Carrying a snubbie in your coat

[fiVe]

We all know a snub-nose revolver would carry well in a coat pocket.

Let's say you are holding a S&W 642 in your pocket as you walk along & a bad guy jumps out and begins advancing quickly towards you with evil intent. Is it safe--to you--to fire your snubbie from within your pocket? In some pictures I've seen, the muzzle blast (and "back blast" around the front of the cylinder) is quite substantial. Of course, if there is no time, then one must do what has to be done. Seems it would at least cause major damage to your coat.

I'm just trying to increase my tactical knowledge. Anyone else have any comments on this? Has anyone ever done this?

Regards,
fiVe

 

[Otony]

Not safe for the coat, but that is the least of your worries, right?

I have read several tests of firing through jackets. No injuries were ever mentioned. In some reported instances, the jacket/coat exhibited smoldering, but I have never heard of one actually igniting. I think it is doubtful that you would suffer from back flash or muzzle flash.

 

[FAL Guy]

I've seen two coats that were used in the manner you describe. One was a woolen dress coat and one was a nylon jacket. The wool coat had a few small scorch marks and the nylon jacket had large burns and melted areas. Of course, both had a nasty little hole!

Depending on your jacket/coat, it's also possible for fabric to become snagged between the hammer and frame, which would prevent the firing pin from striking the primer. That's one reason the shrouded hammer snubbies are better suited for pocket carry.

 

[Coltdriver]

I have a S&W Bodyguard for the exact purpose of shooting it through a coat pocket!

You have to agee it would come as one hell of a surprise to a bad guy! The key is to learn to shoot from the side like that so that you can actually hit something.

 

[LWS32]

I think a trip to goodwill might be in line.Anyone try this with an auto ?

 

[R.H. Lee]

I dunno. It's not something I want to try without a lot of practice at the range first.

 

[Highland Ranger]

Anyone try this with an auto

Got to be an almost guaranteed jam after the first shot.

 

[Maddock]

A number of years ago a friend and I went to Goodwill, purchased a number of coats and jackets and conducted tests with a number of small handguns.
I don’t have my notes anymore, but the gist is:
For three shots (our self imposed limit) the shrouded hammer revolvers worked every time, the revolvers with open, unbobbed hammers usually worked, and the autos usually malfunctioned after the first shot, always by the second and a Colt Officer’s ACP had a hammer that caught the pocket fabric and sometimes did not allow firing the first time.
Every garment was damaged beyond repair. The synthetic fabrics looked the worst.
Hitting at any distance while shooting with your hand in a pocket is tough.
Unshrouded revolvers with a firing pin on the hammer would sometimes have the firing pin catch in the fabric when attempting to fire.
One picture I wish I still had was of me firing a 21/2†Model 19 with 125 grain .357 loads at dusk from a light windbreaker – spectacular!

 

[Gordon]

Although I plan on drawing it: I think my S&W 296 is perfect for this. What I like is it's 18oz loaded weight doesn't pull my sweatpnts down when it is hastily paddle holstered to go outside!

 

[Majic]

Just ask yourself if you would rather bleed or buy a new coat before you pull the trigger.

 

[Standing Wolf]

There's an additional danger: lint in the barrel, chambers, and guts of the gun. It gets everywhere in surprisingly short order. If you carry a gun in pockets, you've got to clean it inside and out- on a fairly frequent, regular basis.

Discovered that the hard way.

 

[Sunray]

"...Anyone try this with an auto?..." Ever had an ejected case go inside of your shirt? Hurts. The burn on your hand may cause you to fire again without knowing where the muzzle is pointed. The next burning sensation you feel could well be a bullet going into your leg or worse.
Listen to Standing Wolf. Pockets are dirty places.

 

[Dave Williams]

GLV did a a very informative test on this over on Evan Marshal's website. You have to register, but there is a ton of good info on that forum.

www.stoppingpower.net

Dave Williams

 

[dinosaur]

I very rarely close my coat. I layer my clothing so that my weapon is reasonably available.

It was a bad winter when I had my heart surgery and so I had to protect my chest as much as possible. I have one of those leather field jackets that's pretty warm but when it's zipped up it's almost impossible to draw with any speed. I had the local biker shop replace the cloth side pocket with heavy leather and just put my Colt D/S in it. It worked out well as the leather wouldn't snag the hammer. The pocket is big enough so that if I wanted to get fancy I could've had a holster sewn into the pocket too. What's nice is no one notices someone with their hands in their pockets in the cold. Of course I never had to try it out so I can't say it's 100% foolproof.

 

[tulsamal]

There's an additional danger: lint in the barrel, chambers, and guts of the gun. It gets everywhere in surprisingly short order. If you carry a gun in pockets, you've got to clean it inside and out- on a fairly frequent, regular basis

That's the whole point of the little "pocket holsters." I've got one of the simple fabric ones from Uncle Mikes. If you have a Centennial style S&W in a pocket holster, there isn't much room for "stuff" to go. The barrel and cylinder is covered and the backstrap is solid. And the gun will fire just fine inside that fabric holster. It also helps to break up the outline of the gun. Makes it less likely you will have obvious "printing" through a light jacket.

Gregg