I have a Glock 26 (9mm, 3.46") for "conversation distance" shooting, beyond that it's pretty useless. Otherwise, an extremely reliable auto - with outrageously expensive mags.

Frankly, I wouldn't carry any other auto if my life depended on it. The .357 is a good round, and has much better ballistic properties w/ the hotter load than the 9mm.

Go for a revolver, try shooting some of the airlite .357s for an light, realiable CCW weapon. Avoid Taurus, and other cheapies. If it's something that you think might save your life some day, don't skimp on quality/materials.

My roommate has a Kel-Tec P11, which is a pretty inexpensive, double-action only pistol. The loooong trigger pull, concealed hammer, and small "print" make it pretty attractive for a CCW.

www.kel-tec.com/prod01.htm

As George said, get a gun you'll want to practice with. Get very familiar with what your effective range is, and make sure you're comfortable enough to do tight double-taps if it's an auto.

TRy the Browning High Power( comes in both 9mm or 40Cal.) Great for target shooting and self defense. It is considered a full size hand gun but it is very streamlined , which can make it ok for concealed carry. It is single action and has a good trigger pull straight out of the box. I also suggest that if you were to get one , the first thing you do is replace the plastic standard grips for some Hogue wrap arounds. These will improve you grip.

I'm a little late on this but just thought I would throw my 1 cent in...I'm to broke to give you my last penny, I kid I kid! haha
Okay I own a vast collection of guns ranging from standard shotguns, hunting rifles, sniper rifles, and hand guns. A couple of years ago a friend introduced me to Hi-Point Firearms and all he did was rave about it. I checked it out and bought the .45 ACP JHP to see what all the hoo-hah was about. After 2 years owning it I have had absolutely no problems with the gun save that it is picky when it comes to ammunition. They tend to like FMJ however the Fiochi 230 grain JHPs fire like a dream. The recoil is less than most high dollar 9mm's I have shot, that accuracy is dead on and I have never had a jam. The customer service is unbeatable and the prices are so low you would expect the gun to fall apart after the first shot. I paid 179.00 for the .45 and I would have to say it's some of the best money I have ever spent. It only came with one 9 round magazine and at the time Hi-point was offering 2 9 round magazines. I called them up and explained that I had only got one and without question they sent me another one. A couple of months ago I sent it back to the company for routine servicing (nothing wrong with it just having it checked out) and they sent me 2 more 9 round mags for free when they sent it back. They come with a lifetime no questions asked warranty no matter if you are the 2nd, 3rd or 4th owner. If you own a Hi-point firearm it's covered period! After my experience I will most definately be purchasing firearms from Hi-Point in the future. They're ugly and bulky but the functionality makes up for it all. I also have a shoulder holster and an inside pants holster which amazingly conceals the gun just fine, even for it's size. However I don't know if someone of smaller stature would have the same results. They also supply 9mm, 380, .40 S&W and carbines.