The Cameron Hopkins Collection
Manufacturer: Springfield Armory
Caliber: .45 ACP
Model/Size: Government
Finish: Stainless Steel
Condition: Pre-Owned
Box/Papers: No
Steve Nastoff learned what it took to make a 1911 in the crucible of competition where he and Jerry “Burner” Barnhart regularly left gasping to keep up. Nastoff sponsored Barnhart when Jerry won the 1986 IPSC nationals. “Nasty” guns were usually full-house compensated .45s, SuperComp I, II and III, but he also built solid carry guns like this stainless steel Springfield Armory. It’s a Nastoff full-house .45 ACP with French border and fine slide serrations, Heinie Slant Pro fixed rear, Baughman ramp front, Bar Sto barrel, 20 lpi hand checkered frontstrap and arched mainspring housing, and countersunk trigger holes. The front of the trigger guard is checkered at 30 lpi and the pistol is signed NASTOFF under the slide stop and on the disconnector ramp. A set of Swenson ambi safeties are bead blasted to match stainless gun’s finish. Ed Brown slotted hammer checkered at 20 lpi, an extended mag release, and Wilson beavertail round out the package on this fine condition “Nasty”. Ships 2nd Day FedEx with gun rug and (1) Wilson ETM mag.
Manufacturer: Colt
Caliber: .45 ACP
Model/Size: Government w/ 6 inch Barrel
Finish: Blued over Hard Chrome
Condition: Pre-Owned
Box/Papers: No
Armand Swenson was one of the most influential of 1911 pistolsmiths because his guns laid the foundation for combat modifications rather than the more prosaic bullseye “accurizing” modifications that were more typical of the era. Of Swedish descent, Swenson was a former professional boxer and avid speedboat racer. He built individual pistols with no set “build sheet” or “package.” The three Swenson pistols presented here are typical examples in that they’re all different. Even consecutively numbered pairs were not identical, although there were some clearly identifying hallmarks of Swenson’s work.
As an example of his fighting pistol focus, Swenson invented and patented an ambidextrous safety, an important advantage for a defensive pistol but utterly useless for bullseye shooting. Swenson also recognized the need for low-profile sights on a gun to be carried concealed, but he wanted the practicality of adjustable sights to zero for the user’s ammunition and preferred sighting distance. His solution was the Smith & Wesson K-sight, able to be machined into the slide unobtrusively. Accuracy was still important, but rather than fitting a match barrel as tightly as a bullseye gun, Armand used a small bead of weld on the slide to bear against the barrel’s hood to tighten the fit without relying on squeezing the frame-to-slide fit, which could be unreliable in combat conditions. Swenson built pistols for servicemen headed to Vietnam.
Swenson usually chose Bar Sto match barrels, but also used stock Colt barrels. He was known to install 6-inch barrels for IPSC competition shooters to get extra velocity. He hand-checkered front straps and mainspring housings, often finishing his pistols in two-tone with hard chrome frames and blued slides. Operating first out of Gardena and then Fallbrook, Calif., late in his career Swenson invented a fixed sight he called the Swensight. While the big Swede usually worked alone, he employed shop helpers and apprentices, one of whom would go on to become a highly successful pistolsmith in his own right, Wayne Novak.
This particular Swenson features: Extended Bar Sto barrel, Classic Swenson beavertail, hammer, squared trigger guard with front checkering, beveled magazine well, “Swensight" rear sight, 30 LPI front strap checkering, serrated arched MSH and Herrett’s stocks.
Ships 2nd Day FedEx with gun rug and (1) Colt mag.
Manufacturer: Baer Custom
Caliber: .45 ACP
Model/Size: Government
Finish: Blued
Condition: Pre-Owned
Box/Papers: No
Jim Hoag was the first of the great 1911 pistolsmiths who was also a high-level practical shooting competitor. He knew first-hand what features made a 1911 suitable. Jim began his career at Kings Gun Works in Southern California before opening his own shop. He may not have invented the beavertail, but he was the first to standardize on a design that became one of his hallmarks, recognizable from across the room. Hoag offered “package” builds the best of which was his Hoag Master Grade which stood out from his lesser packages with a squared and checkered trigger guard among other refinements. The vast majority of Jim’s guns started with Colts. This pistol is a rare Hoag Master Grade on a Les Baer Premier II. He retained the Baer barrel as it is match-grade. A chance to own a rare Baer-Hoag Master Grade.
Features: Classic Hoag touches including top of slide serrations and ramped front sight, "buried" Bo-Mar rear sight with "deluxe pocket" for windage screw and serrated rear, classic beavertail, chamfered barrel hood, beveled magazine well, squared and fully-checkered trigger guard, finely checkered rear of slide, extended slide stop, slotted Commander-type hammer, 30 LPI front strap checkering. Ships 2nd Day FedEx with gun rug and (1) Wilson ETM mag.
Manufacturer: Colt
Caliber: .45 ACP
Model: Government
Finish: DLC
Condition: New/Unfired
Box/Papers: Complete
Accepting SEALED bids starting at $18,000. If you want to submit a bid please use the Inquire button below by 08:00 PM CST on 08/16/2026 after which the winning bidder will be notified. To the end of avoiding ties, please make your bid an odd number, e.g. $18,001.45.
If peer reviews mean anything, they prove that Pete Single is one of the very best in the 1911 business. George Huening calls him “The Professor”. Jason Burton credits Pete on his Heirloom Precision website for his mentorship. Stan Chen and Larry Vickers both attest to Pete’s help in their careers. Even Colt’s Mfg. Co. deferred to Pete on engineering and machining questions, dating from the time Pete was involved with the Wiley Clapp limited edition series. Cameron Hopkins said, “from my 17-year-experience as editor of American Handgunner, Pete Single stands out as the single most knowledgeable pistolsmith on the 1911 platform I ever met”. Pete is not a traditional “craftsman” in the sense that we generally think of “file driving” with painstaking handwork. Pete is a master machinist; he invented a method of CNC checkering the rounded surface of a front strap when everyone said it was impossible to duplicate hand cut checkering. Pete fits barrels by precision machining, no filing of lugs. Everything on a Pete Single pistol is exact, to the thousandths, and precisely correct. There are invisible improvements, like small fitting pads on the trigger bow so it glides smoothly inside its tunnel. The back face of the slide stop features a double teardrop precisely aligned with the slide stop pin. Then there are the more obvious custom touches, such as a squared trigger guard. Pete is a master welder too, but once the material is welded, it’s machined, not hand-filed. Precision.
This pistol found its way onto the secondary market (which is rare in itself as most owners never part with their gun from the Maryland master) and is exactly as the included build sheet says with the exception of immaculate ivory grips, which Cameron Hopkins added. Pete makes very few full-house guns a year, one perhaps two. He doesn’t maintain a waiting list of any more than a handful of names, all either friends or somehow connected to him, like Bob Coyle who commissioned the Wiley Clapp series of pistols from Colt. Pete built Bob a gun. The reality is the only feasible way to add a Pete Single gun to a collection is from the secondary market. Finding an unfired one like this pristine example is even more rare yet. Ships 2nd Day FedEx with detailed build sheet, gun rug and (1) Wilson ETM mag.
Manufacturer: Colt
Caliber: .45 ACP
Model/Size: Government
Finish: Blued over Hard Chrome
Condition: Pre-Owned
Box/Papers: No
Armand Swenson was one of the most influential of 1911 pistolsmiths because his guns laid the foundation for combat modifications rather than the more prosaic bullseye “accurizing” modifications that were more typical of the era. Of Swedish descent, Swenson was a former professional boxer and avid speedboat racer. He built individual pistols with no set “build sheet” or “package.” The three Swenson pistols presented here are typical examples in that they’re all different. Even consecutively numbered pairs were not identical, although there were some clearly identifying hallmarks of Swenson’s work.
As an example of his fighting pistol focus, Swenson invented and patented an ambidextrous safety, an important advantage for a defensive pistol but utterly useless for bullseye shooting. Swenson also recognized the need for low-profile sights on a gun to be carried concealed, but he wanted the practicality of adjustable sights to zero for the user’s ammunition and preferred sighting distance. His solution was the Smith & Wesson K-sight, able to be machined into the slide unobtrusively. Accuracy was still important, but rather than fitting a match barrel as tightly as a bullseye gun, Armand used a small bead of weld on the slide to bear against the barrel’s hood to tighten the fit without relying on squeezing the frame-to-slide fit, which could be unreliable in combat conditions. Swenson built pistols for servicemen headed to Vietnam.
Swenson usually chose Bar Sto match barrels, but also used stock Colt barrels. He was known to install 6-inch barrels for IPSC competition shooters to get extra velocity. He hand-checkered front straps and mainspring housings, often finishing his pistols in two-tone with hard chrome frames and blued slides. Operating first out of Gardena and then Fallbrook, Calif., late in his career Swenson invented a fixed sight he called the Swensight. While the big Swede usually worked alone, he employed shop helpers and apprentices, one of whom would go on to become a highly successful pistolsmith in his own right, Wayne Novak.
This particular Swenson features: Two tone finish, S&W K Sight, barrel positioner and shear pin both labeled "G" (presumably the first initial of the customer’s last name) and Ambi Swenson thumb safety. Ships 2nd Day FedEx with gun rug and Pachmayr magazine.
Manufacturer: Browning
Caliber: .9mm
Model/Size: Hi-Power
Finish: Blued
Condition: Pre-Owned
Box/Papers: No
Kim Ahrends was best known for his custom grips, both revolver and automatic, but Kim was also a very good pistolsmith. He built 1911s and Browning Hi-Powers. This pistol was made in 1993 as the AHRENDS 93 marking attests. It was made on a Belgian/Portugal P35 9mm Luger with the serial number relocated to the bottom of the frame from the front strap, which has been checkered at a fine 40 lpi. The pistol is fitted with a Bar Sto barrel, and the beaver tail tang was custom welded by Kim. A Heinie rear sight was welded to thicken it to accommodate tritium inserts, which were installed by Trijicon. (Note: tritium half-life is 10 years so this 1993 build’s sights no longer glow in the dark.) There is a tritium front sight. The front of trigger guard is checkered, along with the backstrap and rear of the slide. The top front of the trigger guard contains an interesting and unusual right angle cut. Kim fit ambi safeties, a ring hammer and of course Ahrends Coco Bolo stocks. Very few Ahrends custom Hi-Powers ever surface, so this is a rare opportunity. Ships 2nd Day FedEx with gun rug and (1) mag.
Manufacturer: Colt
Caliber: .45 ACP
Model/Size: CCO (Officer Frame/Commander Slide)
Finish: Blued
Condition: Pre-Owned
Box/Papers: No
Ted Yost began his rise in the 1911 custom pistol world as director of the Gunsmithy at Col. Jeff Cooper’s Gunsite shooting school where he supervised a team of gunsmiths making Gunsite Service Pistols (see an additional listing of a Yost-era GSP). When Ted left in the early 2000s, he mentored his brother-in-law Lou Bonitz and produced some custom 1911s under the Yost-Bonitz moniker. Ted and Lou separated in 2007, Lou forming Grizzly Custom and Ted later starting Estate Sporting Limited. This CCO (Officers Model frame with Commander slide) is a Yost-Bonitz collaboration. It is built on a lightweight frame with a Caspian slide. The grips were made by Ted and it’s safe to assume all the hand cut checkering came from the master as well. With Ted’s builds from Estate Sporting having appreciated significantly since his retirement, this Yost-Bonitz is a value proposition for what is a predominantly Yost-built custom CCO. Ships 2nd Day FedEx with gun rug and (1) Wilson mag.
Manufacturer: Colt
Caliber: .45 ACP
Model/Size: Government
Finish: Blued
Condition: Pre-Owned
Box/Papers: No
Armand Swenson was one of the most influential of 1911 pistolsmiths because his guns laid the foundation for combat modifications rather than the more prosaic bullseye “accurizing” modifications that were more typical of the era. Of Swedish descent, Swenson was a former professional boxer and avid speedboat racer. He built individual pistols with no set “build sheet” or “package.” The three Swenson pistols presented here are typical examples in that they’re all different. Even consecutively numbered pairs were not identical, although there were some clearly identifying hallmarks of Swenson’s work.
As an example of his fighting pistol focus, Swenson invented and patented an ambidextrous safety, an important advantage for a defensive pistol but utterly useless for bullseye shooting. Swenson also recognized the need for low-profile sights on a gun to be carried concealed, but he wanted the practicality of adjustable sights to zero for the user’s ammunition and preferred sighting distance. His solution was the Smith & Wesson K-sight, able to be machined into the slide unobtrusively. Accuracy was still important, but rather than fitting a match barrel as tightly as a bullseye gun, Armand used a small bead of weld on the slide to bear against the barrel’s hood to tighten the fit without relying on squeezing the frame-to-slide fit, which could be unreliable in combat conditions. Swenson built pistols for servicemen headed to Vietnam.
Swenson usually chose Bar Sto match barrels, but also used stock Colt barrels. He was known to install 6-inch barrels for IPSC competition shooters to get extra velocity. He hand-checkered front straps and mainspring housings, often finishing his pistols in two-tone with hard chrome frames and blued slides. Operating first out of Gardena and then Fallbrook, Calif., late in his career Swenson invented a fixed sight he called the Swensight. While the big Swede usually worked alone, he employed shop helpers and apprentices, one of whom would go on to become a highly successful pistolsmith in his own right, Wayne Novak.
This particular Swenson features S&W K-sights, trigger job and Commander hammer; marked “Swenson” on the inside of the slide.
Manufacturer: Colt
Caliber: .45 ACP/9mm/38 Super
Model/Size: Commanders
Finish: Blued
Condition: Unfired
Box/Papers: Yes
Colt has manufactured the Commander in three calibers: 9mm Luger, .38 Super and .45 ACP. The concept of a shorter, lighter weight version of the Government Model came from the U.S. military in 1949 with a solicitation for a more compact and lighter pistol for officers in caliber 9mm Luger. Colt responded with an aluminum frame that it called Coltalloy in 9mm Luger. A year later, in 1950, the military cancelled the solicitation and Colt began to market the Commander commercially. In 1970, Colt added a steel framed version in .45 ACP designated as the Combat Commander.
Ted Yost accepted a commission to build three identical Pinnacle Grade Colt Commanders in each of the three calibers for former editor of American Handgunner Cameron Hopkins. As the accompanying factory letter from Estate Sporting Limited attests, this is the only set of three matching Commanders Ted Yost has ever built. Ted made the grips to match as closely as wood grain allows.
The case and its tools were handmade by John Fallon from ostrich and oak.
Ships 2nd Day FedEx with build sheet, gun rug and (3) Colt mags. Case shipped separately FedEx Ground to buyers residence.
Comprehensive collections take time to accumulate, a lot of time, be it guns or stamps. Cameron Hopkins began collecting handguns, his first love, in 1984 after he was hired as editor of American Handgunner. He added a few fine shotguns, some English double-rifles and custom bolt-actions, as well as a machinegun sub-collection after he moved to a free state (Nevada, where he currently resides), but handguns always remained his priority.
From 1984 to 2001, Cameron served as editor-in-chief of three firearms magazines belonging to George von Rosen and his Publishers Development Corporation: GUNS Magazine, Shooting Industry and American Handgunner. He oversaw the former two, but was the day-to-day editor of Handgunner. It was during this 17-year tenure that Cameron accumulated many custom 1911s, which was the focus of both his personal and editorial interests.
It’s been said that the 1980s into the early ‘90s was the “Golden Era” of the custom 1911. Cameron edited Handgunner throughout that era, meeting and becoming friends with most of the pistolsmiths who, from today’s perspective, are legendary. He enjoyed frequent phone calls and personal meetings at industry shows and major pistol matches with Dick Heinie, Ed Brown, Jim Boland, Steve Nastoff, Paul Liebenberg, John Yanek, Jim Garthwaite, Wayne Novak, Jim Hoag, Kim Ahrends, Don Golembieski, Tim Brian and many more. He was a house guest of Darla and Bill Wilson. He almost got arrested in Tijuana with Mike Plaxco (yes, alcohol was involved). He went to Austin to see Virgil Tripp when the “modular 1911” (later the 2011) was first shown where a young Dave Dawson was working as a pistolsmith. He visited Les Baer when he left the Springfield Custom Shop and met Dave Williams when he was first hired to take over from Les. Cameron was personal friends with Charlie Kelsey and once turned down a chance to buy a Gammon, to his eternal regret. He went muskie fishing with Larry Kelly and shot machineguns with JD Jones. Jim Clark once sued him for libel (for a rude comment over Clark’s notoriously soft barrels).
Cameron brought instant credibility to Claudio Salassa when he first immigrated to America. He featured breakout pistolsmiths like Aaron Harris of Smoking Hole and shined the spotlight on off-grid pistolsmiths like Larry Vickers. He also offered consulting services, most free, a few paid.
“Cam Hopkins was the kingmaker,” said a noted 1911 collector. “If your gun was on the cover of Handgunner, you had an instant five year backlog.”
After leaving Handgunner to work as VP of sales and marketing at SureFire, Cameron created Combat Tactics as a “mag-a-log,” a combination of a newsstand gun magazine and a catalog of SureFire products. His contacts with the pistolsmithing fraternity continued, adding friends like Ted Yost and Jason Burton. Combat Tactics ran until 2015, adding another 12 years to Cameron’s firearms publishing career, which totaled 29 years in an editorial director’s role. (In that same period, he also edited Black Guns for Harris Publications.)
It was in this editorial arena that Cameron accumulated his custom 1911 collection, augmented with purchases from leading firearms auction houses and twice-yearly trips to the Tulsa Gun Show.
After Combat Tactics ceased publishing, Cameron went back to consulting in the firearms industry, helping Mossberg launch the Flex shotgun. He continued writing as a freelancer, but his interests turned from guns to ammo. He resurrected the iconic Super Vel brand and started manufacturing ammunition in Henderson, Nevada. Cameron realized the potential of pivoting-off Super Vel’s historic Navy SEAL contract to produce subsonic 9mm Luger for the SEAL’s Model 39 Hush Puppy pistol (circa 1967) so he worked with two of his old pistolsmithing friends (Paul Liebenberg and Claudio Salassa) to develop modern versions of a slide-locked Hush Puppy on Glock and S&W M&P platforms. Cameron was granted two patents for his slide-lock systems (co-invented with Paul and Claudio).
Today Super Vel Ammunition and its sister company Hush Puppy Project employ 30 Americans in a CNC-equipped factory in Henderson. Hush Puppy Project customizes pistols with Cameron’s patented slide lock devices and also manufactures silencers. Super Vel ammunition is produced in the same facility.
Never one to rest on his laurels, Cameron published his first work of fiction in 2026, a techno-thriller, Ultra: Kill Chain (available on Amazon). He is passing on his many gems from his Golden Era collection of custom 1911s to new custodians as part of his estate planning, having turned 70-years-old.
Manufacturer: Springfield Armory
Caliber: .45 ACP
Model/Size: Government
Finish: Black T
Condition: Unfired
Box/Papers: Letter of Authenticity from SACS
Springfield Armory won the contract for the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (and affiliated regional SWAT teams) in 1998 with a pistol that was originally named the Bureau Model. Prior to the contract’s award, five pistols were submitted for the test phase of which three were retained by the FBI and two were returned to Springfield Armory. This pistol, FBI5, was one of the two returned (the other is in the possession of Springfield Armory Custom Shop director Dave Williams). As documented in the accompanying factory letter signed, FBI5 was presented to American Handgunner editor Cameron Hopkins after it had been refinished with the contract-specified Walter Birdsong Black T coating. While most of the pistols marked Bureau Model were delivered to the FBI, some were sold into commercial channels (see accompanying factory letter). The FBI objected to the use of the FBI-prefix in serial numbers and the Bureau Model name on commercial guns, so Springfield Armory changed the name to Professional Model. FBI200 recently sold at Rock Island Auction for $22,000 but it was not one of only two original test pistols in existence. With its provenance and one-of-two rarity as an original test pistol, the buyer of FBI5 will add a very special 1911 to their collection. Ships 2nd Day FedEx with LOA from SACS, gun rug and (1) Wilson ETM mag.
Manufacturer: Colt
Caliber: .45 ACP
Model/Size: Combat Commander
Finish: Blued
Condition: Pre-Owned
Box/Papers: No
This Combat Commander with a uniquely secured Bo Mar rear sight (silver soldered) and Baughman ramp front sight, Bar Sto barrel .45 ACP, front strap checkered 20 lpi and a flat mainspring housing. This Commander was identified by Robbie Barrkman of the now-closed Robar Companies as having come from his shop although he could not confirm it as his build personally. Ships 2nd Day FedEx with gun rug and (1) Wilson mag.
Manufacturer: Colt
Caliber: .45 ACP
Model/Size: 1905
Finish: Turnbull Blued
Condition: Pre-Owned
Box/Papers: No
Immaculately restored by Doug Turnbull, this Colt Model 1905 .45 ACP, serial number 75, was made in 1906 according to Colt historical records. The Model 1905 occupies a pivotal position in the history of John Browning’s semiautomatic designs, serving as the stepping stone between the Model 1900 and 1902 and the 1911. The 1905 was the first pistol for which Browning chambered a cartridge he invented, the .45 Automatic Colt Pistol. The Model 1905 is a short-recoil, locked breech system. The barrel pivoted at two points, front and rear, something Browning would change on the 1911. The Model 1905 included a slide lock and a heel magazine release, but the grip safety and thumb safety did not arrive until the 1911. The Model 1905 underwent military trails in 1907. Between 1905 and 1911, approximately 6,210 were made. Serial number 75 places this Model 1905 among the earliest, with Colt records indicating it was made in 1906. The condition is 99% as professionally restored by Turnbull. Ships 2nd Day FedEx with gun rug and (1) mag.