Booth's visit to the Surratt Boarding House after the assassination

[J. Beckert]

We don't know if he had a holster on at Ford's. That was observed by one of the Garrett's, I believe. The Deringer was discarded. A small "throw away" if you will. My point is I think he used the Deringer because of it's small size and after it was fired, it was useless - ditch it and move on. A revolver, considerably larger, would still have 4 or 5 rounds left. Why discard a loaded gun?
There would be so much left to chance in pinning all the hopes of his plan on a one shot pistol. Something as simple as losing the cap when he cocked the hammer would render that gun useless at the very instant it was needed. This makes me wonder about Powell. Did he have a holster on at Seward's? Those revolvers could easily be held in a coat pocket where it would be very accessible. More so than under a coat in a holster. The gun fits in your hand. It's just not that big where it would be a burden to carry.