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Baker rifle on Pawn Stars

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That show is as phony as a $6 bill & has the same credibility as the American Pickers show, which is zero. A guy walks into the pawn shop & says it belonged to his grandpa, yeah right. I stopped watching that show years ago when I read several posts of people being handed weapons when they walked into the shop & asked if they wanted to be on the program.

That Baker rifle is listed on the IMA-USA website & has a video of the shooting range portion of the pawn stars program where "they have to test the rifle to see if it works".

It is a very neat rifle though and thanks for starting this Baker rifle thread. It is a very interesting breech loading flintlock rifle (& yes they are allowed to be discussed here). The powder pan rotates with breech block. IMA has 29 photos of the rifle, it is .65 caliber with a 31-1/2 in barrel & is 41-1/2 overall length according to IMA. Original British Napoleonic Ezekiel Baker Breech Loading Rifle

Here's a couple of photos from IMA

ON10114__01 41.5 OAL.jpgON10114__07.jpg
ON10114__14.jpg

50 years before it's time - I'll leave that for another discussion (I'll just grab a beer & watch though). Breech loaders go at least as far back as the matchlock period, Henry VIII had one, so it's a fairly pointless discussion.

later, Mike
 
Hi Mike, I had no idea about this gun until a buddy at work told me about it and the show. I found the threads and thought that was pretty cool to.
As far as the show I am pretty sure it is all scripted. It was neat seeing the gun on the show.
Thanks for the info.
 
Dave is right. The Spanish had repeating miquelet style firearms in the 1600's. Some were revolvers similar to the Colt idea, some were magazine fed like a Henry. I must admit, not sure how them fed any sort of paper or linen cartridge in the tubular magazine. But, the Baker Rifle is still cool!
Hi,
It is not 50 years ahead of its time. It takes its cues from old designs like the Lorenzoni repeater from the 17th century and La Chaumette's screw plug breech loader from the early 18th. So many people who make those kinds of statements are unaware of much firearms history.

dave
e i
 
Breechloading muzzle-loaders ARE intriguing. I have a GILBEY'S Patent -- British patent #620, 12 March 1853
Made by H Esau ACKRILL, Beverley, Yorkshire. 60bore capping Breech-Loading rifle, #12. It has a spring-loaded hinged chamber operated by button latch in the LHS. Tubular cap magazine to butt (access to cap magazine through trap in steel butt-plate), automatic raising of magazine "aperture" for capping when the hammer is half-cocked. When the breech lock button is struck the chamber flies back and (in theory!) the nipple enters the aperture and is capped.
As a safety feature in case of a breech explosion there is a steel lined vent tube from chamber mouth at front of action through the fore-end, venting forwards. To keep the left hand out of the way the trigger-guard is flat faced (like some Adams / Tranter revolving rifles). I understand that Ackrill made at least one double-barrelled version (not seen).
APOLOGIES for the photos-- not had time to edit them -- - too busy organising the "Repeating Pistol Meeting" at Bisley.
 

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I watched one episode of that show where a guy walked in with a muzzle loader. The bald guy called it a Kentucky rifle. It was an obvious half stocked hawken type. Those clowns dont know anything on that show. And their so called experts are probably on their payroll. They consistently lowball the values of items. If I went there and they said " let me call my expert". I'd say "sure just not until after I call mine then we will compare".
 
I saw that one. It was a run of the mill Midwestern percussion halfstock rifle. Generally they retail for between $150-$300. They have limited or no collector value. If I recall, they had it priced about $1500 all the while claiming it could have been used in the Revolution. Like all reality shows, it is totally fake, all the negotiating and so on is done off camera and usually the back story is made up. My favorite was the girl who "found" a Nock volley gun in her boyfriend's apartment when he moved out that the "expert" oohed and aahed over. Although if you listened carefully, he never called it original. She should have just brought the Rifle Shoppe box it came in.
 
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