Keep Your Money South, M.A. Baker, Ky. Rifle, Fayetteville, NC
Really unique Southern Kentucky Style Rifle with A. Baker on Lock plate. The M was under the hammer & worn down, only traces left. The rifle is full stock percussion & is 53" long & has a 38" barrel. Looks like around .36 cal. Tiger striped wood with crack on the bottom under the lock plate. German silver inlays on the back stock, neck, & around all the pins holding the barrel on. Large brass 4 piece patch box. Brass trigger guard, butt plate, bottom back stock plate, thimbles & wide nose cap. Lock plate with floral engraving as well as the A. Baker & hammer also has the floral engraving. Top of barrel has letters which can not all be read which is probably the owners name. Wood ramrod. Larger oval German silver plate on backstock with engraving of an upside down Southern Eagle pushing down the Union arrows & leaves & on the brass side plate is engraved with two Eagles facing each other. rifle has double set triggers & action works good. The hammer is Baker's Fayetteville style & is on many of his rifles & single shot pistols. The rifle is a lighter weight Ky rifle & may have been made for a boy. Rifle has fixed front & rear sights. This rifle was made by M.A. Baker of Fayetteville, NC. who was a gun maker before the war & during the war he was contracted by the Confederate Gov't to make & convert rifles & to make locks for guns. In Dec. of 1860 his advertisement read Keep your Money South and build up your own country & town by calling on M.B. Baker & noted his making of weapons. The book, Confederate Long arms & Pistols has info & pictures of 5 of his rifles including one of his Ky. Style rifles. This Ky rifle shows a lot of use, more than just for hunting so it may have gone out with early confederate troops & used. A real unique southern Kentucky Style rifle with great southern Eagles & nice tiger striped stock made by a Confederate Gunmaker.