doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com New Baker

Okay, for all you old shotgun experts I need some help with dating/identifying this shotgun. And to see if there is any chance at all in finding out when/where it was shipped. The double in question is: Marked with the serial #960 on the frame, barrels, forend iron and forend wood. On the left table water of the frame it is marked PAT'D 4 OCT 1887 and JUNE 1st 1880. Frame is marked NEW BAKER on the left side (I think, maybe the right side) and the other side is marked SYRACUSE FORGING & GUN CO. with Syracuse, NY below it. It is a 10 ga, 32 inch with, of course, hammers and twist steel barrels. The gun in question is owned by a good friend and has been in his family (old ranchers/settlers) in NoDak. Any help and info would be greatly appreciated.

Here you go David, complete with pics
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17434920
And check out The Double Gun Journal - Vol 3 No. 3 & 4, Vol 9 No. 2, and Vol 14 No. 4 (with a serial number listing)

See you in Syracuse (KS) next year!

btdtst:

I don't know if you have access to "The Double Gun & Single Shot Journal" but in Vol. 14, Issue 4, p. 146, the Syracuse, New Baker, 1896 & 1897 were made between 1886-1912 with a serial number range of 1-45000. In Vol. 3, Issue 3, p. 64, gives serial number 23408 as a late model "New Baker" as being made around 1895. Sometime in 1887 the stamp "Syracuse Forging & Gun Co." was used as the company was renamed. In 1889, William Baker dies and until mid 1890, the guns were stamped "Syracuse Forging & Gun Co., Batavia, New York." So, I would guess between 1887, when W.H. Baker left Ithaca, and 1889. Is there a stamp on the top rib?


Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

revdocdrew:

Nice pic. Would those be "stub twist" tubes from Birmingham know as "Baker Twist?" See if you have a Baker pic of Holland or Whitworth fluid steel in your bag of tricks?

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

I'm still working on figuring out "Baker Twist", which I think is "Damascus Twist", a Twist-One Iron Crolle laminate, and common on Baker, Lefever, and L.C. Smith Maker Baker guns





And the Halloween bag has no fluid steel brls

So, any idea as to the number of bands to make the square rods or the ratio of iron to steel before twisting?

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Raimey-Hunter Arms described their 'English Stub Twist' as 52% steel.

Greener's 1841 The Science of Gunnery, as Applied to the Use and Construction of Fire-Arms discusses production of the various barrel materials in detail, but I didn't find how may 'twists' per inch were made around the mandrel for Stub Twist.
http://books.google.com/books?id=ThYkeKlemD8C&dq=w+greener+barrel+patents

Thank you gentlemen (and you, too, Drew) for all the helpful info. The twist pattern on the gun in question matches exactly your photos, Drew. There were no stampings on the rib. FWIW, I saw this gun take sharptails and pheasants in NoDak this past week. With it's deep report and great clouds of white smoke there was no doubt when it went off. And yes, I do have those Journals to check out. Thanks.

Keep fingers crossed for Syracuse next year.

The 1878 New Baker catalog reprint is available from Cornell Pubs
http://cgi.ebay.com/The-New-Baker-Gun-Sy...9QQcmdZViewItem