bigdawg - i carry either a snub 38 or a very small .25 cal. it has been my experience that pistols get too big and too heavy very quickly, so i prefer small and compact.

I carry a H&K compact in 9mm and the Kimber Pro TLE in 45acp with crimson tracelaser grips.The H&K is light weight and a pleasure to carry. The USP COMPACT is reliable, safe,accurate and easy to carry in a concealed way.
When I hold that Kimber you know you got some metal in your hand.You just cant beat the feel of a 45.Expect to pay upwards of $1000.00 for either gun. My experence is, you get what you pay for.

Look into a S&W .40 XD.

S&W, XDs are good pistols no doubt. But Taurus is not the same as it was years ago. I have a PT1911 that has about 700 rounds through it and it has never jammed, stove piped or otherwise malfunctioned. And off a rest it will dump a full magazine into a 1 1/2" ragged hole at 25 meters. But as a CC gun, it is a bit large. My personal CCs are (depending on how I am dressed) is a Bersa Thunder .380 which is tucked in my waist band behind my hip ormy Steyr M40 40 S&W in a Roy Graham Custom paddle holster. This holster holds the pistol high and tight and even under a loose fitting T shirt is unnoticable.
The .45 gets carried when I am doing some hiking or go to the camp. The Crimson Trace laser grips on it are a plus at night.