IWB/AIWB
OWB
Other
AIWB off-duty and OWB on the job.
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Before old guy aches and pains from anything in my waistband AIWB for years. Now OWB 3 0'clock.
I resemble that remark!
On a rare occasion, I'll break out an IWB rig with a G19 or 1911 and about 30min in I'm like- Seriously, I used to carry this way every day??
I'm firmly in the AIWB camp, but there were a couple years where I lived in the country, shopped in a small town, held LEO creds and worked as a campus cop where they preferred I dress in a polo & cargo pants instead of the full uniform. Under those circumstances, it felt ridiculously normal to open carry OWB 90% of the time.
I've yet to attend training that forbid AIWB, but that wouldn't stop me from going, same with competition. I've flubbed plenty of drawstrokes in my time, but never because I was reaching for the wrong spot.
IWB around 3:30 position, 90% of the time on and off duty (Glock 26). If we have a planned action (warrants), I will put on an OWB holster (glock 17) with retention (ALS).
The only gun I can comfortably carry AIWB is a hammer-less J frame. My gut makes anything else too un comfy. I can do a p365 AIWB for a couple hours, but just don't like it all day. To much poking.
Getting close to swapping out the Glock 26/17 combo I carry on duty for a Sig 365/320 combo.
“A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.” - Shane
Agreed. I’m AIWB for EDC and OWB for various competitions. This has never given me an issue. That said, I put in way more practice reps from AIWB as that is my focus. Competition shooting is generally done with friends for funsies. I’ve yet to reach for the gun in the wrong spot. Seems pretty straightforward.
I've carried IWB 99% of the time for over 30 years, but am now learning to carry AIWB and liking it.
It's surprising to me how the front-central weight of the gun with AIWB improves the comfort of CCW, as compared to the asymmetric weight from side-to-side that's present with traditional IWB; the latter is mitigated but by no means eliminated by having the belt very tight, plus carrying two or more spare magazines on the "off" side for sake of balanced weight, yet AIWB is nonetheless definitely more comfortable, regardless of where (or whether) a spare magazine is carried.
The only issue for me with AIWB CCW now is an appropriate front-cover garment/strategy, and I've got that mostly sorted, most of the time.
"Therefore, since the world has still... Much good, but much less good than ill,
And while the sun and moon endure, Luck's a chance, but trouble's sure,
I'd face it as a wise man would, And train for ill and not for good." -- A.E. Housman
I answered the poll “OWB,” but carried IWB during much of my personal time, for years, so will answer this. I used OWB for training, in order to clear leather with less effort, and, to keep from burning myself with hot muzzles*. Having to pull hard, with each draw stroke, especially since my right shoulder has been gimpy since I was a teen, gets old pretty quickly. Notably, this was using the same location, on my body, 0300-ish, whether IWB or OWB, on and off the clock. I have long been a believer in reaching for the same place for the primary weapon, regardless of whether in uniform, or in “soft clothes.”
*I was a six-gunner during much of this time, and am tending to revert to revolvers; barrels can get HOT, and some of my IWB holsters were made of nylon fabrics.
Last edited by Rex G; 07-19-2019 at 10:20 PM.
Retar’d LE. Kinesthetic dufus.
Don’t tread on volcanos!