SW 642 a pocket gun? Really?

[TheProf]

Ok guys. You heard it a thousand times.... SW 642 is the ideal pocket gun. I have a 638. (Practically the same...but with shrouded hammer.) I have tried pocket carrying...but it looks like a big grapefruit.

So.....what pocket holsters do you guys use with the 642 or 638?

What brand of pants work best in conjunction with your recommended holster?
I just can't seem to pull off pocket carry with the 638. And I don't wear "skinny" pants!!!

 

[Fumbler]

Just about any thin synthetic fabric holster will work decently.

My biggest piece of advice to you is stop worrying about it. You're the only person who notices. It may look like a big grapefruit, but the point is it does not look like a gun, right?

Other smaller pieces of advice...
I actually don't use a holster just because i think they make it look like I have even more junk in my pocket. If I pocket carry (S&W 637) then it's just the gun in my pocket and nothing else. I only pocket carry my 637 when I've got pants that have those tiny change pockets. I stick the muzzle in the change pocket just so the gun stays upright.

It seems like khakis work much better than jeans.Pleated khakis work even better...but those haven't been in style for a while
I've never been able to pocket a j frame in jeans.
One funny thing is nomex wildland firefighting pants work very very well for pocket carrying a J frame. I'm a wildland firefighter and the gun stays in the personal car during work hours. Sometimes I have to stop at the store before going home and will carry with my uniform shirt off but uniform pants on.

One last thing. I got the 637 as a pocket gun.
It's not a pocket gun for me for the simple fact that I keep too much other junk in my pockets.
I ended up carrying the J fram 97% of the time in an IWB holster over my appendix. You should try that. Many people think a concealed gun has to be in the pocket hip, or back. Few think of putting it in the front because it's sort of gangster-ish. Over the appendix is great for me.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have used a Galco and DeSantis pocket holster and I'm currently using a Mika pocket holster and with all 3 my M638 or M642 disappears in my front pocket. I wear jeans all the time so I'm not carrying in a large cargo pocket which would help in concealment.

As a matter of fact, since I carry my revolver in my front pocket all the stuff that was carried in 2 pockets is now in one. That pocket looks like a grapefruit, not the revolver pocket... LOL

 

[Justice5]

I carry a SW 642 as well, but I have never pocket carried it. I carry IWB in a cheapy neoprene holster, which works great for me. A very good friend of mine carries one in a pocket holster, Desantis Nemisis. He said the holster sticks great inside of the pocket when you draw.
Here' a link.
http://www.cabelas.com/p-0040091290585a.shtml

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Because of the bulge of the revolver's cylinder, there is no pocket or pocket holster that completely avoids any hint of a bulge or "printing." Think in terms of being unobtrusive instead of not even a hint and it will be much easier.

 

[non2os13]

i use a desantis nemesis pocket holster with my 642. i wear cargo shorts pretty much year round and it conceals very well and stays in my pocket when drawing. there is less bulge in my gun pocket than the pocket with my keys, phone, knife, cigarettes, and lighter.

 

[wrs840]

I pocket carry a 442 everyday, (right front) in a Blackhawk #3 or a Desantis Nemesis, depending on the pants, (business casual, slacks and button-down shirt tucked in, good leather belt). No one notices. Give it a couple of weeks... You'll quit noticing too.

Les

 

[ArmedBear]

Another Nemesis here. Great way to carry without a hassle (and if you ever ARE confronted by an armed robber, what will be easier -- reaching into your pocket for the gun when he demands your wallet, or trying to get at a gun concealed somewhere else on your body?)

I sometimes carry a 60 in it (stainless steel .357 J-frame with a little longer barrel and grip). That makes the 642 seem all that much lighter when I switch back.

 

[thebaldguy]

Check the pockets of different pants when you want to carry. I do have some pants where the pocket seems a bit deeper and helps out quite a bit.

 

[Mike Kerr]

ArchAngelCD wrote:

"As a matter of fact, since I carry my revolver in my front pocket all the stuff that was carried in 2 pockets is now in one. That pocket looks like a grapefruit, not the revolver pocket... LOL "

Could not have said it better myself. It took a few months to become aclimated to the "one pocket with all the junk" but, now some years later, it is worth it. Now I can open doors, fumble for keys, fish for change, etc left handed out of that "grapefuit sized bulge" while the right pocket is available for strong side use & carry. Frankly the left pocket with change & other junk is much more of a weight and bother than my " pocket carry" set up.


regards,

 

[Mike Kerr]

Forgot to mention I am a 'Desantis Nemisis' user over 80% of the time.

Regards,

 

[HuntAndFish]

Nemesis, Dockers or similar pants.

Yeah, if you want to wear jeans then pocket carry is going to show a bulge. Thunderwear/Smartcarry is the solution there, if concealment is more important than the draw.

 

[kanewpadle]

During warm weather I sometimes carry a 642 in one front pocket and a 442 in the other front pocket. One speed loader in a side pocket. I wear slightly baggy shorts. Easy to conceal. Both in Nemesis pocket holsters.

 

[ugaarguy]

I use a Don Hume 001 NO. 3 - 2" leather pocket holster. I find it far less bulky than a Nemesis. The Don Hume works better in khakis, while the Nemesis works better in either the front or side pocket of cargos.

 

[AStone]

I don't pocket carry mine. I'm a skinny guy, and don't like grapefruits in my pocket.

Use an OWB. Works good enough for me.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Yep. A 642 is a great pocket gun, IF you shop for pants with it in mind. No too-narrow pockets, no too-shallow pockets. I like carpenter pants/jeans, they seem to work well for me for everyday wear. With a Duluth Trading longtail tee worn outside, I'm good to go- maybe not a fashion statement, but no one looks at me for that anyway. "Plumber's butt" can mean more than one thing...

And a good pocket holster is de rigueur IMHO. I really like those from http://www.rkbaholsters.com/Products.htm , Stephen is a member here at THR and this is where I first encountered his work. I've been sitting on one of his pocket holsters every day for a couple of years now, and it's holding up very well. I'll be getting a couple more soon, when I put my consecutively numbered pair of no-lock 642s to work as my Official Old Phart Guns...

lpl

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Thanks Lee Stephen stuff looks great and I going to have to get one.

 

[TurboJeff]

I pocket carry my 642 in a Robert Mika holster. Great combo. I can use cargo type pants or pleated dockers. I carry in my front left pocket, along with a 1911 IWB, or just the 642 and 2 speed strips. BTW, I highly recommend the "short" boot style Crimson laser grip on a 642.

 

[Dollar An Hour]

+1 on the Mika. Works better than the Nemesis for me.

To some extent with CCW of any sort, you need to dress accordingly. That means cargo pants / shorts and probably not Levi's 501s.

 

[ArmedBear]

Any chinos, cargo pants, khakis work fine. Not the Wranglers that rodeo cowboys/girls wear.

642 in the Nemesis is no sweat. I even carry a 60 .357 with the extended factory grips in my pocket sometimes. The extra weight is noticeable, but manageable. The 642, though, is ideal IMO. I carry it that way a lot.

Since I have keys in my opposite pocket, a wallet somewhere, a Swiss Army knife like I've carried for the past 28 years straight, all of my pockets have a little shape to them. The revolver is just another object in my pocket, not something noticeable.