ASKINS OR JORDAN BORDER PATROL?

Can you tell for sure, by looking at the photo, if a Border Patrol
holster is the Askins design or the Jordan design?

The Border Patrol used the Askins designed Myres #5 for many
years. Jordan improved the design with a longer drop loop and
by canting the butt away from the body for a more accessible
grip and quicker draw.

I'm sure I read somewhere that the Askins design covered the
trigger guard but the Jordan design opened it up again. Jordan
had his design made by both Myres and Hume when He returned
from WWII.

I was looking at a photo of General Patton carrying his Single
Action Army in a Border Patrol holster that was made by S. D.
Myres Saddle Co. The trigger guard on Patton's holster is
open.

Patton died from injuries in an automobile accident just shortly
after WWII so the Jordan holster would not have been available
by that time.

I anxiously await your input about this little mystery.

I used this holster for years as my issue duty rig. Comfortable and as secure as anything back then. We learned to protect the weapon by keeping it away from anybody we came into contact with. I used to rest my arm on the gun frequently. Got one now for my Model 14.

El Paso Saddlery's website states that they still make the holster they made for General Patton. A check of the site shows the front half of the trigger guard inside the holster.

Do not know what is an Askins holster.
The Jordan holster has a sight protector on the front.
This one appears to be cut straight across the front.
Here's a Jordan all Colted up.
Bill liked a lot of foward tilt.

Thank you 27 Man. I was wondering. After looking closer at Pattons
holster I see the trigger guard is about half covered. So that may be
the answer. The Askins covered half the trigger. Jordan left all the
trigger guard uncovered. So mine, in the photo, would be a Jordan
Border Patrol Holster. Do we all agree?

Your holster in Post 1 is a Jordan type only if it has all of the Jordan features. The trigger guard is uncovered on yours, and that is correct. Jordan's modification of the Askins border patrol holster was, however, more than that. Jordan had them made by Myres, Hume and Herrett's. Jordan's modification of the Askins border patrol holster also included a welt behind and under the trigger guard/frame area that caused the trigger guard to stand out from the back of the holster to allow his huge hand to get behind the gun, and to allow his finger into the trigger guard as he presented the revolver. In addition, unlike the Askins, the Jordan had a piece of steel that ran up the back of the holster all the way up into the belt loop so that a well-worn holster would not flap around at the junction of the holster body and the belt loop as would the Askins type, in which the steel insert only went up to the bottom of the belt loop. Finally, Jordan initially designed his holster with one male half of a snap on the front of the holster, to be snapped in case of strenuous action, and a similar male half of a snap on the back of the holster, where the safety strap, with its female half of the snap, would be swiveled out of the way and snapped on the back of the holster at all other times except during strenuous activity. Jordan reasoned that there was always time to snap the revolver in if you had to climb a box car, or chase a bad guy, but there might not always be time to unsnap for a fast draw. And he was very fast.

So, while your holster looks from the front like a Jordan in that the trigger guard is uncovered, it is only a Jordan if it has all the other features. Otherwise, it is just a look-alike.

In the photos attached, both of which are from Gun Blast, the Jordan has the uncovered trigger guard, while the Askins is the one that has the leather wrapped around. The Patton offered by El Paso, and originally made for the General by Myres, was simply an Askins border patrol holster, as I understand it.

The photos are from Gun Blast, as I indicated, and if the moderators need to remove the photos, here is the link to the article where they can be found. They are identified in the captions in the article so it is easy to tell which is Askins and which is Jordan.

The Evolution of Law Enforcement Handgun Holsters

Those two guys, I met both, would be tough to match with a bottle of good whiskey and this conversation. They both knew the job, back in the day when you could do it, and suited themselves to equipment they understood would work. Today, it's another world. They (and me too) would probably be in the ****house. Excuse my crude language. I'll say no more, about protecting our borders, just disgusting to me. Jordan was a huge guy, hands like a ham. Charlie, not as long but tough as nails. The holster designs speak to the men they were created by/for. That's the real underlining story. Get it and Patton, as much as I admire him and his service, was the beneficiary of yet another holster maker's talent, not his. By the way, he was responsible for one of the last great cavalry sabres ever made, and that's another story. Sorry for the drift.

Cheers;
Lefty

ASKINS OR JORDAN HOLSTER?

Thanks for all the input. To The Pilgrim: Askins designed the
Border Patrol holster made by Myres & used up through WWII.
Jordan designed the Border Patrol that is basically the Askins
with several improvements. I believe some of the changes were
made at different times rather than all at once. The sight protector
you mention, for example, the early models like mine
shown above did not have a sight protector. Later models, like
yours, had the sight protector. My photo below shows an even
newer model than yours, made by Hume, with sight protector
and thumb break rather than the snap strap.
Shawn: Thank you for your input as well. The comparative
photos and your commentary are helpful. My holster shown
above has Myres maker stamp on back of toe. It has the extra
welt located as you describe. And it has the extra snap as shown
in my photo above. It is cambered away from the body, but
there is no steel inside the belt loop. I think it's a Jordan, but
still not 100% sure.

PS: I mean I'm not 100% sure it is Jordan's, but I am certain that it is
either Jordan or Askins. With the improvements mentioned by Shawn
it is most likely a Jordan, except for the steel in the belt loop thing.
Mine has the snaps on the back of the belt loop so it can be put on
or off without undoing the belt. That could be why no steel in
the loop or perhaps the steel all the way up into the loop came a
little later as an after thought. It is certain that changes were
made in Jordans Border Patrol from time to time such as the
sight protector, thumb break, etc.

A new very fascinate thread and "a little time journey through a bit holster history..."

I think, the Askins + Jordan Border Patrol Holsters were in use for many years, so the "improvements" perhaps came "step by step" ?

Here (Thanks to mikepriwer !) http://smith-wessonforum.com/members/mikepriwer-albums-mlp2-page3.html you can find the description + pictures from the "Herrett's Jordan rig".

P.44