Rifled .61 caliber military long arm was used by the British military during the Napoleonic Wars. It was adopted for use by the Mexican Army in limited numbers for cazadores.

Designed and made by Ezekiel Baker, this rifle incorporated all the best features in contemporary European designs rather than being innovative; soldier-proof in construction, and with a relatively easy to load seven-groove quarter-turn rifling, the rifle was accurate at a man-size target at ranges up to 250 yards, and could be fired twice per minute by a semi-skilled rifleman loading under 'battlefield' conditions. The rifle was originally calibered at the same as the infantry musket to standardise ammunition supplies - ³/4 of an inch - but later reduced to ⁵/8 of an inch to make the rifle lighter and more manageable, the standard ammunition used for the cavalry carbines. Later still, the rifle was supplied with ball ammunition cartridges specifically made for the rifle, which solved previous problems in loading a bullet that did not fit exactly.

The barrel of the rifle was browned to prevent glare giving away the rifleman's position. Each rifleman carried a small toolbag - a turnscrew, ballpuller, worm and tommy bar - to enable him to keep the rifle cleanand serviceable, with new flints and a supply of patches.

The Baker rifle was equipped with a long-bladed brass handled sword bayonet.These were very handy for camp chores, but because it added weight to the end of the gun barrel, it was seldom mounted and rarely seen in hand-to-hand combat.