Always good to err on the side of caution, but I have heard that the Middlesex guns go through some extra scrutiny and you can have them proof the barrel at a cost. I think they (as opposed to some others) do their best to ensure you don't get a crappy lock (they harden them, but you don't have that problem with a matchlock anyway) and provide some assurance that you won't be getting a pipe bomb. I don't have an India made muzzleloader either, so I'm not speaking from experience, but I have read a lot about them. I wouldn't hesitate to load and fire a MVTP gun.