{"id":2141,"date":"2020-03-31T08:18:41","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T08:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/?p=2141"},"modified":"2020-06-29T17:41:42","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T17:41:42","slug":"a-beginners-guide-to-aiwb-carry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/a-beginners-guide-to-aiwb-carry\/","title":{"rendered":"Appendix Carry: A Beginner’s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Appendix Carry: The Basics<\/span><\/h1>\n

The cowboy with his gun on his hip is one of the icons of American history. We\u2019ve come to expect that if a law enforcement officer has a gun, it\u2019s going to be in a holster on his hip. When we compete in a practical shooting match or shoot in a pistol training class, the most common place to find a gun is in a holster on the hip. That may be changing, though. Over the past few years, there\u2019s been a resurgence of interest in carrying a defensive pistol up front, near the belly button, in a position known as appendix inside the waistband carry, or AIWB.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, a quick primer on how we talk about holster position on the body.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strong Hand \/ Support Hand\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s begin by talking about which hand is which. Your strong hand is the hand you first place on your gun. It is usually the hand you write with. Your support hand is your other hand, which primarily (you guessed it) supports your pistol. Now imagine your beltline as a big clock, with 12 o\u2019clock being where your belt buckle is. For right-handed people, strong side hip carry (the sort of thing mentioned in this article<\/a>) places your holster and your gun anywhere between 3 o\u2019clock and 4:30. Cross draw carry (where you keep your gun on the opposite hip, on your support side) means carrying at anywhere between 9 o\u2019clock to 11 o\u2019clock. Left-handed shooters reverse all of this.<\/span><\/p>\n

Got it? Okay, let\u2019s move on to talk about appendix carry\/AIWB, which places your holster at around 11 to 1 o\u2019clock on your beltline.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Brief History of AIWB Carry<\/span><\/h3>\n
\"Appendix<\/a>

Well lookee here, pardner. Appendix carry, in the wild, wild West.<\/p><\/div>\n

While AIWB carry may seem to be the latest, greatest thing in carrying a defensive pistol, the fact is, carrying a gun in that position has been around as long as pistols have been around. Cowboys may have carried their guns in a holster on their hip, but take a look at the photo to the right. Yes, one cowboy has a gun in a holster (a holster at about 2 o\u2019clock, I might add) and another has his revolver jammed into his belt at 1 o\u2019clock. Add a holster, and that cowboy is carrying AIWB.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Years passed and carry methods standardized. Police forces and militaries focused on strong side hip carry. That influence trickled down to armed citizens. The modern version of appendix carry really began because of the influence of the late Todd Green. Todd <\/span>was an experienced firearms trainer<\/span><\/a> who passed away due to cancer in 2016. Thanks to his efforts, appendix carry began to take off inside the firearms training world. It is now the choice for many of my friends, including Jeff Street of Step By Step Gun Training<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>
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