Night/Day Carry Your Take

[bratch]

I will shortly have my CCL and have been getting everything I need. I am going to Denver again this summer to work and found myself thinking. Last summer I went downtown alot during the day and never felt uncomfortable. I didnt make it out much at night mainly because I didnt know anyone. I was thinking I'd carry a pocket gun (probably a 642) during the day and my full size Kimber during the night.

Does anyboody else feel they don't need to be as well armed during the day?
I know that if we knew when we would need it we would only carry then...
Do you think there is any justification to a lighter day carry?
Is it all mental that bad things go bump in the night?

Just thought this was kinda interesting and was curious what you guys thought.

 

[Devonai]

I think it's a reasonable question. Statistically, most self-defense shootings take place after dark (last I checked).

Darkness usually equals cooler temperatures, making concealment easier.

I carry a USP .40 full-size with 27 total rounds day or night, so it's a moot point for me. I only drop down to the Kel-Tec P11 when the social circumstances demand it, not the ambient light.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Does anyboody else feel they don't need to be as well armed during the day?

We're probably statistically safer during daylight hours; for myself, however, the minimum caliber is the minimum caliber 24 hours a day.

 

[Dave T]

This argument has always facinated me. Some how we think that if the chances of needing a gun are low then a smaller, less effective gun will do.

If you need it, you will need it just as bad and with as much effectiveness at 2 in the afternoon as at 2 in the morning. The bad guys won't be easier to hit or stop just because the sun is up!

Dave

 

[Lennyjoe]

Does anyboody else feel they don't need to be as well armed during the day

No. Bad things happen to people day or night.

Do you think there is any justification to a lighter day carry

No. A CCW should be comfortable day or night.

Is it all mental that bad things go bump in the night

No. Its a pretty well known fact that the bad guys tend to be more active at night.

Most of us have different carry rigs. We change rigs time and time again til we find one that is comfortable, reliable and easy to conceal. Thats the one we tend to stick with to save our life.

Practice with your carry piece all the time.

Get to know it well.

 

[psyopspec]

I used to change my carry at night to something with nightsights. Now all my guns have them, and the only changes I make are just based on mood. But I've never felt that a lighter caliber during the day would give me any advantages (quite the opposite in fact).

 

[The_Shootist]

Day or Night?

This struck a cord with me - during the summer, its a P-32 in the shorts pocket by day but a Bersa Thunder .380 on the waist after dark.

In the winter though when I'm likely to be wearing a coat or sweater I don't make the night/day distinction since its just as easy then to conceal my Glock 19 or 1911 (sometimes even a 686+) day or night.

So....is my summer carry distinctions laziness? Or as a result of some deep dark psychological issue that harks back to feeling the need for a bigger gun when darkness falls (not that Bersa in .380 qualifies as a big step up from a P-32).

I remember a few days after receiving my Texas CCW card in the mail 7 years ago. One night, shortly after it came, I was up late one night surfing the web (looking at 2nd Amendment sites gentlemen....not ahem...other sites) and ordered a pizza.

So like an idiot I ended up downing half a pepperoni pizza before going to bed, which usually guaranteed a pretty dandy nightmare during the night. Sure enough, the "stock" nightmare took hold.

I remember vividly (even to this day) the nightmare....getting out of my truck in pitch darkness in front of my place and a BIG werewolf popped out from behind a bush and snarled at me (and I'm a big guy at 6'2" and 230 lbs).

Now in days gone by, this werewolf would have chased me down the street, gradually gaining on me until I woke up in a cold sweat. This time it was different.

Upon facing the werewolf I promptly pulled my 1911 and shot him twice in the chest COM. The werewolf looked stunned as if to say "Thats not fair" and then ran off at which the time the dream ended with me waking up laughing.

Interestingly enough - from that time on, no matter what I ate before bedtime, that dream - or any other nightmare ever returned.

So maybe it is psychological - that and what a poster above pointed out, more goblins (both mortal and otherwise) tend to come out after dark than in daylight.

P.S. My 1911 had Golden Sabres in it, which I guess work okay on werewolves as long as you're only shooting them in your dreams

 

[Ala Dan]

I totally agree with my friends Standing Wolf and Lennyjoe.
Case in point, my wife was car-jacked at gunpoint right at 1230
hrs, in broad open daylight. Whatever caliber/firearm platform you
decide on, it needs to be carried 24/7. One other thought if you
haven't already, develope a sixth sense; KNOW WHAT YOUR
SURROUNDINGS ARE, all the time; expect the worst, TRAIN
for the best!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[bratch]

Thanks for the insight so far guys.

I agree carry what you feel comfortable with and trust. A 38 and 45 both meet those for me but thats all personal.

I plan on carrying the 45 as much as possible especially after what my carry rig cost

I guess alot of it is mental thoughts about safety, a little laziness (why put a full rig on to go to Little Ceaser's I'll drop this in my pocket type thoughts), and dress requirements.

Keep them coming I've enjoyed everyones so far,

 

[sm]

Evil will use complacency to its advantage no matter the time of day.

 

[justice4all]

If you are like many of us here, you will soon find yourself carrying 24/7 regardless of what you initially intended. It's way too easy to slip a P32 or a snub nose .38 into your pocket to not always be prepared.

 

[deputy tom]

I carry a J-Frame .38 Spl. most of the time.Day or night makes no difference to me.Carry what you are comfortable with.tom.

 

[CAS700850]

I had a professor talk about this subject (without the gun aspect, of course) during his lectures on the human animal and survival instincts. The way he described it, the human animal is physiologically built for daytime, not nighttime. The senses are better in the light than the dark. Therefore, the human instincts are to fear the dark, so we take more cautions in the dark.

He went on to do an interesting study based on a class survey. He had us each answer some questions, basic yes or no, answereing when and where we felt more confortable. PLaces included the ocean, the woods, the desert, a small town, a big city, etc., and also had time of day variables. Most people indicated they felt safer in the city during the day. He indicated that this demonstrated how the human animal is a daytime pack creature. For those of us who answered woods at night over city, he stated that was a sign of either a rural upbringing, or a camping background. The one person who's scores showed trhat he was both concerned and comfortable in every environment was jokingly called crazy by some of the class. the professor looked at him (a friend) and said that my buddy was likely ex-military, probably special forces, and maybe SEAL. My buddy laughed, because he was Army Special Forces, but a qualified combat diver who had cross-trained with SEAL's.

 

[MrMurphy]

My 24 hour gun is a Glock 30 with a spare mag, OC and a Surefire.

I've nearly needed a piece 3 times. Once was a false alarm, the other, an attempted carjacking. The third, a 4-man attempted robbery/carjacking possibly, three of us, only me armed. So yes, a spare mag MIGHT be needed.

I've also had just a .38 and a couple speedstrips on me, which was what I had in the first two incidents (all three at night). The false alarm involved a house clearing without a light (was in my truck) in the boonies. CARRY A LIGHT ALL THE TIME EVEN IN DAYLIGHT! You have no idea how many times my light has come in handy even in daylight... power outages, etc.


I've carried a .380 a few times where I had to (anything bigger would be detected), and spare mags, but the training is the same. Shoot till the bad guy hits dirt. Having seen people shot by .25s, 9mm, .380, .32, .357, .38, .45, .40 and 12ga among other things, shot placement and penetration are generally the key thing. Expansion is also good.