Does Carrying a Semi-Auto AIWB Give Anybody Else the Willies?

[Rapier]

If you are not comfortable do not do it.

[Dan Cash]

Does not give me the willies but is a poor choice for a gun fighting pistol. You can not turn to put your body between an attacker and your pistol while you are hauling it into a useful position. Drawing from an appendix position is mostly a two handed proposition as one hand is needed to pull the covering garment away while the other hand is clawing for pistol and a hand full of belly hair, (most ladies excepted). As far as the perceived hazard of shooting your self while employing appendix carry, just don't pull the trigger until your muzzle is on target. For this, you must practice and practice a lot.

[Kenstone]

Consider this DAO 9# trigger 9mm, CPX-2:
https://www.impactguns.com/Semi-Auto...03029-CPX-2CB/
Same gun with a manual safety, CPX-1:
https://www.impactguns.com/Semi-Auto...003005-CPX1CB/
Then there are Kahrs (single stack, CW9, my fav):
https://www.impactguns.com/Semi-Auto...047319-CW9093/
Smaller? CM9:
https://www.impactguns.com/Semi-Auto...067317-CM9093/
jmo,
.

[Jtarm]

Yes, me.

No way I’d carry anything but a DA revo or DA/SA auto AIWB.

If I ever do go over to the Dark Side(not likely), it would be a Beretta PX4.

[derek45]

cocked & locked IWB at the 4:00 o'clock position. ( behind right side pants seam)

Been doing it for decades, not gonna change my muscle memory.

In the old days, it was a 1911, now it's an M&P 2.0 compact 40

[Jtarm]

[QUOTE=Dan Cash;5448905]As far as the perceived hazard of shooting your self while employing appendix carry, just don't pull the trigger until your muzzle is on target. /QUOTE].

Anyone who can’t do that shouldn’t be carrying in any mode. Or shooting.

Re-holstering is where most carry mishaps occur, and that’s no more likely AIWB than with any other holster. What makes AIWB more nerve-racking for most people is that the gun pointed at part of your body.

If you’re cautious when re-holstering (which you should always be), it’s no more dangerous than carrying 3:00-4:00, where the muzzle is positioned to send a bullet lengthwise down your leg.

[ohen cepel]

I'm not going to do it; not even on a bet.

[FISH4BUGS]

I have been carrying my J-frame in an AIWB holster from JM Custom Kydex for a while now, and have always been very comfortable with it. I recently got a Kel-Tec P17 to mess around with (highly recommend) and eventually suppress, and as part of that purchase I got another AIWB holster from Muddy River Tactical. It's a great piece of kit, the holster works great, feels good, conceals the gun well, it's a totally viable carry setup (yeah, 22LR isn't 9mm, whatever...). But there's something in my head that's throwing things off. Any time I sit down while wearing that gun, I am KEENLY aware that the barrel is pointing straight into my lower abdomen. Yes, there is an external safety on the gun which I always use, and yes the trigger is covered completely... but man, it gives me the heebie-jeebies. I cannot imagine taking a Glock or another modern striker-fired gun without an external safety and carrying it that way, I would be a nervous wreck all day.

The D/A trigger and uncocked hammer on the revolvers leaves me feeling that the guns are always in a safe condition... the potential energy to ignite the primer simply isn't present in the system at all, in contrast to a cocked and locked semi-auto where the energy is present and restrained.

Does anybody else feel this way?

Precisely the reason for my love of DA/SA autos. First shot is just like a revolver. Carry it hammer down. The gun, by the way, is a S&W 3914.
Putting it back in the holster? It has a decocker.
This gun checks all the boxes.

[Ernest]

Don't have a dog in this fight in any way. Every one is totally free to make their own decisions. Carrying a gun of any kind any where has some risk involved just like eating a big mac fries and a milk shake does or getting into your car and driving to work.
All that said, taking care of a patient that managed to put a .22 rf round through both testicles with appendix carry made me go HUUUM! Maybe I should rethink the appendix carry thing.

[Siskiwit]

I’ve always had the same concern with carrying my pistols. Sure didn’t like the muzzle pointing at my junk. No matter how I often I told myself it was fine, I found myself checking my safety. I’m a lefty but I found a company that makes a left hand cross draw holster. The muzzle is always pointed away from the body and it sure is comfortable sitting. It’s not an IWB but keeps me sane knowing where the muzzle is pointing.

[Thundarstick]

Holstering needs to be a more thought out process. Once it's in the proper holster is a paperweight. There are videos of proper holstering technique you should practice to avoid bodily injury should there be a negligent discharge. I have no problem carrying my SIG 365 this way.

[warren5421]

I have never done appendix carry as a 6" 10mm is to long so IWB at 3:30-4:00 is where it is.

[gwpercle]

It doesn't much matter where you place an IWB holster on your belt...
you have a gun barrel stuck down your pants ... if a round goes off ...
Trust me it's going to hit something . If that thought bothers you ...
Don't IWB carry .
It never bothered me , even with a 1911 - Condition #1 -
Loaded , Cocked and Locked .
Gary

[elmacgyver0]

I spent the majority of my life not being "allowed" legally to carry a firearm.
It was the "Good Old Boy" system, the one that was "May" but probably not issue.
Judge and "Friend of the Sheriff", no problem. If you were "Little People", forget it.
A friend of mine moved from Indiana some years back and he went to our local sheriff, sad to say a republican, showed him his Indiana CCW and said he would like an Iowa one.
The sheriff said, "Ain't gonna happen".
Fortunately, some years back the law got changed to "shall issue".
In the past years Iowa has gone from a very gun restrictive state to one of the most gun friendly ones.
I never thought I would see the day.
When I finally got my carry license, I bought a Bersa Thunder 9 Ultra Compact Pro.
I have an Alien Gear AIWB holster for it, wore it once, never again.
Now I make all my own holsters and wear my gun on my belt in my opinion where it belongs.
I rarely carry my Bersa anymore, now I carry a mouse gun, Beretta .32acp Tomcat or a Sig P938.
When you have never carried most of your life and are considered a "Senior Citizen" any type of gun is head and shoulders over nothing!
But then, looking at my Bersa, I'm thinking it's time I make a new holster!
If any of my mother's artistic talent has rubbed off on me, it is in my holster making.
I love tooled leather!

[blue32]

Besides being uncomfortable I would never carry appendix for the high probability of striking the femoral if a discharge were to occur.

[Gtek]

A slide diagonally over a crack, you betcha! IAWB with my partner in a hostage situation, UM, NO!

[Rodfac]

Does Carrying a Semi-Auto AIWB Give Anybody Else the Willies?

Hell yes. "Never point the muzzle at anything you don't intend to destroy..."

I tried it for a week...drawing was easy but re-holstering was a nightmare. And all the while, the piece was pointed at my femoral artery or the family jewels.

I went back to my old OWB at 3-4 o'clock...and to those that say that position will send a round down through your leg lengthwise...no...it won't. With the 7-10 degree cant necessary to allow a full firing grip on the gun while still fully holstered, the bbl. is pointed aft of my legs. YMMv and good luck with AIWB, it's not for me. Rod

[johnsonian09]

When I carry Concealed I carry either my p365 or my m17 AIWB. No fears of it.
I choose specifically manual safety guns, and on top of that when I load up and download for the day the gun stays in its holster. And I clip the whole assembly into my belt

And if I need to re-holster for some reason, I keep my digits out of the trigger guard and the safety on.

I just train and practice my draw to include disengaging the safety in my presentation of said firearm.

I have no fear of a gun in my control. Because it’s under my strict control.

That being said, IF IT MAKES YOU NERVOUS. Don’t do it. If you fear it. Your more likely to make mistakes.

Fear comes from the unknown. Learn how a striker gun works and the built in safety devices that are built into it so that it only fires when you pull the trigger. If you still fear the idea, chose another gun or another carry method. There’s no shame in that it’s just not for you.

Besides, not all bodies are the same. I can’t hide anything on my hips well. But I can hide surprisingly large handguns appendix style comfortably. And after that I prefer a shoulder rig type holster.

I once carried a long barreled revolver (12inch) to the grocery store. Just to see who would notice.
2 inches of barrel poking out the bottom of the hoodie. No one noticed. Or those that did notice didn’t care at all. I think most people are too self absorbed these days to pick up obvious things and worry about it. Everyone has their nose glued to their phones or their shoes.

So unless in your state you can be criminally charged for your gun printing I wouldn’t worry about it at all.

[Plate plinker]

Besides being uncomfortable I would never carry appendix for the high probability of striking the femoral if a discharge were to occur.

This is what I have pondered. Or major bone damage. Lots of bad versus a bit bad if we hit the backside.

[FISH4BUGS]

I have been carrying my J-frame in an AIWB holster from JM Custom Kydex for a while now, and have always been very comfortable with it. I recently got a Kel-Tec P17 to mess around with (highly recommend) and eventually suppress, and as part of that purchase I got another AIWB holster from Muddy River Tactical. It's a great piece of kit, the holster works great, feels good, conceals the gun well, it's a totally viable carry setup (yeah, 22LR isn't 9mm, whatever...). But there's something in my head that's throwing things off. Any time I sit down while wearing that gun, I am KEENLY aware that the barrel is pointing straight into my lower abdomen. Yes, there is an external safety on the gun which I always use, and yes the trigger is covered completely... but man, it gives me the heebie-jeebies. I cannot imagine taking a Glock or another modern striker-fired gun without an external safety and carrying it that way, I would be a nervous wreck all day.

The D/A trigger and uncocked hammer on the revolvers leaves me feeling that the guns are always in a safe condition... the potential energy to ignite the primer simply isn't present in the system at all, in contrast to a cocked and locked semi-auto where the energy is present and restrained.

Does anybody else feel this way?

Precisely the reason for revolvers or DA/SA semis.