Hello Steve, PHs like Duckworth, Dedekind, Luc Samaras and many more would disagree with you. There is no difference speedwise whether you push forward a cocking lever or a safety catch! Obviously I also use a Classic Big Five. My Sauer Drilling has a similar cocking lever and this gun is with me since more than 30 years. A cocking lever is not a "silly" thing, quite the opposite: highly sophisticated.