Welcome to the J-frame revolver loadout from Everyday Carry. Yes, we just covered the utility of small frame revolvers in the post. And right on cue, here’s Mike with his Smith & Wesson Model 60 in a pocket carry holster.

He carries in a BORAII Eagle pocket holster that keeps the gun oriented in the proper direction in the pocket, so when you really need it, you don’t have to go looking for the grip. That’s quite an affordable mate for your J-frame.

And at the same time, pocket holsters like this one break up the tell-tale outline of the gun. So you don’t get the question, “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?” from your friends or dates. Of course the downside to pocket carry is that you pretty much have to keep that pocket dedicated to just the gun.

Mike also carries a highly rated 250-lumen Streamlight as every gun carrier should.  In this case, 250 lumens-worth of darkness piercing.  That’s a good thing.  After all, most deadly force encounters take place in low-light conditions.  It’s almost as if bad guys prefer to ply their trade in the dark…

Do you pocket carry? (I do.)

 

 

 

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37 COMMENTS

    • actually, i prefer the exposed hammer when appendix carrying. (aka pointing it at my junk). i like to rest my thumb on the hammer as i re-holster. once holstered in a quality holster, either style is safe to carry.

      I have pocket carried both hammerless and hammer fired j-frames. While there are slight advantages to each design, both work well for pocket carry.

  3. “And at the same time, pocket holsters like this one break up the tell-tale outline of the gun.”
    when i looked at the image i thought, that holster does nothing to minimize printing.

    • agreed. i will say it matters very little. i have pocket carried for 7 years with similar holsters. i’ve only ever been made by gun guys. I actually made a holster almost identical to that one for a first gen charter undercover. It worked great.

  4. Yes, I pocket carry a S&W 442 and carry a Sparks Summer Special 1911. The “hammerless” is thinking man’s J frame.

  6. Kel-Tec P3AT in a DeSantis SuperFly pocket holster. Have hundreds of rounds thru that gun, works perfectly, never a hiccup.

    I prefer the DeSantis SuperFly for several reasons.

    1. Breaks the gun’s outline like no other holster can. The SuperFly has a flap attached with velcro. Fits either side of the holster for left or right side use. The flap is stiff but flexible and does a first rate job of making your gun’s imprint smooth, no tell-tale shapes.

    2. The outer shell of the holster is a synthetic that always feels sticky. So it holds the inside of your pocket, the gun and holster do not shift about in there.

    3. The pull from the holster is clean and quick.

    I also have the same holster for a J frame snubbie. Mine is an old Charter Arms Off Duty .38 Special.

    • “Hundreds of rounds”. That’s how many rounds it takes for you to trust a gun?

      Seriously though. How do people manage to carry a pocket knife and a multi-tool? It’s called EDC. Not “here’s the cool stuff I keep in my nightstand drawer that would look good together in a picture.

      • Not sure what you are trying to get at in saying that? All I’m saying is that little .380 has been reliable, not one incident of failure for the time I’ve owned and practiced with it. Of course as with all my guns I keep it clean and properly lubed and carry it with ammo I’ve experience using.

      • This a pretty minimal dump, bud.

        When I’m in the field, i carry a Gerber multitool on my belt. The little thing here would be a breeze to carry.

        What I cant get is a phone bigger than a gun.

        • Agreed, I edc quite a bit more gear and use most of it daily. All it takes is a few, “damn, why didn’t I bring X” incidents before ones EDC is expanded. I wear Blackhawk Pursuit cargo pants and shorts only, so no matter the season my gear is always in the same spot. A galco gun belt supported by Perry’s Ruf n Tuf j hook suspenders complete the rig. I can comfortably carry a hefty load out. After 30 years I think I finally have it dialed in!

        • Wasn’t giving you a pocket dump. Was talking about a particular mouse gun and holster. Not the entire list of what I carry.

          Usually the mouse gun is the second gun I am carrying. Not always, places ago it isn’t always possible to carry what I want to, if at all.

          And that’s still not me listing a “pocket dump”.

      • Owned a ranch/farm combo (row crops, raised bed gardens, production hogs, sheep, chickens, and ducks. Plus animal rescues, including donkeys and llamas.) On my belt every day was S&W sdve40, leatherman multi-tool, folding blade, flashlight, handcleaner, small first aid kit. In pockets were multiple key sets for gates, sheds, and barns, another folding blade, small can of wd40, wallet, and change purse. Used most of this at some point every day. Working with animals, crops, predators, and people you need what you need on you or close by. Seconds and minutes wasted making trips back and forth to house, barn, or garage can be difference in life or death, or profit and loss.
        Often thought about making a Batman-style utility belt to slip on and off. Admittedly, this much stuff is not practical in waiting rooms or theater seats!😄

  8. Always gotta have love for the J-frame’s.

    If I’m wearing a jacket, I’ve got a J-frame in a pocket.

  9. Yep, I occasionally carry a snubbie (model 36) in a Galco pocket holster. More often, though, I carry an LCP2 instead. It is lighter and smaller. But I am happy with either one.

    There’s just something special about a j-frame… hard to put into words.

  10. Yep. I have pocket carried for almost 40 years. Lots of small pocket mouse guns, but a long familiarity with J frame snubs ( and one Cobra).

    Started by folding a pamphlet or something similar to break the outline. Then I bought soft leather Bianchi IWB holsters and remove the clip.

    Thad Rybka made the first well-designed pocket holster I ever saw (80s?). I bought a Kramer horse hide in the early 90s to house my 042. Great holster – still stiff and ready to go.

    I also like the Mika holsters a lot for J frames and LCRs. For the LCP, I prefer the Desantis holsters for stickiness and stiffness.

    While I like the looks of the holster pictured, I am afraid the dust bunnies and detritus would fill every exposed surface pretty quickly. But I’m outside a lot. He seems to like it.

    Also…kudos for having a proper Chief Special. I won’t carry mine as it was my mother’s and valuable to me. But the rest still carry just fine.

  11. Very rarely do I pocket carry. On occasion I’ll slip a revolver into a coat pocket, but as I said, very rarely.

    Kind of a cool light but I’m still undecided on the utility of rechargeable flashlights. Although if they can be charged off a battery like the GoPro external batteries I could see some use in that.

  12. I pocket carry my Kahr pm9. Cool part about it is its smaller than a J frame, yet it holds 7 rounds (6+1). I’ll take that!

  13. What you’re missing is the notable rarity of the gun-owning Subaru driver. After all, Subarus are about love (and head gaskets).

  14. Well that seems to be changing, we got our first Outback last year, wife and I both gun folks . I know a bunch of gun guy / hunters on the job who own them too , but we get a lot of snow here,and they really shine in the snow .

    But I’m ok with your line of thinking as it may give me an element of surprise .

    • Larry, we were just looking at the Subaru, also. They certainly have gotten more comfortable. I always thought socialists bought them. Now I think we may get one. I like your thought about ‘element of surprise’. With frequent trips to the muddy back country, we only buy 4wd now.

  15. I wear jeans exclusively. I can’t fit anything bigger than my holstered NAA mini-mag. My LCP won’t fit except bare. I guess I’m just not tacticool.

  16. Same here Dave . If I wear old fat man jeans, loose fit ,baggy here and there, I can pocket carry, but it looks like I’m wearing clown pants .

    Regular fit jeans , my LCP in holster shows up like a brick , back pocket works ok .

  17. Yes I carried diamondback 380 acp in uncle Mike pocket hostler. It’s basically same function as my Glock just an small scale

  18. I carry a J-frame in a Mika pocket holster. He makes too styles, one for square cut pockets like the one shown above, and one for tapered pockets like in my jeans. I think they do a better job of breaking up any printing than that holster although it would be great for cargo pants pockets.

  19. I pocket carry an LCR because unlike the Smith and Wesson it does not have an internal lock, it has a fabulous trigger, and the grip makes it a pleasure to practice with rather than an exercise in splitting open the web of my hand like the J-Frame.

  20. I pocket carry a SA 911 in a DeSantis Nemesis. I wear jeans most of the time; cargo shorts in the warmer months. I’ve even carried it while wearing dress slacks; it’s a little awkward but fortunately, I don’t have to do that often.

    It prints a bit but I have never been made by anyone. You would have to look closely and know what you are looking for. I recently ran into a “non-gun” type friend in our local mall and told her I was carrying; she said she could not tell at all.

    I carried a .38 snubbie for a while – now and again still do – and it was fine with jeans and cargo shorts, but with slacks it was a bit too much. Went with the 911 .380 so I could carry regardless.

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