If you carry a "big" gun, carry a .45acp. A 9mm or a .38 is silly, IMO. Neither will stop a determined assailant. They are (like a .380) simply a deterrent, so you might as well go light and carry the .380. Barrel length in a 1911 is not as much a factor as weight, for daily carry. An alloy frame 1911 of any barrel length will serve you well if you want certain protection.
9mm hardball is the military's choice, because anyone can handle it, the round is universal within NATO, and because a wound is as good or better than a death, in battle. Such is not the case on the street's of our own country. We carry because we need to immediately STOP threats to our lives. A 9mm is little more than a .38 Special. One shot from such a puny weapon might deter an attack, but it might not. A .45 will.
So, the way I see it, there's no middle ground. Put up with the extra size and weight, thereby being confident you won't be outgunned, or carry something weak but convenient. It's in our minds, really. If you believe you might have to defend yourself against a determined aggressor, think big and think 45acp or .44 Special. If you are not law enforcement, and you can't reasonably foresee an incident where someone wants to kill you no matter what, think small. The older I get, the more I tend toward the latter. I don't believe that a few rounds of .380 would not stop someone from trying to hurt me. Nobody wants to get shot with anything. Unless they really, really hate me, or have some other notion to single me out to die, I can't see toting around a burdensome hunk of steel. Keep the big guns at hand and at home.
