APPENDIX CARRY - ULTIMATE FORM OF READY CONCEALMENT

Since 08-05-08

OK....why appendix?

1). It is faster than any other kind of carry. Don't believe it? I will prove it to you on physics and geometry alone....and then we'll go out on the Force On Force floor. The draw has three parts. Hand to gun, gun to target, and the shot. The first two parts deal with distance travelled. What will use the least amount of distance travelled? Crossdraw, Appendix, or Strong Side? Unless your body is different than everyone elses, Appendix will require far less travel than the other two.


2). It is easier to conceal in casual clothing.  Unless you are built like Jabba The Hut, it is easier to conceal a full-sized pistol in today's "sloppy loose" clothes.

Important points about Appendix carry holsters.

1). Height of the holster from the beltline is a compromise. The guys who want total concealment want it to ride as low as possible. Problem is that the lower it rides, the harder it is to get a grip on the gun when you draw. The higher it rides, the harder it is to conceal.

A rule of thumb is that the holster should allow your middle finger, ring finger, and pinky finger to wrap around the front strap of the pistol.. If you can't do that, you will not be able to draw the gun at speed. Oh, you might pull some decent draws stadning still shooting at some cardboard monkery on the range, but the minute you have to move and your body is not in the perfect position, forget it. Don't believe me? Come on out to class and see for yourself.

2). Positioning of the holster. The holster has to be placed on the bel in the same spot so when your hand habitually moves to it, it will not have shifted somewhere else. Usually riding a belt loop is enought to satisfy this need.

3). It must be mobile. Wait...didn't you just say it neded to the fixed? No. I said it needed to be positioned on the same spot every time. But unlike the side holster or the near-behind-the-back holster, the front of the torso flexes and moves considerably more and in various ways. A holster placed there needs to be able to move with the body, while remaining stationary on the belt.

Again, don't judge the holster by how you did at a gun game where you always shoot and draw from stationary points. That is a gun game and not a gun fight. Determine how well the holster works for you in how well you can still draw from true street concealment and fight in a force on force event, while running for your life "off the X".  
 
Give it a try.  I think you will like it.