Hi, another new member...

[TC]

Hello Gentlemen, I would like to congratulate you for having formed the first forum for serious gun lovers.
I am Tanmay Chatterjee from Kolkata, India. I am 39 and a Special Correspondent with a national English daily. My world revolves around my passion for civilian and military small arms, defence matters, my personal collection of handguns, knives and air rifles, my mini library, my collection of movies and gizmos. I have travelled widely, shot every weapon I could lay my hands on and learnt as much as my cells could bear.

I hope to stay with this group and watch it grow till I grow old...really really old..

Keep up the good work..

Thank you.

[Sujay]

Welcome Tanmay !

Do visit often and post here. Nice to have a journalist with interest in shooting amongst us.

[mundaire]

Welcome aboard Tanmay Look forward to reading more of your posts here...

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[TC]

Thank you Abhijeet,

Thank you Sujay,


The honour is entirely mine..

Will be in touch.

Tanmay

[kanwar76]

Hey Welcome Tanmay,

We need people like you..

Have fun here...

-Inder

[Grumpy]

Hi Tanmay. Hope you enjoy it here - great forum, great people.

[mehulkamdar]

Hello Tanmay,

Good to see another journalist join a pro gun ownership forum. There's some of us here - your's truly used to be one, Harsh (login name for some strange reason - Clownfish) and Ebenezer Stephen from Indian Express Chennai are also here.

Welcome and do post often,

Mehul

[Sakobav]

Welcome aboard

[TC]

Thank you Mehul.
Thank you Inder,
Thank you Grumpy,
Thank you ngrewal,

Mehul I beleive we have interected on some community in Orkut....about a topic on favourite rifle.

Good to know there are fellow journalists here. I am not into competition shooting although i have represented my club thrice at state and prenationals. My main interest is in armament technology and ballistics.. In typical americam term, I am a serious gun and knife enthusiast.

I am just loving my time here

Thank you all once again

Tanmay

[penpusher]

Tanmay,

Welcome to the forum.Since you are a journalist based in Kolkatta, perhaps you can do an article on the OFB and their products. Some questions that I would like the honcho's at the OFB to answer:-

1.You claim that your products are of an international standard.What international standards are being followed by the OFB,for eg. in the manufacture of the IOF .22 revolver.

2.Why has the OFB not been able to arm all the members of the armed forces with the INSAS?

3.Have all the problems encountered in the INSAS and as pointed out by the CAG in its annual audit been rectified.

4.What is the total wastage of copper in the manufacture of the 5.56mmm ammo.At one time it was 75%.Has this been reduced.

5.Whay are the IOF products sold in the civilian market so prohibitively priced.For eg. the IOF .32 pistol sells for 62,000/- with a spare magazine while you can buy a better pistol in the same calibre for about 12,000/- anywhere else in the world.

6.What steps have been taken by the OFB to ensure that its products,firearms and ammo. are sold in the market at the prescribed rate.What does the OFB do to prevent the dealers from charging whatever the wish from the licensees for ammo and 315 and .22 rifle and .22 revolver.

7.What is the reason for the OFB not being able to sell their products espacially firearms,in the international market,leaving aside a few neighbouring countries.Especially as the OFB has always claimed that its products are of an international standard and are at the same time much cheaper than similar products sold by other companies in the international market.An argument that it has used before Parliamentary committees on Defence.

8.Cinese companies like Norinco,sell their products in the US market,why has the OFB not done the same.Is it because OFB products are shody and in any case they fetch fancy prices in India which they would not get anywhere else in the world.

Somebody should ask the netas if buying the cheapest rifle for the Indian Jawan is their idea of National Defence.Why is it that IOF rifle (INSAS) was not pitted against rifles of other manufacturer's and then the best product selected for the armed forces.If Pakistan can manufacture H&K rifles under license,why can't India,with its flourishing economy?

penpusher

[cottage cheese]

Tanmay,

Welcome to the forum.Since you are a journalist based in Kolkatta, perhaps you can do an article on the OFB and their products. Some questions that I would like the honcho's at the OFB to answer:-

1.You claim that your products are of an international standard.What international standards are being followed by the OFB,for eg. in the manufacture of the IOF .22 revolver.

2.Why has the OFB not been able to arm all the members of the armed forces with the INSAS?

3.Have all the problems encountered in the INSAS and as pointed out by the CAG in its annual audit been rectified.

4.What is the total wastage of copper in the manufacture of the 5.56mmm ammo.At one time it was 75%.Has this been reduced.

5.Whay are the IOF products sold in the civilian market so prohibitively priced.For eg. the IOF .32 pistol sells for 62,000/- with a spare magazine while you can buy a better pistol in the same calibre for about 12,000/- anywhere else in the world.

6.What steps have been taken by the OFB to ensure that its products,firearms and ammo. are sold in the market at the prescribed rate.What does the OFB do to prevent the dealers from charging whatever the wish from the licensees for ammo and 315 and .22 rifle and .22 revolver.

7.What is the reason for the OFB not being able to sell their products espacially firearms,in the international market,leaving aside a few neighbouring countries.Especially as the OFB has always claimed that its products are of an international standard and are at the same time much cheaper than similar products sold by other companies in the international market.An argument that it has used before Parliamentary committees on Defence.

8.Cinese companies like Norinco,sell their products in the US market,why has the OFB not done the same.Is it because OFB products are shody and in any case they fetch fancy prices in India which they would not get anywhere else in the world.

Somebody should ask the netas if buying the cheapest rifle for the Indian Jawan is their idea of National Defence.Why is it that IOF rifle (INSAS) was not pitted against rifles of other manufacturer's and then the best product selected for the armed forces.If Pakistan can manufacture H&K rifles under license,why can't India,with its flourishing economy?

penpusher

I'd like to also add my objection to their indiscriminate use of the word "state of art technology" in advertisments for the pop guns the IOF make. My intelligence has never been so insulted

Also:

Why is the INSAS such a Sh***y weapon?

Why is the Sh*t still around?

Who decided 20 round magazines are good for the country's economy?

Who selects the atrocious brick-red furinture color?

Who decided to copy 60% of the FNC, 20%of the AKM, 20% assorted salad dressing and call it original?

Who designed the MINSAS abomination? Assuming its supposed to compete with the likes of the FN P90 and the H&K MP7PDW, who ever designed it was a dullard.

Now that the basic AK design has infected the mindset as with many things, will it apply to every military weapon for the next half a century?

Who thought the INSAS LMG would be an LMG?

Why is the .32 Pistol a state of art design that dates back to 1910?

Why do we have to pay for a Merc and get a Padmini?

Why the hell can't they design something better? I mean this is not rocket science. The Dara folks make better upto date stuff.

Why are the Webley&Scott revolvers being marketed as cutting edge and rammed down the consumers throats?

Explain why they are cutting edge? other than the fact that we happened to get second hand W&S machinery cheap?

Why is KF .22 ammo sold? (Considering its so bad)

Why is POF allowed a level ground in the US civilian market?

Why is there not a squeak on the IOF Pistol1A 9mm making its appearance in the inventory of some importers in US?

Why are they so crappy anyway?

Why are we forced to buy more AK's every year? That too from shady suppliers?

Taking into fact that the IOF is one of the largest defence sector units in the world with staggering manpower, what are all these people doing?

BTW Welcome Tanmay

[penpusher]

we happened to get second hand W&S machinery cheap?

pssst...pssst... actually a firm in Pakistan bought that

penpusher

[cottage cheese]

we happened to get second hand W&S machinery cheap?

pssst...pssst... actually a firm in Pakistan bought that

penpusher

hee hee... oops! misinformed! the dangers of half knowledge! I dont anyway see the Pakistani's wasting their time marketing the outmoded stuff...perhaps Im wrong again but I think my questions are still valid...are they?

heh!Thanks for the correction anyway!

[to_saptarshi]

WOW !!! .. penpusher and cottage almost bombered IOF with their questions LOL Anyway good to see Tanmay here. As he said apart from journalism he is a life member of south calcutta rifle club and he has a very nice collection of weapons currenlty he is a proud owner of Beretta, Colt, Hi Standard, and Winchester. Welcome Tanmay once again and waiting for some good postings from you.

[TC]

Cool down guys, I know you have a lot of reasons to blast IOF. So do I.
But the point is, I work for a general newspaper that cannot accomodate
write such an exhaustive and technical journal on IOF and its policies. Simply because the general reader will not understand any of it.
But I will try to share with you as much as I can get and write about some specific points.

In the past I have written reports on IOF, with bitter criticism and during my tenure in Delhi the ministry of defence production and supplies under Narsimha Rao and Deve Gowra, used to treat me with caution. Anyway thats pretty serious stuff and I dont want to discuss right now
INSAS - well I was present when the first batch of 1500 rifles were handed over to the army. Still have that article. Will scan and mail if I can.

And Saptarshi I never told this forum what weapons I have.... you exposed me, thanks to Orkut forums....

Thanks penpusher
Thanks Saptarshi,
Thanks Cottage Chese