Wildland Oktober 2019

Lovex History
The Czechs have a long history of
outstanding engineering. We can think
back to the Bren machine gun so many
armies, including the South African
Defence force used with such great
success. Then there are the fantastic
Brno ZG-47 and VZ-24 Mauser based
bolt action hunting rifles. The ZG-47
is, to my mind the greatest Mauser bolt
action ever commercially produced in
rifle format. After their demise into the
communist political fold the Czechs
came up with the equally great Brno
ZKK bolt action rifle as it was known
to us. The Brno ZKK cemented the
CZ brand and Czech firearm design
excellence in Africa. On the military
side the Scorpion machine pistol carved
a respectable niche for itself.
In 1975 the Czechs came up with the
iconic CZ-75 pistol, one of the greatest
and most enduring pistol designs in
handgun history. The Czechs eventually
discarded the Soviet yoke, split into
the Czech Republic and Slovakia
but continued excelling in the world
of firearm design and competitive
shooting. They also offer us the Meopta
brand of optics, the glass of which are
used in world-leading riflescope brands
by unsuspecting brand-conscious
competitive shooters. Few years ago the
Bren assault rifle came on the market
and I still am very impressed with it. The
list of Czech excellence is much longer
than I have covered here, but the point
I am making is that Czech competitive
shooters would not perform so well in
international competitions were they not
using great Czech propellants and Czech
ammunition. Sellier&Bellot ammunition
is also made in the Czech Republic.
46 WILDLAND Oktober 2019