Appendix carry is one of the methods for concealed carry that you can explore and in this pro-tip I am going to walk you through different options that are available to you. 

It starts with having a holster that is specifically designed for appendix carry. They come in all shapes and sizes now, from full size holsters to holsters that are a lot smaller. Holsters that even work with J-frame pistols. 

The key to an appendix holster is two things, having a wing or a wedge, or actually you can have both. Let’s start with the wing. This is an attachment for the holster that is going to rotate the grip inward towards the body as you can see here. Without a wing attachment the grip rotates forward and it will cause it to print. That’s what we don’t want.

The second thing is a wedge. Some holsters have built in wedges, this raised material right here, or you can add a wedge to your own holster with a pad like this. The nice thing about a wedge is that it presses the top of the gun in towards your abdomen, so it is not going to flop forward. Very, very useful for concealed carry. 

The biggest concern we have with appendix carry is safely re-holstering. When we are re-holstering, we want to make sure that we are not going to cover our body with the muzzle and there’s two ways to incorporate movement into your re-holstering process to ensure that this doesn’t happen. 

First, I am going to make sure that my feet are shoulder width apart. This ensures I don’t point the gun at my legs or feet. One other movement to incorporate, I am going to tilt my hips forward. This clears the rest of my body for safe re-holstering.

There is no race at all for re-holstering, finger off the trigger, smooth intentional, deliberate movements to make sure that you stay safe. 

Now let’s talk about the draw. Because of that wing and wedge system I am able to conceal very well with this holster, but it also makes it more difficult to draw, so instead of having a clear easy opportunity to draw I have to modify my draw just a little bit. 

I could take a deep dive with my thumb, but that would probably hurt, and it would be a little slower, and it would be inconsistent. So instead, I am going to pull the grip into my hand, keep my thumb nice and high, and then move it into position and onto the target when I am ready to shoot. 

So, there you have it. If you’re looking to carry appendix, make sure you have a holster designed for it. Practice safely re-holstering. And work on your draw to check out this concealed carry option. Till the next one be safe and have fun.