How on earth can you carry that thing? It is way too big and too heavy. I usually carry a small .38 revolver and a small .32 derringer.
Because, as my dear old dad says, I hate like hell to shoot a man and then stand there and argue with him. :-D
.38 is marginal for self defense, even with the +P rounds (let's not even talk about the .32, that's marginal for field mice). The .45 is a trifle on the heavy side, but you get used to it. And, God forbid you should actually have to shoot somebody, they will go down and stay there. I have never actually had to shoot anyone (on two occasions simply assuming a Weaver stance was enough to make the assailant beat feet, and I won't shoot a man in the back) but my dad once had to, and a single shot from the .45 knocked the man sprawling. (He saw a lot of GIs who survived 9mm Luger wounds, but he never saw a live German with a .45 hole in him.)
When I'm carrying I usually wear a Bianchi shoulder holster under my jacket, which distributes the weight very nicely. The 1911 is a difficult "summer carry" if you wear your shirt tucked in, not because it's heavy but because it "prints". The new "pager holster" and fanny pack with integral holster are not bad (I won't carry in a purse - it just gives a purse snatcher a free bonus.) But I got the P245 for a little less obvious carry. And people see what they expect to see anyway - which is not a matronly 48 year old packing a 1911.