Original Baker rifle balls

[robinghewitt]

Got me some leather wrapped Baker balls from the Percy Tenantry stash :thumbsup:

He has more for sale if anyone wants a piece of history rattling around in their Baker patch box.

They cost GBP30 each plus shipping. I don't usually buy lead at over a million pounds a ton, but these are a bit special.

Don't know if he does overseas but I can help out if it is a problem.

Squire Robin

 

[Mike Brooks]

Now those are nifty! Never seen one of those before, thanks for showing your Baker balls off! :grin:

 

[BrownBear]

Those are fascinating Squire!

Not an original rifle and not RB's, but with your interest in Bakers you might enjoy this thread.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Pretty neat Squire! Is the patch glued to the ball? I assume they must have used a punch to cut out the leather cross and wet molded it to the ball. Was it intended to separate in flight? If not it must have played heck with the aerodynamics. I understand that widows and children of deceased soldiers and sailors were employed in the ammunition factories casting balls and making up cartridges, it looks like a job for nimble fingers.

 

[jr06]

I guess I'm the only one who is not in the know, but what is the "Percy Tenantry stash"? Thanks

 

[StevePrice2]

Well I reckon that I was only other person not in the know about this historical item.

I did a few minutes search and now it looks like you're the only one again. :blah:

Fascinating stuff..history is.

here's a snippet for ya.

As little is known of the ammunition of the 95th Rifles this was deemed worthwhile. Using a university laboratory facility to undertake the examinations, the following facts turned up : the bullets were cast from pure lead and averaged .60 inch calibre (and suit a 20 bore calibre rifle), most of the leather patches were pigskin - two were from bovine skin and probably cut from a stillborn calf - and the remaining lubrication was a mixture of lard and tallow, the patches were different in size but were in a form of cross-shape cut out by scissors rather than a knife or a wad-cutter. The patches still fitted the bullets very snugly but due to their great age, all the patches had become dry and stiff - through careful lifting, nothing could be seen of any form of adhesive used so it was taken that the patches were wrapped around the bullets after lubrication and adhered to them due to the lard-tallow mix. The bullets were later reconstructed in facsimile and in an experiment when fired from an original Baker rifle, served very well in terms of both loading and accuracy.

And the link it came from ...
http://www.95thrifles.com/95th/history/articles/patched-ball/


Thanks for sharing the pic of your Baker's Rifle Balls!

Steve

 

[dyemaker]

Now that's different! I like their leather jackets. Are the balls belted? They appear round unlike these. Link

I suppose you could makeup some up like that with hardened lead too.

 

[dyemaker]

Geesh! Nevermind. I was thinking of the Brunswick rifle not the Baker rifle.
:shake:
The only reason I make mention of hardened balls is that I think these rifles had a twist rate of 1:120. I wonder if the leather jacketed balls were carefully weighed and the exact same width
of leather used how much more accurate the rifle would be. I'm stubborn I guess.

 

[robinghewitt]

Hi

There is a problem. The seller was surprised but reasonable, I'm sending all but one of the balls back from whence they came

I was curious as to whether they were exactly 20 gauge, or smaller to allow for the leather wrap. Put them on my digital scale, divided the weight in to 1 lb and it came up 15.5 gauge.

Lovely piece of history and all that but they ain't Baker, which kinda detracts.

C'est la vie

Squire Robin

 

[dyemaker]

Wasn't there variations? It is confusing to me what the actual bore sizes were since it seems to depend on who you ask. There are conflicting reports of the rifle's accuracy as well.