It isn't about having the services of some craftsmen from a particular region - it is about having an OPEN MARKET without government introduced market imperfections!
IF and a really BIG IF it is, the Indian government were to:-
a) Remove all restrictions on quantity and type of firearms & ammunition to be manufactured in the private sector for civilian use
b) Make firearm & ammunition manufacturer licenses simpler AND free of fear or favour
c) Opened up the market to imports of firearms & ammunition with a fair & reasonable duty structure
d) MOST IMPORTANTLY - make civilian arms licenses free & fair, removing all humiliating, degrading and corrupt practices from the system
You would see world class firearms & ammunition being manufactured here! I mean not just products manufactured by private companies you will see EVEN IOF products drastically improve in quality and reduce in price!
This is not mere speculation, just look back to IOF manufactured arms and ammunition Pre-1986 and you will understand what I mean. Just a few weeks ago, shot 50-55 IOF made .22 LR 1986 vintage and NOT A SINGLE misfire, not a single failure to cycle, etc. This, even though the ammo was so old and oxidised that I had to clean it with a cloth to get the grime off it. Have had similar experiences with 1980's vintage IOF 12 bore ammo, it shoots much better than the expensive rubbish they are stuffing down our throat these days!!!
Talking of expensive rubbish, the current IOF Special 12 bore ammo (the new UGLY brown paper shells) seems to be loaded to just 24 grams of shot!!! I've opened up and measured the weight using a (volume based) shot measure. I hope this was just a bad batch I got and the idiots haven't reduced the load across the board.
Cheers!
Abhijeet