William Henry Jordan (1911–1997) was an American lawman,

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and author.

Biography

Born in 1911 in Louisiana, he served for over 30 years with the

United States Border Patrol The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States' U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Customs and Border Protection and is responsible for securing ...

. He also served with the United States Marine Corps Reserve during World War II and the Korean War. He retired from the Marine Reserve as a colonel. Jordan is credited with developing the 'Jordan' or 'Border Patrol' style of

holster A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be att ...

. The Jordan rig is rigid and unmoving, always holding the gunbutt in precisely the same relationship to the gun hand. The revolver's trigger guard is completely exposed, and the gun is held away from the back portion of the holster by a plug of leather, allowing the trigger finger to enter the guard as the draw is begun. Jordan also collaborated with Walter Roper in the design of wooden grips intended for heavy-calibre double-action revolvers, which are now made by Herrett's Stocks as the "Jordan Trooper". Jordan always favored a

double-action revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

for law enforcement duties. He was largely responsible for convincing Smith & Wesson to adapt its medium K-frame series revolver to accommodate the

.357 Magnum The .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum, .357 S&W Magnum, .357 Magnum, or 9×33mmR as it is known in unofficial metric designation, is a smokeless powder cartridge with a bullet diameter. It was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. ...

cartridge, resulting in the (

S&W Model 19 The Smith & Wesson Model 19 is a revolver produced by Smith & Wesson that was introduced in 1957 on its K-frame. The Model 19 is chambered for .357 Magnum. The K-frame is somewhat smaller and lighter than the original N-frame .357, usually known a ...

and S&W Model 66) "Combat Magnum". After retiring from the Border Patrol, Jordan served as a Southwestern Field Representative for the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

. He was a contemporary of

Charles Askins Charles Askins, Jr. (October 28, 1907 – March 2, 1999), also known as Col. Charles "Boots" Askins, was an American lawman, US Army officer, and writer. He served in law enforcement (US Forest Service and Border Patrol) in the American Southwest ...

, Elmer Keith,

Skeeter Skelton Charles Allan "Skeeter" Skelton (born May 1, 1928 in Hereford, Texas – died January 17, 1988 in El Paso, Texas) was an American lawman and firearms writer. After serving in the United States Marine Corps from 1945-46 he began a law enforcemen ...

and to a lesser degree, Jack O'Connor. In 1963, Jordan assisted Keith and Skelton in development of the

.41 Magnum The .41 Remington Magnum, also known as .41 Magnum or 10.4×33mmR (as it is known in unofficial metric designation), is a center fire firearms cartridge primarily developed for use in large-frame revolvers, introduced in 1964 by the Remington A ...

. He wrote numerous articles on all aspects of firearms, as well as books such as ''No Second Place Winner'', ''Mostly Huntin and ''Tales of the Rio Grande''. Jordan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

. Using a double-action revolver, Bill Jordan was recorded drawing, firing and hitting his target in .27 of a second. He appeared on such television programs as '' To Tell the Truth'', '' I've Got a Secret'', '' You Asked for It'', and '' Wide Wide World''. Bill Jordan died in 1997.

References

External links

*
Herrett's Stocks "Jordan Trooper"

* ttp://www.sixguns.com/range/Firstmag.htm John Taffin, Big Bore Sixguns, Chapter 4 The .357 Magnum - The First Magnum
Skeeter Skelton, "Hide for Your Handgun"

* https://www.odmp.org/officer/11072-border-patrol-inspector-john-a-rector {{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Bill 1911 births 1997 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II American hunters Gun writers Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients United States Marine Corps reservists United States Border Patrol agents 20th-century American writers 20th-century American male writers United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War