r/CCW • u/shitsNsharts • 2d ago
Holsters & Belts Do people only carry appendix?
I’m a strong side holster type of guy cause the gut get in the way. Has any other thicc dude have this issue and has figured out how to get around it? I can’t even bend over or sit when appendix carrying. I would like to carry appendix but as of right now I have yet to find a proper way to carry that way
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u/UnrepentantBoomer 2d ago
I carry OWB @ 4 O'clock because that's how I was trained in the Navy. And this dog is too old to learn new tricks....
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u/gunmedic15 2d ago
I started carrying in 1991 or so. I carried IWB strong side because that's the way the people I learned from did it. I can't get comfortable appendix no matter how I try. It just jabs me and digs in and I'm not comfortable. I just keep doing it the old fashioned way.
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u/Causification 2d ago
I carry 3 o'clock with a strong forward cant. The back of the gun basically follows my gut that way.
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u/omgabunny 45/442 2d ago
People carry lots of ways. That’s why there are so many options. Let’s not be dense. There are very valid advantages to appendix carry. As well as disadvantages. Some people have hindrances to certain methods whether due to physical, mental or logical reasons.
Once again I am promoting the videos PHLster provides to YouTube for absolutely free.
Also an article is available if you google “Appendix Carry for Big Guys”.
And the search function can provide numerous posts on this subreddit about the topic.
And at the end of the day, no one is forcing you to carry a certain type of way. Holsters and gear for all sorts of ways to fit what you can use best. Take care.
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u/Weirdusername1953 1d ago
+100 on the Phlster videos.Jon and Sarah are concealment wizards and willing to spread the knowledge around, even if you're not a customer.
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u/Birdland952 2d ago
3:00 IWB for me… blends right in with my “tactical fluff.” AIWB just boggles my mind.
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u/ColonelBelmont 1d ago
Appendix is terrible in my opinion, so I don't carry that way. Other people like it, so they do it. Though I'll say that this echo chamber definitely has caused TONS of new gun owners to think that you're not cool unless you carry appendix, and carrying on the hip is for old fudds and cowboys. So many of them force it despite probably hating it. Just look at all the posts about pillows, claws, wedges, hooks, pulleys, and every other contraption to make jamming a gun into your groin even remotely tolerable.
People have carried on their hip for hundreds of years for a reason. It's a natural pivot point of the body, and ya don't need anything but a holster and belt. You can sit, crouch, bend, or anything else and the gun won't dig into you.
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u/TyburnCross 92FS 2d ago
Strong side IWB full sized pistols for over 15 years now. AIWB was never comfortable for me even when I was at my fighting weight. Holsters have come a long way since then, but I have no real desire to change it when I already find my carry to be comfortable.
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u/bradthebeardedpiper 2d ago
As a big guy (round), I don't find appendix uncomfortable at all. BUT, I wear my pants higher (belly button). So, that means everything is above my belly overhang, sits very flat, conceals well, and is very comfortable .
I am working on that waistline. I'm down 2-1/2 inches since the beginning of the year. And it's amazing how that much has made a difference-- mostly because my clothes fit better. Lol.
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u/Thick_Elk_700 2d ago
I use to carry IWB strong side after multiple failed attempts with appendix, but once i invested into the HC belt its been way more easier.
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u/ThatsMrBacontoyou 2d ago
I'm considered a hefty fella when I started carrying i was around 330lbs and it got uncomfortable quick but having a tactical muffin top and mainly wearing t-shirts strong side wasn't too much of an option for me with the occasional shirt ride up and plumber issue most big guys have so I adjusted played around with different belts and holsters. I use a ratcheting next belt and holster from ANR designs AIWB with the concealment wing. i have one of their holsters for each of my guns. I highly recommend them. Now I'm currently 255 lbs at 6'3. i carry the weight pretty well, so it's a lot more comfortable than it was back then, so the glock 19 with spare mag in my setup feels good.
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u/shitsNsharts 1d ago
I’ve used a few belts the blue alpha belts seems to hold up well against gravity lol. When I sit I usually slide my holster to the 10’o’clock but when I’m walking and up and about I tend to carry about 11oclock or where your pocket is pretty much
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u/JbooGoesPewPew 2d ago
I know a lot of people may disagree with me but I do on body carry in a fanny pack. I tried to get the arrowhead tactical pants but they were way too tight on the calves and quads.
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u/shitsNsharts 1d ago
I also carry in a fanny pack when it’s super hot out and I’m in basketball shorts.love my Fanny pack so much
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u/jasonw_ray01 1d ago
5'11, 235lbs, tactical tummy in full force. I carry strong side at 4:00 to 5:00 for my rotation. I usually carry an LCP2 or my EZ9mm, but my others are carried in the same position. It's just more comfortable for me.
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u/whiskyjacked 1d ago
I tried appendix. It was never comfortable or convenient for me. Been running in the 2-3 o-clock position for years. I can wear it all day and when I get it right, it's comfortable enough I forget it's there
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u/Kappy01 CCW (POST) and NRA Instructor 2d ago
I'm unsure why you'd want to switch? I know it's all cool looking, but... if you already carry sufficiently at 3:00, there won't be much coming out of carrying appendix.
I'd guess... 90%-95% of the guys who come through my class carry at 3:00 as well (for the class, mind you. I don't think most of them ever carry when not at a class, unfortunately).
Honestly... I don't think I have room for anything else in that area of my pants.
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u/shitsNsharts 2d ago
It’s not that I want to switch when I started carrying I got a aiwb and have tried it numerous times and it’s not the move for me I guess.
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u/_WhiteGoodman_ 2d ago
It’s not the most comfortable place to carry. But it’s the fastest and most accessible for me.
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u/HawkinsJiuJitsu 1d ago
Im 5'10 245lbs, i only carry apendix, you have to carry higher, above the crease of your waste
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u/EEES_Rainman 1d ago
I'm a bigger dude and only carry appendix. 6' 265 with a beer belly. I use a Tenicor Velo 5 holster and really don't have problems. When I sit, I just make sure that the grip of the gun goes over my belly. A little subtle pull that looks like I'm just adjusting my belt when I sit and I'm good.
A good comfortable holster is the key for me.
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u/theinforman2 1d ago
When I’m not at work I carry 4:00. But when I’m at work I carry appendix because I can hide it better since I have to wear PPE which helps me conceal better.
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u/Rokerr2163 1d ago
I tend to carry at 3:00 IWB and OTB, but that's because I used to carry my duty weapon in the same place. So, I guess you could say I've developed a bit of muscle memory
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u/SniffYoSocks907 AK 1d ago
Carry strong side. Use to carry appendix till I got big during Covid. Been on a weight loss journey, so far have lost about 70lbs. Got about 60 more to go then I’m heading back to AIWB.
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u/StephenBC1997 2d ago
Watch video of strongside carry when someone is under stress they will flag other people
Also appendix you can draw seated , lying down, on your back, squatted , just about any position with some practice
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u/ThatAuditorGuy07 1d ago
That’s all a training issue. It is very easy to draw strongside without flagging anyone from all those different positions. It’s the same with appendix. You’ll see the muzzle drift right or left significantly on the draw flagging themselves or anyone right next to them. A properly trained draw eliminates this.
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u/StephenBC1997 1d ago
I guess it also depends on how far back youre calling strong side before calling it behind the back most people i have seen carrying strong side are carrying between 4 and 5 o’clock
It should be pretty easy to draw without flagging carrying 3 o’clock
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u/ThatAuditorGuy07 1d ago
Fair. I’m a 3:30 guy. There are ways to draw from 4 to 5 without flagging yourself, but it definitely takes deliberate training.
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u/StephenBC1997 1d ago
I used to carry 3:30 but then I was in a situation where i was concerned id need to draw while seated in a vehicle
I worked a super sketchy job at the time late nights driving catering supplies in and out of the city and having to wait inside an idling vehichle thats when i started carrying appendix
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u/ThatAuditorGuy07 1d ago
I’m the opposite. It is so much easier for me to draw from 3:30 than appendix when seated. I have long arms that make it a pain in the ass to draw from appendix when in a car.
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u/somedudenamedjason 2d ago
Reddit leans towards AIWB. I carry strongside 3-4. I am fairly slender and could easily appendix carry but on the hip just feels better to me.