Appendix Carry Fundamentals

[BehindBlueI's]

Not sure why you'd want to holster SHO but this is how I do it.

You may not want to but may have to if injured.

[BehindBlueI's]

Hmm.

But how comfortable-wise is appendix carry?

As others have stated, it depends. Strong side is more generic and generalized advice usually works pretty well, appendix is more personal. My personal opinion is that it's usually going to require more experimentation to find something that's comfortable across a wide range of activities with appendix.

[ubervic]

When I first started reading & learning about AIWB in Todd's writings almost ten years ago, I thought it was the absolute craziest thing I'd ever heard of. But less than a year later I moved to that setup and never looked back.

Sure, it took a little experimentation to get the right setup for comfort as well as concealment, and to understand how to manage all of the dynamics safely. But the sum of the parts makes it the single most effective & efficient way for many to carry & run a pistol.

[corneileous]

Probably the most comprehensive and influential PX4 documentation available anywhere are the threads on this forum started by Ernest Langdon. He carried both the PX4 and PX4 Compact in the appendix position extensively during his testing and product development. Links below.

The PX4 Compact might be my DA/SA Glock 19

Beretta PX4 Storm - Underrated is an Understatement!

That first link didn’t work.

That second one looks like it has some good info.... as soon as I get through all 900-some posts. Lol.

And there's no reason to have a 10 pound trigger pull in DA mode with the current options available for the PX4.

I agree to an extent, that first DA pull does take a bit to get used to, and I know Beretta has that competition trigger upgrade that decreases the pull-weight by quite a bit but if you intend to carry this weapon, isn’t it better to just leave the long, heavier pull alone for continuing that lesser chance of a ND in any situation? I mean, I’ve heard of people taking Glock pistols and doing trigger jobs in them to where they go from whatever the stock trigger pull is, all the way down to a 3 pound pull and consider that safe but the fact that all three of my Storms have a long 10 pound pull when in DA mode, that’s what, in my opinion, made it an OK thing to do when I converted all three of them over to decocker only. I still feel safer now that my guns don’t have the safety that they had before but they still do have kind of a safety because as long as the hammer isn’t pulled back, it’s gonna take a lot more to make that gun go bang when it supposed to. And yeah I know we all got that safety between our ears but let’s face it... accidents are still gonna happen. That’s why I try to practice like, when I was carrying my little Ruger LC9S on me that had the thumb safety, I would practice taking it off safe as soon as I pulled it out of the holster. If I ever carried one of my storms on me, I would practice with those too where as soon as I pulled it out of the holster I would be pulling the hammer back. Or, I would just have to practice and get it in my head that that first shot is always going to be longer and harder to pull.


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[Clusterfrack]

I recently had a vacation in Alaska with Mrs. Clusterfrack, and we did about 50 miles of hiking and 10k feet of climbing. All with a G20 (with Gadget) AIWB in a JMCK 2.5, my junk carry pillow, and a Graith belt. The trick is the right combination of holster, belt, and pants for your body type. It takes a lot of patience and experimentation, but the payoff is you can comfortably carry and conceal even a yuge gun.

[MDFA]

I've been carrying AIWB for awhile now, but you guys finally got me. I just ordered 2 Gadget's. An extra layer of safety is never a bad thing...

[JSGlock34]

I agree to an extent, that first DA pull does take a bit to get used to, and I know Beretta has that competition trigger upgrade that decreases the pull-weight by quite a bit but if you intend to carry this weapon, isn’t it better to just leave the long, heavier pull alone for continuing that lesser chance of a ND in any situation?

The length of the trigger pull arc is more important than the weight of the trigger itself. Mr. Langdon explains the DA/SA benefits better than I can in the video below.

If I ever carried one of my storms on me, I would practice with those too where as soon as I pulled it out of the holster I would be pulling the hammer back. Or, I would just have to practice and get it in my head that that first shot is always going to be longer and harder to pull.

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you here, but this reads to me as if you either plan to practice thumb-cocking your Storm while drawing, or learning the DA trigger. The latter is the right answer. Regardless, approaching the pistol with the mindset that the first double action shot is an obstacle to overcome is the wrong perspective. There is no point in carrying a DA/SA gun if you're not a believer in the DA shot. Approach the DA shot as a skill to master in order to derive the full benefits of the TDA pistol.

[Andy in NH]

You may not want to but may have to if injured.

You read my mind.

[Andy in NH]

Be careful.

Drills place perceived time pressure on shooters.

Don’t engage in risky behavior. Holster deliberately.

Not looking for a timed drill. Looking for a solid technique.

I've performed many, many SHO draws and even WHO draws, but I've never holstered my firearm WHO. I just can't justify doing it. Use a Blue Gun if you want to do it.

Probably the best way to practice. Thanks.

[Prdator]

The length of the trigger pull arc is more important than the weight of the trigger itself. Mr. Langdon explains the DA/SA benefits better than I can in the video below.





Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you here, but this reads to me as if you either plan to practice thumb-cocking your Storm while drawing, or learning the DA trigger. The latter is the right answer. Regardless, approaching the pistol with the mindset that the first double action shot is an obstacle to overcome is the wrong perspective. There is no point in carrying a DA/SA gun if you're not a believer in the DA shot. Approach the DA shot as a skill to master in order to derive the full benefits of the TDA pistol.

Mastering a DA/SA gun isn't all the OMG work people think it is, Ive seen Several new shooters actually shoot a PX4CC or LTT Elite so much better than a Glock, striker fired gun its not even funny.... SO dont fear the DA shot at all.