Quality Baker Rifle Replica?

[smoothshooter]

I would suggest that Ryan 21 get a bullet mould and cast his own bullets. It's simple enough that most competent twelve year olds can do it, and for what you guys have to pay for powder, this would help to ease the financial pain your politicians force you to endure to enjoy this sport. - Sincerely, Smoothshooter

 

[azmntman]

Why don't we have crappy tires here in US? :rotf:

 

[pargent]

Found 2 ,one is only 8,000 pounds and the other is a bit pricey at 12,000 pounds

 

[galamb]

Can Crappy tire get in the smaller caliber kentucky and PA rifle balls .32?

No - just 50 cal and only .490

 

[Many Klatch]

Ryan, the Pedersoli Bess is a good safe dependable and accurate (for a smoothbore) weapon. It is kind of a mish mash of eras and designs so it's neither one design or another. If you want it to be 100% correct for any particular period you would have to defarb it and mess with changing out some of the parts.

However, my Bess Carbine will put the big .715 ball into the same hole at 25 yards, when I am shooting well and they will hit a 36" gong at 100 yards 3 out of 5 times.

The only drawback for you is that a flintlock will only function with honest to God blackpowder. A pound of powder contains 7,000 grains. A Bess will require 75 to 110 grains of powder per shot so at the rates you are being charged for powder it could be fairly expensive to feed.

Many Klatch

 

[Alden]

So these Pedersoli's are a decent approximation of the accuracy and operation of the originals?

Yes. And there are many offerings. The Frontier and the Kentucky, older origins, are two of my personal favorites. The latter is more manageable as a shorter gun for most people. The longer (though not "long - long" by period standards) gun is just the right length not to be TOO long but is front heavy as fully octagonal (and replicate the Hatfield family's original).

 

[Alden]

My Pedersoli Frontier -- comparatively old one.

 

[Ryan21]

So you can or cannot use the substitute powder? I looked it up and we do indeed have that pyrodex at canadian tire.

 

[Ryan21]

I would have no problem casting my own bullets, adds to the experience, as long as there is someone to teach me. What kind of heat do you use to melt the lead? you need some kind of a vessel to melt the lead too I suppose.

 

[Baxter]

The Lee company makes some inexpensive, durable and reliable lead melting pots, as do others. Mine is a small electric unit that requires a ladle with pour-spout and I have been using it since about 1974 to melt lead for balls. I use iron mold blocks by Lyman - not cheap but durable and dependable. I've used some aluminium blocks but they tended to be inferior for me. Cabelas likely can supply what you need. Eye protection is an absolute necessity - molten lead is unforgiving! baxter

 

[TFoley]

Found 2 ,one is only 8,000 pounds and the other is a bit pricey at 12,000 pounds

Here in UK, Peter Dyson makes a near perfect replication of the Baker rifle that is impossible to tell from the real thing at a a distance of one foot.

You can see one being fired on my Youtube channel - tac's guns baker rifle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAX8Zwd1TrI

The downside is the $5000+ price, and the three-four year waiting list.

The real thing can be found here in UK, of course, and a recent officer's model fetched around $12K...that one has been highlighted on this thread, I just notice.

tac

 

[Many Klatch]

Flintlocks do NOT work with anything other than REAL blackpowder. The newer propellants need a lot more pressure to function well. Using the newer stuff you will get a klatch, spark, hiss, boom if it goes off at all.

If all you can get is Pyrodex or it's clones, you need to shoot a caplock.

Many Klatch

 

[azmntman]

or you can use 10 grains fff as a primer then load the remainder of your desired measured load in pyrodex (makes a lb of bp last a really long time and works just fine per my years of shooting.

 

[pargent]

Another option might be the Pedersoli Jager in flintlock and defarb it to look like the Germanic 1776 rifle used by British forces . :thumbsup:

 

[curator]

Ryan21

You have an excellent source of muzzle loading/black powder guns and supplies in your country: Loyalist Arms. http://www.loyalistarms.ca/
Call or e-mail Blair and he can give you the information you need and help you with suppliers.

 

[robinghewitt]

Apologies for reawakening this but I have to keep Alden in his place. Baker rifle 1826 :blah:

 

[Alden]

Touche, Brave Sir. LOL How often will you shoot it?

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hello Ryan 21
You can also check out Clarke Industries.
John Clarke makes fine English rifles.
Fred

 

[strato50]

Read through this thread and have some pointers as a fellow Canadian black powder shooter.

I went down the road briefly with black powder substitutes and while I did get decent performance out of them, you will get BETTER and more reliable ignition with real black powder.

Forget about importing it yourself, incredibly expensive to do so on a personal level if you can even find somewhere that will ship it. I get my BP from a local gun shop. No firearms license required in Canada to get BP off the shelf.

I cast my own roundball and bullets. Again, even after a couple hundred bucks for a good Lee melting pot and a couple molds it beats off the shelf rounds and shipping costs very quickly. I use large bags of birdshot, from the same gun shop, for melting.

Contrary to some other posts there are no issues other than a company refusing to ship to Canada in regards to importing a flintlock. I ordered my Kentucky 50.cal from Dixie Gun Works and it was here in 2 weeks. No questions asked and I didn't even get hit with the Canada Post duty fees. Bonus. Of course they DID open it at the border, but it didn't hold anything up.

I own a India Pattern Brown Bess from the same source as Discriminating General / Military Heritage. Yes, they are rough & made in India. Unsafe, NO. I shoot blanks and regular loads from both historical paper cartridge and patched roundball at the gun range and have very solid, reliable performance. The reenactor guys around here love their products too. If you're a perfectionist with an eye for craftsmanship and detail I can understand not wanting one. They aren't wall hangers though.

I do not own but I have held and inspected the Baker offered from MH / DG, the same company as my Bess. It's of better construction overall than the Bess but again it's not perfect. What it is, though, is very sturdy & solid. These are military guns meant to bash and hit with a 12 inch bayonet while not breaking in half. If you're inclined to do so, you can with confidence (I've taken out my fair share of road pylons, may they rest in pieces)

Enjoy making big smokey booms

 

[Ryan21]

I went to my local sporting shop in Victoria and lo and behold, Go-ex black powder, looking forward to ordering one of these pedersoli's this year, I start my new job on the sailing Brigantine Fair Jeanne in May so some time this summer ill be ordering one.

Thanks, Ryan