Arizona issues a Concealed Weapons Permit and it's not tied to a specific weapon, although you do fill out the type of weapon that you are qualifying with on your paperwork. One can conceal a 12 guage, a long sword , both or any other legal weapons (like a Scrap Yard fixed blade like I do) once a valid ccw permit is in your posession including fixed blade knives.

Since you have great suggestions so far on name brands and since firearms are a pretty personal thing, my advice would be to purchase whatever you have the most experience shooting and are the most likely to shoot for training purchases. The amount of ammo available in a revolver would not be a limiting factor in my decision to get one for ccw carry or not. I have trained with some folks who are as functional with a revolver as I am with an auto from a reloading standpoint.

More important than the tool is training. The training one recieves in a CCW course if like reading only the table of contents of a book. There is so much important "stuff" that is glossed over beause of time constraints. GunSite is up near Prescott and it's a good school to further your training.

Thoughts on method of carry. I have found SOB carry is uncomfortable. In certain positions like supine prone, it's painful. Whatever method of carry you choose, train using that method of carry. I have seen many students who train OWB and then carry IWB fumble when they are forced to train in street clothes and loose all of the tactical mumbo jumbo black gear.

If you ever want to do any self defense training or just punch some paper, you are welcome to come down to the valley and we can get a private range at Ben Avery, just pm me. My friends firearms school just stopped offering courses to the public this year, but my group still trains every 2 weeks at Ben Avery or out in the desert. You are welcome to join me or my group on a private range as a guest of mine anytime free of charge.