Probably just not feasible, but I have many pistols and the 1911 is what I'm best at. I carry an LCP MAX and some other .380s, but I'm not so hot with those. Also have a slightly larger Ruger 9MM that works great. Just about can't miss with the Colt Government Model.
I suppose the answer is to practice, practice, practice with the smaller guns?
I'm able to appendix carry a 4" Springfield XD mod2 without too much trouble. The 1911 seems to have roughly the same dimensions, though maybe a longer barrel depending on which specific one you have. Since I started carrying I've switched to wearing slightly larger shirts than before, so that they don't print and ride up as much. I guess my main concern with carrying a 1911 would be the weight of it, but that's more a comfort thing than concealability.
Practice is obviously good, but the smaller guns are going to be inherently less accurate than the larger ones. The Ruger might be a good compromise, if you're not looking to make any further purchases. If you are, then the Sig P365X and Springfield Hellcat, both with red dot sights, might be worth looking into. The RDS makes sight radius no longer a concern, so it narrows the gap between smaller and larger guns.
Though also if you plan to appendix carry, it would be good to look into how safe the 1911 is for that. Since it's an older design, there may be additional concerns about having it pointed at your femoral artery.
Gods caliber is tough for mindful self defense because it has serious penetration power and you can’t always be sure of what is behind a wall and whatnot.
That said, I love my 1911
Edit: I was wrong, 9mm actually has more penetration potential than .45
Isn't it the opposite? Heavy slow round like a .45, less penetration behind the intended target? Of course JHP vs. round ball makes a hella difference, so there's that.
You may be right actually… this is what I was going by and I had thought I remembered the .45 going further but it actually just clears it just like the 9s
Now that you got me curious, I did some more reading and you are right: 9mm and .45 acp have the same wound tracks but 9mm has more penetration