Let's begin with the sizes. Thanks to the industry, you have some confusion that needs to be addressed.

THe original M1911 had a 5" barrel. That's still the "standard," and various manufacturers have all sorts of names for their 5" models. If you search diligently, you can also find "long slide" models; with 6" and 7" barrels, but they are few in number.

Below the 5" Government model, Colt offers the Commander, which has a 4-1/4" (not 4") barrel. A few other manufacturers also offer true 4-1/4" pistols. The true Commanders typically utilize a standard barrel bushing setup. They also usually have a full-size grip frame that accepts standard magazines.

A great number of manufacturers don't offer "Commanders," but have 4" models to fill that space in the lineup. The 4" pistols typically do NOT use a barrel bushing, they use a cone/bull barrel that locks up directly to the slide at the muzzle end. Springfield calls their 4" pistol the "Champion<' carrying on the 'C' connection to the Commander.

Below the Commanders and 4" pistols is the Colt Officer ACP and its clones (such as the ParaUSA OPS). The Officers has a 3-1/2" barrel and a shorter grip frame than the Government and Commander models. The magazines, if you stay with flush-fit mags, hold one round less than a comparable Government model or Commander.

And in more recent years various manufacturers have come out with 3" 1911s, such as the Colt Defender. The Defender has the same size frame as an Officers ACP. Other manufacturers put their 3" uppers onto even smaller frames. Examples of these would be the Para Slim Hawg and the Springfield EMP.

For range use, I think most people would choose a 5" (or full size) 1911. If you're sure you won't carry it, you might even want to go with adjustable sights. But you could go with a Commander and not give up much (if any) accuracy. The pistol itself will shoot about the same as a 5", but you sacrifice 3/4" of sight radius. Personally, I find that a Commander (a steel Commander, not a lightweight) balances better than a 5" pistol, and that pretty much offsets the sight radius issue.