What is the best handgun to use in a concealed carry situation where coats and jackets are not a common wear?

You should watch this video about handguns and the issues surrounding drawing them while under extreme stress. The Glock in the video has plenty of knockdown power and is a very reliable semi-automatic. Consider also the amount of kick. A 44 magnum has enormous knockdown power but the kick is brutal. That’s going to make it harder, more time consuming, to reacquire the target and get a second shot off.

Avoid Saturday Night specials. A jammed firearm puts a huge target symbol on you.

I carry a Ruger LCP as my concealed carry. It is a .380 ACP semi-auto, jackets are not commonly worn here either. A .380 ACP (aka: 9mm Short, 9mm Kurz) has essentially the same stopping power as a standard 9mm round, but in a smaller package.

The SS 33692 Micro Burst

Walther PPK.

I second @echotech10 ‘s comment – the Ruger LCP. It is thinner than my cell phone. There are no sharp edges that can get caught on your clothes.
Note: if you have big hands this might not be the one for you. The slide can cut the web of your hand if you are not careful. I do not have this problem.

This is my gun of choice for warmer climates. http://files.sharenator.com/Squirt_Gun-s567x381-331700.jpg

It would be the one you have, and are proficient with. One that might have a “safe action trigger” Basically this means the trigger is double action only so you can carry with a pill in the pipe without worrying if it will accidentally discharge…in your pants. The weapon cocks itself upon squeezing the trigger. This means there is no external safety switch to remember to disengage and since it has one chambered there is no time lost racking the slide. One major complaint is double action only pistols have a longer trigger pull and being stiff compared to others. I think this is a good idea in that, a gun like this will not fire unless you mean it. Something in 9mm makes in better to manage recoil over 40’s.
Even small revolvers have a lot going for them as long as you have at least one reload on you.
On an aside, one might want to think of a no frills gun that you won’t mind the cops taking away from you because if you light that sucker off they are going to take it as evidence, oh yes they will. Depending on the state you are in you might get it back as long as your story checks out, but it could be a long wait.

If you have an inside the waistband holster it will make the bottom of it showing a non issue but then you might have to get used to keeping your shirtails out as long as they go down low enough to cover and don’t button it all the way so it won’t interfere with your sweep.

I stick a little Walther p-22 in my pocket.it has a laser sight and that helps with intimidation.Sure .22 is a small cartridge, but it is small, accurate, and easy to hide in shorts pockets and a loose summer shirt. not long on knockdown power, but the little bullet will indeed rattle around inside.

@woodcutter The LCP is double action with a long trigger pull and no safety as you describe. It can be dropped without fear of it going off accidentally. There is a visual indicator that readily shows if there is something in the chamber.

@LuckyGuy It has a de-cocker? I keep this Hungarian Pa-63 (MAK clone) that can be decocked with one in the tube but it has a trigger spring from a dump truck and it kicks like a bitch slap. And its so small but that bitch is sexy, just hurts to use it.
I have a Smith Sigma .40 and I like the way it fits. It’s just like a Glock in fact it was pirated from them. It’ll run Tula all day long.

@woodcutter There is no de-cocker. It is DA only. Think of it like a thin revolver.

From what I’ve gathered, you aren’t going to find The Very Best Gun, except subjectively. The pistols that I’ve seen most marketed for CCW tend to be small in the frame and light in caliber, very often in the neighborhood of 9mm. And at some point you’re going to have to compromise between magazine capacity and grip size.
I once heard of a guy who would carry the Smith&Wesson 500 in a waistband holster, though the general consensus was that the thing was impractical for the purpose.

The best advice I can think of after reading all the input would be to find a smaller weapon that can be carried comfortably, and practice deploying that weapon so that it can be brought to bear when needed. Practice is key because being spot on at the range is useless if you cant clear leather in time to save yourself.

Thanks for all the input! I am looking into each individually, realizing that it is, as @Nullo said, very subjective but I appreciate the starting points.

I have looked already looked into the SS33692 MicroBurst suggested by @ragingloli and have decided against it. I am afraid that the bulge it would make would attract too much attention, and besides, my S.O. nixed it asking if I really needed another super soaker in my pants.

@rojo Tell her this would give you a bulge that would continue to work fine without the need for Flomax as you get older. Besides, as you age, that current bulge will fade.

@ETpro
Can flomax be used in a prank to make people piss themselves?

I have used ambesol in toothpaste as a prank, It was hysterical! Squeezed most of a tube into my brothers toothpaste. He talked like he was fresh from the dentist for hours!

@ragingloli Sadly, no. Getting them pissed with ethanol is still the only way I know to do that.

@majorrich Ha! Priceless. Hope you got video for the blackmail value.

Alas that was in the days before video cameras. It was Hysterical though.