Baker rifle

Pattern 1800 Infantry Rifle a.k.a. Baker infantry rifle
A Baker rifle with the 24-inch sword bayonet
Type	Muzzle-loading rifle
Place of origin	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service history
In service	1801–1837 (British Army)
Used by	United Kingdom and Coalition allies, United States
Wars	Napoleonic Wars, War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Texas Revolution
Production history
Designed	1798–1800
Produced	1800–1838 (all variants)
Number built	22,000+
Variants	Cavalry carbine
Specifications
Weight	9 lb (4.08 kg)
Length	45 3⁄4 in (1162 mm)
Barrel length	30.375 in. (762 mm)
Cartridge	0.615 in. lead ball
Caliber	0.625 in (15.9 mm)
Action	Flintlock
Rate of fire	User dependent, Usually 2+ rounds a minute
Muzzle velocity	Variable
Effective firing range	Variable
Feed system	Muzzle loaded

The Baker rifle (officially known as the Pattern 1800 Infantry Rifle) was a flintlock rifle used by the Rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was the first standard-issue, British-made rifle accepted by the British armed forces.

The Baker Rifle was first produced in 1800 by Ezekiel Baker, a master gunsmith from Whitechapel. The British Army was still issuing the Infantry Rifle in the 1830s.

The British army had learned the value of rifles from their experience in the American Revolutionary War. However, existing rifle designs were considered too cumbersome, slow-firing, fragile or expensive to be put to use on any scale beyond irregular companies. Rifles had been issued on a limited basis and consisted of parts made to no precise pattern, often brought in from Prussia. The war against Revolutionary France resulted in the employment of new tactics, and the British Army responded, albeit with some delay. Prior to the formation of an Experimental Rifle Corps in 1800, a trial was held at Woolwich by the British Board of Ordnance on 22 February 1800 in order to select a standard rifle pattern; the rifle designed by Ezekiel Baker was chosen. During the trial, of the twelve shots fired, eleven were placed in a 6-foot (1.8 m) circular target at a distance of 300 yards (270 m).

Colonel Coote Manningham, responsible for establishing the Rifle Corps, influenced the initial designs of the Baker. The first model resembled the British Infantry Musket, but was rejected as too heavy. Baker was provided with a German Jäger rifle as an example of what was needed. The second model he made had a .75 calibre bore, the same calibre as the Infantry Musket. It had a 32-inch barrel, with eight rectangular rifling grooves; this model was accepted as the Infantry Rifle, but more changes were made until it was finally placed into production. The third and final model had the barrel shortened from 32 to 30 inches, and the calibre reduced to .653, which allowed the rifle to fire a .625 calibre carbine bullet, with a greased patch to grip the now-seven rectangular grooves in the barrel. The rifle had a simple folding backsight with the standard large lock mechanism (initially marked 'Tower' and 'G.R.' under a Crown; later ones after the battle of Waterloo had 'Enfield'), with a swan-neck cock as fitted to the 'Brown Bess.' Like the German Jäger rifles, it had a scrolled brass trigger guard to help ensure a firm grip and a raised cheek-piece on the left-hand side of the butt. Like many rifles, it had a 'butt-trap' or patchbox where greased linen patches and tools could be stored. The lid of the patchbox was brass, and hinged at the rear so it could be flipped up. The stocks were made of walnut and held the barrel with three flat captive wedges. The rifle also had a metal locking bar to accommodate a 24-inch sword bayonet, similar to that of the Jäger rifle. The Baker was 45 inches from muzzle to butt, 12 inches shorter than the Infantry Musket, and weighed almost nine pounds. As gunpowder fouling built up in the grooves the weapon became much slower to load and less accurate, so a cleaning kit was stored in the patch box of the Baker; the Infantry Muskets were not issued with cleaning kits.