a S&W Model 36 in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster, mostly when I know beforehand that I'm going to have to disarm.

Protects the gun and breaks up the outline.

Pocket carry my Ruger LRC or LCP using a RKBAholster or a DeSantis Nemesis. Breaks up the printing, plus keeps the dirt lint out and doesn't let the gun rotate in the pocket so it winds up pointing at you....

keys? I regularly drop my keys into my strong side pocket absentmindedly. I do not want to be fishing and tugging for my keys around an exposed trigger. My g27 rides snuggly in a nemesis.

Disreguard

Well I would prefer not to carry in a holster, but the state of Ohio makes the decsion for you. All guns must be carried in a holster. I pocket carried my KT P3AT when I lived in Florida and I never used a holster, they are all too bulky IMO. I see it as kinda defeating the purpose of pocket carry "drop it in your pocket and walk out the door". Now that's something I'll just have to deal with if I decide to pocket carry here in Ohio.

I was under the impreasion that it always had the be carried in a holster. Is that not true? (I didn't even read this post til after I posted mine)

I believe the holster is only mandatory in a vehicle in Ohio. I use a holster all the time. I want the trigger covered when concealed. There are some small pocket holsters made that are minimally noticeable. I don't think you need a holster though when you are out of a vehicle.

I pocket-carry only on my way to and from work, and I do so without a holster, only because I do not yet have one I like for the gun involved. However, I voted "yes" because I intend to get one, and have always used one the rare other times I pocket-carry (usually a back-up gun the one night a week I deliver pizzas.)
My job (EMS) has me in uniform, which precludes my normal means of I/OWB carry, and no carry on the job is permitted.

I couldn'r have stated it any better.

I always keep my pocket gun in a holster.
Why?

#1 To keep front sight and other things from snagging on draw.

#2 To keep pocket lint and other junk out of the action and moving parts of the pistol.

#3 To keep the pistol positioned properly in my pocket.

#4 To keep from wearing holes in my jeans.

#5 To hide the outline of the gun and make it more concealed.

#6 To protect the gun form water and perspiration.

#7 To keep the trigger covered.

Click to expand...

Always remember, never place anything in the same pocket that you carry your gun in. You don't want anything to hinder your draw or interfering with the function of your gun when/if you should ever need it in a hurry.

I carry a 642 in an Uncle Mikes, works well for me. Sometimes I replace it with an LCP, for when I'm unarmed. I have used a Mika holster for a Cobra, which also works great for me.
I do, however, carry a speedloader in the right front pocket along with the 642. It stays down at the right bottom of the holster, and breaks up the outline a bit more. With the other guns, nothing in the pocket but holstered weapon.

For the sake of the health and well being of both you and your gun use a holster! The holster will help insure the gun won't accidentally shoot your buttocks, leg, foot, testicles, etc. depending on where you wear it. The holster will also protect the gun from your salty, corrosive bodily secretions of sweat and oil, not to mention a ton of pocket lent. Remember without a holster there is only your underwear and the thin lining of the pocket between the gun and your corrosive skin. Pocket holsters also help break up the outline, and keep the gun oriented in a consistent position, making drawing the gun easier.

I recommend the Desantis Nemesis, or the black hawk pocket holster (I think it is more comfortable than the nemesis). I also recommend using a holster for your spare mag if you plan to pocket carry that, to keep your sweat and lent away.

Did I mention they help keep the gun from falling out of the pocket? There really are many benefits.

Quote:
"When I do go for pocket carry I do it sans holster, as the Uncle Mikes' pocket holster I tried for a while kept coming out with the revolver."

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I recently started carrying a PF9 in my pocket for special situations. I purchased a Mikes #4 since that was the only pocket holster the gun store had at the time. I figured I would try it. If it didn't work it only set me back $8 and I would look for a Desantis.

When I first tried it, the same thing happened, the holster came out with the gun. I then grabbed a small to medium sized binder clip (about as wide as the holster). I put the holster down in the bottom of my pocket and clamped the bottom of the holster with the binder clip from the outside of my pocket.

The result, I can rip the gun right out of my pocket and the holster no problem. In the month I've owned the gun I have drawn it out of this set up several hundred times with 0 problems.

Just an idea that worked for me.........

Make sure you get a good holster if you decide to go with one. I use one mostly because it keeps the firearm oriented the same way in my pocket all the times, facilitating a faster draw, and because it keeps it from printing.