Baker rifle The Baker rifle ( officially known as the " Infantry Rifle " ) was a flintlock rifle used by the Rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars . It was the first standard - issue , British - made rifle accepted by the British armed forces . The Baker Rifle was first produced in 1800 by Ezekiel Baker , a master gunsmith from Whitechapel . The British Army was still issuing the Infantry Rifle in the 1830s . History and design . The British army had learned the value of rifles from their experience in the American Revolution . 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 . 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 . 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 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 backsight 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 . After the Baker entered service , more modifications were made to the rifle and several different variations were produced . A lighter and shorter carbine version for the cavalry was introduced , and a number of volunteer associations procured their own models , including the Duke of Cumberland ' s Corps of Sharpshooters , which ordered models with a 33 - inch barrel , in August 1803 . A second pattern of Baker Rifle was fitted with a ' Newland ' lock that had a flat - faced ring neck cock . In 1806 , a third pattern was produced that included a ' pistol grip ' style trigger guard and a smaller patchbox with a plain rounded front . The lock plate was smaller , flat , and had a steeped - down tail , a raised semi - waterproof pan , a flat ring neck cock , and a sliding safety bolt . With the introduction of a new pattern Short Land Pattern Flintlock Musket ( ' Brown Bess ' ) in 1810 , with its flat lock and ring - necked cock , the Baker ' s lock followed suit for what became the fourth pattern . It also featured a ' slit stock ' — the stock had a slot cut in its underpart just over a quarter - inch wide . This was done after Ezekiel Baker had seen reports of the ramrod jamming in the stock after the build - up of residue in the ramrod channel , and when the wood warped after getting wet . The rifle is referred to almost exclusively as the " Baker Rifle , " but it was produced by a variety of manufacturers and sub - contractors from 1800 to 1837 . Most of the rifles produced between 1800 and 1815 were not made by Ezekiel Baker , but under the Tower of London system , and he sub - contracted the manufacture of parts of the rifle to over 20 British gunsmiths . It was reported that many rifles sent to the British Army inspectors were not complete , to the extent of even having no barrel , since the rifle was sent on to another contractor for finishing . Ezekiel Baker ' s production during the period 1805 – 1815 was 712 rifles , not even enough to be in the " top ten . " The Board of Ordnance , both of its own volition and at the behest of Infantry Staff Officers , ordered production modifications during the rifle ' s service life . Variations included a carbine with a safety catch and swivel - mounted ramrod , the 1801 pattern West India Rifle ( a simplified version lacking a patchbox ) , the 1809 pattern , which was . 75 ( musket ) calibre , and the 1800 / 15 , which was modified from existing stocks to use a socket bayonet . The most common field modification was the bent stock : riflemen in the field found that the stock was not bent sufficiently at the wrist to allow accurate firing , so stocks were bent by steaming . As this technique produces temporary results ( lasting approximately five years ) , no examples found today exhibit this bend . 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 British 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 Batt . / 95th ( Rifles ) , at 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 Bns 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 . The rifle was used in several countries during the first half of the 19th century ; indeed , Mexican forces at the Battle of the Alamo are known to have been carrying Baker rifles , as well as Brown Bess muskets . They were also supplied to the government of Nepal ; some of these rifles were released from the stores of the Royal Nepalese Army in 2004 , but many had deteriorated beyond recovery . Performance . Rate of fire . The Baker rifle could not usually be reloaded as fast as a musket , as the slightly undersized lead balls had to be wrapped in patches of greased leather or linen so that they would more closely fit the lands of the rifling . A rifleman was expected to be able to fire two aimed shots a minute , compared to the four shots a minute of the Brown Bess musket in the hands of a trained infantryman . However , the average time to reload a rifle is dependent on the level of training and experience of the user ; twenty seconds ( or three shots a minute ) is possible for a highly proficient rifleman . Using a hand - measured powder charge for accurate long range shots could increase the load time to as much as a minute . In the course of the Napoleonic Wars , riflemen used paper patches and even bare rifle balls when shooting in a hurry in battle , with faster loading at the cost of accuracy . Accuracy was of more importance than rate of fire when skirmishing . The rifleman ' s main battlefield role was to utilise cover and skirmish ( frequently against enemy skirmishers ) , whereas his musket - armed counterparts in the line infantry fired in volley or mass - fire . This could further reduce the firing rate of the rifle compared to musket during battle . Accuracy and range . The rifle as originally manufactured was expected to be capable of firing at a range of up to 200 yards ( 183 meters ) with a high hit rate . The musket was fairly accurate at medium distances , with a one in three chance of hitting a man - sized target at 100 yards ( 91 meters ) , but this accuracy diminished hugely at longer ranges . To increase the odds of a hit , massed ranks of 60 – 80 muskets were usually fired in a volley , which increased the chances of some musket balls hitting the intended targets . The Baker rifle was used by skirmishers facing their opponents in pairs , sniping at the enemy either from positions in front of the main lines , or from hidden positions in heights overlooking battlefields . The accuracy of the rifle in capable hands is most famously demonstrated at the Battle of Cacabelos by the action of Rifleman Thomas Plunkett ( or " Plunket " ) of the 1st Battalion , 95th Rifles , who shot French General Colbert at an unknown but long range ( as much as 600 yards ( 549 meters ) according to some sources ) during the retreat to La Coruña during the Peninsular War . He then shot one of the General ' s aides , suggesting that the success of the first shot was not due to luck . That rifleman Plunkett and others were able to regularly hit targets at ranges considered to be beyond the rifle ' s effective range speaks for both their marksmanship and the capabilities of the rifle .