Why has AIWB become so popular?

[JHC]

Sorry, I do not. It was not in one of the the big three or four gun mags, perhaps published by something like “Firepower Publications.” The article was the first place I saw the term “size efficiency” being used, and I believe Bruce Nelson coined that term, himself, or was the first to apply it to firearms. He also related the story of the time he was boarded an airplane, to fly to or from a training class, and was authorized to fly armed, but was told he had to actually wear the guns, not tote them in his carry-on luggage, so he stepped into a restroom stall, removed the several weapons from the carry-on case/bag, and tucked them into his waistband, then boarded the plane with a total of eight handguns. None of the passengers noticed a thing. (Presumably, one was in an AIWB holster, and the rest “Mexican” carry.)

I seem to recall seeing some Bruce Nelson AIWB in Combat Handguns too way back in the day.

[JHC]

I know it's bee around for a long time but I don't recall it getting much if any coverage in all the gun mags I read religiously growing up in the 80's and 90's. I think at least some popularity for it today comes from the many Instagram and Facebook photos of carry porn setups which feature almost exclusively AIWB holsters.

Plus we have some really great kydex benders available now (especially on this forum) which we did not have in the past and kydex is well suited to AIWB construction so it really helped open the door to AIWB innovation.

Plus Plus, newer makers growing up today are likely more drawn to modern AIWB friendly manufacturing methods like CNC and vacuum forming vs working with wet smelly hides.

It didn't get a ton of coverage then. I penned an article about it way back when and sent it in to CH but they sent it back "does not meet our editorial format".
Good times. I was handy with it; living in the big NPE state of Texas at the time.

[Bucky]

Front appendix was always frowned upon in competition, and is to this day, so it often doesn’t get “press”.

When I started shooting USPSA, before there were any “divisions”, many of us were running our Dot sighted guns in race holsters worn in front, ala Appendix Carry.

[Mr. Goodtimes]

In short, because it works.

I started carrying AIWB, probably around five years ago after reading Todd speak highly of it here. I thought to my self, “well, he’s a smart guy, an accomplished shooter and his argument for it makes sense, so I’ll give it a shot.” Once I tried it I never went back. The advantages over traditional IWB carry are numerous. Not only is it by far the fastest and most accessible way to get to a gun, it’s also the best way to hide one. Partly because of my build and partly because AIWB conceals well, carrying AIWB I can make a G17 disappear under a t shirt.


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[Dagga Boy]

When I started shooting USPSA, before there were any “divisions”, many of us were running our Dot sighted guns in race holsters worn in front, ala Appendix Carry.

When I shot competitively, all my stuff was set up that way to mirror my concealment/back up rigs. I should have clarified the IWB variants are what are heavily frowned upon in most places. I found it funny recently that Spencer Keepers and I were not allowed to shoot our front AIWB rugs from concealment in a match, because....dangerous, yet a lot of the other shooters were carry some pretty minimalist competition rigs and many angles and contorted into positions that were far more of an issue than our well made and designed AIWB carry rigs.

[RolandD]

I don't know if I would have ever tried AIWB, if I hadn't fallen into buying some used holsters really cheap. I got three holsters for less than the cost of any one of them. One happened to be a Cry Havoc Grim and I really didn't think I'd use it much. It has become my daily carry for over a year. Sits right at 12 o'clock and is invisible.

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