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Forums10
Topics38,934
Posts550,882
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Apr 29th, 2024
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,470 Likes: 489
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,470 Likes: 489 |
I bought a Baker double at a gun show this weekend. The lighting was typically not the best and I left my reading cheaters at home. As I was looking at it, the seller told me it was a Batavia Special. I did briefly note the small stamping of the word Special on the locks, but didn't pay a lot of attention to that as I was concentrating on overall condition. Upon closer examination at home, I saw that it is marked Harrison Special on both lock plates. In every other respect, it looks like a Baker Batavia Special or Leader grade. It has a Baker buttplate, capped pistol grip, 30" barrels marked "[censored] Tensile Steel" on the right and "Choke Bored" on the left, S.N. 1596xx, with nicer than average wood with nice figure and a lot of fiddleback.
I have never seen a Baker marked Harrison Special and can find no mention of it in any of my reference books. I'm hoping someone here can shed a little light on this.
A true sign of mental illness is any gun owner who would vote for an Anti-Gunner like Joe Biden.
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,470 Likes: 489
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,470 Likes: 489 |
Uh, the word that shows up as (censored) is... well, it sounds like Hoe-Moe. You think maybe I should weld over that word on my barrels since it is a no-no?
A true sign of mental illness is any gun owner who would vote for an Anti-Gunner like Joe Biden.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 610
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 610 |
No, we have more than enough PC now.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,529 Likes: 354
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,529 Likes: 354 |
Folsom/Crescent had a tradename "Harrison Arms Co." for Sickles & Preston Davenport, Iowa.
Baker also made tradename guns including "Clark's Imperial Omaha, Neb.", "Spencer Gun Co." and "Rev-O-Noc" for Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett, "Tryon Special Philadelphia", and "New Era" for Shapleigh Hardware.
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,800 Likes: 567
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,800 Likes: 567 |
I suspect that it was a private label name for a hardware store. I bought a nice Baker which was marked Montgomery Wards on the rib. It was the heaviest set of barrels I have seen for a Baker. It was .040 wall thickness in the thinnest places. I made it into a heavy water fowl gun. Then have not seen a duck all year. Maybe next year.
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,470 Likes: 489
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,470 Likes: 489 |
Did any of the above mentioned trade name guns have a "BAKER" buttplate? I have seen a number of these and can't recall any having a Baker plate.
A true sign of mental illness is any gun owner who would vote for an Anti-Gunner like Joe Biden.
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 319
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 319 |
KY JON,does your Monkey Ward Baker have a 3 position safety? I have a MW marked Baker with 32" damascus bbls choked full and fuller,3 position safety and a pigeon in a circle engraved on the bottom of the action.
N.R.A lifer
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,800 Likes: 567
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,800 Likes: 567 |
Same gun except no pigeon. The original chokes were in the .050-.055 range, barrels thick as heck. When I bought it the stock was broken and only two inches remained past the side plates so I can not answer what type of buttplate was original. But for less than $200.00 I got a steal. Picked it up for a parts gun but found the only part it needed was a new butt stock.
We shot it on sporting clays and it would crush birds at 40-50-60+ yards. Took a bit of practice to figure out how to hit them at that type of range. I used the add five yards more each miss until the hits started. Then hits were steady. Been hoping for some late season Dove pass shooting with it. Maybe next year.
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 27
Boxlock
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Boxlock
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 27 |
I have a Baker "Leader" marked Harrison Special with a Baker buttplate. Twist barrels and ebony tip forend.
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,071
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,071 |
There is a fellow on a Canadian Site that has a Ward's/Baker grade C from 1895. It has engraving on the bottom of the receiver but I can't remember what. Has 32" damascus barels with good pattern and very good bores. And yes, very thick barrels. It also has the original buttplate but I don't know what's on it. He's had it listed for months. I think now it's at $600.00.
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