I hate, and I mean HATE, wearing a holster. I hate wearing a belt even w/o a holster. When I get my permit, I'd prefer to pocket carry a DAO revolver and wondered if anyone out there did this on a regular basis. Any concerns besides printing? Is this a long-term viable option?
I'm thinking right front pants pocket in the summer and inside jacket pocket (left side for right hand draw) in the winter. If something were to ever happen (justified self defense shooting, a cop stoped me for something innocent and I informed him/her I was carrying) would they think pocket carry is unsafe or suspicious?
Thanks.
I hear ya. IWB is the only real option for bigger guns for me and I don't like a weapon on a belt. I wear carpenter's or wrangler cargo jeans with big front pockets an most of the time I have a 13 round capacity 9mm Kel Tec P11 in my right front in a home made wallet style holster. I can pull this holster out and lock it under the seat on my SV650S Suzuki and it looks like a wallet to the general public if I need to disarm which I rarely do. It pushes a 115 grain JHP to 1263 fps, enough for any threat IMHO, and is 3.5", 25 yards accurate and quite easy to shoot. I can clear a row of 6" falling plates faster than most average shooters can with a target weapon at 25 yards off hand. I'm that well practiced with it. I've been carrying it a dozen years now and love the thing. There's almost NO situation in which I cannot carry this gun, only 14 ounces unloaded, only 1" thick even though it's a double stack. The trigger is long and smooth and safe for a pocket pistol as any revolver. It never fails, always goes bang, always shoots to POA. I do have a Taurus M85UL in .38 special I carry, too, but the little 9 just makes more sense. It's about as accurate, more powerful, more compact and lighter in a pocket, and a spare magazine rides easily in a knife case on my belt and gives me 25 rounds total firepower. I CAN carry two spares easily enough, but normally only have one spare on me. As accurate as the little gun is and as confident as I am in it, I don't really think it'll take, but a few shots to get the job done, but it's there, just in case I run into the MS13 gang or something. You never know.
I want to get a P3AT or LCP for any situations where I might not want even the P11's bulk, but those situations don't happen too often, nearly never. The P11 is so easy to carry and offers such advantages over .380 single stack guns, I'd default to it in any, but the most rare of occasions. Right now, all I have smaller is a NAA mini revolver, not a great choice in a primary.
I have a Grendel P12 which is reliable, but not very accurate and nearly as big as the P11. It carries in the same holster, actually made it for that gun, in the back pocket of any pairs of jeans and of course the front pocket of the jeans I carry the P11 in. I can hit a paper plate with it at 25 yards 12 out of 12, accuracy doesn't impress me much, but would get the job done up close. The P11 will knock the center out of that paper plate and each round has twice the energy, 410 ft lbs vs about 195. No brainer which one of THOSE I carry.