However, existing rifle designs were considered too cumbersome, slow-firing, fragile or expensive to be put to use on any scale beyond irregular companies.

The rifle had a simple folding rear sight with the standard large lock mechanism (initially marked "Tower" and "G.R."

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.

It was needed because, without regular cleaning, gunpowder fouling built up in the rifling grooves, and the weapon became much slower to load and less accurate.

In 1806, a third pattern was produced that included a "pistol grip" style trigger guard and a smaller patch box with a plain rounded front.

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.

During the Napoleonic Wars the Baker was reported to be effective at long range due to its accuracy and dependability under battlefield conditions.

The rifle was also supplied to or privately purchased by numerous volunteer and militia units; these examples often differ from the regular issue pattern.

The average time to reload a rifle is dependent on the level of training and experience of the user, with twenty seconds (or three shots a minute) being possible for a highly proficient rifleman.

Troops issued with the Baker rifle were also occasionally required to "stand in the line" and serve as regular infantry if the situation called for it.

For this reason, ammunition was issued in two forms: one, loose balls, in standard carbine caliber with greased patches for accurate shooting, with loose powder inside a flask equipped with a spring-loaded charger to automatically measure out the correct amount of powder; and two, paper cartridges similar to regular musket ammunition.

The requirement for the Baker armed troops to be able to perform regular infantry tasks, such as form square against cavalry, or resist a bayonet attack, led to the rather cumbersome 23½-inch-long sword-bayonet which, when fitted, made the rifle-bayonet length some 65 inches, nearly the same as a bayonet-fitted musket.

There were talks early in the rifle's adoption of additionally equipping the riflemen with short pikes instead of bayonets, but this impractical idea was never put into actual use.

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.