What is AIWB? It’s appendix carry – IWB
Posted by Rob Longenecker on August 6th, 2008
I get more and more calls about holsters for carrying IWB between the belt buckle and the hip – about 1-2 o’clock on righty’s and 10-11 o’clock for lefty’s.
Gabe Suarez and others have made this mode of carry more popular lately and we’ve been asked to create a holster that works for appendix carry.
We know it’s got to be stable, secure, comfortable, vertical cant and height adjustable. Also, it needs to bring the gun butt in toward the body more than a similar holster would for behind the hip carry.
What else do we need to know to create a holster just for those of you who are looking to appendix carry or improve on the rig you’ve got?
August 6th, 2008 at 10:37 am
For me, it would have to be “tuckable,” at least as an option. The “kidney” position is easier for me to conceal with a suit coat. The “appendix” position would be too exposed outside of a tucked shirt.
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:43 am
1. Ride height and cant angle must be adjustable – the end user needs to be able to set the height and cant of the holster for comfort, so that the muzzle end does not dig uncomfortably into the junction of the lower torso and upper thigh. There also needs to be enough clearance between the top edge of the belt and the front-strap of the grip frame to allow for a full firing grip on the draw.
2. There needs to be enough holster extending below the level of the belt under the pants to keep the gun from “tipping-over” the top of the belt – this is a particular problem with short-barreled, grip-heavy guns like a Glock 27. Perhaps a user-replaceable/user-customizable stiff leather “back-plate extension” might help here.
3. Another possible way to keep the grip of the gun tucked in to the abdomen and prevent “tipping-over” might be to add an extension to the outside holster mouth, somewhat like a “sweat shield,” only on the outboard side of the gun, and attach the belt clip to the top of this, so that the belt clip comes down under/behind the belt to cantilever the top of the gun into the abdomen.
4. I personally prefer a leather one-way-snap belt loop over hard kydex belt clips, as the clips tend to cause “stress marks” or small holes in shirt fabric as the fabric rubs against the hard clips or gets pinched between the clips and other hard surfaces(even bucket seats in cars); not only does this cause me to replace my cover shirts more frequently, but the “stress marks” are a giveaway clue to a discerning observer.
Actually, a Silent Thunder IWB or a Cover Up IWB looks like it could be readily adjusted to work in appendix carry – I may just have to order one when my next paycheck arrives…
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:10 am
Phil,
Thanks for the input.
Rob