Fitness Update

Before Christmas I began using a Kettlebell as my main form of training and I loved it- it's a tough but enjoyable workout. However, just after New Year I had a “bad back incident” which totally scuppered my fitness plans. Consequently, I’ve had to spend the last couple of weeks trying to build up slowly and as such I’ve begun rowing again. Last week I did four 2000m sessions on my Concept 2. This week I’ve moved up to 3000m and I’ve trained Sunday, Monday and today. I expect to do five sessions this week then take a two day rest break. When I last rowed regularly I always took a day off in between each session but training each day (and not doing too much) has seen me get better results. So far this week I’ve set a new 3000m record each time I’ve trained, taking seven, then eleven and, tonight, twenty seconds off my previous times. It can’t continue like this for long I’m sure but it feels good to be making quick progress and I’m convinced that training like this (and taking a full two days to recover) is the better option for me at the moment. I’ve noticed in the past that whenever I have had a two day break when training regularly I’ve always felt much better, as if my body has make extra gains. I would never take two days between each session, but with this cardio workout and moderate training time, it’s much easier to train solidly for four or five days and then take a longer break.

I’m aiming to keep the rowing up when I get back to the kettlebells (put back another week because my back’s not quite up to it yet) but I reckon the distances I row will stay a bit shorter. A few thousand metres here and there will keep me in practice with the occasional longer row once in a while just to see how my fitness is progressing.

Shooting the Tyrannosaur

In a post around about a week ago I posited the idea of hunting truly BIG game- dinosaurs (as in the upcoming Ray Bradbury-based movie, A Sound of Thunder). One of the weapons I mentioned was the .577 Tyrannosaur, a potent round indeed and one which I doubt I’d be able to handle very efficiently- and I’d rather have a weapon with recoil that was manageable rather than one which was difficult to get back on target relatively quickly.

Accurate Reloading used to have a selection of videos of people firing the Tyrannosaur and getting hammered by the recoil- free registration is now required to view the videos on their forums. I’ve just signed up and am awaiting confirmation of my account to see if the videos are still there. In the meantime the forums seem to be pretty lively and probably worth checking out if you’re at all interested in firearms or hunting.

Airsoft

Seeing as how I’m a citizen of Northern Ireland, it’s extremely difficult to legally own weapons (though this law strangely doesn’t seem to affect the ability of the terrorists in this country from getting their hands on handguns, AKs, .50 cal rifles and even RPGs). Shooting is a pastime that I greatly enjoy and when the spring and summer eventually come round I’ll be doing a bit of plinking in my backyard with my airsoft guns. As yet I haven’t really taken to the “sport”- although running round the woods with a battery powered full-auto airsoft gun sounds like incredibly good fun. No, for now I’ll stick to a bit of relaxing target shooting. I have two airsoft weapons at the moment, a gas powered KSC Glock 17 (cheap and plentiful) and a Tokyo Marui VSR-10- a bolt action springer.

(Airsoft comes in three different flavours- AEGs which are electric; Gas, which use bottled gas injected into a reservoir into the gun to, usually, fire the BB and move the slide; and Springers, which require the gun to be manually cocked for each shot).

The Glock is a lot of fun to shoot, so much so that my other half bought herself a G18C which can also be fired full auto. It’s an awful lot of fun to shoot, though it’s a dreadful drain on my BB supply. However, what I really like to do is to get out with the VSR-10, lay down on a mat and take aim at a number of targets scattered across the bottom of my garden. My only complaint about the VSR-10 is that the sights are a bit crude- the rear aperture is too wide. A scope can be mounted to it, but for now I’m happy enough with my ability to knock little holes into bits of paper as it is. The great thing about airsoft is that it’s so inexpensive; the guns are priced way too high in the UK but I got mine shipped from Hong Kong- and if you’re using a springer then all you need to pay for are big bags of BBs. It’s also ideal for the backyard- not too noisy and best at smaller ranges.

Back Home

Well, we’re finally back in our own home. As my DIY sessions continue, it feels like an entirely new home (with much of the stress of moving house thrown in for good measure). The kids’ room is almost finished bar some wallpapering and my new bedroom actually feels like a room to hang out in, rather than just a space to crash in. Still a lot of work to do downstairs and the fact that I keep finding new jobs to do isn’t helping.

One of the reasons for our re-modelling is the fact that it’s New Year and I’ve decided to make some changes. Normally, New Year’s is a holiday that I don’t particularly care for but it seemed like a good time to make some resolutions. Another thing I don’t normally hold for. As well as changing my diet to a more healthier way of eating (and having a weekly weigh in session), I’m determined to transform the way we live- the DIY is part of that as I struggle to clear the clutter in our home and get the family into a routine. So far the diet change is working- I’ve dropped nearly a stone in weight since before Christmas (Kettlebell training is due to resume in a week when my back settles down a bit) and it’s all down to healthier choices rather than calorie restriction. Makes me wonder how badly I was eating up until now! The DIY bit is beginning to take effect, primarily because a lot of the kids’ toys are in their new bigger bedroom and we don’t have to tidy them up twenty times a day.

Things are pretty busy but I’m hoping to get back to blogging regularly now that we’re settled back in. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by.

Dinosaur hunting

Thank Goodness for Airborne Combat Engineer- after another couple of days without internet access, I again popped onto my Infernal Machine to check how much spam had been gathering in my Inbox and to have a quick gander at what was going on in the world. ACE was the first site I looked at and lo and behold- a new Ruger revolver! This one is a beauty, a snub-nosed, wilderness back up chambered in .454 Casull. Nice. ACE also has a few posts on the Smith and Wesson .500- including one on a Gary Reeder revolver. ACE mentioned a mastodon in the article and it got me thinking- if you were to go back to Cretaceous/Jurassic times (depending on you own particular preferences when it comes to dinosaur spotting/hunting) what weapons would you be packing? For the sake of it, you’ll have a secure operating base from which to venture out so there’s no real limit to your armoury. Each trip out though, you’d probably only be packing a single rifle and side-arm/carbine. Any thoughts? Comments left on this would be greatly appreciated for next time I get to come back online.

For a quick reference on the game around have a look here, a pretty handy resource for dinosaur information. Off the top of my head, I reckon my sidearm would be a .475 Linebaugh. Not sure about a rifle, though I’d be tempted to pack the aptly named .577 Tyrannosaur! More likely though, it’d be a more manageable .458 Lott with the A-Square Triad ammo selection. More on that later when I get a bit more time.

Holiday Season Recovery

No blogging for a while- the run up to Christmas was particularly stressful for me and the family, and not just because of the holiday itself. Christmas Eve and Day were great fun but really busy as we had to switch between our home and those of both our folks. Since then we’ve had to cope with one of the girls getting a particularly nasty stomach bug and the other teething (she’s NOT enjoying the experience one bit) and really low energy levels. My Other Half and I are exhausted. Throw in some major DIY around the house (with my usual exemplary timing I’ve decided that we should fix up the kitchen, the bathroom, put down a wooden floor in our living room and swap our bedroom with the girls’) and you’ve got a recipe for…well, I’m not sure what just yet. It’s a major re-organisation but we’re determined to make some changes to our lifestyle and new year seems as good a time as any to get started. 48 hours solid sleep would be handy right now but it doesn’t seem likely. We’re also house-sitting for a week so I’m without computer access most of the time- got a lot of catching up to do when we get settled back in and the DIY is all done. I had a quick look at Mad Ogre and Airborne Combat Engineer today- it seems like an absolute age since I’ve been to either site and I only had time today for a quick read. ACE has a great article on one of my favourite topics, big-bore handguns, specifically the Smith and Wesson .500 Magnum. Go have a read!

Just before Christmas I got myself a 16kg Kettlebell and began to teach myself the techniques involved in this old school system. I haven’t been able to train as much as I’d like (this week has been wiped out after my back played up and I ended up collapsed on the floor for a few hours, eventually requiring an emergency visit from a Doctor in the wee small hours) and over Christmas my eating habits have not been modest. Even so, as of last weekend, I’d managed to strip off about 8lbs (in about two weeks) and I put it all down to KB training. I definitely feel stronger and while it’s an exhausting workout to do, there’s not much in the way of muscle soreness afterwards (one session knackered my hamstrings for a couple of days and my legs felt really heavy but it doesn’t compare to the soreness of normal body building). I’m not sure when my back will be up to me re-starting training but I’m dying to start swinging that KB- it’s a fun tool to train with and the results are pretty obvious. I’m eager to move up to either a 24kg or a 32kg KB where I think I’ll see a real increase in muscle but I’m going to leave it for a few months and get a good, solid base first. No point in risking injury and the 16 is ideal for getting the technique right. Dragon Door is probably the place to go if you’re interested in learning more on the topic- the forum there is a great resource.

Anyway, expect some irregular updates here for maybe another week or so and then I’ll hopefully be back posting more frequently. My thanks to all who take the time to come read.

Mars

It feels like it’s been months since I last blogged- been taking some time away from my computer to try and get my house organised for Christmas, amongst many other tasks I’ve been putting off- but I couldn’t resist posting a link to this story- mysterious cleaning of one of the Martian rovers! I am of course a massive fan of Ray Bradbury, particularly his Martian Chronicles (although that collection misses my favourite Martian tale, Dark They Were and Golden Eyed, which is a simply wonderful piece of writing) and also the great Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Mars stories. One of the great disservices science has done me is to prove that there’s no life on Mars- I’m much happier ignoring that body of data and imagining weird and wonderful things on the Red Planet.

1st KB Workout

I had my first Kettlebell workout Saturday and, though it was brief, I think I can definitely see how these things will be of benefit to me. I read over Pavel Tsatsouline’s The Russian Kettlebell Challenge and basically did a set of two of each exercise to get the feel for it and to try out the techniques. There are only a few basic exercises (although you can also incorporate normal lifts into your routine if you like)- swing, clean, snatch, military press and floor press. There’s also a side and bent press but I haven’t been able to master them yet. At this point, I’m happy enough with these. Though the KB itself felt pretty heavy at first, I think that’s a lot to do with the shape- after doing a few practice lifts, it now feels a lot less of a burden.

The key to KB training seems to be high rep lifts. Pavel doesn’t recommend the usual bodybuilding approach of training to failure and I’m happy enough with that while I experiment with this system to see its effects. His aim is not to build muscle but rather strength-endurance (which means it is ideal for those in the military). And believe me, these whole body compound moves will definitely build strength while the moderate weight of the KB enables higher reps. That’s not to say that the KB is easy to lift, it’s not. One other aspect of this sort of training is that it’s supposed to strengthen not just the muscles but the tendons and ligaments. After Saturday’s mini-workout I could definitely feel my wrist and elbows joints- they weren’t sore, but I could tell the joints had been worked. Sunday they felt fine. My forearms were also aching a little because hanging on to the KB as you swing it gives you a tremendous grip workout.

I’m going to try a full workout with the KB later today- you can use two but one is all that is required (and personally I think that using one adds a bit more effort to the moves as you have to work to balance yourself out). It’s a very compact home-gym system. Hopefully I’ll still be fit to type tomorrow and will report back on it. Apart from anything else, working with the KB is fun- a great change from barbells and dumbbells.

Kettlebell

My Kettlebell arrived today. First impressions- damn but it’s heavy. It’s a standard one ‘pood’ KB, which is 16kg/35lbs. That doesn’t sound a lot with a dumbbell but somehow having the weight compressed into the cannonball shape seems to make it heavier. Having handled it, I’d only recommend this weight if you’re in fairly decent shape already- if you’re just starting to exercise, try a half-pood first to get a feel for it. I ordered mine from a UK company called Powerseekers.com and it was not only cheaper than a lot of other sites I visited, but also delivered very promptly. Ordered late Wednesday evening and delivered today. Great service.

My only problem now (apart from hauling this heavy lump of iron about) is that the guide-book I ordered from Amazon still hasn’t arrived. That really irks me because I paid for a next day delivery and I got an ‘item dispatched’ email on Wednesday. And it’s still not here. Once more, the Royal Mail proves its ineptitude.

I’m eager to get going with the KB but I’m going to have to wait now for the manual and have a study at it. I’ll maybe hit the gym and practice some deadlifts instead this weekend.

Heroes

Head’s Bunker has a great little feel good blog today on heroes- go and check it out.

Left Handedness

I’m not sure what to make of this article. On the one hand (pardon the pun) it’s good to hear good things about being a lefty. Usually all I hear is about my lower life expectancy and knackered immune system. However, this ‘new’ research is nothing of the sort- the advantage of the left hander in combat (unarmed or with a sword/knife) has, I thought, long been acknowledged- maybe these guys have never heard of a sport called boxing? In fact, it would seem to be fairly obvious that someone used to fighting against a right-handed opponent might be thrown somewhat when facing someone left-handed. Perhaps it’s just me, but surely a lot of these “scientists” need to sort their lives out and go and do something useful with their university educations and grants. Are they actually getting paid for this sort of thing? Go and read the headlines on FARK for a week or two and you’ll be appalled by what passes for scientific research these days- pointing out the bleeding obvious.

Still, nice to hear something good about being a southpaw.

Kettlebells

I’ve posted a few items on fitness in the past, particularly on the Concept 2 rowing machine and on weight training (my preferred exercise). For the past month or so I have been regularly missing my gym workouts- and it’s starting to show. While I was weight training rowing took a backseat but I’m beginning to get back into the swing of doing a row most days now to make up for it. However, I really miss lifting and because my house is fairly small and contains two children I have no room for a decent weights set up. A bench with a squat rack just won’t fit. So I’ve been looking for an alternative. My office contains a Gold’s Gym Power Tower- a dip, pull up and press up station all-in-one- which is very handy but it’s just not the same; I like to lift things!

I first read about Kettlebells about a year or so ago. Imagine a cannonball with a handle and you’ve got your Kettlebell. The basic weight or ‘pood’ is 16kg/35lbs, but you can step up the weight to bigger KBs as you improve. It’s an old school training regime to be sure, but it seems to be highly effective at building pure strength and burning fat. Unlike normal weight training some of the routines for KBs involve ballistic movements- swinging the ball through parts of the lift. The great part for me is that the only equipment which is required is a KB and yourself. No benches or other equipment to clutter up the house. And it’s quite fitting given the few mentions Spetsnaz have gotten here lately- they apparently used KBs to train with.

There are a lot of claims made about this sort of training which, if only half true, would make it better than anything else going. The main guy who advocates KBs is Pavel Tsatsouline. According to him (and a lot of the reviews around the web) KBs are the single best way to increase strength, burn fat, and increase speed. Now, I’m somewhat sceptical about the extent of some of these claims but as the routines for KBs seem to be based on power lifting it seems to me that, if this is the case, they will do a lot of what they claim. I know that the basic lifts work with a barbell so I’m willing to try the same with a Kettlebell.

At the moment I’m trying to locate a company in the UK which sells KBs (plenty in the US but I dread to think what the shipping would be like) at a reasonable price- the cost varies wildly from place to place. Once I’ve tracked that down, I’ll invest in a KB and report back as progress (hopefully) occurs.

Special Forces Shovel

In my Edged Weapons post a week or so back I mentioned that one of the items I keep around the house is a basic entrenching tool with a single ‘kind-of’ sharp edge on it. Well, if that’s the sort of thing you’re into then check out Cold Steel- a great company- because they actually make a Special Forces Shovel that comes with axe-level sharpened edges which can then be brought up to a razor’s edge if required!

As with all their products it’s incredibly reasonably priced and, if the items of theirs which I own are anything to go by, damned rugged. I may have to upgrade soon.

Spetsnaz troops used the shovel (according to a book by Viktor Suvorov I read many a year ago) as a multi-purpose item. It was a measuring tool, it could cut bread, it could be hurled at an enemy (Spetsnaz apparently practiced this by running along a beam and jumping off as they threw their shovels at a target) and it was a pretty mean CQB item to boot. I’d rather face a guy armed with a bayonet that a sharp shovel. Oh, and you can dig holes with it too!

SCAR Rifle

Thanks to ACE, I’ve now seen the Special Forces new weapon of choice- the FN SCAR. At first sight it’s not the most stunning weapon I’ve ever seen- if fact it looks a little clunky, a bit underwhelming. But that’s not the point is it? It’s functioning that counts and if the internals of this are similar to the AK then reliability shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, part of the reason the AK design is so reliable is that the parts have a bit of play to them, the tolerances are pretty loose. Makes for a great weapon for poorly trained conscripts or terrorists, but what it gains in reliability it loses in accuracy. And for a modern, highly-trained Special Forces operator weapon maintenance will be second nature. I’d guess that in the trade off between reliability and accuracy, most modern soldiers would prefer more accuracy. No point in having a weapon that works all the time regardless of its last clean when you can’t hit a target at 200 yards.

It’ll be interesting to hear some reports on this thing. As ACE notes, FN is dedicating production to SF needs. If this thing is the bee’s knees then surely the Army would want to put it through trials too? Maybe this isn’t as ‘modular’ as they require?

The Buffalo Shirt

One item that any Americans reading this might not be familiar with is the Buffalo shirt. While it’s not an issue piece of the British military uniform, it should be because virtually everyone in the Armed Forces has one. Available in various styles now, the standard Special Six shirt is an over-the-head top, lined with fleece and with a shower-proof outer. There are also ventilation zips down each side. This thing is incredibly warm and you could wear it and a T-shirt during a standard British winter and not get cold. If it gets wet, it dries in no time and it weighs very little. It’s light-weight and while the pack size isn’t that small, a few compression straps soon take care of that. It’s a fantastic bit of kit and it’s one that I’m sure almost every British soldier and Marine has.

I’m not sure if there is a similar item used by those in the American military, but the Buffalo has spawned a range of copy-cat products, the best and most popular of which are made by Snugpak. If you’re in the service or just an outdoors sort of person it’s certainly an item to have a look at.

Top 10 ARs Part 1

As you may have realised by now, I like the AR series of rifles. No, they’re not perfect by any stretch, but it is a highly versatile platform and a simple calibre change to the issue weapon would vastly increase their popularity I’m sure. As such, here’s a list of my favourite ARs (from 1-5) - showcasing the variety of weapon to be had from this platform.

Alexander Arms .50 Beowulf – I wasn’t entirely sure that this would be a very ‘usable’ conversion, but then I was suddenly sold on the whole idea. The reason? .50 Beowulf has the same performance as the phenomenal .45-70, a cartridge that I’m very fond of (particularly in a lever action Marlin, but that’s a whole other post entirely). The Beowulf is an effective hunting cartridge and is recommended for pigs (or horizontal humans as they are sometimes known). It can also take game up to and including buffalo- so there’s plenty of stopping power; this is no poodle-shooter. Available in a 24” barrelled ‘Overwatch’ version or a short 16” Entry version, this is a great weapon for urban situations. The big heavy bullet is not deflected by car windscreens or body panels and it has enough ‘oomph’ to disable targets wearing body armour. Not for general issue but the Beowulf makes for a handy hunting carbine or even for fighting in built up areas. For some great pictures of the gun and the massive cartridge, head along to Gunblast.com and check out Jeff Quinn’s reviews of both weapons.

M16 Viper – It was a toss up between this and the Arms Tech Compact Police Carbine, as an example of how neat the AR can get and still remain functional, albeit in a specialised arena- with a barrel this short there’s going to be a drop in velocity and effective range; these guns are designed for up close and dirty work, ideal for cramped conditions and narrow corridors. Though the 5.56mm might have its shortcomings, I’d still prefer it over a 9mm SMG in most circumstances.

Ares Defense Shrike– This is probably one of the most original adaptations of the AR family I’ve seen- essentially turning an AR into a mini-SAW (7.5lbs compared to the 16.5lbs M249). Offered with a variety of barrel lengths from a formidably short 12.5” to a more manageable 20”, this is an ideal example of the variety that the AR platform can offer, transforming one type of weapon into a very different one. I can see this being effective in the sort of fighting which took place in Fallujah recently- offering troops a highly compact weapon effective in tight spaces with a high rate of fire. In addition, the lighter weight of this over a SAW has got to be appreciated by the grunts lugging it around.

Pistol Calibre Carbine – I was going to pick a .45ACP conversion for this slot, but I decided to lump it, 9mm and .22LR all in together. The .22LR version of the AR offers very cheap shooting and perhaps a companion piece to a .22LR pistol down on the range. Hours of fun, because the AR is a very pleasant weapon to shoot and the .22LR is a fantastic cartridge for plinking and target shooting. The 9mm Carbine is a rather nifty accompaniment to a 9mm sidearm (chop that barrel down to 7.5 “ or 10” and you have a handy PDW-type weapon with none of the logistical problems that come with a fancy new calibre and which is also compatible with the issue M9- and maybe throw in the Russian 9mm 7N31 AP round if it lives up to its billing). For me though, the pistol-calibre conversion which really does it is the one in .45 ACP. A great piece to back up a .45 ACP side-arm and ideal when you might have a limited capacity for carrying ammunition. A pretty handy SHTF weapon and given that it’s an AR you could always switch between uppers- pistol cal when needed and rifle cal the rest of the time. Versatility.

Heckler and Koch Improved M4 – Pretty much the main complaint about the AR-type rifle is the gas system which needlessly fouls the action of the weapon. In a step which should have been taken years ago, HK introduced a gas piston system which reduced fouling. Now, if only this were made standard on all ARs. They also improved the magazine, added a cold forged (longer life) barrel available from 10” up to 20” and created a ‘mid-life’ improvement. While the sexier XM8 seems to be preferred for a new Army weapon, I’d say that the HK M4 would be a better option so long as 5.56mm is going to be the calibre of choice. The HK could be purchased as an upper only with the new gas piston system and any retraining for troops would be minimal. I hear that they also flared the mag-well on their receivers but that seems to be a minor improvement which you could live without- perhaps the HK receivers could have been purchased as and when lowers in use ‘died’ of old age. The XM8’s much vaunted modularity- from sub-compact to LMG- is also available here; the HKM4 can be had with a 10” barrel on an M4 collapsible-stock lower or (I’m sure with little extra work) a heavy 20” barrel with a Beta 100 round magazine on a standard M16 lower. You want modularity- the AR series has it. Of course, this was probably never going to happen with the DoD because it might be cost effective and result in not having a new space-age looking weapon to go with their snazzy new fatigues.

US Military Technology

I’ve heard it said on many occasions that the US military is, scientifically, ten years ahead of the rest of the world. Well, after reading about this, I’m forced to wonder- if this is the kind of thing that isn’t a military secret, just what toys do they have that we don’t know about? This pilot-less spy plane can see steam rising from a cup of coffee. Wow. Now, that’s impressive but not as impressive as the fact that troops in battle can access this data real-time via laptops. Amazing.

What other goodies do they have?

National Treasure trivia

The movie National Treasure hasn’t opened here yet but while I was reading about it I noticed that the name of the female lead character, played Diane Kruger, is Abigail Chase. Abby Chase- as in Danger Girl. Haven’t read it? Go here and buy yourself a copy of this fantastic comic right now. Featuring a group of female super-spies (led by a chap who looks suspiciously like Sean Connery) fighting Nazis, it’s got all the action and pretty girls you’d expect from a James Bond movie, with a great big heap of humour thrown into the mix. It’s a rip-roaring read and I’d thoroughly recommend it.

I checked on IMDB and there’s no mention of the Danger Girl reference but I’m sure it’s not just a coincidence. Abby’s an Indiana Jones-type character and this movie seems to be a bit of a sub-rate Jones adventure. One I’ll have to watch now, just to see if she is anything like Abby.

Keychain Knife

I’m looking to buy myself a very small folding knife which I can attach to my keychain. There have been quite a few times lately when I’ve found myself in need of a small blade and haven’t had one- I don’t carry my Leatherman around very much. I wasn’t quite sure what to go for- I was considering a CRKT KISS but then I discovered this nifty looking item; the Swiss-Tech Utili-Key. This looks like it might do the job nicely; very compact, a part serrated blade, screwdrivers and a bottle opener and most of all, unobtrusive- it doesn’t even look like a knife. It’s also a bargain price, which helps a great deal. The screwdrivers will also be handy- I occasionally have to crack open PC cases when I least expect it, so it’ll be good to be prepared. Finally, being a guy I love gadgets, and this is a cool little gadget.

I’ll have a further look around, see if I can find any suitable alternatives- any suggestions would be very welcome.

FN SCAR

According to the always interesting Defense Review, the FN SCAR consists of an M4 type lower receiver with an FNC style upper, complete with requisite Picatinny rail. Still no images of the weapon available but hopefully we won’t have long to wait. Basically what we’re looking at in an AR with AK internals.