Frederick T Baker,
88 Fleet Street & 21 Cockspur Street, London
12 bore Needham patent, Back action, Sidelock Ejector
no. 6778
Date of manufacture: 1874-88

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Heritage Guns' Comment

The lovely Needham patent sidelock ejector has come to us on consignment and as such has not received the full Heritage Guns restoration treatment. That said, we have stripped, cleaned, re-lubricated and rebuilt the whole gun and checked it for any problems. It appears to be in fantastic condition for its age and almost totally original. In fact we would classify it as the best 'sleeper' we have ever had through our workshops and considering its unfashionable style and mechanism, that it truly saying something.
One of the delightful safety features intrinsic to the Needham design, is that once ejection has taken place and the gun reloaded, the gun can not be closed until the hammers have been fully cocked.
FT Baker were renowned for their very finely finished guns that featured 'wall to wall' engraving of very Best quality and this is no exception. The wood has a fantastic figure, the Whitworth steel barrels measure up well and are totally devoid of pitting and the gun's internals are mirror bright.
All in all, this is a very important gun for any enthusiast of the best and most interesting products of the London gun trade and represents a very rare opportunity.
It comes complete with its contemporary, and possibly original, Leg of Mutton guncase.

WE REGRET THAT THIS GUN IS NOW SOLD. IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A SIMILAR GUN, PLEASE CONTACT US.

 

The action is of Needham's design and features:
Double triggers bolted by an automatic top tang safety slide,
Back action 'Leg of Mutton' locks with Gold lined cocking indicators,
Westley Richards style top lever opening with a 'dolls head' rib extension giving a single bite, Needham's patent ejector and split extractors
and a 'Grip' forend lever catch.
Gun weight 6lb 10oz Engraving style Best Foliate Scroll, FTB trade mark engraved on base of action, Gold SAFE plate, Stylized 'Percussion' fences, Top rib engraved 'SIR JOSEPH WHITWORTH'S FLUID PRESSED STEEL'.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 4 lbs Rear trigger 4 lbs
The Whitworth Steel barrels are 30" in length, chambered for 2 1/2" (65mm) cartridges and are of brazed 'dovetail' lump construction with soft soldered ribs. Top rib is of the smooth, concave type.
London reproof for 65mm nitro powder cartridges in 1982.

Approximate barrel measurements at date of publication:

 
Nominal Proof Size
Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
Minimum Wall Thickness
Choke Constriction
Right Barrel
0.729"
0.734"
0.026" Minimum
0.000" (Cyl)
Left Barrel
0.729"
0.735"
0.025" Minimum
0.013" (IC)


Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are crafted from highly figured walnut. We suspect that the stock and forend wood is the original. The stock is cast off for a right-handed shot, features a yellow metal oval engraved 'WW' and is fitted with a 1" leather covered recoil pad.

Highly figured walnut

The 24 lines per inch chequering is cut to the normal sidelock pattern. The stock is apparently finished with a traditional linseed oil based preparation.

Approximate stock measurements at date of publication:

Pull to Heel
Pull to Bump
Pull to Centre
Pull to Toe
15"
15 1/8"
15 1/8"
15 1/2"
Drop at Comb
Drop at Face
Drop at Heel
1 1/8"
1 3/8"
2"
Cast at Comb
Cast at Heel
Negligible
1/4" (approximate)

For the purposes of these measurements, 'Drop at Face' is the 'drop' measurement taken on a line perpendicular to the
line joining the trigger and centre of the butt at approximately 8" from the trigger (front trigger on a double trigger gun).

Patents Exhibited include:
Joseph Needham's ejector & extractor patent no. 1204 of 1874,
Westley Richards's bolting patent no. 1572 of 1871,
Harvey's forend catch patent no 1793 of 1866.