[Woodsheal]

I'll say it again: these are NOT "non-firing replicas!" They are functional pistols made to be fired with black powder loads. I've owned one, and have seen dozens in use. Certain Canadian dealers sell them with the vents not drilled to get around some sort of law. US dealers sell them drilled and ready to shoot. The steel used is excellent. The lock springs are strong and the barrels are thick-walled. The folks making them have been weapon-makers for centuries. There is no documented incident of one of these Indian-made repros failing do to a manufacturing problem, only from user stupidity (like over-loading).
Their shaky reputation derives from US builders of replicas who dislike being undercut by cheaper foreign imports!

[Woodsheal]

These are the folks I bought my pistol from. They test all their firearms before selling them, and fully stand behind their products:

http://www.loyalistarms.freeservers....tishpistol.htm

[Mike M.]

Dixie Gun Works has an all-metal Scottish pistol at http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product...roducts_id=943

That being said, as a serious black powder competitor, I'd not regard any India-made piece as good for anything but decoration and plinking.

[Woodsheal]

Originally Posted by Mike M.

Dixie Gun Works has an all-metal Scottish pistol at http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product...roducts_id=943

That being said, as a serious black powder competitor, I'd not regard any India-made piece as good for anything but decoration and plinking.

On what do you base your last statement? I've been shooting muzzleloaders since 1974 and have owned everything from super-expensive US-made custom pieces to Italian-made repros to Indian-made ones. Would I use one of the latter for target shooting? No, they're all smoothbores. But for reenactment purposes and for slinging the occasional roundball or load of birdshot, they're just fine.
My brother has one of the earlier India-made 'Brown Bess' repros, and it is one of the most reliable muskets I've ever seen. Yeah, its teak stock is too thick and heavy, but with its hand-forged lock and strong springs it never misfires. I've seen him continue to fire it off in a driving rain long after the more expensive Italian and American made versions had given up for the day.
The wide-spread 'India-made equals junk' sentiment is knee-jerk dogma amongst shooters who by-and-large have never owned one....

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I have to agree with Woodsheal-- broadly speaking there is no difference in quality between a replica firearm made in Italy or India. That said, you get what you pay for-- a cheap gun is a cheap gun whether made in Brescia or Bombay. The problem arises when schlock merchants buy the cheapest guns and try, usually successfully, to sell them to an unsuspecting public for far more than they are worth.

As with anything one buys, Caveat Emptor applies, and one is well advised to purchase based on word-of-mouth advertising, rather than the assumption that a low price is in some way indicative of a bargain.

[BEEDEE]

Well we asked for responses to the question only:

Originally Posted by Buck Buchanan

Is anyone familiar with NV Sikligar Inc. in India, Highland/Scottish pistols? I know most of the Murdoch style pistols you see come from India, but are some manufacturers better than others, or do they all come from the same place? NV Sikligar seems to have a nice selection of more than just the bright steel pistols I see at the Highland events i.e. engraving, gold inlay.

Can the vent hole be drilled out on the NV Sikligar Scottish pistols?

http://www.nvsikligar.com/onlineshopping.aspx?cat=1

Thanks,
Buck

The discussion has veered away from the original question into discussions on firearms, so this thread is closed and moved to the Penalty Box.