Antique Firearms – A Gem to Complete Your Gun Collection
September 19, 2008
Gun collectors have a variety of firearms from different countries and manufacturers in their collection. Sometimes the gun collectors may even get bored with their existing firearms collection and want something different for expanding it. If this is the case with gun collector like you then possibly you must think of looking for antique firearms for you collection as it would be like a gem to your collection. These antique firearms have a high probability of being the genuine pieces of history which may be even used in wars etc. Some of them may be still in good condition to be used, though you must be extremely cautious as these antique firearms are usually very costly and dear.
Baker Rifle: A Great Antique Firearm
Baker Rifle is one of the best known guns among all antique firearms. It is a good choice for gun collectors as it is a firearm which is very collectable and also authentic. British Army had depended on these rifles as their primary firearms during the Victorian Era in early 1800s. These rifles are flint lock single shot type and were even used in wars against the Napoleons.
These antique firearms had served very well to British soldiers and since then have been a great source of motivation and encouragement for generations for rifles development and innovations.
More about This Musket
This musket was a .625 caliber firearm and had 30 inch long barrel that was mounted with a sword bayonet. Not only this, these type of antique firearms even had many other features like a lock mechanism which was 6 inch long, a circular ring-neck cock, a foldable-leaf rear sight along with a trigger guard made of scroll brass. Not only this, this musket was even designed with user of rifle in mind as it has a lifted cheek rest over the left part of the rifle butt which was a great help for user in taking aim at the target.
This rifle was equipped with cleaning equipments which was very creative and resourceful as it was a vital need for these period antique firearms. These rifle cleaning equipments were kept in the butt of the rifle from where it was easily accessible at any point of time and were not easily broken till rifle was damaged. It’s rare to find these rifles in perfect condition with cleaning equipments, etc and collectors desire for one in good condition.
Accuracy of These Rifles
They are a great illustration of workmanship of that time and their accuracy was amazing to a distance of over one hundred yards. Due to this accuracy, these rifles were even used as one of the first sniper rifles. These antique firearms operated in two man groups while other normal muskets required groups of around 60 to 80 gunners. The best example of accuracy of these rifles was when French General Colbert was killed from a reported distance of eight hundred yards by a rifleman called Thomas Plunkett. To prove that it was not just by luck and that his first shot was a result of his shooting skills and the accuracy of the rifle, he even shot one the aides of the General.
A major obstacle in the use of these rifles was the long reload time though its improved accuracy compensated for it. Every antique firearm had its own specialty and shortcoming and Baker Rifle is just one of those many examples of antique firearms which can be like gem to your present gun collection. As many of them are available for sale and purchase, you can find many good deals.
We wish all the luck for your future collection.
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