Well, a search of this forum yielded no information about the Rifle Shoppe Baker rifle, so I thought that I'd post a review of mine.
I'm new to flintlocks, and bought this rifle (as so many have) after reading about it in Cornwell's 'Sharpe' series of books.
First, my thanks to all here on the board who have taken the time to answer my questions!
Now, to the rifle. I'm it's second owner. The man who comissioned it from the maker never fired it. When it arrived, I quickly noticed how handy it is. The barrel is rather short for a flinter at 30 inches and the length of pull is an even 14 inches. It balances perfectly at the natural grasping point just forward of the trigger guard. Bringing it to my shoulder, I found that my master eye is perfectly positioned by the low comb of the stock.
The rifle is beautifully executed. The wood to metal fit is perfect everywhere. The original owner opted for English walnut and browned barrel upgrades. The workmanship that went into this rifle makes it well worth whatever TRS wants to ask for it! There are no modern markings at all, but the period markings are present and perfect. An original Baker flat lock was used to make the castings, and the rest of the rifle is an exact replica, as are all of their arms and kits.
It took some time and some questions to become range ready, but the day finally arrived. I simply duplicated the load listed on the test target furnished with the gun, which is 70 grs. of 2ff, a .61 round ball, and .010 patches. I was able to duplicate the Shoppe's results with a neat 3" group fired from a rest at 50 yards. The front sight is almost 1/2" tall, so there is plenty to work with if you wanted to sight the rifle to a more authentic 100 yards. The flip sight is present as well and works with precision.
The rifle easily passed my upside-down firing test and ignition is very nearly instanteous.
Cleaning was easy as the captured barrel wedges are readily driven to one side with little effort. The lock drops instantly free. The only glitch came when I did not realise that the front sling loop screw was also captured by the barrel, but a quick call to TRS cleared up this little point! With the barrel now free of the stock, I found that TRS had even neatly and precisely bedded the barrel.
If you want a fine example of the gun maker's art, then this is a rifle that you should consider. It is also available as is kit. Yes, it's expensive and the wait is long. That said, I recommend it wholeheartedly, and will soon put my name on the list for a TRS M1803 rifle.
Happy shooting!
I'm new to flintlocks, and bought this rifle (as so many have) after reading about it in Cornwell's 'Sharpe' series of books.
First, my thanks to all here on the board who have taken the time to answer my questions!
Now, to the rifle. I'm it's second owner. The man who comissioned it from the maker never fired it. When it arrived, I quickly noticed how handy it is. The barrel is rather short for a flinter at 30 inches and the length of pull is an even 14 inches. It balances perfectly at the natural grasping point just forward of the trigger guard. Bringing it to my shoulder, I found that my master eye is perfectly positioned by the low comb of the stock.
The rifle is beautifully executed. The wood to metal fit is perfect everywhere. The original owner opted for English walnut and browned barrel upgrades. The workmanship that went into this rifle makes it well worth whatever TRS wants to ask for it! There are no modern markings at all, but the period markings are present and perfect. An original Baker flat lock was used to make the castings, and the rest of the rifle is an exact replica, as are all of their arms and kits.
It took some time and some questions to become range ready, but the day finally arrived. I simply duplicated the load listed on the test target furnished with the gun, which is 70 grs. of 2ff, a .61 round ball, and .010 patches. I was able to duplicate the Shoppe's results with a neat 3" group fired from a rest at 50 yards. The front sight is almost 1/2" tall, so there is plenty to work with if you wanted to sight the rifle to a more authentic 100 yards. The flip sight is present as well and works with precision.
The rifle easily passed my upside-down firing test and ignition is very nearly instanteous.
Cleaning was easy as the captured barrel wedges are readily driven to one side with little effort. The lock drops instantly free. The only glitch came when I did not realise that the front sling loop screw was also captured by the barrel, but a quick call to TRS cleared up this little point! With the barrel now free of the stock, I found that TRS had even neatly and precisely bedded the barrel.
If you want a fine example of the gun maker's art, then this is a rifle that you should consider. It is also available as is kit. Yes, it's expensive and the wait is long. That said, I recommend it wholeheartedly, and will soon put my name on the list for a TRS M1803 rifle.
Happy shooting!
