To me the most important thing is to have the biggest caliber pistol that you will actually carry. Better a .380 in the pocket than a .45 at home.
I have tried many different pistols and I can carry a Taurus TCP and it fits so well that I forget that it is in my pants pocket.
My sister in law (let's call her Jane) is rabid anti-gun. One day she went in a full bore rant, not knowing that I was carrying a pistol. My wife started giggling like a little girl. Jane asked why my wife was giggling. My wife asked Jane if she felt in danger. When Jane said "no," my wife told her that I had a pistol in my pocket and had been carrying that pistol all weekend. Jane got a shocked look on her face. I do not envy my brother.
Once I had gone target practice with my pistol a day or two before....I opened the hatch to the SUV...and my gun was laying there. No mag in it...nothing in the chamber. He recoiled like he had seen a rattlesnake. The gun was just sitting there...He acted like it was going to shoot him.
He's a good guy...but his politics aren't rational.