I am a big fan of 1911s. They are a bit larger than some of the other options mentioned, but they are relatively thin and not a bad gun to carry. There is something to be said for the accuracy after the first shot, but if you aren't small, first shot accuracy shouldn't be appreciably worse than most 9mm/.40 caliber handguns.

I got the 1911 bug with my brother's vast selection of 1911s. He has a Sig, Kimber, an HK, , a CZ, a few custom guns. My favorite is the Kimber, but I honestly can't tell you specifically what was better but it seems like everything...The Sig and HK were both very competent and all three were signficantly better feeling than the custom guns and CZ.

"If you are flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit" -Mitch Hedberg