Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Promoting Cruel New World

This is just a note to everyone out there who is following the book.  I don't promote it.  There is a long story behind it and I'm just ready to get the whole experience behind me.  Since I don't receive any royalties for the book and the one you are buying currently is missing an entire chapter, I don't do a thing to promote it.  If you do puchase it, I guess it would serve as a little background for the other two books that have already been written but are not published yet. 

It would be easy to give up on writting books at this point.  I guess I was just naive and got burned for it.  However, I know what to look for this time and what to avoid.  Hopefully, these hard lessons learned can serve someone else in the future and keep them from making the same mistakes. 

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Saiga .223/5.56

I had a chance to run one of these for the weekend and I honestly think it is a very good rifle.  Is it a possible replacement for my 74?  Negative.  I'll start off on why it isn't.

The Saiga .223 lacked a muzzle brake.  I like the brake/compensator on my 74 for a lot of reasons.  It helps keep the muzzle free of obstructions, keeps the climb down and I feel like it reduces flash. 

The Saiga .223 isn't something you can find a lot of affordable mags for like the AK-74.  Most are around $30 and all are plastic.  There is an adapter you can get for $80 which allows it to run AR mags.  Thats great if it works and is reliable.  My only slowness to that approach is that I don't care for the mag release system on AR's.  I'm faster at changing mags on the AK platform.  Maybe I'll change but I doubt it. 

The Saiga .223 isn't something you can grab a parts kit for and keep running for decades that way.  But in fairness, you can buy a second Saiga .223 for around $300 and just pack it away. 

That is about all I could find wrong with the rifle.  What was good about it?  Lots.

This Saiga  was covered in rails.  I'm not one for overloading my rifle with accessories.  Normally, a light is good enough.  Weight and clearance is always a concern for me.  I still like having the options. 

Like my Saiga .308, it is built like a tank when you need a tank built tough. 

It was more than acceptably accurate.  It grouped tight and consistent.

It was light.  Me and my friends carry our rifles all day often.  This matters. 

Control was good.  Not Tantal 74 good but good.

You can get .223 or 5.56 ammo almost anywhere.  That was one of the biggest positive points to it.

It has a scope rail already.  Don't lecture me about how it isn't right to put a scope on an AK.  You still might want to mount some sort of quick-target acquisition optics or night vision.  If you wanted to here, you could.  It is an accurate rifle for it's type and price.  I think the iron sights are a little beneath it.

Mag changes were smooth.  I dug that.

Recoil was almost unnoticeable. 

This rifle is very, very easy to clean. 

I'll upload some pics later.  Once again, not bad.  If for no other reason, you ought to have a dependable 5.56 rifle stashed away somewhere if you run any non-domestic military round (such as 5.45). 

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Occupy scene

It's really kind of funny to see how vague and inarticulate the Occupy crowd is as a whole.  Wallstreet...corporate fat cats...bankers...yeah, we know.  Even as vague as that is, it is at least downrange. 

Let me tell you what I'd say if I was down protesting for days on end.  First, I'd point out that I'd just now woken up to the fact that I'm a slave with a golden collar (to borrow a phrase from an old friend).  Next, I'm here to challenge the notion that this is a free country and ask that my collar be removed so I can fail or succeed on my own.  No banks, no credit cards, no loans of any kind.  Basically, I'd have to do that because taking long periods of time off work to protest would mean I'd have to file for bankruptcy anyhow.  Then I'd remind whoever I was speaking to that this is exactly how WW2 started. 

Revolution in Europe started against capitalism then against capitalism and communism.  When it was all over, the capitalists and communist unevenly divided things up and went on their way.  So when you think left-right wing this and that, remember that fact. 

Cheap labor is brought in to make sure your demands for higher wages are ignored.  You are told to celebrate diversity while it all gets set up.  Meanwhile, the police state welcomes the climate that sort of arrangement brings.  Sure, multi-cultural society works, you just need enough police, prisons, laws and soldiers. 

Remember June 17th, 1953. 

To the powers that be, I dare you to try that here.  You've played commies and German workers.  Now come see what happens when you play commies and American dissidents.   

Friday, October 14, 2011

Training.

I've been hitting the weights kind of hard for the past few months.  It has served two purposes.  First, it is good for your health and even better if you don't forget the cardio. Second, one of the 3 people I work out with is the real life Mitch from my book.  So the hours a week I spend in the gym help inspire more ideas for future Cruel New World books. 

One thing I noticed in the desert recently was that you can have big arms and a massive chest and that's great.  What you really benefit from out there is legs are core strength.  Nobody worth going after hangs around the flat areas.  The hills (if they had trees on them and were located in NC, we'd call them mounains) are where the action is.  Your gear, what feels fine all day on level earth, gets really, really heavy up and down hills all day and night.  So I've started including a lot of leg excercises and core stuff into my routines. 

This is something I should have done a long time ago too.  Me and apparently most people I go to the field with can put in 15 mountain miles a day.  We prove that every year over and over again.  Now I feel like I could do 20 a day.  I noticed a big difference in performance on the past few outings.  In fact, having the extra power just makes life easier in general.