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Shorts for summer time pocket carry and your pocket carry

crispnipz said:
Based. I considered looking for a small .22 for gym/run carry, I wonder now if the Bodyguard would fit the bill.
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I'm not aware of any commercially available .22s that are significantly smaller than the BG380, maybe a derringer or specialty gun? The other reason it's good for gym/bike is that it's DAO so nothing but nothing is going to happen even if you crash it. And it sucks ass to shoot - although you do get used to it. I remember the first time I shot one I was "no f'n way ever!", but then I got one and it grew on me. I can hit what I need to with it.
 
kalash said:
For years I absolutely hated pocket semi-autos because of their tiny everything - tiny grips, tiny sights, tiny trigger guards, tiny slide locks, tiny mag releases, tiny safeties - the BG380 was one of the worst I had tried. PM9 seemed promising but I hated the ergos. So I always stuck with snubnose revolvers. It's the recent crop of subcompact semi-autos that made me reconsider one and I'm happy to report that the P365 (haven't tried its competitors) feels like a real gun.
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Love my p365
 
Most people won't notice if you are printing
Did a 20 mile ride yesterday to meet my wife at her sister's in order to check on a microwave popping a breaker.
Had a BG380 in the left back jersey pocket the entire time - the jersey is race tight (I've put on a couple of lbs since buying it)
The vast majority of the time I had traffic on my left so the gun print would have been clearly visible to anyone looking at me from behind.
Ended up going to Lowe's to pickup a new microwave and installing it - not a single person other than my wife noticed. And she noticed because she pulled the pocket open.

TLDR: wear whatever is comfortable, no one is searching for your weapon or gun.
 
pastera said:
Most people won't notice if you are printing
Did a 20 mile ride yesterday to meet my wife at her sister's in order to check on a microwave popping a breaker.
Had a BG380 in the left back jersey pocket the entire time - the jersey is race tight (I've put on a couple of lbs since buying it)
The vast majority of the time I had traffic on my left so the gun print would have been clearly visible to anyone looking at me from behind.
Ended up going to Lowe's to pickup a new microwave and installing it - not a single person other than my wife noticed. And she noticed because she pulled the pocket open.

TLDR: wear whatever is comfortable, no one is searching for your weapon or gun.
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I wear it IWB on the bike, I have a cheap nylon belt I wear under the jersey/shorts (yeah, less than ideal). I may try and find a triangular pouch I can mount on the frame and just leave it in there. IDGAF about it printing while I'm riding but I do worry about it flying out of the pocket.
 
No matter what shorts you get, I have to have 7 belt loops. Had a Colt Mustang for a while that was decent for pocket carry and it now resides in Tennesee. Fun little gun and ran well. I have a 38 snubby that has not left my safe for a couple of years but it is something to think about. Previous owner ran +P in it.
 
I don't pocket carry, so I'm limited help there. I just go to a smaller pistol AIWB, without the spare mag, when I want to go "lighter."

I wear these. I'm also a 32" waist (at 6' 3", 195 lb) and the mediums fit as expected, and go past my knees...

Amazon product ASIN B0009A2NGUView: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0009A2NGU/


Their pockets are fine, though I'd always be happier with deeper, and they fade faster than I'd prefer. At some point, I'm probably just buy actual BDUs and shorten them, I think that's the best solution for my weird compulsions.

ETA - as a test, I just dropped my Shield in the front pocket. Seems plenty deep to support carry.
 
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For carry at the gym or anywhere else where you are minimally dressed, I would think a Seecamp in .32 ACP would be a viable alternative, certainly better that nothing or a small .22 rimfire. I've had one for 25 years but have not carried it in a long time. I did take it to the range a while back just to remind myself how it felt to shoot. Recoil, of course, is extremely mild and hits on a man size target at 5-7 yards can be accomplished despite the absence of sights with just a little practice. Probably not worth spending $500 on if you will not carry it very often, but I still think it is worthy of consideration.
 
crispnipz said:
I'd love to pick up a P365 (non-XL) for this, but maybe that can be a Christmas gift for next year, so I would probably use my Bodyguard 380 (inb4 disparaging comments about the Bodyguard)
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365s are a good compact size gun that aren't terrible to shoot (like most micro compacts). But, they are kind of on the big size, if not too big, for a pocket carry gun unless you are a really big dude with big pockets.
 
sometimes I miss my Raven .25

a nice thing to have when you don't have a gun..... fit everywhere
 
pastera said:
Most people won't notice if you are printing
Did a 20 mile ride yesterday to meet my wife at her sister's in order to check on a microwave popping a breaker.
Had a BG380 in the left back jersey pocket the entire time - the jersey is race tight (I've put on a couple of lbs since buying it)
The vast majority of the time I had traffic on my left so the gun print would have been clearly visible to anyone looking at me from behind.
Ended up going to Lowe's to pickup a new microwave and installing it - not a single person other than my wife noticed. And she noticed because she pulled the pocket open.

TLDR: wear whatever is comfortable, no one is searching for your weapon or gun.
Click to expand...
As soon as people realize printing isn't an issue, carrying becomes a lot more comfortable. I usually just use a safariland OWB holster, and an over shirt of some sort. Never had an issue, and super comfortable. The typical person has no idea what printing is, nor do they want to know.
 
Dench said:
For those who pocket carry... we've all been there. We put on our favorite pair of shorts, slap the gun in it's pocket holster throw that bad boy in the pocket and.... er........ Not going to work. Either physically sticking out or the gun is in plain sight.

Turns out deep pockets are sorta hard to come by these days for shorts. Since all I can really wear here is shorts if I'm to be outside for anything longer than 5 minutes here in SWFL, I need to go hunting for the uniforms that are deep pocketed shorts to accommodate a pistol with it's pistol holster.

I previously used a Glock 42 in .380 with a Detroit Holster "John R (Pocket)" holster. Pocket Holster Detroit Holster John R
Why? The G42 is very slim and this pocket holster is fantastic. It weighs next to nothing, is easy to get the gun in and out of and it has a little hook at the end, so if you grab the pistols grip really hard and really fast that hook will snag your close keeping that holster in your pants and not on the gun when you draw.

I now use a Glock 43 in 9x19 with the same holster (the version made for the slightly different dimensions).

The crazy part is I can tell the difference between the 2 frame sizes like night and day, and I can also feel the weight differences. Even though the differences are almost trivial:
G42 Length: 5.96
G43 Length: 6.26 (makes it s tad bit harder to hide in pocket as sticking out is the main problem)

Weight with full mag
G42: 15.9 ounces
G43: 20.9 ounces

The crazy part here is the G42 weighs less LOADED than the G43 with no mag in. Woof.

The rest of the dimensions are extremely close.

Anyway, I'm not sure yet if I regret trading the 380 for the 9. Till will tell. If it keeps being a pain worse case I'll switch back or to another gun.


So, for the holster here it is again Pocket Holster Detroit Holster John R
I recommend it. However, I did not that after several years of the gun sitting in the holster the holster starts to lose its grip. When I 1st got it I could holster the gun and hold the holster upside down and it would not fall out. After a few years it either really wanted to fall out or would fall out. Such life I suppose.

Now, for the new pants I found yesterday. I found them at Basspro.

The RedHead Stanley Shorts for Men. https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/redhead-stanley-shorts-for-men

They come 30-48. I am wearing either a 30 or 32 depending on what weight I'm keeping myself at for jiujitsu competitions. If I'm going holocaust survivor mode at 155, I have to wear the 30's. I normally walk around at 170 when I am not grinding out a 4 month diet for weight so I wear a 32 inch for that. I am 5'9 and the gun looks like something of a large smart phone in my pocket. I give my dimensions to make the point that If I con conceal with the smallest sized pants, I suspect everyone else will have no problems if they have to wear the largest ones.

I tried every single pair of shorts they had in the store, perhaps 10+ pairs of every day shorts. These were the only ones by a large margin that would would.


Please post your pocket pistol carry gun, holster and shorts here!
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155? Super heavy right here. I haven't weighed 155 since eighth grade. Best I can get down to is around 220 now, and people think I am sick when it happens.
 
S&W 638 in a Desantis Nemesis in Wrangler Camo Cargo shorts. For like 15 years now. Never spotted Rosco when I'm out and about.
Yardwork, hiking, long walks on the beach, lite Disco... It's all good.

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Duluth Ballroom shorts have deep pockets. A few Columbia shorts also. I’m surprised nobody mentioned Seecamp. If I’m not carrying the Seecamp,it’s the PPK. Both the PPK and Seecamp in a Mitch Rosen Pocket Softly. It’s hard to explain but the extra weight of the stainless feels good to me. Printing? Nobody knows.
The suede on the holster holds it in the pocket and the rounded ”hook” works also. Comfortable with the smooth leathe. The suede is starting to show wear but it’s to be expected I guess.
 

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Sterg said:
Duluth Ballroom shorts have deep pockets. A few Columbia shorts also. I’m surprised nobody mentioned Seecamp. If I’m not carrying the Seecamp,it’s the PPK. Both the PPK and Seecamp in a Mitch Rosen Pocket Softly. It’s hard to explain but the extra weight of the stainless feels good to me. Printing? Nobody knows.
The suede on the holster holds it in the pocket and the rounded ”hook” works also. Comfortable with the smooth leathe. The suede is starting to show wear but it’s to be expected I guess.
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You must have missed my post (#44) , but I was also surprised nobody mentioned the Seecamp, great deep concealment pistol!
 

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