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Five shooters, three of whom appendix-carry routinely and the other two carry strong side. Five shooters drew and fired three one-shot drills from various starting positions both appendix-carry and strong side carry. The results:

• 1. Four of the five drew and fired one round faster with appendix-carry than with strong side;
  2. The average speed advantage was .15 second (15/100s of one second) and this is with the hands in a starting position favorable for appendix-carry;
  3. While all five shooters drew and fired from a seated position, they were not drawing from behind a table, steering wheel, or any other common obstruction;
  4. All five shooters, including the three that appendix-carry all the time, said appendix-carry while seated is uncomfortable.

When drawing from appendix-carry close to an attacker, it is much easier for your assailant to block your draw. There are techniques for protecting the draw when drawing from the strong side that simply are not available for appendix-carry.

If you consider appendix-carry, ask yourself or those who use appendix-carry "what are the advantages and disadvantages compared to strong side carry." Also, beware of people who claim to be using appendix-carry when they are actually using centerline-carry as with Thunderwear. That's a different method that has some but not all of the risks of appendix-carry. (I have Thunderwear and have used it on very rare occasions.)

When appendix-carry started gaining in popularity, I bought a couple of holsters designed for that method and I practiced extensively. I wore them under normal conditions daily; tried different ride heights and positions. In the end, it was not for me and I was faster at 3:00 o'clock.

Chas.

Bigwho86 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 12, 2018 11:38 am So since I'm so new to this, would it be better to go outside the waistband and wear larger shirts or is it better to go inside the waistband and get bigger pants? Is it really necessary to get larger pants if I carry IWB?

Opinions will vary, but I think that 1) IWB holsters are far more versatile; and 2) OWB holster can be more comfortable, but not necessarily so.

For an OWB holster to be comfortable, you MUST use a good (aka sturdy) gun belt to carry the weight correctly without sagging. My recommendation to students is to get both. Wear the OWB when you are dressed such that concealment of an OWB holster is not a problem, otherwise wear the IWB. I personally use a Comp-Tac Infidel or QI IWB 95% of the time. This is true even when I'm in a suit or am wearing a jacket. I don't find IWB to be uncomfortable even when carrying a Government Model 1911.

I'm going to catch some flak over this statement, but avoid appendix-carry holsters, at least until you can try-before-you-buy. By "try," I mean borrow one from a friend and wear it for a full day. Wear it standing, walking, sitting in a car, chair, etc. Personally, I hate appendix-carry! It's horribly uncomfortable when seated, points the muzzle at your femoral artery (violating a key gun safety rule) and it's at a tactical disadvantage in terms of protecting the draw. I know, some will strongly disagree. Appendix-carry is rapidly growing in popularity, but for reasons that are largely illusory. Strong-side carry at 3:00 - 5:00 o'clock is preferred by most experienced shooters. Again, I'll draw some flak over this statement as well.

Chas.