[Member Submission] Appendix Carry – Will it Work for You?

Why I decided to CCW with Appendix Carry

By John Czeiszperger

Chief of Security

Dayton Area Church

Getting Started in CCW

Like many of you, my gun handling progression went something like this; firing from the low ready position, a 4 count draw stroke from an outside the waistband Kydex range holster that came with my pistol with no concealment and then drawing from my Kydex holster with concealment. After that I tried an inside the waistband (iwb) strong side carry which offered better concealment.

Introduction to Appendix Carry

Then came the appendix carry. It was a little scary at first with the gun pointed right into my groin area. Issues of an accidental discharge came to mind. At least with a strong side carry, I might only graze my leg. After considerable thought, I realized that we muzzle ourselves and other stuff all the time. The traditional gun safety rule of not pointing your gun at anything you are not willing to destroy was really not practical. By its nature, the gun is always pointing at something, most of which, we do not want to destroy. I adopted a modified version of the rule that simply says, “Control the muzzle”.

Weapon Selection

Then I considered the inherent safety of my weapon of choice, a 9mm Springfield XD 4” service model. It comes with a back strap and trigger safety. Modern weapons including this one are extremely reliable pieces of equipment. Most weapons simply will not discharge themselves even if dropped on concrete (I have witnessed this personally). You must pull the trigger. Dare I say that if your brain and trigger finger are not inseparately combined into a safety mechanism, maybe you should not be carrying a concealed weapon.

Finger Off the Trigger

That brings me to another modified safety rule, “Do not put your finger on the trigger until you have made a conscious decision to shoot”. This will entail hours of practice draws keeping your finger on the side of the gun until it is time to pull the trigger. After you have taken care of the business at hand, the finger goes back to the side of the weapon. By the way, you should have mastered this technique no matter how you carry. In my ccw class, they gave all of us dummy weapons that we had to hold for a couple of hours with our trigger finger in the safe mode. Can we say “Muscle memory”?

Who Can Safely Carry in Appendix Style?

So, who should consider appendix carry and why would you want to? Appendix carry is not for everyone and is dictated by several factors. Rotund folks may have difficulty (in my neck of the woods that means you are fat). Short-waisted people may have difficulty. You must wear a closed front concealment garment that must be lifted up instead of swept back. And, as alluded to above, if you are not convinced your weapon is “safe” while in your holster and is a reliable piece of equipment and you have not acquired the muscle memory needed to keep your finger off the trigger until the appropriate moment, appendix carry is not for you.

Benefits

Now, to the benefits which include but are not limited to;

First, a draw from the appendix position is simply faster. I have run timed drills on the range in live fire and consistently have better times than friends with equal or better skill levels than mine. If you evaluate the ergonomics of the draw, there is less motion and less distance traveled to get the gun into the fight. I realize that we’re talking fractions of a second here, but given that the average gun fight is about 5 seconds, the fact that you are fighting for your life and in all probability, are in a catch up situation (good guys rarely get to initiate the fight and that puts the bad guy at an advantage), that nanosecond may be what saves you.

Secondly, the appendix carry is superior in a seated position, particularly in your car. To draw from the strong side in a seated position, you will normally have to lean forward. If you are in your car, you will need to grab the steering wheel with your support hand, pull yourself forward while accessing your weapon with your strong hand. With appendix, slip your hand up under your garment and your hand practically falls onto your weapon with little to no motion. If you go to the ground in a fight, there is a distinct advantage. The accessibility of your weapon is superior in this situation. If you are on your back on the ground, you must roll to your side to get your weapon into play. Not so with the appendix.

Finally, concealability tends to be better. If you bend over, your gun is not poking out. And, it is harder to get “bump frisked”.

Summary

Appendix carry (aiwb) is not a cure all but does offer several advantages. If you want to give it a try without the perceived risks, carry an unloaded weapon or an airsoft pistol around the house for a week or so. After a few days, you may just forget that it is even there.

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