MacNaughton,

India still has a few bargains but you have to be able to bargain like an Indian.

The Bombay gunshops are nice and they probably do more business than shops in Central India though there are some superb shops in Delhi.

Exporting any gun made after 1890 is not a problem at all. The dealer has to get a No Objection Certificate from customs and he then hands the rifle over to the airline who then submit it to the customs at the destination.

Several members on these forums have bought a number of treasures in India from private correspondence that I've had with them, one of them has 150 guns from India. My feeling is that the newer South African laws would see more guns coming from there as they have severe restrictions on gun ownership there these days and some Indians might just decide to hang on to their big bores because the Supreme Court threw out the caliber restrictions in November 2003.

Good hunting!