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The Role of the Pocket Pistol

Talyn

Talyn

Emissary
Founding Member

A backup gun deserves your best effort and attention. Here’s why.​

Pocket pistols may be less appealing partly because of their inherent limitations, but their biggest advantage is deep concealment with instant accessibility.

Because of the rise of hard-use, micro-compact pistols that can bridge the gap between a primary and a backup gun, can the pocket pistol meet the minimum performance standards for a defensive firearm?

www.americanrifleman.org

An Official Journal Of The NRA | The Role of the Pocket Pistol

A backup gun deserves your best effort and attention. Here’s why.
www.americanrifleman.org www.americanrifleman.org

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I read the whole article. I have never carried a backup gun but I have carried a pocket pistol. Take my inexperienced opinion for what it's worth.

My chiropractor told me not to carry anything in my back pocket not even a wallet because it throws my back out of alignment. I can't imagine what a gun in there would do to my spine.

I got my concealed handgun permit in 2007. I have yet to fire the first round in self-defense. Let alone that I would empty my primary and go through my two reloads and then have to grab a backup gun.

I would rather carry OC in the space where I would carry a backup gun which would still not be my back pocket.

As far as pocket carry goes I carried my Glock 26 in a Blackhawk Techwear or a Tagua pocket holster which is the same as (I think they call it) a skinny holster on every "unarmed" assignment I worked at from 2018 until I retired.

I never had to draw but I practice drawing my glock 26 from my pocket holster every time I went to the range and I never had a problem with it except when I was seated.

So, in my unexperienced experience, there's definitely a place in my life pocket carry but for a backup gun? Not so much.
 
The Night Rider said:
I would rather carry OC
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As a civilian OC can be a legal issue after a shooting, as i n why didnt you use the pepper spray. Its defensible but it complicates a simple investigation and testimony (especially in a civil case). Yes its OK to have and use; but I wouldnt volunteer that you had it and didnt use it. As a civilian you have no responsibility to climb the same "use of force ladder" that a cop uses.
 
I bought one of them 22 mag north american arm revolvers. the handle folds onto the gun like a sheath. was gonna carry that thing in my pocket but i can't hit nothing with it. guess it would ok for a belly gun. I carried that smith 380 bodyguard a lot this winter.
 
PieterCoetzee said:
As a civilian OC can be a legal issue after a shooting, as i n why didnt you use the pepper spray. Its defensible but it complicates a simple investigation and testimony (especially in a civil case). Yes its OK to have and use; but I wouldnt volunteer that you had it and didnt use it. As a civilian you have no responsibility to climb the same "use of force ladder" that a cop uses.
Click to expand...

I've told this story before. I worked as a security guard for 15 years.

I've had people try to take my gun. I've had people threaten to beat my *** and take my gun. I've had people tell me my gun wasn't real or it wasn't loaded or I wasn't qualified to carry it.

I had a guy threaten to get an ax out of his shopping cart and cut my head off while I was carrying a gun.

By the time the guy found his ax in the shopping cart and turned around I was standing there shaking up my OC spray. He dropped the ax like it was hot.

90% of the problems that I ran into as a private security guard were OC spray problems not gun problems.

I've had to write reports about drawing my gun at work with the OC container right there on my duty belt.

Never had anybody question it
 
I carry my 10+1 P365 in an Alabama pocket holster every day. Never has been uncomfortable. Got tired of spending $50-100 for each IWB holster and finding it painful and unable to return for credit. I've finished looking for an IWB, pocket is my method for a primary carry option.
 
The Night Rider said:
90% of the problems that I ran into as a private security guard were OC spray problems
Click to expand...
Completely agree. Working security is different from a citizen carrying for self defense. As a cop I used pepper spray more than any tool except maybe harsh language. Pepper spray is a great tool; I just dont like it for self defense when a civilian carries.

I suppose it could be used in a shooting situation as a distraction when going for a gun BUT are we really that coordinated to grab a spray, then deploy it (and not be sprayed ourselves), while at the same time drawing and shooting accurately.

Im also gonna add that pepper spray has a small window for use, TOO CLOSE and the operator eats some of the spray, TOO FAR and the bad guy isnt effectively covered. Plus each type of spray (fog, stream, gel) has its own issue. Fog is generally the beast overall; but has the shortest window. Stream has a longer range but is easy to miss. Gel can actually be wiped off and flung back at the user
 
"Holster dependency: Pocket carry demands a well-fitted holster that fully covers the trigger guard and is rigid enough to prevent anything from moving the trigger rearward while the pistol is inside. This isn’t optional; it’s a non-negotiable safety requirement."
COWPIES! I get so sick and tired of hearing this. don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer in holsters, BUT all of this hysteria about moving the trigger is very much gun dependent. Not everyone carries a recycled Tupperware, half kocked, striker fired bottom feeder.
I'm hesitant to mention, don't want to loss my man card or start a cal. war, but here we go. 380, especially in +p loadings are not easy to shoot in a micro pistol, 9mm even less so. Maybe, maybe a 32, 25, 22 that you can control and get more shots on target might be a better option.

Belt Fed,​

Try new grips. Turned my NAA Bug Out from not hitting the ground if I dropped it to 7-10 yards tin can ventilator. Nice to know if I'm ever attacked by a hoard of tin cans. I would suggest Revison CV. I don't like em but every other sob and his brother dose so I must be the one in the wrong.
Yes, I'm not above dropping my NAA in a pocket, with holster, and calling it good.
 
I don't carry all that often, but when I do I carry, my LCP MAX with the optional 12 round magazine is in my pocket. I carry it 12 + 1 and the total weight is fourteen and a half ounces. I didn't weight it with the Sticky holster I use.
 
I've worn jeans my entire life. The only thing I've ever been able to comfortably pocket carry is a tiny .25 auto. I find that even a small J-frame is uncomfortable and difficult to draw.
Maybe in cooler weather for a quick trip to the store, I might put a small gun in my coat pocket, but that's about all the pocket carry I do.
 
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