Upside down Baker tang

[James84]

So - I am in the process of building a Baker kit from The Rifle Shoppe and I had a slip with my mill when I was cutting a countersink in the tang for the screw, so the cut is off to one side. Not a huge issue, you can just see it protruding from screw when it is fitted.

Anyway, I noticed that a supplier in the UK sells cast Baker parts and that they have a 'Baker Breech Tang' listed, but no picture. I ordered one, for £25 and £6 postage thinking I could swap it out.

It arrived today, and unless I'm going mad, the lower section has been affixed to the top in the mould/casting process and is on the top of the tang, rather than the bottom. It is up the opposite way to my Rifle Shoppe tang and unless I cut it off and weld it to the bottom of the tang, it would be sticking up out the top of the rifle.

I wanted to share this as I found it both amusing and annoying. If anyone knows of a Baker Rifle that ever had an upside down tang, do please correct me. It did cross my mind that it was just a sprue, but it has clearly been cut from the sprue and then where is the bottom portion of the tang...

I've asked for a refund. Waiting on a reply but the supplier has always delivered and been good in the past. It looks like they just have a bad batch, which is a shame for them.

[James84]

Had a response. They said that this is the feed/sprue and it needs to be removed. Looks like their tangs just aren't the same as the Rifle Shoppe versions which have that exact same size pillar/bar underneath which is then screwed onto the trigger guard for support.

Seems bizarre that this is exactly the same size as the pillar on the Rifle Shoppe tang, and the join looks like it has been attached to the top of the tang mould. Guess they just aren't built in the same way between the two companies. I do wonder which manufacturer has it historically correct though... Did the original Bakers have a supporting pillar on the bottom of the tang?

[ovenpaa]

I did not realise someone on the forum was building a Rifle Shoppe gun, they have a good reputation and I for one will be interested to hear how it progresses.

[@nd]

Hi James
How are you getting on with the build ?? I have a Rifle Shoppe Ferguson waiting to be built once we move house and set up my (very basic)workshop.
@nd

[James84]

Only just seen these replies! Happy to share experiences and answer any questions.

In summary - so far the hardest part for me has been cutting the dovetails... I messed up the sword bar and I've been welding the material I removed back up to mill it back down again to the right shape. I just needed to practice a bit more.

The kit arrived as can be expected, the brass was all as-cast. The barrel was bare with no dovetails, so it is a case of building it all from the ground up. I am so close to finishing it, just need to get the sword bar in then I can get it proofed and then it's just browning the barrel and tang and oiling the wood left. If only I hadn't screwed up the sword bar...

I also made a lot of homemade tools to help, such as the one in the picture below for locating the barrel key slots.

Honestly, it is so close to completion, but after messing up the bar, I haven't touched it for over a month now... I will get the motivation up again soon.

[James84]

A few additional pics. The last is a tool I made by sharpening a bolt so I could put it in one side of a hole on the pillar drill and drill down to it, meaning the two holes will line up for screws through the stock. Lots of chiselling, even more filing and 2 tubes of lipstick (for finding the raised spots on the barrel channel to chisel out) went into this...

[ovenpaa]

It is looking very good so far and yes, things do happen when you are building rifles. The trick is to overcome them or use them to your advantage :)