In February 1970 I was living in Germany and accepted an invitation to join a group of German hunters going to Bulgaria for wild boar shooting.

In preparation for the trip I ordered a ZKK 602 BRNO rifle in .375 H&H Magnum caliber from Waffen Frankonia, and had the barrel shortened to 22" and the front sight relocated. I also fitted it with a 2 1/2 power Lyman All American scope. The only thing which really concerned me about the rifle was the safety, which worked backwards. Forward was safe, rearwards was ready to fire. Finally, I tried thinking of it as a Winchester lever action, with the safety lever like the exposed hammer.

When I finally got on stand with the rifle, waiting for the anticipated "Hauptschwein" to appear, I decided that I should go ahead and release the safety so there would be no fumbling at the critical moment. You know in advance what happened. Two yearlings ("Ueberlaeufer") showed up in front of me. I threw the gun up to my shoulder and PUT THE SAFETY BACK ON.

It pays to hunt with a gun you are thoroughly familiar with and know how to handle instinctively. In this instance, I missed an easy shot at a game animal. If my life had been on the line, it would have been all over.

I still have the rifle, but it is now equipped with a three position safety like that on a Model 70 Winchester.