Baker Paragon Grade
- Category
- Shotgun
- Barrel
- 762 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.63 kg
- Introduced
- 1892
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Baker Paragon Grade is a hammerless sidelock side-by-side double-barrel shotgun produced by the Baker Gun & Forging Company of Batavia and Syracuse, New York. Added to the line in the early 1890s, the Paragon was the firm's highest grade, built to individual customer order on a case-hardened sidelock action with double triggers, automatic ejectors, an automatic safety, and a matted rib with a bead front sight. Guns were fitted with the finest Krupp fluid-steel or Damascus barrels, best-quality figured walnut, hand-cut checkering, and fine scroll and game-scene engraving, placing Baker's top grade alongside American greats like Parker, L.C. Smith, and A.H. Fox.
The Paragon was Baker's flagship, the gun the company built when a customer wanted the very best it could make. Because each was assembled to order with the buyer's choice of barrels, chokes, engraving, and wood, surviving Paragons are among the most individual American doubles of the era, prized by collectors who rank fine Bakers with Parker, L.C. Smith, and Fox.
The Paragon was special-order only, so almost no two examples are identical; barrel length (commonly 28 to 30 inches), chokes, engraving, and wood were specified by the buyer. Krupp fluid-steel barrels with 2 3/4-inch chambers were typical on later guns; earlier examples used fine Damascus. Dimensions and weight (about 8 lb with 30-inch barrels) are representative of a 12-gauge Paragon and varied by order. Paragon serial numbers ran from roughly 1 to 1200.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Baker Gun & Forging Company
- Category
- Shotgun
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1892 to 1919
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 762 mm
- Overall length
- 1194 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.63 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Break action
- Firing mechanism
- Internal hammer
- Trigger
- Double trigger
- Capacity
- 2
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Case hardened
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Effective range
- 40 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Side by side barrels
Sidelock action
Hammerless action
Double triggers
Automatic ejectors
Krupp fluid steel barrels
Bead front sight
Matted rib
Fine scroll and game scene engraving
Figured walnut stock
Hand cut checkering
Top lever break open
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 622 12 Gauge shotguns | 3.63 kg | 3.29 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 570 12 Gauge shotguns | 1194 mm | 1150 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 650 12 Gauge shotguns | 762 mm | 711 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 647 12 Gauge shotguns | 2 | 3 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Baker Paragon Grade
How much does the Baker Paragon Grade weigh?
The Baker Paragon Grade weighs 3.63 kg (8.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Baker Paragon Grade?
The Baker Paragon Grade is chambered in 12 Gauge.
How many rounds does the Baker Paragon Grade hold?
The Baker Paragon Grade holds 2 rounds.
How long is the Baker Paragon Grade?
The Baker Paragon Grade is 1194 mm (47.0 in) long overall, with a 762 mm (30.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Baker Paragon Grade?
The Baker Paragon Grade is made by Baker Gun & Forging Company (United States). It was designed by William H. Baker.
When was the Baker Paragon Grade introduced?
The Baker Paragon Grade was introduced in 1892 and discontinued in 1919.
How does the Baker Paragon Grade operate?
The Baker Paragon Grade uses a break action, and its firing mechanism is internal hammer.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
62%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/baker-paragon-grade' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "baker-paragon-grade", "name": "Baker Paragon Grade", "manufacturer": { "id": "baker-gun-forging", "name": "Baker Gun & Forging Company", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1887, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "70476c038193c5329ade98eb04032209e42e6ab9e48eb58e1994095f95313ea1" }, "category": { "id": "shotgun", "name": "Shotgun", "description": "Smoothbore firearms designed to fire shot or slugs" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1892, "barrel_length_mm": 762, "weight_empty_g": 3629, "action_type": "break_action"}