The hammer protector, or "dog ear" as I like to call it, has been
studied, researched, discussed and posted about here on the
forum ad nauseam. For a long time I thought it was designed by
Wally Wolfram, but the logic from Red Nichols and turnerriver
convinced me it was more likely Myres or Heiser, around 1941.
Wolfram was in the Army Air Corp at the time.
From Ron Owen's Legendary Lawman book we learned that Jelly
Bryce was responsible for creating the FBI's first firearms
training program, and developing their concealed holster, and
their fast draw techniques.
From Jelly's brother in law Raymon Kasbaum we know that Jelly
liked to make modifications to holsters to provide solutions to
problems. We also know that FBI Agents and other lawmen wore
suits in those days. The hammer spur on their revolvers would
shred the lining of their suit coats.
Jelly was FBI Special Agent in Charge in El Paso in 1941, when
he designed the FBI fast draw holster. I don't know who to quote
on this, as it is from my memory, but I believe it to be accurate.
It was at that time that Jelly and S. D. Myres became friends.
Jelly was one of Myres honorary pallbearers, as posted by Red
Nichols on another thread.
There are a couple of points that do not agree with my hypothesis.
I asked Larry Wack (Dusty Roads of An FBI Era) what he knew
about the holster. He replied: "In all of the thousands of pages
of FBI files, I have never seen any reference to any holster
designed by Bryce for the Bureau." That doesn't necessarily
mean Jelly didn't design an FBI holster. We know from another
post by Red Nichols that J. Edgar Hoover had a newspaper
clipping hanging on his wall referring to a FBI holster designed
by Jelly.
Pighunter, in another post, refers to a post on another forum
by Jim Higinbotham in which Mr. Bryce's holster is called a
Threepersons variation with a covered trigger, probably by
S. D. Myres. To this I can only say I do not believe Jelly,
arguably the quickest on the draw before or since, would cover
his trigger. I think that whoever floated that idea just made a
mistake in terminology. It would make more sense that the
hammer was covered, not the trigger.
So, my conclusion is that Jelly Bryce may well have designed
the hammer protector, and Myres produced it by simply adding
it to a Threepersons holster. My photos below show the Myres
614 Tom Threepersons holster on the left, and the Myres 624
Tom Threepersons, with hammer protector, on the right.
I know my evidence is circumstantial, but if you were the jury
would you vote that I am right in my assumption, or that I am
crazy?
Your thoughts, comments, and vote would be appreciated.
JELLY'S HOLSTER HYPOTHESIS
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