Modern Appendix Carry

Pistol-Training.com is the home of the modern appendix inside the waistband carry holster, often shortened to AIWB. Appendix carry was probably the first method ever used to carry a pistol, once they were small enough to be man-portable, but until 2008 or so, no holsters were specifically designed to conceal a duty-size gun carried AIWB. As early as the 1970s, some people were putting a slight reverse cant on an IWB holster and using it for AIWB, but the holster itself was no different than any other IWB holster. That was ok when the guns were fairly small, say Glock 19 size and smaller. In the 1990’s I had a custom holster made to carry my G19 AIWB. It worked well and allowed for some pretty cool options. In 2008, TLG got interested in AIWB and we went from there. There is a lot more history and equipment we may cover down the road, but for now, we will focus on the carry method itself.

Why carry AIWB? For starters, I rarely recommend it to people, preferring them to make their own decisions about how to carry their lethal weapons. Strongside IWB works well, and for many people, it is probably the better choice. It does most things well, and with some practice, is very capable. AIWB offers a few improvements over IWB, but also some drawbacks, so let’s delve into them.

For starters, AIWB is more accessible with either hand. IWB is very capable of being used well with either hand also but it helps if you are smaller or more flexible.

AIWB allows a generally more surreptitious draw compared to strong side carry. In many circumstances, you can actually have part of your hand on your gun without tipping anyone off. It also allows you to draw with less shoulder articulation and with smaller movements of the arm and body.

AIWB generally makes weapons retention easier. With the gun being in front, you can put much more strength and leverage into your retention compared to when you have to reach behind your shoulder. You can get both hands in on the action more easily. On the ground, you can use your legs to good effect.

AIWB reduces printing in public. Especially noticeable when bending down to pick up small children.

The draw from AIWB can be very fast. This is where it seems most modern users start and stop their analysis of AIWB. It is the least important aspect to me and is highly overrated. But, it is an easy-to-measure metric, so when people lack context and experience, they focus on things like speed. And, fast draws are cool.

Access to the gun while seated, especially in a vehicle, is really good. I always thought that car holsters were a dumb idea and made IWB work well for me in the car. AIWB just makes it that much easier.

And now, let’s look at the possible downsides to carrying AIWB.

A major drawback to AIWB is concealment clothing. This is true for IWB as well, but you really do need some kind of untucked top to make AIWB practical. I’ve worn it in a suit (occasionally) for many years and it works pretty well, but for someone in different professional circumstances than me, I can see how it would not be great.

Depending on your body type, AIWB can be very uncomfortable and not very concealable. Also true for IWB, so again, it is user-specific.

The big drawback to AIWB in my mind is that you really have to have your safety protocols locked down. A gunshot wound anywhere is serious, but a gunshot wound to your pelvis or thigh can be much more serious. I’ve seen people shoot themselves on their strong side several times, and none were really put out too much. I have not seen anyone shoot themselves while using an AIWB holster, but I have read accounts of it and it seems much more likely to end badly.

To that end, a gun like a traditional double-action makes an accidental shooting much less likely than a striker-fired gun and is one of the reasons we at Pistol-Training.com really like them. We even wrote a post about it.

I hear that many people seem to find AIWB uncomfortable for long drives. This must be user-specific as well. I have spent years of my career in cars, often 9 hours a day and sometimes twice that, and never found AIWB the least bit obtrusive.

Finally, a drawback to AIWB could be for those people who also need to wear a gun strongside for certain activities. When I was accepted onto my first full-time tactical team, I was required to wear a thigh holster for tactical stuff, a suit for some things, soft clothes for other things, and then off-duty type clothing as well. This requirement to use different holsters in different circumstances, but mostly strong side holsters led me to stop carrying AIWB for a period of time and just focus on strong side use.

Teams that I have been on since then have been a little less demanding, and so I was able to keep wearing AIWB for off-duty and soft clothes assignments while switching to a thigh rig for overt tactical stuff. This never caused a problem, but I also made sure to practice a lot and get some dry reps in every time I switched holsters.

So, there you have it. The pros and cons of AIWB, as seen by an OG of the modern AIWB world. Next time we will look at some more of the history and the great guys that helped us get where we are today.