When I am carrying a concealed handgun, it is usually my Glock 26. Yea, I own smaller, I own more powerful, I own prettier.... But that Glock feels good in my hand, is accurate as a full sized gun, and has fed thousands of rounds of anything I put in it, including some questionable stuff. It has nite sights, and a Crimson Trace laser. Stays put in my hand under rapid fire with my little finger wrapped tight under the magazine... Something a lot of small guns don't do... Loaded with 11 Plus P 115's, what more could I ask in a carry gun? I have an old 1st generation Glock 19 that years ago, I started shooting without cleaning, back when I got all the 9mm ammo I wanted for free, just to see how long it would go before malfunctioning. Lost track now how many rounds without cleaning, but you'd probably call me a liar if I guessed how many....
A strong second choice is my Kimber 45 1911 Ultra compact. 3 less rounds then the Glock, but thinner, a little more accurate, and a great trigger. Loaded with +P 230's, it hits hard. Stays put in my hand, and has none of the reliability problems some folks seem to have with compact 1911's. The Crimson Trace laser grips are a nice feature as well.
I have a S&W M&P .45 compact that is about the same size as the Glock 26, but holds 2 less rounds, is not as accurate, and has a mediocre trigger at best. It's OK during slow fire, but just does not handle as well as the Glock, or the Kimber when shooting for speed... Even though the grip feels good, it just seems to move around too much in my hand under rapid fire. I use it as my night stand gun as it has a combat light mounted on it and handles a little better with the extended finger magazine.
Larry
