And the winner is.......
.....None of the above (jeez that wasn't predictable was it?)
Thanks to those who suggested that barrel length is secondary to grip length for concealability of a 1911. I tested this by concealing my commander and sure enough the printing was mostly of the grip.
So that meant I was more comfortable going the 1911 route as I wanted to, but allowing me to avoid the less reliable shorter barrels.
So then the choice became the relatively few 1911s with Officer's Grip and 4.25" barrels. Kimber was in the lead for a while but a few quibbles about their QC (not that any manufacturer avoids those) and a handling comparison between the Compact and the eventual winner moved me in another direction. Kimbers are nice and all that but I fell for something else...
Drum roll please
A Dan Wesson. CCO to be exact. Nice setup indeed and very well made - assuming the one I handled is representative the fit is quite spectacular. The sale to CZ also makes me a bit concerned about the future direction of DW 1911s so I took the chance to grab one of the last of the pre-takeover guns. Beveled in the right places, night sights, match grade components, etc. All I'll need is an ugly but effective Hogue rubber finger groove grip and 500 rounds or so to break it in and find its favorite SD ammo and should be a nice winter carry gun.
Thanks all to those who suggested and I did take them all into consideration, but the 1911 of some kind was a clear favorite for many reasons - comfort, familiarity, ease of concealment and maintenance/repair etc. I want to stick to the minimum number of manuals of arms and calibers too so I have with the sale of my KelTec restricted myself to either 1911 .45s or DAO 9mms for all my needs. I'll see how long I can stick to that!
Here's a couple of pics. That slide to frame fit is pretty impressive!