Revolvers v. autos for pocket carry

[Rags3000]

Maybe I have just never had an opportunity to try the right kind of auto in a pocket holster, but the J-frame-sized Taurus titanium 5-shot snubbie I carry just about daily has one advantage: Like all small revolvers, it sort of tapers towards both ends, muzzle and grip.

This creates a kind of oyster or turtle shape, which to me is a dang sight more concealable than a blocky auto, as well as more comfortable.

Admittedly, the smallest auto I've tried is a Kel-Tec p-11 9mm, which is only fairly small. I've never tried a Ruger LCP, for example.

Okay, now I'll crawl in my bunker and wait for the incoming rounds. But it does seem to me that the auto just can't be narrow at both ends the way a revolver is.

[ComradeBurg]

Well an auto pistol is narrow, through and through. You don't have the bulge of a cylinder on an auto. I have an LCP with a pocket holster I usually carry in my coat pocket during the winter and my pants pocket when it's warmer. I've had zero issue with it snagging on anything or feeling uncomfortable.

I could see issues on an auto if it had an external hammer, but a revolver would have the same problems if it had the same setup.

[cobb]

If I do pocket carry, it is either a Kahr PM9 or a Rohrbaugh R9s, although I have pocket carries a S&W 642 at times. I prefer the PM9 over all of them, I just prefer the extra round of ammo, the easier to carry extra mag compared to a speed loader for the revolver.

[Rags3000]

Well an auto pistol is narrow, through and through. You don't have the bulge of a cylinder on an auto. I have an LCP with a pocket holster I usually carry in my coat pocket during the winter and my pants pocket when it's warmer. I've had zero issue with it snagging on anything or feeling uncomfortable.

I could see issues on an auto if it had an external hammer, but a revolver would have the same problems if it had the same setup.

For whatever reason, when I carry the Taurus in a Mika pocket holster, the bulge of the cylinder is just not noticeable -- that's whether I'm wearing jeans or dress pants. The important part, to me, is the tapering-off towards the two ends, top and bottom. That means you get a nice smooth transition from the middle, where the bulge is (or would be, if there were much of a bulge) to the bottom and the top of the pocket.

The Taurus I'm carrying is hammerless, so there's no problem there.

However, as I said, I have not tried a really super-small auto.

[GregM]

If I must resort to pocket carry (which is practically never) I would go with a J frame revolver. Not so much for concealability (which I care less & less about as I get older) but just because I prefer revolvers. My PPK is lighter and actually conceals better than my J frame but ... it's not a revolver.

[Stradawhovious]

With pocket carry, for me two things are important........ Reliability and concealibility. As reliable as revolvers are they are easy to spot on a fat man wearing slacks. I prefer the LCP which literally disappears in my front pocket. Now, in a situation where it lives in a jacket pocket, it's a different story. A revolver can be fired from a coat pocket repeatedly, an auto (for the most part) cannot. in this situation concealibilty is also less of an issue.

[DeanC]

fat man wearing slacks

[bensdad]

I put an LCP in a Desantis, throw it in my back pocket, and forget it's there. I don't think anyone could see/find it.

[Rags3000]

I put an LCP in a Desantis, throw it in my back pocket, and forget it's there. I don't think anyone could see/find it.

Well, but it sounds uncomfortable to sit on. Especially if you're inclined to slouch in any chair, like me.

[bensdad]

I sit on it in church. Does your wallet bother you? How about your snuff can? Really, it's not a problem. Your ass just gets used to whatever you keep in your back pockets (as long as its not a monkey skull or a bag of kittens).

[Rags3000]

I sit on it in church. Does your wallet bother you? How about your snuff can? Really, it's not a problem. Your ass just gets used to whatever you keep in your back pockets (as long as its not a monkey skull or a bag of kittens).

As a matter of fact, I don't carry a wallet in a back pocket for just that reason. It's not comfortable. It also paid off for me on one occasion, too: I was the victim of an armed robbery. The perp turned me around, patted my back pockets, said "Sheee-it." and took off. I carry a small wallet in a front pants pocket. (The one I don't carry a gun in.)

But the comfort thing is my main reason.

[bensdad]

Well, I guess my post was a little assuming. I should have said "my ass gets used to..." If you don't carry a wallet back there, then a gun won't work out either.

[ironfoot]

Semi autos for offense (military).
Revolvers for defense (civilian carry).

[macphisto]

Semi autos for offense (military).
Revolvers for defense (civilian carry).

Uhhhhhhhhh, that's a pretty effen bold assertion.

[EJSG19]

Semi autos for offense (military).
Revolvers for defense (civilian carry).

Uhhhhhhhhh, that's a pretty effen bold assertion.

Nah, just means that I must be in the military right now.