I'm not a big fan of 1911's, especially for CCW. I really don't like the idea of having to carry "cocked and locked", although I know many people do it all the time. Just isn't for me. Plus the fact that a FTF or FTE could cause a jam, then you are in a panick mode trying to rack the slide and get things working right again. No thanks.

I'm a big time Ruger fanatic, so I have a preference for their stuff. I like a SP101 in .357, preferrably the DAO version, for CCW. Its small enough to conceal very easily, plus its easy to put into action. Just point and shoot. In the unlikely event of a mis-fire, just pull the trigger again. Don't let people use the old "but there's only 5 rounds" BS on you. The odds of using the weapon in a self-defense situation are pretty low, plus if you can't get the job done in 5 rounds, you shouldn't be carrying. Its highly unlikely that you will be getting into a fire fight with multiple bad guys where you need a whole box of ammo!

If I absolutely felt I HAD to have a semi-auto, I'd either look for an old P93 (discontinued, but a great pistol) or go with a P95. Both are 9mm. Plenty of stopping power (I choose to ignore Jeff Cooper's opinions), plus ammo is extremely cheap, which allows for frequent practice. I know you roll your own, so that may not be a factor for you.

Of course, these are all just my opinions. Take them worth a grain of salt. reakin