It didn’t take much for me to switch from IWB with a tuckable holster to pocket carry. A change in how I dress daily was basically it. I still mostly carry my P365 in an IWB rig, but not at the day job. Nowadays, for about eight hours a day, I pocket-carry a tiny pistol. In switching to pocket carry, I began doing a ton of training and resource gathering to figure out just how to be the most efficient at pocket carry. In doing so, I figured, why not share what I learned with you folks?
The Benefits of Pocket Carry
Everything has pros and cons, and pocket carry is no different. Knowing its strengths and weaknesses can guide your training or even the decision-making process. Let’s start with the good news.
Comfort
Pocket carry is very comfortable. When done properly, nothing pokes or prods or causes general discomfort. Even the best IWB rigs I’ve used have some form of a clip that pokes or prods after hours and hours of carry. With pocket carry, it’s easy to forget that you’re carrying a gun.
Concealment
With a proper pocket holster and an appropriately sized gun, you can carry and basically be invisible. It’s always covered, and there are never any worries about printing or your gun accidentally showing. It just disappears into your pocket.
Retention
Since the gun sits pretty in your pocket, it’s tough for anyone to try and take it. They have to get awfully close to reaching the thing, and it’s fairly unlikely they’ll have that capability. You won’t need to worry about it being jostled or having your young kid kick it out from your holster.
Dress Style
Pocket carry makes it easy to wear most clothing. As long as it’s not ultra-tight skinny jeans, you can likely pocket carry in whatever and remain undetected.
The Pre-Draw
One of the biggest tactical benefits comes from what I call the pre-draw. Pre-draw is the ability to reach into your pocket and grip the firearm prior to a bad situation. If you get the feeling something bad is coming, you can reach in your pocket, grab your gun, and be ready. It’s non-threatening and won’t induce bystander fear like reaching for a traditionally carried handgun.
The Downsides of Pocket Carry
There is no such thing as a free lunch, right?
Slow Overall Draw
If we discount the pre-draw, then we have to acknowledge that drawing from the pocket is slower than from IWB. Not by giant orders of magnitude, but getting your hand in the pocket, gripping the gun, and drawing isn’t as fast as drawing from a standard holster.
Limited Gun Options
You’re stuck with tiny guns. The biggest gun is likely a J-Frame.
Loss of a Pocket
Once you dedicate a pocket to your gun, you aren’t exactly able to use that pocket for anything else.
Position Difficulty
Drawing from a seated position can be difficult since the pocket flattens against your thigh and creates a difficult-to-reach and tight space to draw from.
You Need a Holster
Pocket carry doesn’t just mean tossing a gun in your pocket and calling it a day. You need a holster, and you need that holster for several reasons.
- The holster covers the trigger. An exposed trigger is more likely to snatch and create a negligent discharge (ND).
- A proper holster will break up the outline of the gun and increase concealability.
- A holster orients the gun the same way for a consistent draw.
- A holster protects the gun from pocket grime and dirt.
What holster? Well, the Desantis Nemesis is more or less the standard these days. It’s produced in numerous sizes to fit a variety of guns. They even make a cargo pocket version of the Nemesis. The Nemesis is textured and has a wing. Both are important. They ensure the holster remains in the proper position and doesn’t follow the gun out on the draw.
I used the Nemesis until recently. I swapped to the Desantis Superfly. It’s a bit more textured and has a removable pad that aids in concealment. It’s a bit bigger, but it works extremely well and conceals the gun with ease.
The Draw
There are two types of draws with pocket carry. We already mentioned the idea of the pre-draw. The pre-draw is when you detect or suspect a threat and reach into your pocket calmly and grip the firearm. This pre-staged draw makes it easy to draw quickly and efficiently. In fact, it’s not that hard to get a shot on target in under a second with a staged pre-draw grip.
The second is the draw from the bang. This means your hand is out of the pocket, and you need to start from the very beginning to get the gun from your pocket and into your hand. The draw from the bang is a little more difficult and a bit slower.
A proper draw should have you reach into your pocket with your fingers held together. This prevents one from getting caught in your pocket or holster. You typically want your thumb pressed slightly downward and inline with your middle finger to prevent snagging as well.
Grip the gun, assume a good firing grip, and then draw the firearm. Depending on your holster, you may want to draw directly upward or with a slight rearward cant. I prefer the rearward cant, so I know the wing keeps the holster in the pocket.
What If The Holster Stays With the Gun?
What happens if you draw your gun and your holster stays with it? Well, you should practice throwing the holster off the gun. The better holster you use, the less likely this is to happen. Of course, user error can occur. You might unknowingly grip the holster with the gun and pull them both out.
If this happens during practice, just roll with it, don’t restart your draw. You have to get fast at removing the holster, but you need to do it safely. Don’t put your hand in front of the gun to pluck the holster off. I typically have a wing on my holster so I can use my support hand to press the holster off the gun. Or you can go over the top and give it a shove.
You’ll likely do this a time or two while practicing, I know I did, and I got pretty quick at defeating it. Although by the time you get quick at defeating the holster, you have likely moved past the issue with your draw skills.
Carry On
Pocket carry is a very efficient and effective way to carry your firearm. It certainly has its limiting factors. Like anything else, it requires good gear and good training, but that’s easily accessible in this day and age. Hopefully, we’ve helped set you up for a proper pocket carry experience, and you can go forth and do so safely.
