http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf
there are some great ones listed at the above link. Saves tons of time.
I advise a REAL safety (not a trigger safety) for concealed carry. There are several to choose from.
Get the gun you are most comfortable wearing and therefore most likely to carry. A gun that’s great on the range but too heavy or bulky to wear all day long is a gun that’s going to end up in your gun safe.
I like Glocks and carry them myself (either a Model 30 or a Model 36 depending on time of year—the slimmer 36 is easier to conceal with summer wear), because Glocks fit my hands well and I shoot them well. There are many good brands, and you’ll probably go through a few different ones before you settle on your best choice. I realize that it’s preferable to make the best choice right out of the gate (the damn things are expensive) but it didn’t work that way for me. As I gained experience I made the necessary adjustments.
There is a very important question to ask yourself about concealed carry that I found out through experience. The question is; what WILL you carry? I have one gun that I keep in my truck when I cannot carry (at work, Springfield Armory XDm .45), one in an inside the waistband holster when appropriate (Para 1911 and it took some getting used to), and a Ruger LCP when I can’t carry inside the waistband. Frankly, I’m not too happy with any of them and I’m thinking about the new Sprinfield Armory XDs. The LCP is too small and the others too big. The point I’m trying to make is, if you’re going to buy a gun for concealed carry, make sure you’re comfortable carrying it.
Actually your P-38 should conceal fairly well with a good fitting holster. The grip is not overly large and that is often the part which shows.
I have a Walther PP which fits in my inside jacket pocket without printing on the outside. It is not as quick to get to as a holster but often one has ample time to get to the gun.
Mine is in .32 but most would say get a .380.
A good starting point is any gun whose caliber starts in .4
Go to a range that has rentals available. Try several different models and calibers until you find the one that ‘clicks’ with you. Make sure it is something that you can carry all day, every day.
It is a very personal choice, like a spouse. Choose the wrong one and you will be out of money and looking for another one.
I spent over a year and tested more than a dozen different combinations till i got the one i liked and that was most practical for me.
Starting a thread a FR, is a great place to start. This place is loaded with brains and talent and will help guide you, but the final decision is yours.
INBN.
My carry gun is an old Colt Detective Special, much like your hypothetical S&W 60. If TSHTF I'd rather have a .45, but in the power vs concealability tradeoff a 1.5-lb .38+P that in a good holster vanishes behind my strong-side hip beats the 3-lb .45 that I left at home.
Start packing the pistol you have wherever you can for a few days, even if it is only at your own house and yard, it may help you decide.
You might find that you prefer a tiny, light weight pistol because carrying is a hassle and annoying, or perhaps not.
This really is a highly subjective personal preference, but I recommend a Glock 19. Its got a 15 round magazine but its small and concealable. Glocks are accurate, reliable, nearly indestructible, simple to field strip and clean, and reasonably priced. Try one out at your local range.
The guys who suggest you buy what you will actually carry are right.
My choice is the .22 S&W auto.
I have other weapons that I like, and they are great fun, but in general...I don’t carry them. Carry the .22LR loaded with CCI Stingers.
Oh, and don't carry a valuable antique or a family heirloom. If, God forbid, you ever do have to draw your gun, expect that the cops investigating the "incident" will seize and impound your gun, and if you ever do manage to get it back, it will look like it was stored in the septic tank while in police possession.
For the home front, I would suggest a nice S&W Model 10 or 15. There are write-ups on the late Stephen Camp’s site; “Hi-Power and handguns”, about home defense pistols and revolvers.
.38 specials in a four inch barreled revolver do NOT have any noticeable recoil, (I am sensitive to that at times), and they are cheap to obtain ammunition.
** Any ‘self-defense-designed’ ammunition is over-priced!***
For a CCW, the model 60, loaded with semi-wadcutters - NOT plus-p hollowpoints, will do wondrously well, not knock your hand around, and get you back on target, easily.
There are two guys on YOUTUBE that I suggest you watch:
hickok45 and usafmiller
both have a lot of information, and miller shows you what an old model 10 can do.
Handguns are inferior to long guns. The only thing that have going for them is portability.
You don't need portability in a home-defense weapon.
12 gauge, with 00 shot.
Under baggy clothing.
The new Springfield XDS has gotten a lot of attention and converts. It’s small enough to be a pocket gun, yet has 7 rounds of .45.
I recommend a Glock G19. But like others said it’s subjective. I shoot my Glocks well and feel like with their magazine capacity I don’t need a spare mag. Personally, I carry my G23 most of the time. Sometimes I carry my Springfield .45 and do carry an extra mag then. The best advice I can give is rent and shoot any gun you plan on carrying before you buy it. I have big hands so the Glock double stack magazine is not an issue for me. Some people with smaller hands feel the double stack Glocks are “chunky”. With modern ammo if you do your part the 9 mm is going to be fine as a self defense gun. I like the .40 and .45 just on the belief that more is almost always better. I know .380s are becoming popular again but I think the .380 is marginal at best for self defense. I have a Walther PPK/S and it sits in the safe unless I’m taking it to the range. Another gun worth looking at is the Kahr CM9, or PM9 for a couple of hundred bucks more. They don’t have much in the way of magazine capacity but they are extremely concealable. Just my opinions, YMMV.
It is hard to beat a Model 60, get a pocket holster, drop it in your pocket, and go. A Model 60 goes off every time you pull the trigger, even if you forget to clean it for a while, Which I do regularly.