JPINO welcome from California.
It doesn't sounds to me like a "mess-up" at all. It sounds to me like a very good and profitable learning experience that you should be able to enjoy.
The only time I heard about the Hopkins Allen 45 CA before was a in Rockville Maryland. It was a black and white etching in a gun magazine back in the 1980s.
Sorry I can't remember the magazine and I've lost touch with the owner since the shop closed.