Appendix Carry: What to Know to Keep You Protected

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases.

Appendix carry is like dating a stripper; it is arguably both stupid and dangerous to your reproductive organs, but there are certain perks to the arrangement that some guys just can’t pass up. Appendix carry is now THE hot thing for a number of reasons, and a few of those are very good reasons. Still, I don’t recommend it, just like I don’t recommend dating a stripper, but if you’re going to do it there are certain things you can do to make it less unsafe. Prophylaxis, the doctors would call it—preventative care.

Why Appendix

First, there are two reasons why AIWB (Appendix Inside the Waistband) is popular. The less important reason is that it allows as fast a draw as you can get from anywhere on your body. However, that’s not what most people care about. Most people who conceal carry are interested in comfort and convenience, and there is no better way to conceal a medium-to-large handgun at your belt line than through appendix carry. You can conceal the pistol usually with just a t-shirt, and it’s generally more comfortable than having that pistol inside your belt on your hip. I’ve never found a way to sit comfortably while appendix carrying, so I’ve only ever used appendix carry while on my feet—usually while jogging. And then I deliberately only carried a snubnose revolver. Which leads me to number two.

Second: type of gun. Currently, the most popular type of gun on the market (striker-fired) is the most problematic when it comes to reholstering. Whether it’s a Glock, S&W M&P, CZ P-10, FN 509, whatever, the only external safety you’ll find on most of these guns is the little lever on the trigger to keep it from going bang when you drop it. Which means if something gets wedged inside the trigger guard while you’re putting it back in the holster—bang. This is especially concerning if you’re shoving it down the front of your pants at the time. The number of (truly accidental) discharges police departments experience every year when officers get a drawstring or thumb break or something else wedged inside their trigger guard as they’re putting their guns away would astound you.

Considering what the muzzle of that gun is pointing at when you’re carrying appendix, I recommend you go with a different type of pistol for crotch carry. Double-action (DA) revolvers are good as are double-action-only pistols (like the Ruger LCP), as well as double-action/single-action autos where the first trigger pull is that long/heavy DA one. I also recommend pistols which have external manual safeties, such as the 1911. A 1911 has both a grip safety and manual thumb safety, and both of them will be on when you’re holstering/holstered.

The Draw

If there ever was a time to learn a safe draw, it’s while carrying appendix. Get a full grip on the gun before it ever comes out of the holster, and make sure your finger stays outside of the trigger guard until your sights are coming onto the target. And you need to practice this—with an unloaded gun, of course. The impulse is to try to go as fast as possible, but if you simply go smoothly, eliminating wasted motion, you’ll find your draw will naturally speed up, and there’s no hurry to reholster.

You shouldn’t be putting that drawn gun away until there’s no more threat, so when it’s time, look that gun into the holster to make sure it has a clear path—no wads of fabric, no drawstrings, no belt tips, and no fingers. Keep your index finger far and away from the trigger guard so it doesn’t get accidentally pushed toward the trigger by your belt. I know a few people who refuse to holster their appendix carry gun when the holster is in their pants—they pull the holster out, stick the gun in it, then stick the whole rig back in their pants. That is the best and safest way to do it. Make sure you’re using a quality holster, which properly and fully covers the trigger guard.

Holsters and Belts

As for specific holster recommendations, I don’t have one, and unless you’re very lucky you’ll have to try a few before you find one that works for you. As appendix carry is the new hotness, just about every holster maker is offering a dedicated AIWB rig, if not twelve. Some of the holsters have a bump or a stand-off at the bottom on the inboard side, to help prevent the mouth of the holster from digging into you as you sit down. I think women have a far easier time carrying appendix than men do, as they keep all their reproductive organs out of the way on the inside.

Most holsters require a good belt for mounting, but not all. Some of the holster makers offer optional magazine pouches which mount to the side of the holster in front, for easy access. Between holster, gun, and spare magazine, you can have a lot of things stuffed down the front of your pants. Even if it’s just a minimalist holster and a subcompact pistol, you might need to size up your pants and/or belt to comfortably wear it.

Even if an errant bullet somehow doesn’t hit any valuable real estate, I can’t think of any part of my body (other than my eyes) I’d less like to torch with powder burns. Guns are inherently dangerous, as is carrying them, but if you are careful, and attentive both when drawing and reholstering, you can maximize the safety of appendix carry while reaping the rewards. 

---