Pocket carry, but with baggy shorts

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chetrogers

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I'm trying to decide what I will pocket carry when I get my CHL, but everything I have right now is just to big and heavy. To be honest I'm overweight and I wear a lot of shorts and they have baggy pockets. The shorts are cotton/nylon etc not denim. My first question would be is it possible to pocket carry with these type of shorts? I definitely would need some type of holster. And my other question is can anyone think of a firearm that would fit the bill for a pocket carry with shorts like these. I know the question for what small pocket pistol has been asked a million times, but I don't know if there is anything that will work better in bigger pockets, but still a light weight carry. Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions . If possible for the firearm I would like it to be under $600.
 
A small pistol or revolver will carry just fine in the pocket of cargo shorts (but not the "cargo" pocket). About the largest practical size of gun for this is a small-frame, lightweight snubnose revolver or a pistol up to the size of the Kahr PM9. No doubt one of the little .32s or .380s like the Seecamp, Kel-Tec, LCP, etc. would be even easier, but at the expense of cartridge power. Subcompact belt guns like the Glock 26 are too large, thick and blocky.
 
A good pocket holster makes the material of your pants a non issue, in my experience. I dislike Denim, myself and my little Galko does the trick in my ...baggy cargo shorts and slightly baggy cargo pants. 8)

Oh yeah, by the by I can highly recommend an LCR or any other Snubbie for that kind of carry, just make sure it's a light one. An all steel is going to look distinctively like a boat anchor rather than a cell phone.
 
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I've been pocket carrying a Glock 26 in this same exact manner almost everyday for the past 5 years. Works just fine for me. I carry it in a Desantis Nemesis. Invest in a gunbelt or two.

"Carry on."
 
i carried a s&w 642 in a desantis nemesis pocket holster for about a year. that is what i carried everytime that i wore cargo shorts.
 
Welcome to the club, that is those of us who had to re-think their choice of handguns when faced with the ability to carry and the need to conceal. I still carry a 1911 when I can but recently bought a S&W 442 and find myself carrying it a lot more than I thought I would.
 
I've been pocket carrying a Glock 26 in this same exact manner almost everyday for the past 5 years. Works just fine for me. I carry it in a Desantis Nemesis. Invest in a gunbelt or two.

"Carry on."

I agree with boricua, both on the G26 for pocket carry as well as the suggestion to get a good, double-thickness belt. It took me a while to invest in one, but after wearing it for a while I doubt I'll ever go back to a normal belt. Best fifty dollars I've ever spent on clothing.

I wear shorts with cargo pockets 3-5 days a week now that the weather is warming up. Pocket carry on days I'll be going into "gun-free" zones; it allows me to easily remove and lock up the gun+holster combo without having to remove a holster from my belt as well. The G26 fits great with a cheapo nylon pocket holster, although eventually I think I'll try out the Nemesis.
 
Another vote for the Seecamp .32 or .380 ACP's. These firearms are the
"classic" small pocket pistols, constructed of all stainless steel; so there
is really no need too worry 'bout carry in hot humid conditions, like we
have here in the southeastern part of the U.S. of A~! :cool: ;)
 
The problem with the Nemesis in a cargo pocket is that the gun and holster will eventually rotate and be facing barrel up or out---not oriented the way you'd like. You might consider an iron-on "Holster Patch," which is an iron-on holster made for a tee-shirt but would probably function far better ironed or sewn into your pocket. A Holster Patch and a Ruger LCP is about as light as it gets when it comes to carrying a gun in one's shorts.

Also, Wilderness make a double-thickness "instructor belt" that can't be beat.
 
I wear alot of baggy basketball shorts also. I carry a Kel-Tec P32 in a #1 soft armor pocket holster when dressed like that.
 
Everyone seems bent on waistband carry, but think about what you do during the day. Are you seated a lot of the time, as in driving or working at a desk? What's the climate like where you live? If it's anything like Central or South Florida, you're going to sweat and it will be twice as bad with constrictive clothing. If any of that is true, scratch waistband carry from the options. Any gun, regardless of what it is, is going to be digging into you hardcore. With the right pair of pants and mindset, you can pocket carry a subcompact such as the G26/27/30. I'd much rather deal with a "boat anchor" in my pocket than having the butt of it pressed through my kidneys, stewing in a slime of lint and sweat. I also don't fancy the idea of having to buy pants that are one size too large to wear just so I can shove a gun and a holster in there too. What happens when you wear your pants without the gun? Just doesn't ever look right, belt or not. You don't think you will notice it, but try it. If your clothes fit now, they aren't going to once you add a gun into the equation.

Have you also considered a belly band? I don't think they're as bad as some people say they are. I would much prefer a little fabric around my midsection with the gun comfortably held under one of my arms than shoved in my pants. This method works with just about any kind of casual dress.

I've also heard of people who wear shoulder rigs under a button-up shirt (with a normal T-shirt between the skin and harness). With one that fit sufficiently loose, that would also work. No jacket is necessary, so long as that cover shirt isn't see-through.

What I'm saying is that you don't have to follow the convention that 90% of carriers go for. Waistband (IWB) seems like everybody's method, but for me, I can't think of anything worse than that. Make it secure and concealed, and as comfortable as possible so you'll keep doing it.
 
I also don't fancy the idea of having to buy pants that are one size too large to wear just so I can shove a gun and a holster in there too. What happens when you wear your pants without the gun? Just doesn't ever look right, belt or not.

I sooo second that. If I really wanted to I could do that and have it perfectly concealed but it would end up looking way goofy whenever I don't carry.
 
If I front pocket carry I carry a Smith and Wesson 638 Bodyguard five shot snubnose revolver in 38 special it weighs just 15 ounces and is more or less hammerless so it does not snag on the draw.

Someone mentioned shoulder holsters or a T shirt like the Kramer with a built in pocket for the gun under your armpit with a button shirt, I suggest a western shirt that is dark colored and has snaps not buttons. You can practice your draw with the snaps without tearing off all the buttons, and a dark colored shirt tends to conceal better than a light colored shirt especially if it is light weight material.

I have carried with a Smartcarry or Thunderwear holster, be careful the gun is just above your greatest personal asset, so as with any holster be very careful in drawing and reholstering. With this carry I prefer an elastic waistband without a belt and I tuck my shirt behind the holster in front and between the waistband and pants in back as the waistband can ride up and show. I also carry with this holster set up no bigger than a Walther PPK.

I also carry in Cargo pocket pants or Cargo pocket shorts in the cargo pockets themselves with a special holster with a leg strap and a belt strap that goes beneath your pants manufactured by Tactical Carry Company.
 
I'd look either for special carry pants/shorts, or look around for a way to modify the pants, even with a light pistol like a KT P32 you still have quite a bit of pocket swing, when you get something heavier like a S&W or Kahr metal, or a seecamp or a gaurdian, little chunks of pocket lead, you have a hell of a swing, and a very uneven load.

A way to solve this was used by the WWII airborne, they had drawstring on the pocket to secure it to the leg, another way is to take some 2"or3" elastic large enough to go around you leg, and put velcro on the ends and a piece of velcro in the middle, then you sew a patch of velcro to to the back of the pocket inside your pants, problem solved and nobody else has to know.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I need to get to the sheriffs office this week hopefully. I need to head to a gun store in Oregon and feel a few out. If anyone knows a good store to go to please let me know. I have ben away from the firearm scene for a year now, and the last store I bought from is no longer there "Sportsman's Warehouse" in Clackamas, Or. Thanks for any more thoughts or suggestions.
 
S&W M&P 340. 14 ounces. 5 shots of .357 magnum. I also carry two reloads on speed strips for it. Sometimes it's my BUG, sometimes it's all I carry. It works great in a cargo pocket with a desantis pocket holster. It stays in place and can be drawn quickly without bringing the holster out with it.

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Try the HolsterPatch thingy, it works great for me.
Have one on a black Harley t-shirt, and another in a short pocket.
Putting it on the shirt is easier than inside the pocket.
Maybe should have a professional tailor sew it in the pants pocket.
 
I will give you a tip on pocket carry. Check the size of the pockets before you buy the shorts. I just bought a pair of shorts with wide front pockets. I thought they would be great for pocket carry until I got them home and found that the front pockets went all the way down to the bottom of the shorts.

They were useless because you have a gun banging off your knee cap and my forearms are so big that I can't get my hands all the way to the bottom of the pocket anyways.

It was kind of comical...
 
I carry my P3AT in cargo shorts all the time and have had no issues.



Kel Ted P3AT in a Gunner Security Wallet Holster.

I used to have one of those type of holsters and decided they were just too risky. There simply isn't anything protecting the trigger area. I swapped it for an excellent little pocket holster my local gunshop guy carries that is comfortable, protects the trigger, and is easy to draw from. That said, I did enjoy shooting the P3AT with that Security Wallet type of holster; much easier IMO.
 
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