In the very last Baker ads that I've found in old sporting magazines from April and May 1928, and October 1929, Folsom also offered a 410-bore Batavia Leader, though I've never seen one.ĭuring the Baker Gun & Forging Co. Folsom-made Baker guns normally have an F before or after the serial number. Folsom added the 20-gauge to the Baker line that they produced. a major marketer, manufacturer and importer of low priced guns. After WW-I with the rise of repeaters Baker sold their gun business to H&D Folsom Co. To reduce costs the Batavia line did not have the "firing pin block safety" or the "draw block" which passes transversely through the barrel lug and mates into recesses in the frame, of the graded Baker hammerless guns and the Model 1897 hammer gun. The Batavia guns were the low priced or "field grade" models of the Baker Gun & Forging Co. You may receive a "B" 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." So, looks like when they went into inventory to get the gauge, barrel length and stock dimensions you wanted the engraving was a crap shoot. We do not guarantee that every "B" grade gun will be engraved from just the same design but endeavor to have about the same amount of engraving on each. "The cut of the Baker hammerless gun as shown here was made from one of the regular "B" grade guns picked from our stock on hand and is a fair sample of the engraving we put on these guns. There is some interesting text about the engraving on the B- and A-grades. They state that the normal engraving is scroll, dogs, and game but could be all scroll, scroll and dogs or scroll and game.
They state that they do not have any Paragon Grade guns in stock and all are made to order requiring 4 to 8 weeks. They state that they introduced the Paragon about two years ago, but have been so busy with the lower priced guns that they haven't devoted the time and energy they should have in bringing it to the notice of the shooting public. There is a half a sentence that eludes to higher priced guns built to special order. 3, May 1900 - At this date they only appeared to offer 5 guns - Model 1897 hammer gun with twist barrels $25 net, Model 1897 Hammer gun with Damascus barrels $27.80 net, the B-Grade with "London Damascus twist" barrels for $35 net, the A-Grade with Fine Four-Blade Damascus barrels $42.75 net, and the Paragon Grade with fine four-blade Damascus barrels with extra fine figure $60 net. Hollenbeck had three patents granted while he was in Batavia and two are assigned to the Baker Gun & Forging Co.įrom your brief description it sounds like you have a Baker B-grade. Baker was ill with TB and they brought in Frank A.
When the plant in Syracuse burned and they moved operations to Batavia, W.H. Even the trigger-plate hammer gun built first in Syracuse and then later in Batavia was designed by A.C. Baker was dead before any of the sidelock hammerless Baker doubles built in Batavia saw the light of day. The Double Gun Journal - Vol 3, Iss 3&4 Vol 9, Iss 2 Vol 14, Iss 4 and Vol 19, Iss 3