In a few months i'll be old enough to buy my own pistol, and i'll also be getting my CCW liscence. I've been looking around at the different hanguns out there and have come up with a few options. My requirments were it had to be in .40 S&W, .357, or .45 (i prefer the .45).  my choices were, the Parra-Ord Companion Carry. the Parra-Ord CCW.  The Glock 23, and the Kimber Ultra Carry II.  Do you guys have any experiences (good/bad) that you could share, and if you know of a good pistol to carry concealed that i'm missing let me know.

You've got lots of reading to do. I've just jumped into this boat as well and I have found lots of info at www.1911forum.com for the 45's and other handguns.

Enjoy, let us know what you decide.

A lot depends on your body type. A glock 27 or Para LDA would probably be the smallest in the caliber your looking for. The Glocks are very reliable, and accurate. The LDA has a very nice trigger.

I would start with a Glock 19 but if you must have something bigger then get the 23.

Find a good range and rent a bunch of makes and models.  Figure out what works for you.  Do you have large hands?  Small hands?  Do you want a 1911 style trigger?  

For example, of the three Glocks I've tried, I didn't like any of them.  Just didn't like the way the felt or shot and couldn't shoot them well.  Other posters will say the Glock is the greatest gun ever made, and they are very reliable.

Also, if you are new to handguns, you might want to think about how much recoil gun has.  If you're like me, initially the biggest obstacle to shooting accurately is going to be your tendency to anticipate recoil and to "flinch" when you pull trigger.  The worse the recoil, the harder it's going to be to overcome this.  Might want to think about a nice 9mm.  Also ammo will be cheaper, which will encourage you to practice.  Whatever you end up choosing, good luck.

First pistol?  Buy a 22.  Buy several bricks of ammo.  Practice for several months.  Then consider moving up.

Jumping straight into any of the calibers you mentioned will just about guarantee a flinch that will take months to over come.  Seen it happen to many times.  Has nothing to do with how big or tough you are.  If you're not used to the big stuff you will flinch.

I still think a Glock is a bad choice for a first-time shooter due to its very ease in shooting.  (That sound you just heard was me diving out of my chair and rolling under the bed to avoid the incoming.)

I'd recommend a used 4-inch or 6-inch .357 revolver.  Then load it with .38 Specials and practice, practice, practice in double-action.  Occasionally crank a cylinder of .357 through it just to appreciate the difference.  

The 1911 is a wonderful gun and the .45ACP is a marvelous round.  The .45 doesn't recoil, to me, as harshly as the others.  The downside is it's expensive to shoot.  Not to worry, once you start shooting you'll be looking at reloading.  The 45 is easy to reload.  I used a Dillon Square Deal progressive press.

Enjoy whatever you get.  

Handguns are very challenging to shoot.  Much different than rifles, shooting a handgun is much like playing darts.  My first gun was a 45 and I learned some bad habits which took a while to unlearn.  Start with either a browning buckmark or ruger mk II.  You will never regret have a decent 22 pistol around, trust me about that.  Buy a 22 first because they are fun and cheap to shoot and it will make you a better shooter.  It will also give you time to figure what you are looking for in a handgun so you don't blow 400-800 bucks on the wrong gun.

If you look at my screen name, I think you'll know what to do.  There can be only one-- the 1911.

Get yourself a used govt or officers sized single stack.  A Colt would be a good choice.

Thanks for all the advice. I should clarify a little, while this will be my first personal handgun, i've been shooting .22 pistols for several years. I've also shot put about 500 rounds through my dads .357 revolver. Thanks again for all the help, i'll let you know what i decide

XD .40/.357

Or, you could look at the SigPro 2340, and add to it the drop-in .357 barrel.  You'd have a .40 and a .357.  If you look, you can find a SigPro used as several others who post here have done.  

The other good option is to check out the XD40.

Sounds like you are leaning toward a semi-auto. What's wrong with a good Smith in .357?

How about a Walther P99 in .40 .  The .45's you mentioned are good guns but don't rule out a Springfield Armory "loaded" 1911.  I would also highly recommend looking at the CZ's. They are quality guns and are realitively inexpensive.
My two cents....