I would like to know more about this. And perhaps what holsters are best for it. I plan on using a 21/2 inch Colt magnum carry if it looks like it will work for me.
Thanks,
OZ

I love it, personally. I carry my 642, LCP, G27 and M&P40c IWB at 1:00 (appendix). For the 642 I use an uncle mikes IWB holster that I modified slightly so that the gun rides just a bit lower. I'm not sure who makes the holsters for the others, but they're leather IWB and came from cheaperthandirt.com I believe. The ones for the Glock and M&P are tuckable.

I find it a very comfortable place to carry. I started at the small of the back but hated it. Sitting down wasn't comfortable and my shirts always got caught up. I only carry 3 - 5 o'clock OWB for comfort reasons (guns dig into my hip bone). I find appendix carry to be most comfortable and concealable.. AND easy to get to.

__________________
- The Federalist #46 -

Great picture Dave. " A solution waiting for a problem" ? Correct me if I'm wrong ,but didn't Captain Mitchell go on to fill in, or be elected Sheriff after retiring from the Rangers? {His gun handling and "protocols" probably need correctin' too as well, I'm sorry Dave , I just couldn't help myself} As Always, All My Very Best, Joe.

Joe,
Yes! Yes! & Yes!

Capt. Robert K. Mitchell was interim Sheriff of McLennan County (Waco) in 2000.
And one of the most revered Ranger Captains of modern times.

Where else ya gonna tote yer bug where ya can get to it with either hand?
(That is if ya ain't pullin' ya own chest hair out with yer off hand!)

I don't know, it just a hoot!

Always sumethin' bother sumebody ~smile~

Good to hear from ya Joe, as always.

Su Amigo,
Dave

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

yup, it's a dern wonder an ol' Ranger like that Captain lived a week being a lawman.
Got the butt of a gun just stuck down his belt, his finger on the trigger of that scattergun, and a lit butt in his other hand. The man has no bidness bein' a lawman. I 'spect he lacks body armor and a portable radio too...and there ain't a whistle in his pocket either....
imagine that if he were to draw and shoot ya, the last thing you would see is his off hand flailing in the breeze......

I haven't broke down and bought one yet, but I like the look of Bell Charter Oak's appendix carry holsters.

YMMV, but barrels under 3" should appendix carry well for most folks. Longer than that likely not. A Colt Magnum Carry should carry well in the appendix position.

You will need a holster with a body/sweat shield, or a bobbed hammer. The hammer spur against your belly will drive you nuts. Make sure you discuss that with the holster maker.

I usually wear a tank top undershirt.... always do when I'm carrying IWB. (So.. I'm pretty much always wearing one.) Just tuck in the tank top then put on the holster. I once got about 5 steps out the door while carrying IWB WITHOUT a tank top between the gun and my skin.... not too comfortable. Personally I need something between my skin and the gun/holster no matter what I'm carrying.

__________________
- The Federalist #46 -

Appendix carry works until you get older and develop Dunlop's disease.

Then the geometry don't work so good.

I also love it. I can easily conceal anything up to a Glock 17 in only shorts and a T shirt.

I carry AIWB everyday - usually a G19 in a Fist Ultra Thin kydex holster or a bobbed 637 with a "universal" clip draw.

As mentioned by Iggy, you really need a [pretty] flat stomach for comfortable AIWB carry. The position allows for fast draws and good access to the gun even while moving.

You need to practice 2 hand and 1 handed draws. Two handed - the support hand clears the shirt and the primary hand goes to the gun. One handed - the primary clears the shirt and then to the gun.

Thanks a lot gentlemen. I ordered a Bell Charter oak iwb for it, actully got to speak with the maker. He recomended the model with the offset clip and that covers the hammer. Since my stomach is harder than Chinese arithmetic, this should be a good method for me.
OZ

I'm way past my flat stomach days and carry AIWB all the time. Give it a try. I use a Kramer IWB clip holster with good results.

__________________
Centennial Every Day

I've used a snub for AIWB carry for many years. I find carrying there, easpecially concealed, is very fast, and the gun is available to either hand.

There are a number of very serious shooters who are now carrying AIWB, often with a compact or full size service pistol, nowadays due to the speed advantage and the ability to get to the gun even in a grapple situation.

I like appendix carry as long as I am going to be standing/walking. Sitting down, as behind the wheel....not so much.

Iggy,

Actually, that dunlop hides a full size 1911 ....a few more cheeseburgers and beer, and I'll be able to conceal a MAC 10

I got nuthin' to add!!

I have used Appendix carry when I have had to work in a crowd, in a bar, in resturant robbery prevention stakeouts, and when doing robbery of an individual, when I was the Individual walking around trying to get robbed... [This is the one time that I carried a 357 Mag, a 2.5" Model 19, as I fell a Revolver is a much better choice than a semi auto if you might be Grappling with a Perp]. There were not any 2.5" N frames back then...

If I did not think I would be Grappling, I carried a LW Commander in 45 ACP.

I used an IWB holster.

I did that also for a S&W 13 3" with a bobbed hammer years ago when I was working retail and quite a bit skinnier. I took the uncle mikes IWB sized for a 4" gun, then cut and restitched the sides of it to allow the gun to ride with the cylinder below my beltline. It was impossible to reholster, but was cheap, comfortable and secure.

Appendix carry is fast, discrete, and easy to defend. I would not do it with something with a light, short trigger, but I think that it is perfect for revolvers. It is very important though that you make sure that everything is adjusted so that nothing comes between the muzzle of the gun and the wood seat of an old library chair when you sit down in a hurry!

As an oldster looking in it seems you gents have touched pretty well on the pluses of appendix carry. I will still do it with my old model 36. But with a bit of midsection extra it has to be repositioned some when I set down. If much setting is expected, I will use a butt forward carry at about 4-5 o' clock on my right hand side. I make my on holsters so I can modify them as I like for a lower or higher carry position. to me it does seem the carry height has lots of effect on the comfort.

One should always observe the cardinal rules of gun saftey - and it's EXTRA important to have finger discipline (keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard) when holstering a gun carried in the appendix position!

I've posted this before, from the June, 1980 Pistolero:
Cooper called it "appendix," but Bruce Nelson (The undercover cop Cooper was describing.) labeled his the "forward-of-hip" position. Longer barrels work OK, and it's not so far forward that it should really be labeled with another part of the anatomy.

appendix carry has a lot going for it if you like two or 2-1/2 inch revolvers. it is great in crowded areas if you let your arms drape in front of you. it is reasonably fast. you can easily make sure you are not "printing". most importantly if you wind up on your back in ground fighting scenario you can still get to your gun. i have worked through this and appendix carry with a revolver makes a lot of sense.

You know how certain people you know have a particular way of standing or certain thing they do with their body...how they might hold their hands on their hips, etc.? Well, I have a habit of always holding my hands together in front, either with my thumbs hooked in my belt buckle or just clasped together over my crotch. So, I absolutely love the appendix carry!
It is (for me) a lot better than the "small-of-the-back" carry, which is the carry that I thought I'd be using about 12 years ago, 'til I realized I couldn't sit and lean back very well.

Yup...I'm crazy about the appendix carry!

I have had this Tucker leather holster for many years.
Cover Up - J-Frame

I can use it comfortably in “appendix” position only when I’m close to my ideal body weight. When I gain 10-15 lb I switch to pocket carry.