There are days when sitting in front of the computer and searching the internet for something to write about seems like the silliest idea in the world. Days like yesterday. It was the first sunshiney blue sky day that really felt like actual spring so I opened the windows, baked some bread, started some seeds, cleaned a little, did multiple loads of laundry and went to the store all while wearing short sleeves - even outside! And believe me, in the Cleveland area, that is truly something to celebrate.
Home alone and filling my day with things other than .coms and IMs, I still carry my gun. In an attempt to better conceal, I tried appendix carry (as suggested by Julie Goloski-Golob in a recent installment of Gun Nuts Radio.) Now I don't know if the gun is too big or if I'm too small but despite having a perfect hollow between belly and hip, every time I bent over the muzzle of the Bersa was jabbing me below the belt, far too close to delicate girl bits for comfort. So the pistol was back on my belt at 4 o'clock by the time Mike came home at 5 o'clock. He was ravenous as usual so in honor of the warm day, we had our first cookout: sweet potatoes, fresh bread, bell peppers, sweet onions...I even splurged on steak and Great Lakes Brewery beer. It all tasted like a promise of summer to come.
Friday, April 3, 2009
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21 comments:
concealed for comfort is the best idea, when carrying it should be comfortable - otherwise you will walk and move funny and everyone (the ones without the cell phone and aware) will notice and guess what your problem is
I still like under the arm for too many reasons
wv deption (shorter deception?)
Yeah, that's actually why I don't like appendix carry that much - the gun jabs in kind of close to some bits I don't want jabbed by a gun.
Nobody is looking. You could talk on it like a cell phone and folks wouldn't bat an eye. Might as well clip it to your purse strap.
OK, people are probably looking at your cuteness/hot librarian factor, but they wouldn't notice even if you were carrying a running chainsaw.
SO jealous of your proximity to Great Lakes brewing company.
Appendix carry. Yep it's all the rage now. It's not comfortable for me either but I think it has more to do with the fact its a full-size Beretta 96 than anything else. Here in New England we've only had a couple of days nice enough to go short sleeved. Enjoy them while their here...
For Appendix carry a belly band could get the gun higher than the belt-line, which could be more comfortable. However I never tried it with a round in the chamber
of my glock, and if your carrying with the safety off your in the same boat as us lowly glock shooters.
A good cover garment may do the job. Something like a silk shirt worn unbuttoned shouldn't be to hot. Add some stainless steel washers to keep it from blowing in the wind.
Or a long sleeve shirt tied around the waist could do the job (it will slow down the draw).
Again with the safety off you Bersa is like a glock and you need to be extra careful that no shirttails or drawstrings or anything else can get caught inside the trigger guard when you holster the gun
I'm not a fan of the appendix carry either. I don't like the shooty end pointing at body parts I'd rather not loose.
People who recommend the 'appendix' carry position have always been suspect in my mind because they obviously haven't done it for hours and days on end. Unless of course they were extremely BIG or the gun was extremely small.
All The Best,
Frank W. James
I'm too fat for appendix carry. Well, unless I anchor a holster in my fat-rolls... Ew.
Jealous of the steaks though. Nummy cowflesh. Moo.
I saw blue sky once while I was in Mayfield Village. :)
Sounds like a good day to me.
We will be shipping you bad weather from here in a few days.
I remember those days from growing up in Illinois.
It's such a loooooooong from from New Year's to when the weather gets nice!
Gee, I appendix-carry a Commander 1911 for many hours at a time without any problems. The gun isn't that small, and I'm not at all big.
The ride and cant are the keys. The grip is just above my belt and nearly parallel to it. My current out-in-public rig is a Wilson Featherweight, and I carry in this around the house.
When I decided to try it, I decided to go with a dedicated appendix carry holster. I went with the "Joab" holster from One Source Tactical.
It's probably not for everyone but after a lot of range time (including FoF drills) I can't say enough for the ease and speed of presentation. I could only see this working well for me with one type of firearm ... my J-Frame.
Appendix carried J-Frame with Crimson Trace Lasergips ... it's da bomb!
Appendix carry has worked well for me over the years, but only with a j-frame smith. Put mine on this morning and it is still on as I type this, some 12 hours later. Different strokes, and all that; just experiment a bit and find out what works for YOU!
You're doing it the right way, try things, see what works and what doesn't. Remember, one size does NOT fit all... :-) And I'm envious of the grilling!
From what I've read and tried, appendix carry doesn't work for everyone. In general, it seems to work mor often for women than for men. In general. Obviously there are some men above for whom it works.
Not familiar with the Bersa. You're getting flack about carrying without using the safety. I thought the Bersa was similar to the Sig P232, which has no safety at all, but is DA/SA with a decocker. (Currently tucked at 3:30 under a sweater at work on the left coast.)
Steve,
The Bersa is much closer to a Walther PPK or PPK/s clone than a SIG clone, be it 230 or 232, Also think Mauser HSc. They have a safety that is also a decocker, in the S&W or Beretta style.
Breda,
Did you chance the can't on your holster to try appendix carry? It WON'T work to just shove a FBI cant holster (forward cant for the 4:00 O'clock position behind the hip) forward to try appendix carry.
I am not sure enough as to what you carry to know if it has variable cant or not. A pancake style holster would, an Uncle Mikes' Kydex would most other leather holsters WON'T unless they are so generic they are not much good anyway.
My B-I-L carries in a IWB/OWB/Clip-on/belt slot holster that tries to be everything, but is really nothing. He gets made at Wal-mart all the time carrying a Kel-tec PF-9. No excuse for that but bad holster.
Buckshot
Yeah, I thought about appendix carry once. Then my brain wrapped itself around the idea of a condition 1 1911 in that spot at that angle and it changed in a real big hurry.
As a bigger guy, I can get away with having it dead on 3:00 IWB and be comfy all day.
I carry in front of the right (strong side) hip in the position that I usually call "appendix carry."
However, I've been told this is not "true" appendix carry because the gun is not far enough forward.
So, let me call it "in front of the strong side hip" carry and discuss it a bit.
I carry either a Makarov or a S&W Model 65 with a 3" barrel in that position and I find it a VERY comfortable and concealable location.
For me, I find the point of the hip and carry the holstered gun just forward of that spot. If the belly button is 12:00, and the point of the hip is 3:00, then this location is probably 2:00 or 2:30.
It does take me a few seconds to find the "sweet spot" every time I put the gun on and finding the right spot is very important for comfort.
I've found this location only really works well with a straight drop holster. Any significant degree of cant doesn't work as well. I've also found that a clip-on holster works best. I use a nice Alessi Talon IWB clip-on for the S&W 3" M-65 and a cheap, but surprisingly good, no-name clip-on for the Makarov (my spare carry gun).
I've also found that gun size is more critical for this location then with behind the hip carry. Specifically it seems that barrel length or overall length is more important. If the gun is too long it will press against the thigh uncomfortably.
The Bersa is about the size of my Mak so that should work. Whether your particular body shape works for this carry mode I cant say.
Try this though: Move the location of the gun around a bit and try different spots. See if you can find that "sweet spot." It may not be where you think it "should" be. Like I said, I carry just in front of the hip, instead of behind the hip. It conceals under a T Shirt. Your location may vary.
Try a straight drop holster as well. That makes a big difference.
this appendix issue is worthless without pictures breda.
Here you go Cap'n.
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