AIWB is my preferred carry, I do it 365 days a year.
My preferred pistol is a DAO semi-auto, inherently safe. I always holster BEFORE inserting IWB … personal preference. I also carry a striker-fired G2C. It took me a LONG time to get comfortable carrying with a round chambered and the safety on. And I still holster it before I strap it next to The Boys.
Reholstering is really my only concern. I’d be kind of worried about an ND on the draw due to stress, BUT I have trigger discipline engraved in me. I was using good trigger discipline on a thermometer I use for work the other day . Trigger discipline is an issue for all carry.
I do like how I’d be able to see the holster. I hate practicing reholstering and only being able to see my holster %100.
Another striker-fired appendix carrier checking in. The recent video by John Lovell (Warrior Poet Society) posted a ways above by @LordDeinonychus in post 16 addresses a lot of the concerns people have about shooting their junk off or hitting an artery.
The bottom line is if you have an AD/ND, no matter where you are carrying, you will ruin your day and quite possibly someone else’s too. You should always be really really careful when re-holstering. Appendix is actually a lot better in this regard as you can look your firearm into the holster which you can’t do if carrying at 4 or 5 o’clock (John’s video shows this better than I can explain it).
If you don’t trust the holster not to induce an AD/ND, don’t wear it. Plain and simple. Don’t wear an unsafe holster on your hip because “at least it won’t shoot my junk off”. That’s poor logic. If the holster is safe, its safe. If it’s not safe, don’t use it.
As for having a hammer fired, it does give you a little bit extra security when re-holstering because you can put your thumb on the hammer when holstering and “feel” if something is putting tension on the trigger. I don’t think a safety matters as much because the same stuff that can catch a trigger might also disengage the safety leaving you with a false sense of security.
If I am re-holstering administratively (I removed the firearm to clean or inspect or something) I will take the whole holster off, put the firearm carefully in the holster, and put the entire unit back on my belt together. At the range for drills, I will re-holster directly but I am extra extra cautious and make sure to look the firearm into the holster.
You just have to get in the habit of never holstering while wearing the holster. Only use a hard shell holster, when reholstering, always remove the holster from your body, holster with two hands, then put the whole thing in your pants.
The picture is not exactly where I normally carry, I just stuck the gun/holster in my belt for a quickie to illustrate a point and show some fiends my current preferred Alien Gear holster. I usually carry slightly more centered but in the 1:00 position. 12;00 is just not comfortable for me. This gun is a 43X which gives me a full sized gun load out (16+1) combined with a slim frame and TINY short barrel so it’s not even an issue AIWB.
Actually it’s not a real 43X, It’s my cobbled together FrankenGlock. 43 slide with a 48 frame that I bought after they announced the 43X and 48s. I never really cozied up to the 43 so I ws happy to ditch that frame, but I LOVE the barrel length and size so here is a picture of the gun under current configuration stacked against the old 43 frame.
I wish I could say I have ridiculous amounts of will power that keep me relatively slim, BUT, I’m probably just more hardheaded or vain? ) and I have a stupid life schedule that I can’t seem to fit even lunch into. It’s now almost 7:00pm and I’m 5-6 cups of coffee into my daily calorie intake, and nothing else…
At the end of the day, I figured if I’m ever going to lose precious body parts to a Glock it’ll probably be because I pissed off my wife one too many times, not because I carried AIWB
I never thought I’d like it and then I was at an instructor training a few years back learning how to teach it and fell in love with it. I still prefer 3 o’clock for work since I have to sit more than I’d like, but when I’m going to be out and about walking around, or standing mainly, it’s AIWB 100%.
AIWB always. Look it into the holster and I don’t worry about an ND. Always diligent about my wardrobe being out of harms way when reholstering. Bad shoulder mobility prevents a kidney carry these days but I have found appendix to be more comfortable and accessible while in a vehicle. Everyone is built different so this carry may not work in all cases so YMMV.
Carry owb at 2 no safety, carry iwb cross side with manual safety. Always click safety off on the draw so no differance to me. Think draw is a little faster from holster at 2 just because of location. Always careful upon reholstering, just because…
Now that I’m working on my winter body, AIWB is not so doable. Come March and out of hibernation, AIWB will once again be the preferred way to carry my G43X.
My 2c. In industrial mechanic safety we are taught that ALL accidents are the result of carelessness. I would say this applies to most of life. I have carried AIWB for years. I am a small man and that is the only place I don’t print. The firearms I have carried ran the gambit and so far there have been no new holes. What I like most about AIWB is how difficult it would be to take the firearm from me. Speed would be second.