If you are a normal sized human 3'5 to 7', you should be able to CCW a semi compact handgun (glock 19, commander sized 1911) with ease. If you can't, you're doing it wrong.

While I like 45 just fine(I have a 1911, and love it), and I do not want to turn this into a POS thread by comparing the 2 calibers, MY personal choice is 18 rounds of +p 124grain 9mm HP's. If that can't extricate me from something, I'm in serious trouble.

WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE PLEASE!!! Train. Draw from concealment with an unloaded gun over, and over again.

Take a ccw course.

Join a shooting range with an IDPA, or other practical pistol shooting activity. Shooting at the bench won't cut it. You need to be under the stress of a timeclock / buzzer / spectators to even get a glimpse of how stressful a defensive shooting could be. It's an eye opening experience.

You just can't wear a gun, and not be surgically competent with it.

Congrats on making the decision to be an armed citizen.
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