Hey guys, let's play nice here!
A lot of things are being said on both sides that just get people's breeches and shirttails in a twist (trying to put it in 18th century terms).
Most people know that talking Indian-made guns in front of Mike Brooks is like waving a red flag in front of a bull while jabbing him in the @$$ with a stick. There are others who agree with him and believe that Indian guns are little better than pipe bombs or !n!i^e$.
On the other side, there are people here who are happy with their Indian-made guns and either view them as "good," "good enough," or "decent in the white kits" to work on.
Both views have some validity, depending on what you are looking at. I've seen some Indian guns that I wouldn't want to shoot, but I've seen others that are decent, particularly for military or contract arms for reenactors, who want something that can get banged up in the field without making them cry.
I own one Indian-made steel pistol. It is definitely not high art, but it is functional and I've fired it safely numerous times. I also own two modern custom rifles, a semi-custom smoothbore, and some antique British pistols by makers such as Nock, Twigg, or Lancaster, and they are works of art. My latest piece is a Japanese Bess that is decent, but will take some work to look "just right."
Of course, most of the custom guns out there, if done by a good builder, are the top of the line. Some are historically accurate down to the last detail, and some are beautiful works of art that fall into the "fantasy" or "contemporary art" categories. They also tend to be "top of the line" in price and require long wait times, often years.
Semi-custom makers produce guns that range from equal in quality to some custom pieces down to so-so, depending on maker, customer's wishes, and price. I've seen beautiful ones from Matt and Slash at TVM and some other makers, but I've also heard horror stories about other semi-custom outfits. The prices of semi-custom guns are generally lower than "bespoke" pieces, and the wait time is generally shorter, although again, there have been horror stories.
Most production guns are made abroad, in Italy, Spain, or India. The quality of all of these varies widely, but few would argue that they have the grace or the historical accuracy of custom pieces. They may, however, be acceptable (or even ideal) for hunters, plinkers, reenactors, and some target shooters who like BP but do not care about historically correct details. Their biggest advantage is the lack of wait time. Sometimes, particularly with Indian pieces, the prices are cheaper, but then you give up something in terms of attention to historical accuracy and in some cases, quality.
As for the "buy American" argument, it is nice to support American craftsmen, but if one wants historical accuracy, then for the period until about 1815, an import is just as accurate as an American-made piece. All Brown Besses, most trade guns, and many or most of the other pieces found in the early US were either completely fabricated abroad or featured locks and furniture made in Europe. Some guns then were works of art; others were cheap, low-quality pieces churned out for quick sale. Many featured hammer-welded, seamed barrels that all of us would shy away from, and there are numerous stories of guns either failing to function or blowing up on firng (a bit of historical authenticity that I, for one, will gladly forego). Buying American pieces is generally best for the US economy, but importers and vendors are also American, and buying from them helps them make a living, just as we hope to export products abroad. Should we all stop buying Swiss or KIK powder, English flints, or petroleum products (that are generally imports)? As in all things, some moderation is probably the best course, applying Aristotle's principle of the "golden mean" from his Ethics (come to think of it, in its origins, representative democracy is also an import)
We are all interested in shooting archaic firearms, and to many, we are nuts in the first place for liking BP or guns at all. If those who like custom guns would stop attacking anyone who buys a production gun and those who own production guns would stop claiming that their pieces are just as nice as any custom maker's and attack anyone who points out deficiencies in production pieces, we could avoid a lot of rancor and keep information flowing.
Sorry to be so long, but it's annoying to see threads like this degenerate into ongoing fights that rehash old animosities. To answer the original question, MVTC sells guns imported from India. They have a good reputation personally for service, and the pieces they sell have a reputation as equal to or slightly better than Indian-made pieces from other importers.
atriot:
