These are very good points you make, Vineet:
The Ashani size is very good for everyday concealed carry. The thing about this is that now, 9 mm pistols are available and common in a similar size, and many have composite frames that make them light as a feather to carry. The problem here, of course, is that such a choice is not available in India. This is why I welcome cartridges like the 327 Magnum and the 30 Super Carry: they offer the advantages of larger cartridges in smaller or more efficient packages. For instance, an Ashani sized pistol with a locking breech in 30 Super Carry is totally doable, and the Ruger six shot snubbie in 327 is also an ideal carry gun, as well. A new Ashani in double action or with a safe safety that allows "cocked and locked" carry would easily be incorporated into such a new design, there'd be no issues with PB, and there are plenty of examples on the global market from which to derive design precedents. Kel-Tec makes a very affordable 32 Auto that's locked breech, and thus has even lower recoil than most 32s, for instance.
When I was young, I did carry my 1911 concealed, but it is large, requiring constant attention, and it is fairly heavy. I did not find recoil objectionable, either, but then I did do a lot of shooting -- practice can overcome many things, even though I have always found shooting a 1911 pleasant, speaking for myself. Size of gun and recoil, however, aren't so much of an issue in 9 mm, and now the new bullet technology gives the 9 mm similar performance as the 45 Auto. If a person is small or thin, and wearing thin clothes, then a 1911 style has some downsides. Even with a loose shirt (a thin one), there's always going to be the risk of the gun printing, and then there's the issue of a holster.
For Indian situations, the 32 Auto is the way to go -- it can work if one is familiar. Also, I would choose 25 Auto over 22 LR because it is more reliable in feeding and firing (assuming the gun is capable), but the 22 LR has a two very powerful arguments going for it: price and availability.
Doing what you can with what is available is key, along with as much useful practice as possible. Don't forget that, especially with a large gun like a 1911 or a full size revolver, a holster is a necessity. The availability of a holster that allows ready access and minimizes printing is a key issue here, and I'm assuming Ashanis do have reasonably useful holsters available.
A 25 - sized pistol has less problems in the printing / concealing department, but having something in your pocket like this may not give ready access. If the gun is at the bottom of a deep pocket, or it becomes turned around so that you will never know which end you're going to grab, that is a problem. If the gun doesn't have a good safety and you have to carry without a round in the chamber and must rack the slide to bring the gun into action, that's an issue, too.
Right now, even with the new guns that are rumored or said to be coming on the market soon, none of them offers a different solution to what's already available. If you get a Webley, for instance, the carry issues you face will be the same as with an IOF 32. Similarly, the carry issues one faces with these rumored new 32 Auto pistols aren't really different from those that are associated with an Ashani. This 45 Auto talked about in this thread will present a whole 'nother set of problems if concealed carry is the purpose.
I very much understand the line of thought that goes, "I can make do with a 1911" because I have done it. Several hours of standing and sitting in the hot sun with a hammer spur in your side, especially if you carry cocked and locked, and maybe you will have a different idea. As the saying goes, a person who is putting on the harness always has a different point of view than the person who is taking off the harness.
From a personal perspective:
When i was young, i did carry a 25 Auto in my pants pocket. My observations are based on those experiences.
Today, I mostly carry a CZ 70 32 Auto (very similar to a Walther PPK) in a Galco Royal Guard inside-the-waistband holster. As I'm 115 kilos, I don't have printing problems and the gun is very comfortable to carry all day, in and out of the car, despite being an all steel gun.
Sometimes I carry a Chinese "Star" 9 mm pistol in an outside-the-waistband "pancake" type holster I bought from Russia a few years back. This is also a pretty easy gun for me to carry concealed. It's much more powerful than 32 Auto, but can't be carried safely with a round in the chamber, so it is mostly carried when I'll be in the car or headed to the range.
Every now and then, I carry my Colt Detective Special 38 double action in a Galco thumb-break "pancake" holster. Galco makes nice factory made holsters; one might do better with a custom made holster or not, but that's an expensive route to go. I picked up this holster practically brand new on eBay for $45, because not very many people use Detective Specials. (If it had been a 1911 holster, it would have been bid up to much more.) The gun doesn't print badly and is quite comfortable to wear (you get what you pay for!) but I don't like risking the loss of it, so I don't carry it often at all. If I didn't worry about losing it in some incident, it would be my full time carry choice.
So, my carry experience pretty much matches that of anyone here, regarding 32 Auto. The CZ 70 is much safer to carry than an Ashani, and the holster is about the best for the purpose. i used to carry it with 60 grain CorBon loads, but now use Fiocchi and RWS FMJ, because they will give the required penetration, which any expanding 32 Auto load cannot.
