Reb, despite the listed weights of some of these Bess replicas, none of them feel as heavy as you'd think. You could certainly fit new pipes and a wooden rod, but you'd only be shaving a few ounces. I take it, however, that you prefer the wooden rod, so that may be the way you'd want to go. As far as quality, I have a couple of Indian made guns now, as well as a slew of Indian made swords. India has been enjoying sort of a Renaissance in the last few years, with regard to technology and industry, and it shows. Ten years ago, just about anything coming out of India was horrible. In the last few years, though, they really seem to have gotten their act together. The biggest thing on Indian weapons is their level of finish, which is kept somewhat rough to keep costs as low as possible. There are still some issues in India with quality control, so it is possible to get one Indian made item that is just beautiful and another that's poorly done, but again, they seem to be improving on this with each passing week. I believe that Pete at MVTC sort of does his own quality control: not accepting any pieces that are substandard. I really wouldn't worry too much about this aspect, and for the price, you'll be surprised at how nice these guns can be. A bit rough in the fit and finish department, bet very functional and solid. I'm eying a couple of these myself right now, including the India Pattern Bess.:thumbsup:
P.S. When I talk about rough finish, some examples would include: minor casting flaws in the ramrod pipes, uneven staining on the wood, and when you remove the lock, you'll find that the cutout in the stock is just a roughly shaped likeness of the lock, rather than the neatly-cut stuff you'd see in a more expensive gun. None of it is any big deal, and many of these items can be addressed by you upon receipt of the piece. None of this stuff has to be fixed, as it doesn't hamper the functioning of the gun, but it can be fun to work on if you like to "tinker" with things, like I do. :: :thumbsup:
