Incorrect, the .38 is anemic, and you have the rest of your life to win a gunfight, therefore, one should not count on only being in less than a "serious bother"..
.45 what I reccomend and what I run, anything less is a compromise.
Personally, I carry either a full framed Kimber 1911, or a compact 1911, Though those require more maintenence than most people are ready for....
HK usp series, para ord, etc, are all good. I run kimbers.
Stay away from glocks. I hate glocks and make no apologies about it.
Though it saddens me beyond all measure, I must disagree with the awesomeness that is the Good Reverend. :mrgreen:
A .38spl is pretty much the lower end of effective self-defense rounds, but it isn't really all that far behind the ubiquitously-popular 9mm in ballistics.
I like 1911's, but the average shooter is going have some issues. You either have to carry cocked-and-locked, which some people dislike, or you have to train yourself to chamber on the drawstroke, which I consider too much wasted time.
Yes, there are some compact 1911's that are reasonably small and not TOO heavy, but they are not the easiest things to conceal. The average CCW carrier may not pack their piece if it is too inconvenient... and a .38 in the pocket is way better than a .45 you left at home because "you were just running to the store and didn't want to bother..."
Just sayin'... I know a lot of guys that are 1911 advocates, but not many of them actually conceal a 1911 on their person on a daily basis. The really
really serious shooters, yes... like a guy I know who trains SWAT. Joe Average, generally not so much.
The ballistics and real-world-shooting-reports on the effectiveness of the 9mm, .357 magnum, .40 and .45 do differ, but they don't differ
dramatically. A quality hollowpoint in any of those calibers, with proper shot placement, will do the job nicely.
I know some people don't like Glocks, but a heck of a lot of us
do. They're good guns, they shoot straight and run reliably. The only thing I don't like about them for CCW is the thickness of the grip; makes concealment harder.
A lot of the serious pro's are going to the S&W M&P 9mm, especially the compact model for CCW. I shot one recently and am considering a purchase.
I can conceal a full framed 1911 with a tac light under t-shirt and jeans. :shrug:
It can be done with a quality holster, yes...but I'll bet you have to watch how you bend and stretch, yes?
frangables suck. If you want to use something like that, Glazer saftey slugs, but even then, there will be times you might just want to shoot through that sheetrock.
Glazers are good for times when overpenetration is a serious issue...but mostly I'd just stick with a good JHP, like Cor-bon gold-dots.
As a point of reference, and others can vouch, I have taught and trained both pistol and carbine CQB for years. I am an assistant instructor (very part time/volunteer) for a very well known weapons training company. We teach LEO, .mil, conractors, and civillians.....
Holy cow, we may have met at some point and didn't know it... ever work with Vickers or Hackathorne?
Try sparks, Rosen, Brigade gunleather. 
