Been carrying a Glock 43 with +2 mag for several years in a stiff pocket holster. Thinking about moving up to a 45 Shield with a safety. Thus I could pocket carry with out the holster. How safe would that be? Or should I just stick with my Glock

I have a Shield 45 with a thumb safety that I pocket carry regularly. I carry it in a DeSantis Nemesis soft pocket holster, and it it works very well. The Nemesis has a grippy outside that clings to the pocket, allowing the pistol to be removed easily when you need it. Safety or not, I would never carry without a holster.

BTW, the Shield 45 is a great gun. I've got 8,000 rounds through mine and I love it.

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What, me worry?

I use a DeSantis Sticky. As comfortable for pocket carry as any I've found.

While my gun has a long, somewhat resistive trigger pull I feel more at ease with something covering the trigger guard.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

A safety can get bumped off. Also a mechanical item so things can fail.

Stick with a pocket holster no matter what you carry.

Why tempt Murphy?

The pocket holster can also help keep pocket lint out of the gun......Ben

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Cogito, ergo BOOM!...

Don’t pocket carry without a pocket holster……not a good idea.

^^^^^^^What all these guys said. I would never pocket carry without a holster.

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Ain't This Fun Though?

Stick with your Glock. External safeties on a SD gun will get you killed if you fumble with them in a high stress situation.

I would never carry without a pocket holster.

Keeps your gun more secure, trigger safer, and keeps your gun cleaner.

I had a G43. Good little gun. I did pocket carry as well.

I have thought about the 45 Shield myself (but I'm a very big revolver guy) and I do not like safeties on guns, AT ALL.

If you get one, why have the external safety as Glocks don't?

If you want thin, try AHolster Kydex, or for other materials, Mika, Remora, DeSantis, etc.

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Go ahead... make my day.

Love my 2.0. Using a Tier One Concealed holster. No safety.

My 45 Shield (w/safety) goes everywhere with me, but not often in a pocket. I normally use a Lobo Enhanced Pancake at 3 o'clock. When I do put it in a pocket holster it's a Sticky. I would not ever carry a pocket (semi-auto) gun without a safety.

In fact I traded off every semi-auto I've ever tried that didn't have a safety, including at least 3 Glocks I tried to like. They are just not for me. I don't begrudge anyone that does like them either. Choices are good.

Stick with your Glock in the pocket holster. Don’t over think it. You’ll be fine.

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The thought that a safety could be knocked off hit home. I carried a S&W 1911 in a crossbreed holster a number of years ago and sometimes at night I found the safety was off. I think I quit carrying that gun for that reason. I had forgotten about that.

A pocket holster that covers the magazine release reduces the chance of releasing the magazine when drawing in a pressure situation.

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I would never recommend pocket carry without a holster, it's just too risky unless you're carrying something with an extremely stiff DA Trigger, and the M&P45 Shield isn't it.

I don't own an M&P45 Shield, but I do own an M&P40 Shield which serves as my warm weather carry gun. It can definitely be pocket carried, but I carry mine IWB.
The only gun I pocket carry is my Ruger LCP in a Desantis Nemesis Pocket Holster.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Several years ago, a local was (coat?) pocket carrying a Glock. While sitting in the car, the gun discharged, bullet struck the femoral artery and he bled out in front of his kids while the wife was in the grocery store. Don't recall the speculation on what caused the discharge.

I do believe there's a moral or two here.

The Glock "discharged" because the trigger was pulled one way or another.

I would pocket carry everything, Just practice drawing it -- Many times!!!

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Come and take it!!

I like semiautos with safetys. But everything is a tradeoff of some sort. I'd pocket carry without a holster with a gun with a longer, heavier trigger w safety, except pocket carry without a holster is holy heck on your pocket and will destroy it in short order.

Also, there's too many situations where extracting from a pants pocket can be problematic. I carried a PF9 in the chest pocket of my riding jacket without a holster a lot. There's no safety but it has a long revolver like trigger and it isn't preloaded.

I'd carry my Shield 9 v. 1 with safety without a holster without reservations. I'd be leery of a Shield II without a safety, and somewhat even with a safety.

Another advantage of the pocket holster is that you can get one that breaks up the outline of the pistol. Now, most folks probably can't tell the difference between a Glock buldge and Wallet buldge but, a little camoflague dosen't hurt.

I've also found that a pocket holster helps the gun sit more comfortably in the pocket and presents the grip in a good spot.

I used the desantis ones.

My Sticky "feathers" the gun's outline and keeps it oriented.

It also keeps gummies out of the muzzle.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Yes. Read the Wikipedia entry about John Dillinger. At one point a cop had Dillinger dead to right, but the cop fumbled with his safety, and Dillinger killed him as a result.

Never say never.

The pocket holster also keeps the pistol oriented correctly all the time. I pocket carry about 95% of the time and would not deem of doing so without a holster except in some kind of emergency.

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NHI, 10-8.

When I pocket carry my Shield I engage the safety when reholstering and disengage it as soon as it's holstered.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

This may be just me but, if the stuff hits the fan I don’t want to need to flip off a safety. I know it’s training. I’m not ready to trust myself to flip off a safety. The 1911 was always a favorite but, remembering the safety scared me.

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Two Handguns every day

I would bet that there are a lot more people shot by accidentally pulling the trigger than there are people shot by others because they could not find their safety in time.

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Kind regards, Heinz

When presenting a 1911 (two of which are still in my EDC rotation) my thumb instinctively goes to the safety as the gun clears leather...It's just an ingrained response......Ben

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Cogito, ergo BOOM!...

Yup. First, don't carry anything metal with a "G"on it.
Beyond that,the poor guy must have put something else in his pocket (beyond his hand) that interacted with the trigger.

I'm not big on carrying anything bigger than a J-frame or very small .380 in a pocket,and then only if the pocket is easily accessible while sitting. It's surprising how few meet that criteria.
I stick with in or outside waist holsters. They are made for the purpose, and if used as recommended will allow the gun to be deployed easily without any extra steps.
The Shield 45 is one of the best shooting 45s I've run across for the size. Size,weight, ergonomics are superior to just about any other compact 45 on the market. Even if you just use it for plinking or informal target shooting, you will like the way it holds in your hand and the "comfortable" recoil with standard-velocity ammo.
Good luck with your quest for your next gun.

Chiming in to say I dearly love my Shield .45, which I carry in my waistband.

Its a little big for me to carry in my pocket, but it wouldn’t bother me to carry it in my pocket w/o a holster if I had to. People carried guns in their pockets long before there were pocket holsters.

You’ll be fine.

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