Baker Gun Help!

[jeffery c]

Originally Posted by Jack Cronkhite

Thanks Craig. I finally found that info. Then I read no production info available for Folsom. Looks like the best I can say is it was made between 1920 and 1929. Folsom put out a lot of guns over that period of time given my SN over 200000. I have hunted with this gun but I don’t shoot it well. Will give it another go this fall but if I miss too many more roosters then it’s back to Parkers that I do shoot well. Cheers Jack

Can you post some pictures of the frame? I'm interested in seeing the engraving. Does yours have the Greener crossbolt?

[TARNATION !!!]

http://parkerguns.org/forums/album.php?albumid=1002 More pics here. It does have the Greener cross bolt

[Researcher]

Baker had a lot of different serial number blocks. When the R- and S-grades were introduced they began a serial number block starting at 200000. When the Paragon and above with the round cross-bolt were introduced, they continued in that 200xxx range. From my observations 201036 was still a Baker Gun & Forging Company gun and your gun 201055 F is a H & D Folsom gun. My previous lowest Folsom Paragon recorded was 201085 F. H & D Folsom Batavia Leaders and Black Beauty Specials were in a much lower serial number range. The ones I've recorded are from 4020 F to 16714 F a Batavia Leader which is marked Baker Gun Co., Norwich, Conn.

[TARNATION !!!]

So very interesting. There is now a 19 gun range within which the last Baker Gun and Forging R S or Paragon and the first H&D Folsom R S or Paragon occur. Do I have that right?

[Craig Budgeon]

I don't believe the serial numbers ranges of Folsom guns relate to Batavia Bakers at all. I owned two Folsom Leaders one in 20ga. and one in 16ga. both serial nos. were below 201000 and I believe the 20ga. was below 200400. My opinion is that Folsom started there serial nos. at 200,000 followed by the F suffix to avoid confusion with Batavia R and S's.

[Researcher]

As I said above, the H & D Folsom Leaders and Black Beauty Specials appear to be in their own serial number range. Those I've recorded are from 4020 F to 17275 F.

4049F 04.jpg

The Paragons and above appear to continue in the 20xxxx range from the Baker Gun & Forging Co. R- and S-Grades and later round cross-bolt style Paragons and above. The R- and S-grades were gone well before the sale to H & D Folsom.

Now, just to add to the confusion, I just looked in another file and found pictures of an H & D Folsom era Black Beauty Special with a serial number 201255 F --

201255F 01 BBS 12-gauge, 30-inch.jpg

201255F 02.jpg

[Daryl Hallquist]

Decades ago I cataloged every Baker I saw, but sort of got lazy the last couple of decades after a few thousand written down. Here's what I see on Folsom guns.

The lowest serial number Folsom Leader I have seen is 176 F and the highest is 17,956 F with a Norwich address.

For the Folsom Black Beauty Special, many are in the 201,000 F range and 201,957 F is the highest recorded. But, many Black Beauty Specials are in the 3000 F to 6000 F range seemingly shared with the Folsom Leader numbers. I agree with Dave that the 200,000 F range Folsom guns have nothing to do with the R and S 200,000 and above serial range.

As to the Paragon and De Luxe grade Folsom guns, all seem to be in the same block as the 201,000 F and up Black Beauty Specials. But, never say never as one Folsom Paragon has appeared in the 2200 F serial no. range.

[Craig Budgeon]

Looked up H.D. Folsom on the net this AM. While I was aware that they were involved with more than Bakers, I was not aware that they in fact were responsible for the distribution of more than 100 brands of shotguns but not the manufacture. Since they were involved with so many brand names I doubt what serial number a gun carried was of no importance to them. The F suffix was probably of more benefit to the manufacturer than to Folsom

[Drew Hause]

Craig: Folsom did market name, and tradename, English and Belgian guns.

1890



And also the Folsom “Parker Trap Gun”



But Folsom purchased Crescent Fire Arms in 1893 and the vast majority of tradename guns thereafter were of Crescent manufacture.
It's all here, along with an estimated SN DOM
https://docs.google.com/document/pub...iu5JGIhfguSXXQ

"We have been manufacturing Crescent guns for over 40 years..." c. 1925
Well not quite 40 years; The Crescent Fire Arms Co. was incorporated in Connecticut on March 4, 1892.

[Researcher]

The NEW PARAGON/EXPERT/DELUXE GRADE MODEL--NINETEEN-NINE featured a new "roller cocking mechanism" --

New Paragon Grade--Model Nineteen-Nine. 1909 No. 4, The Baker Gunner.jpg

1124 01.jpg

When they brought out the Paragon and Expert Grades with the round cross bolt they returned to the pin through the lug lifting the "cocking lever" cocking mechanism --

201036 01 Paragon.jpg

Baker Paragon Grade circa 1915.jpg