Baker rifle

The Baker rifle was a specialised weapon issued to the rifle regiments (the 95th and the 5/60th). It was shorter than the Brown Bess musket issued to the rest of the infantry, with a barrel that had seven grooves in it that were designed to spin the ball, imparting greater accuracy and distance. It was the first rifle on general issue to the British Army.

History and Design
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. Ezekiel 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 standard 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 back-sight 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.

Use
During the Napoleonic Wars the Baker was reported to be effective at long range due to its accuracy and dependability under battlefield conditions. In spite of its advantages, the rifle did not replace the standard British musket of the day, the Brown Bess, but was issued officially only to rifle regiments. In practice, however, many regiments, such as the 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welch Fusiliers), and others, acquired rifles for use by some in their light companies during the time of the Peninsular War. These units were employed as an addition to the common practice of fielding skirmishers in advance of the main column, who were used to weaken and disrupt the waiting enemy lines (the French also had a light company in each battalion that was trained and employed as skirmishers but these were only issued with muskets). With the advantage of the greater range and accuracy provided by the Baker rifle, the highly trained British skirmishers were able to defeat their French counterparts routinely and in turn disrupt the main French force by sniping at officers and NCOs. The rifle was used by what were considered elite units, such as the 5th battalion and rifle companies of the 6th and 7th Battalions of the 60th Regiment of Foot, deployed around the world, and the three battalions of the 95th Regiment of Foot that served under the Duke of Wellington between 1808 and 1814 in the Peninsular War, the War of 1812 (3rd Battalion 95th (Rifles), at the Battle of New Orleans), and again in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo. The two light infantry Battalions of the King's German Legion as well as sharpshooter platoons within the Light Companies of the KGL Line Battalions also used the Baker. The rifle was also supplied to or privately purchased by numerous volunteer and militia units; these examples often differ from the regular issue pattern. Some variants were used by cavalry, including the 10th Hussars. The Baker was also used in Canada in the War of 1812. It is recorded that the British Army still issued Baker rifles in 1841, three years after its production had ceased.

Firing Positions
There are several different positions that can be taken when firing a Baker rifle: Standing, sitting, kneeling, prone and supine. The most commonly-employed position in the Army is the standing position, in which the musket or rifle is brought firmly into the right shoulder, with the left hand positioned on the stock and the right hand around the small of the butt with the right index finger on the trigger.

The prone position is unusual in this period. The rifleman lies flat, to present a smaller target to the enemy, and may rest the muzzle of the rifle on his shako to help support it.

The kneeling and sitting positions both reduce the target that the rifleman presents to the enemy while allowing him to reload without too much difficulty.

The supine position - on the back, with the ankles crossed and the rifle muzzle supported by the feet - is rarely seen, but is the most stable position for firing, apart from the prone position. It is the position taken by Rifleman Plunket at Cacabelos, during the retreat to Corunna, when he shot the French general.

Note
The majority of information in this article is taken from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_rifle