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

The HS2000 9mm Pistol: The First Incarnation Of The XD

Way back in the early 2000's, there was a slick little 9mm pistol being imported into the US from Croatia, dubbed the HS2000, it was a well built, dependable handgun that was quite affordable at the time. Springfield Armory saw it for what it was and bought the rights to import it, and thus the Springfield XD series of handguns was born. Military Arms Channel takes a look at this interesting piece of XD history in yet another excellent video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okqD0LiXgJA&list=UUZ-qxagOkAmCEP-Tu6YliUQ&index=0&feature=plcp

Gun Owners Must Hold The Line For Freedom

I, like everyone else, was deeply troubled by the shooting in Aurora Colorado last week by a crazed gunman in a theater full of movie goers. This was indeed a horrible incident that could have possibly been prevented. But unlike so many others in the media and in Washington, I don't think more gun control is the answer. I KNOW more gun control is NOT the answer. The fact of the matter is that this individual, Holmes, was a deeply troubled young man. (the circumstances of why I will not delve into here) For whatever reason, either by choice or by coercion he chose to shoot those poor folks. If there had been a armed, well trained civilian carrying in that theater that night, there is the chance that they might have been able to end this madman's reign of terror before so many lives were lost. Do I know that for certain? No. But I do know that since no one was in fact armed, then they definitely could not have stopped him. You see, that theater was a "Gun Free Zone", an area that is designated against anyone carrying a concealed weapon or otherwise from entering the premises. And we see how wonderful and efficiently those signs worked, don't we? The law abiding citizens left their weapons at home or in their vehicles, and the lunatic did what anyone hell-bent on slaughtering people would do, he ignored their pathetic rules and did it anyway. This, leaving the law abiding citizens in a severe disadvantage. We can speculate until Doomsday about the "woulda shoulda coulda"s of the situation, but the bottom line is that if these Draconian gun laws had not been in effect, the body count would have been significantly lower, if at all. The only dead man that night might have been Holmes himself. Almost immediately after the shootings, the mainstream media, at the humble service of the Elite and the Globalists, began pointing fingers at who was to blame for allowing this to occur. They blamed the Tea Party, they blamed the NRA, George Bush again (let me say I am NO GW Bush fan, but lets only lay blame where blame is due), and of course the gun owning public of America. Politicians like Chuck Shumer, Diane Feinstein, Michael Bloomberg, you know the usual anti-gun crew, began ringing the warning bell, that "Dear God! WE must take the war on guns to front lines again! Won't someone think of the children?!?!?!" The same nonsense was repeated, albeit more cryptically, by President Obama during his statement on the tragedy. He stated that it was time for America to look into common sense gun laws,that all could agree on. The point is that the American public will never agree on the destruction of the 2nd Amendment, nor should they. Obama and his cronies have been working on gun control measures his entire first term, but it has been done in the shadows and in back room deals with the Elite. The easiest way to feed the people Tyranny is to do it in the most innocent and subtle way. Obama stated that new gun control measures was not on his current "to-do" list, most likely to lull the public back to sleep on the issue. If Fearless Leader Obama is given the green light by whoever actually picks Presidents for a 2nd term, then he pretty much has an open floor to do what he wants as far as gun control. Lame Ducks have nothing to lose. And of course then today an article was released saying that an amendment to the Cyber Security bill had been added that would restrict high capacity magazines in semi-autos. If this passes there are going to be plenty of us who will now be law breakers. Besides talk of the so-called "assault weapons" ban returning, we are now facing threats to our sovereign rights from international organizations in the form of the UN Small Arms Treaty, which would in essence make the 2nd Amendment useless, and would give the UN control over your firearms. The most surprising of all (at least to some, no necessarily to me)how many on the so-called Right are now calling for gun control. Mitt Romney has always been an anti-gun politician going back to his days as Governor of Massachusetts. After the oppressive Federal gun ban "sun-setted" in 2004 Romney signed their own version of the Ban, with even tougher restrictions than the Federal incarnation. All the Romney fans who drape themselves in the Gadsden Flag and beat the war drum of freedom had better chew long and hard on that one. Your little Golden Boy of Liberty ain't so liberty-minded after all. (not to mention the fact that he practically wrote the framework for ObamaCare....but that's for another day) Bill O-Reilly and Bill Kristol, so called Conservative pundits have come out in favor of more gun control, much to the confusion and bewilderment of so many of their true conservative fans who have yet to see them for what they really are. NO ONE, I repeat, NO ONE in Washington DC or any center of power in the United States wants to preserve your rights, this is a defense that must come from within you. Unfortunately far too many people believe that by trusting their Congressman or Senator to do the right thing, without holding them accountable, that they will just honorably defend the 2nd Amendment and the Constitution. Little do they know that these people not only don't care, but they are actively working to dismantle it. And the Gun Grabbers love it. By using incidents like Aurora, and the Gabrielle Gifford shooting, They want to stir fear in the hearts of the undecideds( those on the fence of gun rights), to create support for their anti-gun and anti-freedom schemes. We gun owners have got to hold the line against these encroachments on our right to self defense. It's up to us to make sure every gun owner, and every individual who supports not only gun rights, but individual liberty, understands the threats that we are facing from the Left, not just Obama, not just Congress or a leftist controlled Supreme Court, but from the Globalists at the UN as well. Freedom can't defend itself, that is our job. Gun Control has never been about making America safer. Because we can see that when it has been enacted, it not only has not worked, it has cost good people their lives. Safety comes from a well trained well armed population. Not from bureaucratic red tape and a sea of laws and restrictions. Remember, the 2nd Amendment has NEVER been about hunting or clay shooting, it have been about the individual American being able to defend himself and his loved ones, from all manner of danger, be it from a crazed shooter in a theater, to an out of control tyrannical government that is hell bent on subjugating it's people.

Military Arms Channel:UW Gear AK Magazine Pouch Bandoleer

In recent years, the AK style of rifle has really grown in popularity among US gun owners, particularly among the tactical crowd and the preparedness minded individual. The simple design, along with the affordable price tag of many decent AK rifles has been a blessing for many folks who want a reliable, no frills rifle for a long term defense situation. Companies have been releasing various accessories and support equipment for the AK and it's variants, some of these accessories have been better than others. One of the areas that I have always thought was a bit lacking in options for the tactical minded, prepared civilian is good quality magazine gear. There are plenty of chest rigs, vests, armor, and whatnot geared toward Military, and law enforcement. But someone needed to come up with some no frills, reasonable equipment for the average guy. UW Gear has done so. Military Arms Channel takes a look at UW Gear's AK Mag Pouch Bandoleer and the innovations that are just too simple to fail. FOR MORE INFO, VISIT UW GEAR'S WEBSITE: http://www.uwgearinc.com/

Windham Weaponry: The "New" Old Kid On The Block

If someone asked you if you had seen a Windham Weaponry AR-15, up until recently you would have probably said no. I myself was a bit puzzled the first time I saw a Windham Weaponry AR on the gun shop rack. In the last few years it seems everyone and their brother has jumped onto the AR-15 bandwagon, some with more success than others. So when I saw yet another AR, I thought to myself "more rookies." I, obviously, did not know what the Hell I was talking about. After doing some research I discovered that Windham Weaponry is not just some fly-by-night, shadetree machine shop that thinks they can crank out an AR like a cookie cutter. They have a bloodline that goes back to the once top name in the AR-15 industry. Bushmaster Firearms, under the leadership of company founder Dick Dyke, was once the top bar that every other AR manufacturer aspired to. As a kid growing up around firearms, I can remember a time when Bushmaster was synonymous with "AR". As far as my stepdad was concerned, there was no other game in town. These outstanding weapons being crafted in the shop in Windham, Maine were the biggest kids on the block. Even through the infamous Clinton Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, Bushmaster still managed to crank out quality AR-15s that were highly sought after, albeit with the required "Neutered" features. After the sunset of the Ban, more traditional designs returned to the market, and business boomed for Mr. Dyke's company and in 2005, Cerberus Capitol (under the moniker The Freedom Group) bought the company from him, and rolled it into a large stable of firearm manufacturing and firearm related companies. Last year, Freedom Group closed the doors on the Windham, Maine factory, and moved operations under the roof of the Ilion, NY plant where they also crank out the Remington series of rifles. The loyal team of employees that had been dedicated to Bushmaster for over a quarter of a century were in essence told to piss off, they weren't needed anymore. Such is the case these days in American Manufacturing. To be an EMPLOYED manufacturing worker puts you in a unique category, the likes of the unicorn, the Sasquatch, etc. But that is where the Bushmaster story ends, and a new story begins. When dear old Mr. Dyke heard about the screw job that had been set upon his former employees, even at almost 80 years old, he decided to do something about it. Mr. Dyke bought his old factory back, bought his old machines from the auction, tooled back up, and hired his crew back. And so Windham Weaponry was born. Windham Weaponry isn't just a company that supplies rifles to the American public, they are a example of what is right in American industry. Mr. Dyke is the kind of boss I would want to work for, a man who apparently thinks more of his employees and the moral legacy he leaves behind, than about making a buck. I believe in the Free Market system, but with Capitalism comes the need for a moral compass. And I'd say Windham Weaponry is pointed in the right direction.

The Windham factory crew. Good Americans working for a good company.

A good friend of mine purchased a Windham R16M4A4T (basically a standard model M4- style carbine) and brought it over for some testing. First impressions of the rifle were that Windham isn't trying to be a redo of Bushmaster, they are working hard to be superior in every way. The finish of both the upper and lower were excellent, fit and form were fantastic,weighed in at around 7lbs approximately, and while this is important, the main thing is: HOW DOES IT SHOOT? Well, after the first range session with it I would say. very well. We began sending Winchester .223 55grain FMJ downrange through the R16's 1:9" twist Chrome Moly barrel, and at 100 yards without adjusting the iron sights at all, we got 1 inch to 1 1/4 inch groups. Remember, this was done without adjusting the sights at all. This was right from the box. 4 sets of 5 shot groups, all in the 1 inch to 1.25 inch area. We had some Wolf steel cased ammo, (I know, don't even start with me, I know. Steel=bad. It was there, so why not try it) and with the 2 groups of 5 shots of the Wolf, we got 1 3/4 inch to 2 1/4 inch groups. After the brief testing, we decided to break out into some good old fashioned blasting and after about 6 magazine dumps of PMC 55gr. FMJ, no failures, no malfunctions. I told my buddy I think she's a keeper. Windham Weaponry is producing a quality rifle for the civilian market, and not only that, they are doing something most companies could care less about these days: putting Americans back to work. That's reason enough to give them your business. Bravo to you, Mr. Dyke. You sir, are a rare breed indeed. A businessman who still has a passion for not only his business, but for his people. And that's worth more than all the money in the world. For more info, check out Windham's homepage: http://www.windhamweaponry.com/default.asp