The L.C. Smith Collectors Association

The L.C. Smith Collectors Association
[ The L.C. Smith Collectors Association ]

Baker pat'd guns

Posted by Mike Yonker on May 1, 2022, 8:10 am

Good morning, Gentlemen, I just picked up a couple Baker Smiths. Both pretty rough, first one is 12 ga ser# 2609 grade B with an X stamp on barrel and receiver. It is missing fore iron. The second is an A grade 10 ga no stock, miss matched barrel ser # 580 and receiver ser #3967 both with an X stamp. it had fore arm with no stamp on the steel but 164411 stamped in the wood. Not very versed on these guns any one with any experience with them overall please chime in. Thanks MY

Re: Baker pat'd guns

Posted by Tom Garver on May 1, 2022, 11:21 am, in reply to "Baker pat'd guns"

Good morning, Mike. The Baker Pat'd guns were made by LC SMITH in Syracuse, NY c. 1780-1884. They were made in 10 and 12 gauge three barrel drillings with reported rifle calibers in 38 long, 44-40 and .44XL Ballard. The serial # range was 300 -1500? Doubles were made in 10 and 12 gauge with a serial # range of 1501-15,000? Your first gun sounds pretty normal. The second gun sounds like it was cobbled together. The barrel SN seems to indicate a drilling and the SN on the forend wood it would be from a hammer gun made in 1910. Occasionally you will find parts listed on eBay but check with Jerry Andrews or hampelguns.com. David Williamson has been cataloguing these hammer guns for many years now and I'm sure he would be interested in your information

Re: Baker pat'd guns

Posted by Drew Hause on May 1, 2022, 4:00 pm, in reply to "Baker pat'd guns"

In the program for the Annual Convention of the New York Association for the Protection of Fish & Game June, 1881

$40 in 1880 would be about $1100 today

Re: Baker pat'd guns

Posted by Tom Garver on May 1, 2022, 4:16 pm, in reply to "Re: Baker pat'd guns"

I just realized that I made a mistake on the production dates. Should be 1880-1884. Also, the serial number would have been stamped on the right tip of the forend metal nearest to the breech

Re: Baker pat'd guns

Posted by Mike Yonker on May 1, 2022, 8:14 pm, in reply to "Baker pat'd guns"

Thanks for the input looks like after closer inspection,the fore arm wood and iron are not even Baker.I will be searching out a foreiron if any one has a spare laying around. The B gun has rib stamp "L C Smith maker of Baker gun Syracuse NY Damascus steel". It's a project for this winter.

Re: Baker pat'd guns

Posted by David Williamson on May 2, 2022, 7:35 am, in reply to "Re: Baker pat'd guns"

Tom you were not far off in your first dates, Baker guns will have WH Baker on the locks, some have Baker Pat. before 1880 and after 1880 will still have Baker, WH Baker on the locks but will have L.C. Smith Maker of Baker Guns on top rib.
1880 is when L.C. Smith bought into the Baker guns. L.C. Smith's brother Leroy was working for Baker before 1880 and Leroy asked him for assistance in the Baker gun company and that is when L.C. bought into them. In 1883, Baker, Leroy and a few others left to go to Ithaca and started the Ithaca gun company along with George Livermore who was L.C.'s and Leroy's brother-in-law. Fascinating in that George became President and stayed on into his 90's and how other family members also helped. It was either Leroy's son or George's son who developed the Ithaca Model 37. It has been a while since I read it and can't remember which one but think it was Leroy's son.
Baker left Ithaca and he along with his brother went back and made their own guns.

Re: Baker pat'd guns

Posted by Drew Hause on May 2, 2022, 7:53 am, in reply to "Re: Baker pat'd guns"

More W.H. Baker history from the Baker Collectors site
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_p_bo1ug6PWC3UiZdRtco_nvWjYmS-Ed3nbIzI_iy1A/edit

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