After years of carrying every day, everywhere that it is legal, I’ve become a connoisseur of holsters. I take them really seriously — so seriously that I now work for Safariland. I’m here today to preach the faith of pocket carry, old-school style, with the classic Smith & Wesson J-frame 5-shot .38.
And before you decry my shill status, seeing as how I’m about to give an opinion on a Safariland holster, let me assure you that I take my responsibility as a reviewer and educator equally seriously. I’m not in love with the J-frame pocket holster we make, and I’ll explain why.
The Safariland Model 25
Alternative carry is not Safariland’s strong suit. The Model 25 looks more like some of the Bianchi holster models than those you might know from the venerable OWB powerhouse. Safariland is a company known for its retention holsters. The 25 is slick on the inside. It is so slick that, if the holster isn’t in your pocket, it slides off of the gun like it’s greased.
The inside is a shell of thermoformed plastic. Stitched to the outside is a leather covering that adds a tactile grip to the body, holding it well inside a fabric pocket. The suede is not as rough as some holsters in this category, but it does have enough texture to act almost like Velcro in the pocket.
When you compress the holster with the tension of your pants around it, it will stay in place. The draw is easy enough. That slick inner lining of plastic offers no resistance, and once you have cleared the edge of the pocket, the gun draws cleanly. The only hindrance I’ve found is the potential for the hammer to catch on the edge of the pocket itself.
How badly does it print?
There’s next to no way to obfuscate this beast in the pocket. That said, the outline doesn’t really look like a gun. As we are a people who stuff all kinds of random crap in our pockets, I guess I’d have to call this a draw.
Most autos look very gun-like. If the holster doesn’t hide the gun, it will show. Revolvers are less common and, as a result of this, perhaps, less recognizable in the pocket. The J-frame Smith & Wesson here is wide enough that it is easily seen when held in a pocket, but most of that is due to the width of the cylinder.
What would I change about the design?
Oddly, of all of the IWB holsters and pocket holsters I’ve been studying and testing, this is one of the thinnest. It prints because the gun is thick, not because the holster is beefy. But I’d like to have a bit more traction on the inside of the holster, too. Safariland lines its OWB holsters, and its Species IWB, and I think this would be a better holster with a bit more to hold the firearm in place.
The MSRP on this one is $40.50. That’s not going to break the bank, but it is high for a class of holsters that’s dominated by some really compelling cut-and-sew designs. Like Sticky Holsters.
The Sticky Holster Pocket Handgun Holster
Sticky Holsters has been around since 2010, but I remember seeing them for the first time in a small booth at SHOT Show about a decade ago and wondering at the incredibly simple concept. There’s nothing new about the look of the design, but it is the feel that sets these apart.
The outside of the holster has a sticky feel that, while not actually made of an adhesive, grabs like one inside the pocket. The inside is much less grabby and will allow a pistol or revolver to move in and out with no impediment.
This tacky material feels like a rubberized coating over nylon. There’s some depth to the sewn holster — a bit more bulk than the Safariland — but not so much added that it hinders attempts to conceal it.
How does it print?
It, too, prints. All pocket holsters do to some extent. But so do your car keys, your wallet, your phone… While the S&W’s cylinder is going to show, the outline of the holster itself doesn’t emphasize the shape of the gun, so it works.
I’ve carried Sticky Holsters for years. I had one for a Kel-Tec P3AT for a long time. While I liked it well enough in the front pocket, I found it was really best suited for the inside pocket of my old Carhartt shotgun coat. That pocket zips shut and conceals a holstered .380 incredibly well.
How does the material age?
After years of wear, I noticed some signs of distress on my old Sticky. The rubber had worn through on places where I frequently touched it, but it never lost its ability to grab in the pocket. You pull on the grip and the holster stays neatly in place, every time.
The interior must have been a bit gnarly. I shot that gun regularly, but cleaned it very infrequently — maybe once a year or so — and the fabric interior of the Sticky was snug. It held up to regular use, though.
The Sticky Holster is light, unobtrusive, and easy on the wallet. This one is selling for $27.99.
Is there a clear winner?
I’m a big fan of the hold provided by Sticky’s exterior, but the J-frame cut is only designed to hold up to 2.25″ barrels. While that will cover most of the smaller .38s, it won’t hold my 3″ Model 60 S&W.
I find the Sticky to be exceptionally comfortable and forgiving in the pocket. As a backup gun or alternative carry for summertime-shorts weather, it is ideal.
Training With a Pocket Holster
Start slowly. I’m not afraid to admit that I carried a gun in a pocket holster, for years, without a round in the chamber. There’s good reason to be nervous, but better reason to train with intention and carry a loaded gun.
Begin with a completely empty gun, as you would with any holster, in a safe space — one where you know you won’t scare any sheep. Make sure it is safe. Then slow down the draw and work on the mechanics and muscle memory. Draw slow, feel where your finger goes when you insert it in the pocket, and feel for the grip.
Speed it up. Keep the finger intentionally clear of the trigger. With a revolver, I like to anchor my thumb on the back of the hammer, just to hold it down, before I clear the pocket and orient the barrel down range.
The last steps are obvious enough. Add a dry fire (again, keep it safe). Then, at a range that will allow you to work from a holster, practice with live rounds.
Maybe the hardest thing to learn with pocket holsters is that the pocket that holds the holster holds nothing else. Keep the car keys, pocket knives, and loose change confined to the other side to prevent any accidents.
