doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com baker shotgun serial numbers

I have a couple Baker Model A's and would like to establish the years they were made. I have seen the table in the Double Gun Joural (issue Winter 2003) and found another table on line. They conflict. Can anyone confirm years of production and maybe serial numbers by year? Thanks

The A and B grades were made from 1892 to about 1908 and the serial numbers were in a block from 1-about 7000. One can interpolate the years, but no factory records are known to exist. Who was the author in the DGJ article ? A graph of serial numbers and dates can be made from old ads, testimonials, letters, sales receipts etc. , and that is as close as one can get. One might remember the A and B grades might have been �stocking� grades, so when they were manufactured and sold might be quite different. Also, some records show a huge inventory of finished guns at the Baker Factory at the end of the year, so when made, sold, or distribeted to sellers would be quite different.

The B-Grade was still in Vol 4, 1909, of The Baker Gunner. At the bottom of the listing it stated "We make a specialty of heavy 10-gauges in this grade. Probably a bunch of old inventory they were hoping to move.

I think Montgomery Wards bought a number of Bakers after they were built for stock. I have seen one which was clearly remarked from Baker to MW. Only reason for that to me suggest a bulk buy of slow moving inventory and having it remarked at that time. I have a pair of MW Bakers, very heavy 12�s, with thick walls and tight chokes. .050 or .055 for chokes. Wall thickness was .050 or .060 at the thinnest spot. 32� barrels. When you pick them up you know they must be tens but they are 12�s.

Thank you, I have seen the A & B grades listed as starting in 1890, 1892 and 1897 so good to have the correct range. Do the model A's and B's have a separate serial number series or were they combined? I have two Model A's serial number 591 and 4331. The low number has more engraving then the higher one, but I guess engraving details changed over time. As for the DGJ article of 2003 Winter, i am at work at the moment and will provide the author's names when I get home later. thanks for your help.Matt

Please go here and look around

http://www.bakercollectors.com/


http://www.bakercollectors.com/index.php...eenres=1366-768

Essentially, the A- & B-Grades were the same gun, just different barrel material. The A-Grade had Damascus barrels and the B-Grade Twist barrels.

Here is the actual text about engraving on the A- and B-Grades from a 1900 issue of The Baker Gunner --

"We do not guarantee that every "B"( or "A") grade gun will be engraved from just the same design, but endeavor to have about the same amount of engraving on each. On receiving an order from a customer we try to select first, one which will fill the specifications as to gauge, weight, length of barrels, drop and length of stock, and then conform to customer's ideas as to engraving , as nearly as possible from guns we may have in stock, but always consider engraving of secondary importance. You may receive a "B" (or "A") with a different design of border, or a duck or a dog in place of the two quail or a dog pointing game, we cannot tell as it is our aim to give a variety of designs."

Esp. the B engraving variants are here
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/17434920

What Researcher said

3 Pin A with crolle barrels



3 pin B with "Best London Damascus Twist" barrels