A possibly unique .65” percussion rifled carbine of Baker 1813 cavalry rifle form by Vickers of London.
£4995 SALE £2250
A possibly unique .65” percussion rifled carbine of Baker 1813 cavalry rifle form by Vickers of London. Border engraved lock plate signed VICKERS with scroll work to the front, engraved sun burst to the front of the hammer radiating from the tip of the side nail and stand of arms / trophy display engraved to the tail. Slab sided acanthus leaf engraved dolphin head Forsythe Scent Bottle pattern hammer. Pistol grip walnut stock of 1813 Baker carbine pattern has cheek piece to the left side with three barrel keys and steel furniture including trigger guard with pineapple finial to the front, border engraved patch box to the right side of the butt and break off breech engraved with stand of arms and drum. Two rammer pipes to the underside of the forend, sling swivels to the centre of the forend and rear of the applied pistol grip, the grip attached in the manner of the Baker Hussars carbines and horn forend cap. 22” Browned Damascus twist barrel rifled with seven deep grooves of Baker pattern making approx ¼ turn in the length of the barrel has swivel rammer and is struck to the underside with Victorian Birmingham commercial proof marks with hook breech to the rear. Standing rear sight with single folding leaf. Dating from the early days of percussion rifles, probably around 1835 to 1837, this would have been made to special order for an officer or gentleman volunteer to the pattern of the 1813 Hussars Baker carbine but adapted to the then new percussion ignition system by the firm of Vickers. Joseph Vickers was a lock maker working for the Ordnance under Alexander Forsyth at the Tower Armouries and in 1808 he was appointed Chief Mechanic to the Forsyth Patent Gun Company. He left Forsyth in 1809, after setting up as a gun maker which resulted in Forsyth taking legal action to prevent his former employee from manufacturing or selling scent bottle locks. His son, also Joseph later joined his father in the arms trade at a workshop in Gloucester Street, Stepney. The lock of this interesting carbine certainly has a striking resemblance to Forsyth’s lock design and may have originally been intended to be made as a scent bottle lock only to be refinished in percussion form years later after Forsyth’s legal action prevented its sale or it has been suggested it is made of Forsyth parts liberated by Vickers after he left the Forsyth Gun Company in what appears to have been an acrimonious and litigious parting of the ways! In very good condition with sharp stock (small old repair to the front lower lock surround), very good mechanics and much finish to the barrel and lock with a very good Baker rifled bore. An interesting and probably unique percussion cavalry carbine manufactured by one of Forsythe’s senior workers in the early days of percussion arms but harking back to the flintlock designs of Ezekiel Baker from a generation before.
