Pocket carry & loud bang

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sncup

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jun 18, 2016
Messages
126
Location
Wisconsin
This morning sitting in a bike shop / coffee shop with friends, a loud bang.
Having been reading about lawsuits Sig had with guns going off – in holsters & untouched – I immediately thought about an accident.


Since my leg was not burning I didn't think it was mine and looked around for who was in distress. The guy across the table from me, a fellow navy vet, said "sounds like a 45".

Turns out it was a bike tire blow out. Whew.

However it made me consider where the gun in my rt front pants pocket was pointing and consequences of an AD at that point. I've decided to nix pocket carry and only carry such that a AD in the holster would cause minimal injury to anyone.
 
Joined
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Greenville, SC: USA
I was totally against pocket carry until I watched Hichock 45 do a YouTube episode on it. As with any firearm and carry, a proper holster and training is the answer. I still prefer carrying at 4:eek:o but there are times when a smaller pistol in the pocket is easier. One advantage to pocket carry is if you are in a situation that could turn dangerous but are not totally sure, you can have your hand in your pocket and on the gun and not look threatening or even indicate that you are carrying and less than 1 second away from using deadly force.
 

sncup

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Jun 18, 2016
Messages
126
Location
Wisconsin
Blume
I very much agree with what you are saying. However on Friday when I looked down and considered where my pocket carry gun was pointing, it was at the person sitting opposite me (groin or lower) or past him to a ladies group.

Pocket carry does have several advantages, but I'm not going to do so if my activities include sitting down in a group setting (restaurant, waiting area). Good holsters are hugely important but all my civilian training tells me NOT to have a loaded gun pointed at people – even if you are not touching it.
 

dstegjas

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 9, 2008
Messages
198
Location
Ohio
I agree, pocket carry can have its hazards. I carry the S/W 380 body guard in my front pocket. I usually wear cargo pants with the wider pockets on them. so the gun actually lays grip up with the barrel pointing behind me. Sitting down, it's pointed at the ground. I like the body guard because of the long trigger pull. The odds of it discharging without actually pulling the trigger are pretty slim. There is nothing wrong with the other pocket pistols. This one just works best for me.
 
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Joined
Jan 2, 2005
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3,948
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Northern Illinois
If I were really concerned about the gun I was carrying going off by itself, I wouldn't carry it. I like pocket carry, in a Desantis pocket holster, and carry my Lc9s or my 642 in that way far more than I carry IWB or OWB. From a sitting position, the gun is pointed away from my body, unlike carrying on my belt where my gun is likely pointed right at my femoral artery when sitting. But as I said at the start, I have no worries about the accidental discharge of my holstered gun, and prefer the advantages stated by others about pocket carry, including using public restrooms.
 

Snake Pleskin

Banned
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Mar 26, 2022
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Location
Aiken, South Carolina
Like most people posting I own more than one firearm and do so for a reason. They serve a different purpose, not just to have them. I do not carry 1911 style pistols period. Trained with them and used them when required, but I've seen to many ND's with them over the years. When it is necessary to carry appendix I use a SA/DA style like a SIG 226 or a CZ75 compact. They have a decocker, long trigger pull and a hammer which contributes to safety. No preloaded striker fired pistol in appendix carry! I also own Glocks and love them but not in Appendix carry. In pocket carry I have Glock 42, LCPII .22lr or various J frames. I carry the 42 in a OWB. The LCPII has a safety and the j frames, well, are j frames. If you pick the right tool for the job at hand and not because its the latest and greatest you are usually in a safer condition. Anytime a pistol is offered with a safety or without one, I get the one with a safety. It's a no brainer. If you think you are so good that you do not need a safety(LOL) fine, but I'll take the added measure of safeness every day, because the safety does not hinder my use of the firearm in any way and provides one more level of safety and that is the bottom line anyone with a firearm should be concerned about. Safety! It is not just about YOU, but everyone around you too. You are responsible for their safety every time YOU have a firearm on you. Just have an ND and see how fast you are arrested, prosecuted & jailed. Then the lawsuits begin. Just one mans opinion.
 

blammer

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
283
Location
Nebraska
All who carry have to do so in the way they see fit and most comfortable. It's their life and their responsibility for wherever a bullet might go. Good points above and I'm glad to see well thought out reasons for the decisions made.

I decided to pocket carry only pistols with manual safeties for the reasons of where it is pointing when seated and as extra precaution on drawing with my old ham-fisted hands, especially when seated.

Always tradeoffs. If things start getting more unsafe, I might revisit the extra seconds it takes me to draw from a pocket.
 
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
10,426
Location
Greenville, SC: USA
So, one of the cardinal rules is to only point a gun at something you want to destroy... but does that include when the gun is 'dormant'. Whether in a good holster on your side, in your pocket or just sitting on the coffee table at home? Contrary to what they write or report in the news, guns don't go off by themselves... A lot of shoulder holsters have the gun pointed at what ever is behind you...

I guess with the situation sin cup described .... if the pocket gun that was pointed at the guy's groin across the table was a striker fired or 1911 style with safety off and a tooth pick or such got caught inside the trigger guard while it was holstered and had pulled the trigger almost to the point of tripping it and then you adjusted your sitting ... yes, the gun could have gone off on its own.
 

Snake Pleskin

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Remember when the Glock was issued IN NYC. The NYPD had the highest ND rate in the country, hence the requirement by the NYPD for the "Glock" trigger, which substantially increased the trigger pull rate to help avoid ND's. Most ND's happen when re holstering a weapon. Something including, gets stuck in the trigger guard and as you jam it back in the holster, bang!
 

Bob Wright

Hawkeye
Joined
Jun 24, 2004
Messages
7,684
Location
Memphis, TN USA
When I pocket carry nothing besides the holstered gun goes into my right front pocket, nothing. Not a tissue, toothpick, key or anything else. So far it's never caused me the slightest problem.
Since I carry a Ruger Blackhawk, accidental discharge is a very remote worry with me, as the hammer must be cocked first.



Bob Wright
 
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1,743
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Idaho
I have carried 3 different handguns in a pocket carry for many years. Along with a few co workers. In a jacket pocket or pants rear, front or cargo pocket. In my world no one has ever had a AD when carrying a pocket gun. But then again you must know how the gun is designed to be carried as in manual safety on/off etc. and as another stated, its carried in a holster and NOTHING else is in that pocket.
 

Snake Pleskin

Banned
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I worked at SGC for 10 yrs or more on the range and as a trainer. We had to pass the Phoenix PD firearms' test each year to stay qualified. No holster use was allowed other than strong side because of the potential for "sweeping" others. It is a fairly standard rule at most well run ranges.
 

BearBiologist

Buckeye
Joined
Dec 4, 2021
Messages
1,829
I pocket carried for years with Mika pocket holsters=both semi-autos and revolvers. I still sometimes carry a G43 or G27 (Glocks) in my cargo pants thigh pocket but I carry with an empty chamber (I really don't expect a quick draw situation!)
 

RSIno1

Hunter
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Sep 17, 2013
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Southern California
I like pocket carry, in a Desantis pocket holster, and carry my Lc9s or my 642 in that way far more than I carry IWB or OWB.
I've got one of those for my 642 but rarely use it. It just makes the gun bulkier. I'm not worried about AD with its 15+ lb trigger pull.
 

Snake Pleskin

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Mar 26, 2022
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Aiken, South Carolina
I use leather pocket holsters from AZULA for my 42 & 649, that eventually mold to the firearm. I use a DeSantis for my LCpII.22lr.
 

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