The "299 Days" Book Trailer

It's just a few more weeks until Glen Tate's anticipated novel series "299 Days" debuts with Book One and Book Two. I know a lot of folks are excited to see this series get published, and I am one of them. I had the chance to read it before few others, and I cannot wait to see it in printed version. So to tease you a little more, here is the sneak peak trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y_5xQai7s8 I have to admit, I'm a little bit partial to this. I created it, and then with some creative tweaking from the Prepper Press crew, this is the final product. Remember, Books One and Two both debut this September. www.299days.com

Tapco's Gen 2 Ruger Mini 14 Magazines

Regardless of all the guns I have had a chance to shoot and own over the years, there has been something that always intrigued me about the Ruger Mini 14. Based on the same action as the M1 Garand and the M1A but chambered in .223/5.56 NATO, the Mini 14 and it's variants has been a solid choice of American gun owners for varmint control, pest dispatching, recreational shooting, and home defense since 1973. It's a reliable design, simple to operate and while not super accurate, it is adequate for what it was intended to be. The one thing that has been a real problem for Mini 14 owners for a long time is a lack of decent quality aftermarket magazines for this weapon system. Sure, there have been some hits and misses over the years but for the most part, the best way to keeping your Mini functioning and feeding properly was to use the Ruger factory magazines. And unfortunately Ruger factory magazines are quite expensive, unless you find a good source out there on the internet ( a great place to find them is on your favorite gun forum's swap meet sections). So in looking for a viable alternative to the factory magazine, I came across the Tapco Gen2 synthetic magazines. Honestly, Tapco products have been hit or miss with me over the years, some I have liked,others....not so much. I had read about some serious issues that owners had with the Gen 1 magazines, such as the feed lips flaying open when left loaded,cracks in the body of the mag itself, and the hole in the front of the mag with it locks into the mag well tended to wallow out. Not really a comforting thought when looking for a strong contender for top aftermarket magazine. But I kept an open mind when I decided to try out the Gen2 Mini 14 magazines. So I had Sal at Carolina Guns and Gold order one and let me run it for awhile, and see what happens.
( gotta give a shot out to my peeps, ALWAYS A GOOD SOURCE for firearms and accessories in the Central NC area, check out at www.carolinagun.com and on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/carolinaguns.gold).
 My initial thoughts when it arrived: It's light, much lighter than the standard factory steel magazine. So when loaded, and in the weapon, this polymer mag is going to save you on weight to a degree. The seams on the magazine seem good, feels solid. The magazine follow is anti-tilt, the spring seems strong, and the new metal reinforcement on the front of the magazine should help extend the life of the magazine's locking lug.
 After looking it over, I took it out to the range to test it out. I started with a full 90 rounds( obviously, not all at once...30 rounds in 3 sessions of loading and shooting) of PMC brass .223 Rem, as fast as I could go....no hangups. It fed smooth and no issues whatsoever. I'm feeling pretty good about this. I filled the mag with another 90 rounds ( once again, obviously not at once, 3 loads of 30....) of Winchester 5.56 NATO (brass case as well). Once again no issues. I am now feeling even better. I figured I would mix it up a bit, and I loaded it with lacquer coated Wolf Military Classic .223 Rem steel cased ammunition, and let her rip. I had a slight hangup right at about the 13th round, but I think it may have been an issue with how I had loaded the mag. The rest of that set of 30 fed properly. And finally I ran 90 rounds of MFS brand .223 Rem which is a zinc plated steel cased ammo, and no issues occurred. This was by no means a scientific or professional test, but I am neither scientific nor professional. But from what I saw that day, I am definitely willing to give the Tapco Gen 2 mags a second look. I will be ordering a couple more from Sal and the guys at CG&G in the near future, and I hope to be able to give them a far more extensive test. Price point on these mags are somewhere between $15 and $20, depending on your source. Also for you poor souls living in a Communist-occupied state such as California or New Jersey, these are a no-no for you since they are 30 rounders.


 ADDITIONAL INFO: Cheaper Than Dirt's Article on The Gen 2 Mags as well as Milsurpstuff.com

"299 Days": A Realistic & Plausible View Into A Future Collapse

REVIEW BY Patriot: Ex Machina

Well, as a fan of all things relating to self-sufficiency, survival, patriot related topics, firearms and the preservation of our right to bear them, I am always looking for new reading material relating to these subjects, whether they be fiction or non-fiction. Recently, a good friend of mine and member of the PG&G team (all two of us) Glen Tate, penned a series of novels chronicling a possible future collapse of our system,the fall out from such an event, and the effects of it on the lives of the people of the once-United States. I was honored to be one of the first to actually read the novels, in it's draft form, and even with the rough edges it has drawn me in with it's compelling and gritty story, it's believable characters, and it's overall message of self sufficiency. I think the summery of the story from the official website describes it best:
"The 299 Days series, published by Prepper Press and written by Glen Tate, is a ten-book novel about the collapse of the United States. In it, the main character, Grant Matson, has a job that allows him to see what’s wrong with government. He realizes he needs to prepare for what’s coming and he does so. His wife, Lisa, is reluctant to prepare because she thinks things are just fine. When the civil unrest and political collapse hit in a dramatic way, it is undeniable that they need to leave their Olympia, Washington home and head to their cabin. But, Lisa is still reluctant; she desperately wants things to remain “normal.” Out at the cabin, a collection of amazing–yet real–people assemble. They create their own community because the government isn’t functioning in their area. They have to work together and, as a community, they manage to achieve some impressive results. Unlike most prepper stories, in 299 Days America suffers a partial collapse. The utilities stay one (due to a spell-binding plot twist) and the government functions in larger cities. People in rural areas still get some food and services from the government, but must increasingly rely on themselves. There are no zombies or cannibalism; 299 Days describes a much more likely partial collapse scenario. Grant’s friends, who work in government, describe how things continue to go down hill in the city and how the government is trying to maintain control. They describe exactly why the government, as big and powerful as it once was, cannot control things. Many in the military and law enforcement step in to stop the bad things; others in the military and law enforcement perpetuate the bad things. After a while out at the cabin, some important visitors arrive and present Grant with a difficult choice. Eventually, the Patriots–the side Grant is on–are forced to take on what’s left of the former government. There is a huge battle. In the end, Grant has an important job at the beginning of the rebuilding."
"299 Days" isn't your typical " civil unrest/collapse of society" fiction, no nuclear explosions, no EMPs, no zombies, not even a teensy little asteroid to be found in the entire series. No, Glen gives us a far more realistic and terrifying threat: Ourselves. There is nothing more deadly to the human race, than humanity. It's a sober real look at what happens when a government and a society has stretched itself too thin and allowed it's arrogance and decadence to overshadow it's principles and it's morals. As the Collapse takes place in the story, Man practices his fine art of self destruction, as his hand made god, the State, struggles to keep a firm grip on the people; by coercion,by brute force, by any means that it has. The characters are believable, as they should be. The protagonists are the kind of people you want to be friends and allies with, while the villains, and I do mean villains , will make you want to bash a skull in with rage. That's what I want a novel to do, make me believe in characters to the point that I am lost in the story. And 299 Days does just that. I will not give any spoilers away, and I don't want to delve into the story too much, until the book is widely available. Read "299 Days". In my humble opinion, it's about as real as a SHTF novel gets. ( I am in no way biased due to the fact that Glen is an awesome human being, a good friend, or that he may or may not have included me in his fine cast of characters. wink wink) P.S. If you register at the official website, you will receive bonus chapters that Glen has written to enhance certain aspects of the story.
The Official Website: http://299days.com/
Also check it out on facbook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/299-Days-the-book/230715697015924