Yeah, I recommend only making the switch to appendix carry if you have a specific need for it. For me, it was wanting extra concealability when wearing just a T-shirt, especially when bending over to pick up my daughter, who was a toddler at the time.A lot of excellent info!!
Thanks. I am still relatively new to CC so for now I will continue my 4 O’clock carry position.
P365/Vedder LightTuck
Not trying to be snarky -- is a 4:00 carrier willing to destroy the person in line behind them at Wal-Mart when they bend over to pick something up?
- All firearms are loaded
- Never allow the muzzle to cover anything you are not willing to destroy
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you are on target and ready to fire
- Be sure of your target and beyond
OhioGuy is right: That doesn’t apply to a gun that’s properly secured in a quality holster. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to step over your dog or cat when carrying a gun on your belt, you wouldn’t be able to use most shoulder holsters, you wouldn’t be able to bend over when hip carrying, and SWAT cops and operators couldn’t sit down when carrying with a drop holster. Heck, by that logic you wouldn’t even be able to go to the second floor of your house when people are downstairs if you’re carrying a gun anywhere on your belt.
- All firearms are loaded
- Never allow the muzzle to cover anything you are not willing to destroy
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you are on target and ready to fire
- Be sure of your target and beyond
Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to step over your dog or cat when carrying a gun on your belt, you wouldn’t be able to use most shoulder holsters, you wouldn’t be able to bend over when hip carrying, and SWAT cops and operators couldn’t sit down when carrying with a drop holster. Heck, by that logic you wouldn’t even be able to go to the second floor of your house when people are downstairs if you’re carrying a gun anywhere on your belt.
I fully acknowledge that AIWB carries a greater risk than other forms of carry to people who aren’t experience and skilled with proper gun handling. However, that’s not because of where the gun is pointed while it’s secured in the holster, it’s due to the risk of someone with poor gun handling skills shooting themself during the draw or the reholstering process and where he might shoot himself; shooting yourself in the hip or the behind is sure better than shooting yourself in the femoral artery.The rest position of the muzzle when carrying appendix is different than when carrying at 4 o'clock. It just is. Does that mean it shouldn't be done? No, but at some level you have to acknowledge the difference. It's part of the reason we have people here saying they don't recommend carrying AIWB for newer shooters. To me it's an added level of risk that has to be acknowledged. Now there are other areas where 4 o'clock carry has different forms of risk, many of which are advantages of AIWB. But we accept all the differences and all the risks or we're just telling ourselves what we want to hear.
However, that’s not because of where the gun is pointed while it’s secured in the holster, it’s due to the risk of someone with poor gun handling skills shooting themself during the draw or the reholstering process and where he might shoot himself; shooting yourself in the hip or the behind is sure better than shooting yourself in the femoral artery.
OhioGuy is right: That doesn’t apply to a gun that’s properly secured in a quality holster.
You make a good point, maybe I should have worded that differently. No, I wouldn’t do that; and yes, I would still exercise a level of caution. That said, it wouldn’t be the same as if I did it with an unholstered firearm.TunnelRat said:Would you take a loaded pistol that is in a holster and point the muzzle directly at another person, simply because it was in a holster? Or would you still exercise a level of caution?
Sorry, my bad - I was attempting to poke fun at appendix carry since most of the time it sure looks like the muzzle is covering important stuff.OhioGuy said:Not trying to be snarky -- is a 4:00 carrier willing to destroy the person in line behind them at Wal-Mart when they bend over to pick something up?
You make a good point, maybe I should have worded that differently. No, I wouldn’t do that; and yes, I would still exercise a level of caution. That said, it wouldn’t be the same as if I did it with an unholstered firearm.
It is virtually impossible for a quality handgun to discharge when secured in a quality holster; the main danger of carrying isn’t when the gun is in the holster but instead it’s when it’s going in or coming out. And because of that we treat holstered guns differently than unholstered guns. If we didn’t, then all the normal carry situations I mentioned in post #29 would be unacceptable, not just AIWB carry.
I’ll ask you a version of your question: Would you feel the same if a police officer sat down across from you wearing a drop holster as you would if he drew his gun and pointed it at you?