Greetings Bushmaster,
You have received a number of varied responses, all well thought out. I, too, am in a similar boat, at the other end of the Garden State. My basic question is, would you drive your car without wearing a seat belt, in the belief that you would have enough time to put it on in the event of an accident?
Not knowing whether you live in the city, suburbs, or country necessitates asking this: would you envision a confrontation more likely in a standing scenario (walking to your car or house, in line at the store, or walking along the street) or a seated scenario (car jacking, seated at a restaurant table or desk at work)? If standing, pocket carry may work for you, if seated, you may never reach your pistol in time. Considering how anti-gun NJ is, you don't know for certain if placing your pistol in the car's console will get you charged if stopped. Remember, there is a fantastic chance that your NJ driver's license will be flagged if you get a carry permit!
Next, at what point would you feel the need to defend yourself? More than likely, it would be once you see an offensive weapon within your 21 foot safety cushion. Keep in mind, the vermin that is planning on doing you harm is not going to play fair and wait for you to draw and rack the slide! The miscreant will open fire as soon as you make a defensive move. If you anticipate surviving an armed encounter, you are going to have to be faster than the threat, and you better expect to catch a round in the firefight, should one erupt.
When I get my permit, I plan on carrying my P365 with manual safety IWB (I was weened on a 1911). I believe that this approach would increase my speed in bringing a pistol into play. I have only one pistol that I would consider for pocket carry, my G42, but it wouldn't be my primary defensive pistol.
I shoot a fair amount of PPC and a few IDPA matches, with OWB holsters. However, my participation in the Adaptive Defensive Shooting Summit is where I have gotten most of my concealed carry instruction. The ADSS is designed for the physically challenged, and in our matches, time counts. Scoring, like a GSSF match, is time plus penalty. How much time will it take to draw once you identify the threat, bring your pistol into battery, and engage your threat? Remember, all the while that you are bringing your pistol into play, there is most likely a hot pistol pointed at you!
It might be a wiser move to install a thumb safety on your P365 and get yourself a good kydex IWB holster and practice! The life you save could be your own!
Seriously, I have never been a professional gun-toter of any sort, but I do have my opinions based on years of observation and drawing logical conclusions whenever I could. My two thoughts for you are, (1) I would not carry the P365 with an empty chamber, and (2) I am not a fan of pocket carry in general and prefer to use a belt holster whenever I can. But, as another reply noted, you're way better off having access to your 365, even if unloaded, than needing it and it is still at home. Just my humble .02. Good luck!
