Appendix carry, also known as AIWB (appendix inside the waistband) carry, has become one of the most popular carry positions in recent years. It has also, somewhat strangely, become one of the most polarizing forms of carry within the firearm community. For some, it’s not just a carry option, it’s a way of life. For others, it’s a literal threat to their manhood.
As with nearly everything on this good Earth, there are pros and cons, and many people unfairly condemn appendix carry without fully appreciating its benefits. At the same time, it’s fair to say that many people who preach appendix carry also fail to fully recognize its drawbacks, and not all of those drawbacks are physical limitations. Some are mental.
The Basics & Background
First, we have to define what exactly we’re talking about when we say “appendix carry.” The position is so-named due to its location at the belt line on the right-hand side of the abdomen, which is the same general location as the human appendix. For those who like the clock method of carry locating, it’s about 1 o’clock on the belt line. For lefties, of course, it would be the left side of the abdomen at 11 o’clock. Generally speaking, a firearm located in a holster at this position rests with its slide in a vertical position or slightly canted toward the body’s center line, exposing enough of the frontstrap above the belt line to allow for a full strong-hand firing grip before beginning withdrawal from the holster. This isn’t a perfect definition, as some holsters will allow a gun to sit lower below the belt line for greater concealment, but usually at the expense of draw speed or grip confidence.
What we call appendix carry today is something that would be familiar to pistoleros going back dozens, even hundreds, of years. In the early days of the semi-automatic, a style of firearm carry commonly referred to today as “Mexican carry” involved sticking an unholstered handgun behind the waist belt at the front of the body, where it would be quickly accessible by a shooter’s strong hand. It was a popular option for revolvers, too, as the butt of the gun could hook onto the belt. Casting aside, for a second, the safety considerations of carrying an unholstered gun this way, an obvious benefit was the immediate accessibility of the firearm, as well as the concealment benefits.
Going back further, daguerreotype images from the Civil War show troopers, soldiers and guerillas with revolvers stashed into the belt at the front of the body, and illustrations going back even further show men with long-barreled flintlock pistols having the gun situated at the front of the body, albeit in more of a cross-draw position to accommodate the 9″ to 12″ barrels on such guns. Clearly, there were benefits even then to locating your sidearm on the front portion of the body.
Benefits
One of the primary advantages of appendix carry, from a defensive standpoint, is speed. Since the holstered gun is located on the front part of the body, generally, your hands will be positioned in such a way that shortens the amount of time it takes to obtain a firing grip and begin your draw. For personal defense, speed is paramount.
An oft-repeated statistic (albeit with murky roots within the defensive training world) is that the average defensive encounter lasts three seconds, occurs within three yards and is over after three rounds are fired. Another often-repeated piece of data has very clear roots; the Tueller Drill, named after law-enforcement officer Dennis Tueller, proved that most threats can cover a distance of seven yards, or 21 feet, in 1.5 seconds. The conclusion generally shared by firearm trainers across the nation is that an effective concealed-carry setup allows an armed citizen to draw and fire his or her first shot within 1.5 seconds of recognizing a threat. This reality obviates many forms of firearm carry due to the time it takes to access a firearm in that particular location, whether it’s carried off-body or at some other point on the body that requires additional time to access.
Traditional strong-side carry holsters have been a mainstay for decades and still provide a wealth of benefits, but one detriment of strong-side carry is that it’s easier for the butt of a holstered firearm to print through a concealment garment.
The appendix carry position is a natural location for any defensive implement, as the body tends to instinctively react to an attack by balling up, bending the head down toward the waist and bringing the arms in to protect the sensitive areas of the abdomen. Generally speaking, any reflexive reaction on the part of a person will bring the hands to this portion of the body anyway, usually making it faster and easier to access a firearm in self-defense. There also exists the distinct possibility that some kind of physical altercation will precede a defensive shooting, and if that altercation ends up with you on the ground, then other forms of firearm carry may render a defensive gun inaccessible if it’s pinned between your body and the ground. In the appendix carry position, the firearm is still easily accessible, even if you’re on your back.
A daily consideration for those who carry concealed is how to prevent “printing,” defined as having the outline of a concealed arm show through a cover garment. One of the most popular carry methods is strong-side carry at 4 or 5 o’clock, for right-handers, inside the waistband, and, in my experience, this is one of the methods most susceptible to printing. We often find ourselves bending and twisting when going about daily tasks, and when this occurs, a gun jutting out from that position on our waistband can appear prominently.
In fact, many guns themselves have been constructed in such a way so as to minimize this risk, having “bobtail” frames and short grips. With appendix carry, a holstered gun is on a portion of the body that is rarely exposed, because we don’t often find ourselves bending backward at the waist. There are still situations where the grip of a firearm in the 1-o’clock position can be exposed, but it’s less common, and there are holster designs that minimize this occurrence (more to come on that). Because of this, those who carry in the appendix position find themselves having to compromise less on frame shape and grip length, and that opens up more options in the firearm category.
Appendix-carry holsters are available in single- and double-hook configurations. The former may have a lower profile and can allow for some comfort adjustment during daily use but will not keep a gun positioned as securely and consistently as a holster with two anchor points along the belt line.
Appendix carry also provides some benefits on the situational-awareness front. For strong-side or small-of-the-back carry, the firearm is located in a position away from your line of sight. For well-concealed sidearms, this shouldn’t be an issue, but if it should print or otherwise be exposed when going about your daily life, then someone you aren’t aware of may be aware of you in a way that threatens your security. With a gun located at the front of the belt line, the firearm is generally always located at the bottom of your field of view, giving you full awareness of what potential threats are seeing and how they’re interacting with you.
When it comes to comfort, we’re entering subjective and potentially argumentative territory, if we haven’t already. For years, I carried in a strong-side, inside-the-waistband holster. As my commute grew longer and longer over the course of my career, which also still involved a great deal of deskbound work, I found that strong-side IWB carry was extremely uncomfortable when sitting for long periods of time. When sitting, too, the gun was functionally inaccessible, since it was sandwiched between my body and the side or back of an office chair or car seat. An appendix-carry setup enabled me to sit comfortably over long periods of time and also access the firearm if I needed it.
Detriments
I suppose it behooves us to discuss the elephant in the room when it comes to appendix carry, and that’s the fact that the gun is sometimes oriented toward a rather sensitive portion of the body. Again, we come to the polarization aspect of the argument, and detractors of appendix carry will say this single aspect of appendix carry negates all the positive benefits of the position and renders it fundamentally unsafe. So, without further ado, let’s address the issue.
Why consider this carry method at all if you are literally placing a body part in line with the muzzle? Well, for one, appendix carry isn’t the only position where a muzzle can be in line with portions of the body. Certain strong-side holsters, especially those hugged tight to the body, will place portions of the leg and buttock in line with the bore. Then there are the holster positions that don’t muzzle you, but others; anyone who’s walked behind someone wearing a horizontal shoulder holster without a cover garment has felt a stomach flip from staring down the muzzle of a loaded gun. Yet we don’t fault any of these other positions for their muzzle orientation.
The reason is largely because there is an overwhelming acknowledgement that well-built, well-maintained guns inside well-built, well-maintained holsters do not just go off. As long as your gun is securely inside the holster, there is virtually no reason to worry. If you are worried about your gun going off inside a holster, then there are bigger issues you need to consider beyond just your holster position.
Sidecar-style designs, such as this Safariland Incog X holster (r.), have become popular for their ability to include an additional magazine that can be easily accessed at the front of the body. Re-holstering in the appendix position (l.) can be done safely, due to the fact that the wearer has a clearer view of the holster mouth compared to other holster positions along the belt line.
Holstering or re-holstering can be problematic, though, and that rings true with any carry position. Administrative handling of a loaded firearm in close proximity to the body is one of the most potentially dangerous things any gun owner will do, and steps need to be taken to ensure safety. Contrary to popular perception, I consider appendix carry to be one of the safest options for re-holstering, provided that it is approached in the proper way. A hard-sided AIWB holster with a wide mouth provides plenty of clearance, and it’s right there at the front of the body, giving you a clear view of any potential issues. Bending back at the waist while re-holstering can also orient the muzzle and bottom of the holster away from the lower portion of the body, so that if the worst happens, a round will likely exit the pants just below the holster mouth and end up in the dirt.
Thus far, most of this section has focused on dispelling what I think is the loudest argument against appendix carry, but it’s not necessarily the best argument against it. There are practical considerations against AIWB, and these must be weighed. If you get into a physical altercation, then it’s entirely possible that you may be attempting to draw your gun while it is sandwiched against the body of your attacker. True, too, is the fact that an attacker may attempt to interfere with or even grab a gun in this position, whereas other carry positions might be away from where hands and arms are locked together in a struggle. One anecdotal piece of evidence against AIWB carry is a longtime firearm trainer I know who claimed that his law-enforcement friends “love” appendix carry, because, in close quarters, they can block a threat’s draw from this position with their support hand while drawing a gun from the strong side.
When it comes to living with an appendix-carry holster on a daily basis, there are also other considerations. I often find certain pants have belt loops that are poorly situated for AIWB holsters. Many belts have buckles that stick out when a holster is placed inside the waistband, and I often find myself orienting the buckle on the off side of my body to minimize what becomes a form of printing. Then there’s the weight consideration. If you have something of a “spare tire” midsection, appendix carry is likely not going to be very comfortable. Some holsters out there have been developed by heavy guys for heavy guys, so it’s not impossible, but odds are that your extra gut will smash into the exposed grip of a handgun above the waistline, leading to added discomfort and increased odds of printing. In most cases, however, holster and accessory choices go a long way toward making appendix carry comfortable and safe.
Holster Choices
In a broad sense, holster construction and selection for AIWB use largely follows the same rules for most holsters. They ought to be well-built, provide adequate coverage for the trigger and provide enough access for a solid firing grip from the draw. But more specifically, there are design aspects for appendix carry that must be taken into consideration. First, the overall profile of the holster, particularly at the bottom portion, merits attention, because this part of the holster will jab into the body when moving, bending and sitting down. Holsters with sharp corners at the bottom edge can quickly cause “hot spots” that grow more uncomfortable the longer they’re worn.
Different holstermakers have taken different approaches to body-side holster design. Some have molded-in contours designed to minimize hotspots, while others accommodate cushions that can be oriented by the user.
Many makers and companies have taken different approaches to this. One of my preferred holster makers, PHLster, molded a rounded, bulbous profile on the body side of the holster that reduces the potential for these hotspots, but it does cause the bottom of the holster to jut out a bit more. For holsters that have a flat-sided face on the body side, there are options to reduce hot spots and orient the holster slightly forward. The Mastermind Tactics Appendix Carry Pillow is one easy way to improve comfort, and some holsters use a hybrid construction with leather on the body side to reduce hotspots.
While the appendix carry position does generally reduce the propensity for printing, it is still possible for the bottom portion of the grip frame to jut out from a cover garment, particularly when twisting your torso. Many holsters offer some type of “wing” that protrudes just below the trigger guard area of the holster, and this pushes against the back edge of a gun belt, thereby twisting the holster slightly inboard and snugging the grip against the body. Some holsters have these wings built into the design, and others have them as add-ons, and they can be particularly useful. However, the effectiveness of this design directly correlates to the rigidity of the belt, so a quality gun belt is a must for this reason and others.
Appendix-carry holsters are available in a wide range of sizes, shapes and configurations, ranging from the Mission First Tactical Minimalist (far l.) that clips onto the trigger guard to the Safariland Incog X (far r.), which offers a more secure belt mount and a reload.
Other options include one or two belt-attachment points, and this is strictly a matter of personal preference. Some people prefer two anchor points on the belt to keep the gun oriented in a particular way when moving. Personally, I find a single-point attachment to be preferable, because I can slightly tweak the orientation of the gun when needed if I’m sitting down, standing up or bending over. The downside of this, though, is that the gun can shift unintentionally, possibly preventing the ability to obtain a full firing grip on the draw when needed. My personal preference also extends to belt loops that allow the holster to quickly be removed without having to undo the belt, as this facilitates bathroom visits and allows me to remove the holster and gun as one unit or re-holster the gun outside of my waistband, if needed, which entirely avoids the re-holstering issues described above.
Conclusion
Though I’ve come to appreciate appendix carry and rely on it for my own personal-defense setup, I’m under no illusion that it’s somehow the be-all, end-all of concealed carry. As with every other holster position, it has positives, negatives and limitations. At the end of the day, it involves personal choices and a determination of what’s inside or outside of your particular comfort zone, both physically and mentally. But it’s hard to deny the positives, and those who find themselves reflexively dismissing the concept because of some perceived sense of danger, hopefully, I’ve given you some insight into the reasons why you might consider this method of carry.
Even single-point holsters come in a range of configurations, as manufacturers have attempted to produce more rigid mounting options that still allow for easy detachment when needed, as removing a holstered gun is safer than unholstering one.
If you do make use of the appendix carry position and find yourself confronted with tough questions about your choice of holster position or find yourself doubting the decision to carry AIWB, fret not. In many ways, the firearm community has spoken. In recent years, appendix carry has become overwhelmingly popular, and with good reason. At the end of the day, though, safely, responsibly and comfortably carrying a firearm comes down to your gear choices, and those directly correlate with your knowledge and skill level. Remember, though, that training and practice will make you more prepared than any holster ever will.
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