Jordan Trooper Holsters for a 5" Combat Masterpiece

[Shootingmaster]

I have three of these holsters. (2) Done Humes and (1) Tex Shoemaker. They Appear to have been made for the 5" Combat Masterpiece / M-15. If you look at the pictures there is the rear sight protector for an adjustable sight on each one. They all have the butt forward angle for riding in a vehicle. The basket weave one is a lefty and appears unused and the Tex Shoemaker appears NOS also. I have a Missouri State Police overrun 5" Combat Masterpiece that fits perfectly in all three holsters. Are these holsters scarce. Any Info would be appreciated an these . I may part with one or two of these if there is an interest. Thanks.

 

[rednichols]

An answer required some convoluted thinking. The number on the backside of the Shoemaker is derived from, of all companies, Wally Wolfram's 'Blazer' operation that became S&W leather that did NOT use Wally's numbering system. It is an arbitrary, non sequential numbering system that involves the number indicating both the holster model, and the particular pistol is was made for -- and its barrel length. Apparently when Wally started his numbering system after WWII it didn't occur to him that new gun models and frame sizes and barrel lengths and new holster model would ever be created (!) so the numbers skip around a LOT.





Judging from this Shoemaker that is also marked 50 (Wally's numbers stopped at 49 for this model) the molding suggests Python and L frame -- that weren't 5" models as far as I know. That suggest K frame instead.

The Humes are definitely K frames, in some model S&W that came with both adjustable sights and a 5" barrel. A fixed sighted M&P will fit a bit loosely inside a holster molded around an adjustable sighted, for example, M19. Here's Hume's chart of the late 1970s:



That's around the time that both the thumsnap version, and the rear sight guard/tab appeared. It was Wally who originated that little tab, and John Bianchi who popularized it (they worked together, same P.D., too).

It appears that Shoemaker based his company on replacing Wolfram's business when the latter was sold to Bangor Punta; the Shoemaker appeared in the very same year that Wolfram changed hands and his numbering system is identical to Wally's weird system that NO other gunleather makers have ever used; it's not intuitive. Like an ammo maker labelling his first caliber as 1, and his second as 2, but the first is a .45 bore and the second is a .22 bore; etc.

 

[shawn mccarver]

To answer your questions, Shoemaker is out of business and Hume no longer makes the Jordan River Holster. Hume's catalog number for the Jordan River Holster for the S&W K frame was H216 Chart 1. When ordering, you ALSO had to specify barrel length, right or left hand, color, whether plain or basketweave, and hardware choice, nickel or brass.

Your Missouri State Highway Patrol 5-inch Combat Masterpiece would have been carried in a swivel holster by Dehner's of Omaha. Rank below Lieutenant would have been black with nickel hardware. Lieutenant and above brown with brass hardware.

 

[Shootingmaster]

Red thanks for all the great information on these holsters. You really are the holster guru. I really appreciate it.

Michael Masters

 

[rednichols]

To answer your questions, Shoemaker is out of business and Hume no longer makes the Jordan River Holster. Hume's catalog number for the Jordan River Holster for the S&W K frame was H216 Chart 1. When ordering, you ALSO had to specify barrel length, right or left hand, color, whether plain or basketweave, and hardware choice, nickel or brass.

Your Missouri State Highway Patrol 5-inch Combat Masterpiece would have been carried in a swivel holster by Dehner's of Omaha. Rank below Lieutenant would have been black with nickel hardware. Lieutenant and above brown with brass hardware.

Which reminds, that there are distinctions among the Jordan holsters: dress and river, both available with muzzle plug or closed end, and Myres vs Hume.

The tale goes that Jordan went to Sam Myres first after WWII (the original having been made in Alpine TX by a saddler), and dissatisfied, switched to Hume as 'the' authorized source of the Jordan-marked holsters. That said, it didn't appear at Myres, in that design and with the Jordan name, until several years after Sam died; so his nephew Dace was in charge. The name 'Jordan' stuck there at Myres until 1968 when saddler Webb was running the place.

Meantime Hume started up in '59 and Jordan retired from the force '65. With his TV appearances including a TV series that was based on his life, I expect he had a few bucks to invest as seed money in the new Hume operation (unconfirmed theory) at least via royalties for the name Jordan. It was Jordan who owned the registered trademark (not a copyright) on his name with holsters.

Anyhoo . . . there isn't complete agreement between the two makers (Myres and Hume) what a River holster is or isn't, but as near I can tell from their products and their catalogs, the main distinction is that the long shank version is called the Dress Jordan, and the short shank version is called the River Jordan (quite biblical). Often the latter was produced with a closed end like a Threepersons, but both styles were available both ways and from both Myres and Hume.

1956 Myres when it first appeared:



1962 Myres when the River version appeared:



1963 Hume appearance:



1968 Hume appearance:



Much easier to tell a Dress Jordan from a River Jordan (aka 'rough duty') with the revolver holstered, by comparing the distances from the back of the trigger guard to that lowermost row of sewing for the belt loop; the larger of the two gaps is the Dress Jordan.

Of all the makers only one other used the Jordan name with the holster: Herrett's short-lived gunleather line that was expressly endorsed by Bill and made by Chet's in ID; 1963.

And Hume was the only maker to expressly label his Threepersons holster as a Threepersons (catalogs) .

 

[turnerriver]

Some more catalog cuts.
Myres

Herrett's

Regards,