Appendix carry
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Why I Swapped to Appendix Carry

ByLandon

When I started carrying, I started like most people, carrying strong side. I had a holster I liked, and generally found the setup worked for me. For over five years, I carried at around 2 O’clock every day. I had heard people talk about appendix carry, but I didn’t think it would work for me, for the typical reasons you hear: it was uncomfortable, it was dangerous, and it was slow / inefficient.

It wasn’t until I found Scott Jedlinksi of Modern Samurai Project that this changed. I was interest in transitioning to a red dot on my pistol, something Scott is well known for advocating, but as I dug in more, I also found he strongly suggested appendix carry. As I watched his videos and studied his methods, he was advocating for a way of carrying that was more efficient and solved some of the problems associated with strong side carry.

What Had I Gotten Wrong About Appendix Carry?

I had tried carrying appendix previously, but had gone about it the wrong way. I took a strong side holster, threw it in the front of my pants, and marveled at how uncomfortable it was. It wasn’t until I bought a kydex holster built specifically for appendix carry that I started to see how it could be comfortable. I experimented with the claw, wedge, and different spots and ultimately found one that worked. It was around this time I also moved to wearing an undershirt under my holster, which helped with my comfort significantly. I also upgraded to a stiffened belt from Beltman. I hadn’t realized that choices I had made in holster, belt, and clothing had made appendix carry uncomfortable and that some simple changes would make appendix carry work better for me.

Were Safety Concerns Overrated?

Another concern I had was the sensitive placement of the holster and muzzle. One way I mitigated this concern was by carrying a hammer fired gun; by putting my thumb on the hammer, it removed the danger of an accidental trigger pull during re-holstering. As I trained more at appendix and got used to carrying in that orientation, I found that following basic safety practices, such as clearing the trigger guard, thumbing the hammer, looking the muzzle into the holster, and avoiding bunchy under shirts reduced the risk of a negligent discharge. When I started carrying a striker fired gun appendix, I was confident that I had built good habits to ensure that a negligent discharge wasn’t going to give me a bad day.

On the flip side, I realized that while it felt safer to carry strong side, a negligent discharge would be just as destructive there as it would appendix carry. The reality is that safe carry practice is essential, regardless of how you carry. Appendix carry is no more dangerous or risky than any other carry method, and has a pretty big benefit: it is easy to watch the muzzle into the holster and visually ensure there is nothing obstructing the trigger guard, which is much harder to do on strong side and is impossible for small of back carry.

appendix carry in a car
A huge benefit of appendix carry is easy access in the car

But Appendix Carry is Slow, Right?

Any time someone claims a new method is slower or less efficient than what they are currently doing, it begs the question: how much have they trained this new system? The claim that the new thing is slower would impact any new firearms method, whether it is carry style, red dot, grip method, or any other change you make. Any time you make a change from a well practiced, consistent method to some new one, you will naturally be slower than you were before. The true question is: is it worth training this new method to get better and faster? Is there something about the new method that is better than the current one I use, that makes it worth it to get slow temporarily for some long term benefit? Will I ultimately get faster? Will I find some efficiency? Is there some case that makes it better for me?

Benefits of Appendix Carry

In the case of carrying appendix, I think there are serious benefits that make it worth training. First, with training, appendix is faster and more efficient than strong side. The motion of an appendix draw is simple and more efficient, since it is straight up and down. Appendix carry keeps the gun in front of you, in a more controlled manner than strong side. There is no more knocking into things on the right side of your body because it isn’t floating off to the side. Likewise, I have less concern about losing control of the firearm to an assailant because it is right in front of me where I can control it with both hands and fight off a potential attacker. I’ve also found it easier to conceal than strong side and the addition of an extra mag in the side car type setup is an obvious benefit.

While all those other benefits are important, the one that really changed it for me was drawing from a seated position in a car. No matter what I tried, I could not find a way to draw while seated in the driver seat of my car with my seat belt on, with any consistency. The seat belt, the move across the body, and the pressure against the center console simply made my car draw untenable. I found that when I switched to appendix carry, my car draw became much easier and more consistent and I felt much more confident that I could quickly and easily deploy my firearm if need be.

I’ve found appendix carry is the best fit for me and I encourage those I train to try it. Ultimately, whatever carry method you use, it’s important that you are comfortable with that method and you train it consistently.

Any gear mentioned in this post was purchased for my personal use. I have not been compensated or incentivized by any company for any product reviews, highlights, or opinions.

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