Almost brought this up in the P3AT holster thread, but though it might be too far off topic.

For those of you that carry in a pocket holster, I've always wondered, what do you do when you're in your vehicle?? I've tried front and back pocket and can't seem to get a decent draw from either while I'm seated in a car. A couple times I've reached in and pulled the holster, gun and all, out of my pocket and slid it under my right thight. Just the little pressure from the holster being under my leg is enough friction on the outside to be able to cleanly draw the gun from that position.

However, I'm a little worried about how it might look if I'm pulled over. My pants (well, ok, my legs) are large enough that I can make the whole thing disappear with a little shove, but if it is noticed, my personal opinion is that it might look bad. Am I being irrational?

I would think the other problem with tucking it under your leg is that if you're in an accident, there's a good chance of losing control of you gun, ending up on the floorboards or what have you. I'm not too worried about putting the whole shebang back in my pocket when I get somewhere. Just about everyone gets out of a car and shoves something in their pocket. Someone would have to be standing right next to me to realize it's not a cell phone or something else I just put in my pocket.

Anyway, how do you guys handle it?

I usally carry my P3At in the summer when it's warm. I will usally carry it when I have cargo type shorts on and carry it in the lower cargo pocket on my thigh. I have found that if it is in a pocket holster (which it is always in) it does not print and it is easy to access if you are in a sitting position.

RTK

Good question. The one time that, IMHO, a pocket holster carried in the usual way is utterly useless is in that situation.

So, I don't: I transfer it either to under my right thigh, or to the console between seats, if I'm in the car that has one. Except in the winter, when I'm wearing a parka or a field jacket -- then it stays in the righthand pocket of the coat, which drapes outside of the seatbelt.

I've tried putting it in the thigh pocket of 511s, but it feels funny there. I could get used to it if I thought it was important, but since I don't . . .

As to being pulled over, I don't worry about it. That's one of the times I'm very much into "do as I say, not as I do" mode. Since I think it's fairly likely -- particularly given certain publicity -- that the cop is going to know who I am, I'm going to identify myself as having a permit anyway, and if he's got a problem with that, we'll just work it out on his terms -- with my hands on the steering wheel, he's unlikely to get terribly nervous.

Depending on the pants, another thing to try is to just partially draw the gun and holster so the grip is accessible.If it becomes neccessary,one can discreetly push it back into the pocket.
Sometimes this works for me but it depends on many factors,passenger?,color of pants/shirt in relation to holster,level of concealment I need,seat belt,etc.
Some pocket holsters work [sort of] as a temporary cross draw holster while sitting in a vehicle too,try a few ways and see what works.

I typically keep my midsize handgun in its holster on the seat next to me. That's proven to be the most comfortable place when I'm driving. I carry IWB and regardless of the gun I've tried, the grip pushes into my side above my hip too much for my taste while sitting in my truck. Sometimes I'll drape a handkerchief over the gun on the seat just to keep it out of sight a little more, although the only people who would see it next to me are in trucks or busses that position their occupants higher than my truck window. If someone is in the truck with me, the gun and holster stay on my hip and I just put up with the hip pressure.

I've looked for handy places under the dash to mount a second kydex holster to hold the gun while in the vehicle but to date I haven't been able to find a place that I can reach from my normal driving position which isn't going to cause the holster to be right out in the open for all to see even when the gun is not in it and the truck is parked somewhere.

I pocket carry the same model as Joel. I often wedge my carry and holster between the drivers seat and console. This keeps the grip up and available and does a decent job of keeping it from moving.

On occasion I will just open my gun rag when I leave work. (No carry at work ) I haven't had anyone notice that there is a gun on the seat, but it does make me nervouse should I need to make a sudden stop.

Mo.

That's not a great idea, as a sudden stop or high-G turn might leave it inaccessible when you need it most.

Using a Galco Fletch holster, I wedge mine between the passenger's seat and the center console. It does leave the weapon readily accessible but I am a little concerned as to what could happen were I ever stopped by a LEO for any reason.

I have a taurus 85 and use the between the seats wedge as well. I just leave it in its Mika pocket holster and wedge it in. I could wish that the seat divide was on my side of the arm rest so the gun wouldn't be cisible out the window to truckers or bus riders but it hasn't been an issue so far.

When I have passengers it is a bit more difficult since I want to remain discrete. I often partially remove the holstered revolver from my pocket and push it and the pocket (both inside the pant leg) down towards the seat (along my leg) this leaves the grip exposed about as much as a really canted IWB and the holster secure from sudden stops. It does present the opportunity to drop the gun out on leaving the vehicle if I'm not careful and it is a bit of sleight of hand to accomplish un noticed.

I hear you. That is a concern I have too, which is why I was trying to find a place to mount another kydex holster for easy secured access. It's not a perfect system but it's the best I've been able to come up with in my current vehicle. I'm going to have to spend some more time looking for a better option. One of the things I've noticed about my driving is that it's much more relaxed than it used to me. Having my gun with me actually makes me a more polite driver. I've given up the high-G turns completely, and I'm trying to give the guy in front of me more room than I used to so I'm hoping to reduce the quick stops. I agree though that a sudden stop could happen at any time by accident. I'm going to have to give this problem much more thought.

have you thought about clamping a L-bracket or something to the bottom of the seat? I was thinking about something like that until I discovered it works just as well wedged in my car.

Thought about the under the seat route but the power seat really won't allow for much to be wedged underneath it. Actually, the best idea I've had from an "ease of access" view is to mount an "L" shaped bracket right on the center floor hump next to my right leg and then attach a kydex holster to that. The thing isn't going to be hidden at all, but I suppose I could drape something over it. One would think that a full-sized truck would have all kinds of large, easy to access compartments that could be used for something like this but it's all just various molded shapes of plastic and wires that get in the way when trying to mount something practical.

I've seen online some boxes that mount in the center counsel and upon opening, the gun is raised up and out of the box, but neither the price nor invention appeal to me. I also thought about sticking the gun behind the passenger seat, in the map pocket, as I can reach back there fairly easily. That doesn't work with passengers in the back seat of the truck though, especially when the people riding back there for me are usually my little ones.

I think in the end I'm just going to have to figure out a better holster to wear so I'm more comfortable in the seated position of my truck. As everyone else has experienced though, throwing money at more holsters isn't exactly my idea of good investing. I'd rather just learn from someone who has figured this out before me and follow in his/her lead.

Mark

yeah, the exposed L-bracket could be a bummer. I thought about going to after market console route and mounting a kydex holster inside teh main compartment so I could close the lid when it's empty but just leave the lid up or slightly ajar when the gun is holstered.

One more thing. There was a story posted somewhere on this board a few months back about a guy who was confronted by a crazy bicyclist. The bicyclist dropped the bike in front of the guy's truck and then proceeded to grab the driver through the window of the truck, choking him. If I remember correctly, the driver tried to yell he had a gun and then with one hand was reaching over trying to grab the gun lying next to him. I can only imagine that this wasn't easy to do when the agressor had his hands around the driver's neck, pulling his upper body out of the truck through the window (or at least in the direction of the window). This story really made me realize how important easy access needs to be to the gun. Right now, for me, the best place would be for the gun to be on my person. The second best place for me is on the seat next to me. In the end, though, having the gun mounted anywhere in my vehicle that is outside of my right arm's reach when I'm seated naturally in my driver's seat isn't going to make much sense. If anything, I think this post has made me realize that I just need to live with the hip pressure and keep the gun on my person.

Mark

The only thing I could think of would be a decent shoulder hoster. With my center console, which I wouldn't mind keeping it in there, it just doesn't work for quick and easy access. Perhaps if it opened differently, I don't know. I really don't care to drill holes in any of the plastic in my truck to mount a decent holster.