I decided to try carrying my Ruger SR9C AWIB today. I normally carry IWB at about 5 o'clock, but have been leaving my gun in my bag during work, because I don't want to risk being made by a customer, boss or coworker. I wear a T-shirt at work, and do a lot of bending, which would print or cause my shirt to ride up. I made a new snap loop holster last night that turned out to be rough side out (only because I cut the leather on the wrong side! :/ ) and I used it with one loop in a vertical position. It's definitely unnerving feeling a muzzle pressed into my groin, but the trigger is covered and safety is on. I found it conceals pretty well, and under a shop apron all day, I had no fear of being made. It's not the most comfortable position (and I've already figured out I need a different holster for it), but I REALLY liked not having to disarm for work. So, for those who carry AWIB: Any tips? Things learned?
For me, a gun with a short slide works best in that position...a Glock 26/39 and a thin, leather, low-riding holster with a sweat shield and no cant. Here's the one Zookeeper made for me especially for AIWB. Love it...the best holster I've ever had. I tried a very nice High Noon tuckable but it was way too thick and wouldn't bend easily.
WoodandSteel, Welcome to the AIWB carry club. Things learned: Wearing the gun low will help keep it tucked into the belly, but it will greatly slow down your draw because you won't be able to get a full combat grip when you first grab for the gun. So, there has to be a compromise with the holster ride height if you want to be able to acquire a good combat grip while drawing the weapon. Bear in mind, the higher you make the holster ride above the belt line.............the longer you need to make the holster so it helps keep the holster from tipping out over your belt.(The length of the holster is what stabilizes it and keeps it from tipping out over the belt line) The shorter the holster the more it wants to tip out over the belt if you have it set up to be able to acquire a good grip from the initial draw. If you have a short holster and also have it ride high then the tighter you have to wear your belt to keep it from tipping out, which is really uncomfortable. Make the holster as long as you can without it poking you in that crease between your leg and groin while seated. My preference for AIWB carry is to have the gun grip about an inch off the top of the belt so I can acquire a combat grip when drawing without having to re-adjust while presenting the gun. I want speed of draw, and am willing to compromise conceal-ability. Since you are making your own, I would encourage you to use two Pull-the-Dot leather straps set about 2 inches apart from each other. This will give you the ability to straddle a belt loop if you need to. This is a big deal with me, because it seems every pant I have has a belt loop where I want to wear my holster. The leather straps will allow you to adjust the holster when you are sitting down which helps with comfort. Oh yeah, put a sweat shield on it too. I don't know what body type you are, but if you are somewhat on the thin side then appendix carry will work well for you. The larger you are around the waist, the harder it is to wear all day long. The discomfort you are experiencing right now will go away the more you wear your holster in the appendix position. It took me about a week to get use to it, and now I hardly notice. Another thing I've learned is the bigger your chest size is, then easier it is to conceal AIWB. It helps your cover garment to drape over the gun. Besides having a good purpose build appendix carry holster, you have to have a purpose built gun belt to make it work for EDC. Ok, I think that is all I got right now. Good luck. I want to see a picture of your holster when you finish with it. See the height of the grip? I can get a clean grip on the gun while drawing. See the width between the Pull-The-Dot straps? It can easily straddle a belt loop. BTW, that is a Glock 17. I wear it or a 5" 1911 all day every day. Don't tell me it can't be done. PS. Pay attention when you are re-holstering your weapon, especially with a gun with no manual safety.
In the past I've carried a DAO snubbie AIWB with the clipdraw attachment and a G27/G26 with a Galco holster http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterPT3.asp?P ... atalogID=7 although I only paid about $30 new for it. The smaller guns simply disappeared. However, tmore912 is spot on about compromising between better concealability and a good drawing grip. I also prefer to have a full grip as I draw, something that the Galco holster didn't allow for. I'm currently considering getting a weak hand AIWB holster for both the jframe and G26 because I seem to be much faster drawing and firing from that position with my offhand. I don't want to have to worry about finding one if I ever seriously injure my primary hand.
Thanks for the info, Tmoore and Rhodes! I'll have to work on the ride height some more. the holster I used sits pretty low, so I'm going to make a new one with double loops like you suggested. I'm 5'10", 185lbs, with a 32 waist but a little bit of belly above it. Carrying concealed gives me an added incentive to build my chest and lose the gut!
Well, I threw together an AIWB holster for my SR9C, and it definitely is more comfortable. I made this in a hurry so I could use it the next day, so it's NOT finished quality, and I ended up cutting some off and re-stitching it to change the shape. I designed the tab behind the trigger guard and the position of the straps to pull the grip against my side, and it works well. I'm liking AIWB more and more as I get used to it. I've carried at work for the past week without my boss or customers having a clue, and I even forget it's there at times. I think having a shorter slide (or slimmer stomach) would further improve the comfort. The back of the slide on the SR9C is pointed, as well, so sitting can be uncomfortable. I imagine a G26 might work better, but I like having the thumb safety for this style of carry. What other small 9mm guns are people finding work well for AIWB?
That looks good, WoodandSteel! It's nice and thin. I understand about the thumb safety in that position. A lot of men have problems with a muzzle that near their junk.
Thanks, Melissa and Tmoore! I probably could carry a bigger gun. This one, when I sit, presses right under my ribcage. I wonder if a longer slide would sit outside of my ribcage when I sit, and be more comfortable. What's your experience with the bigger guns?
I started out AIWB carry with a 4" 1911, then also did it with a Glock 19. Now I use a Glock 17 and full size 1911 and don't experience any discomfort around the ribcage area. I'm thinking you just need more time for your body to adjust to having a weapon carried up front. Maybe your too skinny if the gun is poking you in the ribcage. Try moving the gun closer to you center-line (12:00) to see if that helps at all.