I just finished reading 'World War Z' and was googling various things to do with zombies online and I saw the most shockingly ignorant discussions everywhere about what firearms would be best employed against a zombie horde.
Machine guns, shotguns and assault rifles. This is what everyone blabs on and on about and it's all ignorant BS.
A machine gun is primarily used for covering and suppressing fire. It scares the crap out of the enemy, pinning them down and preventing them from advancing into the hail of bullets. Except that zombies don't get scared. They'll walk right into it. This would be fine if they were human enemies who could be raked down with automatic fire sweeping across the line of their chests. But it takes a headshot to kill and stop a zombie. Chest shots do nothing. You need head shots and for that you have to use careful, steady, well-aimed fire. One measured shot at a time.
So the machine gun is out. What about shotguns? I suppose that I could think of worse weapons, but there sure are better ones. I know of no commercially available shotguns that use detachable magazines or that can be loaded with stripper clips. The range is pretty limited and the ammo is bulky. This is even assuming that you are using buckshot or other loads with larger pellets. Most of the ammo you'd be likely to scrounge as the conflict goes on is birdshot that will not penetrate a zombie's cranium beyond the distance of a few yards.
A rifle is the way to go. But what kind? Lots of people like to say the M-16 or the M-4 or the AK-47. Why? Because that's what they see in action movies. All of these rifles are capable of firing fully automatic, unlike you count the fake, neutered AKs that are rebuilt onto semi-auto receivers and sold in the US as AKs. We've already established that full auto gets you nowhere against zombies, except that you'll run out of ammo faster. Then there's the pesky fact that most civilians cannot legally possess weapons capable of automatic fire in the US or most other countries. Even if you are permitted to have one, the cost is still prohibitive. It's been many, many years since any automatic weapons have been manufactured in or imported into the US for anything other than military and law enforcement use.
What you want is a semi-automatic rifle that can accept either detachable magazines or stripper clips. It must have good open sights, be durable, easily maintained under harsh conditions and chambered for a cartridge that is widely available and easily scrounged. Here's a short list of good candidates.
Ruger Mini 14
SKS
AR-15/AR-10
M1 Garand
Among these choices, the SKS is certainly the least expensive way to arm yourself for the zombie apocalypse. You can still get them for as little as $150 at gun shows or wholesale. I've spent enough time with my SKS to confidently say that it will shoot minute-of-zombie-head out to 150 yards. I usually get 3 inch groups at 100 yards. That won't win you any shooting contests but it will get you well inside of a zombie's head at that range. Beyond 150 yards, few people would be capable of making a head shot under battlefield conditions with open sights regardless of the rifle they were using.
For an all-around battle rifle that will be used at various ranges, you really don't want a scope on there. It will get knocked out of zero and be easily damaged. It's also much harder to shoot a scoped rifle while you are running or otherwise on the move. You're going to need good open sights. Preferably ones that are visible in low light, like the flip-up tritium night sights on the Yugoslavian SKS.
A neutered, semi-automatic AK would work just as well as an SKS. It fires the exact same cartridge with the same rate of fire and the same level of accuracy. With the added bonus of costing twice as much as the SKS. If you already have an AK, great. But if you were out looking to buy weapons specifically for a zombie threat then you should save your money and but the SKS. You can even get detachable 30 round magazines for the SKS if you care to do some minor gunsmithing in order to be able to use them. But I think that one would be better off using 10 round stripper clips with the SKS for the sake of reduced weight and thus more actual ammunition being carried. All of those aftermarket folding stocks and other goodies for the AK are also available for the SKS. Really, the AK variants available in the US have absolutely no advantage over the SKS.
The ARs are great rifles but they are expensive. Generally chambered for .223, both the AR-15 and the Ruger Mini 14 allow you to carry a lot of ammo with relatively little weight as opposed to the weight and volume demands of the M1 Garand and it's 30-'06 cartridge, which is the largest cartridge ever designated for a primary battle rifle by any military in the world, ever. I dearly love the 30-'06, but M1s have gotten pretty expensive due to collector demand and between that cost and the fact that I couldn't carry as much ammo as with the 7.62x39 or the .223, I'd have to pass it up.
Again, like the neutered AK, if you already have an M1 Garand then use it. You've already sunk in the $800-$1,500 that an M1 will set you back these days. 30-'06 is still the most popular deer cartridge in America and you will be able to buy or scrounge it everywhere. I just wouldn't recommend it to someone who was presently unarmed and trying to decide what to buy.
Between the .223 and the 7.62x39 cartridges, you've got to consider the fact that 7.62x39 is currently the least expensive centerfire ammunition available in America. Both will do the trick with head shots within 150 yards. Which of course are the only shots that really count with zombies. Meanwhile, .223 is on the expensive and scarce side presently due to the very high demand of the American military for this ammunition. If you were looking to stockpile non-corrosive ammo in the near future, 7.62x39 is the way to go.
All of this leads me to the conclusion that the SKS is the smartest weapon to purchase for all-purpose zombie killing. There are better tools for more specialized roles, but if you might have to go from urban warfare to making your way through the countryside for hundreds of miles to defending a fortified position, the SKS is the best way to do that on a typical budget of a few hundred dollars. Sure, it would be a good idea to have a handgun as a backup and a heavy, edged weapon for those moments when you are out of ammo. But one of the semiautomatic rifles that I have described here should be the most basic weapon that every serious zombie killer will use.
70 comments:
Why such a large round on slow moving targets? The SKS is a heavy rifle. Fast moving rounds like a .22 magnum or .177 HMR, with solid slugs should penetrate the zombie's skull and bounce around. Portability, huge ammo availability, low recoil, rapid target acquisition.
But there is something to the idea of just blasting away with a .50 .......
Just add this to the end, and it's perfect.
Cargosquid,
Those are good rounds but I have not seen any experiments with those cartridges on targets similar to a human/zombie cranium at ranges out to 150 yards. These are varmint cartridges you are talking about. If they really do have the juice and don't end up deflecting across the dome of the skull or failing to fully penetrate, then great.
Heck, there are plenty of cartridges that would do a better job than those I have suggested. 22-250 is one. Any of the bajillions of short-fat magnum varmint cartridges that get along with bullets on the heavy side would probably perform admirably.
But a great cartridge only gets you halfway there. You have to look at the rifles chambered for these cartridges. How many battle rifles suitable for prolonged combat under a variety of field conditions are chambered for .22 magnum? Not a whole hell of a lot. Remember that we need an autoloader that can be reloaded very quickly, will hold up to lots of dirt and abuse without jamming and has decent open sights.
I don't know about you, but I'd rather not spend weeks fighting my way to an evacuation point through heavily infested zombie country while armed only with some clean-barreled varmint rifle, regardless of what it's chambered for.
You might have some better options with .17 HMR since that round has become so popular over the last few years. Maybe a Ruger 10/22? (or is it called the 10/17 when it's chambered for .177 HMR?) You'd have to spend a lot of money on spare magazines, as there's no such thing as stripper clips for the 10/22.
I still think that most people would be better off with the SKS, though. The larger round is inexpensive and can do double duty against threats like roving gangs of humans who are taking advantage of the chaos to commit violent crimes or set themselves up as warlords or something.
As for the weight, an unaltered SKS weighs about 8.8 pounds. You can remove the grenade launcher and grenade sights easily enough to reduce weight. Lots of people also remove the bayonet, but in a zombie survival situation that bayonet might start to look pretty good to you (a jab through the Z's eye socket into the brain?). If you really want to get it down under 7 pounds, you could always get one of those fiberforce skeletal stocks and drop the action in there.
Battle rifles are usually kind of heavy because they are built to withstand abusive battle conditions that most sporting rifles are not. Good luck finding a .177 HMR with a bayonet. A Chevy Corvette is faster and handles better than a Jeep Wrangler, but if the sh*t hits the fan I'd rather be driving the Jeep.
I think the semi-auto or pump shotty would meet the criteria for zombie destruction. No you don't have stripper clips but you can get tube extension and some of them can hold 8-10 shells. With slugs, you can reach out greater than 50 yds for head shots. I don't think the shotty would trump the SKS, but it would be comparable. But only w/slugs. Buckshot or any other shot would have too much spread to do much good out past 25yds or so.
Boxer,
You could make it with a shotgun. Maybe. But if you were surrounded by a couple dozen zombies, all shambling right for you with your back to the wall, the (long) time it takes to reload a tubular magazine could be fatal. There you are, sliding them in one by one. Having 8 shots is great and all, but then that's it. It's not like dealing with a gang of humans where the rest might run after a few are hit. If 10 zombies come for you and you shoot 8, numbers 9 and 10 will not pause to reconsider their careers.
There's just no potential for a sustained rate of fire with the shotguns that are actually on the market. Not like with rifles utilizing detachable magazines or stripper clips where you can fully reload in 2 to 4 seconds.
Jack,
Want cheap ammo? Want lightweight ammo? Want to fire it from a rifle known for utter reliability?
Get a semi-auto AK in 5.45x39mm. AIM surplus has the ammo dirt cheap. J & G is still advertising the Romanian WASR-2 for $350. Get one now before the dollar falls any lower.
Most Zombie skulls are pretty soft. Human skull standards should only be held for the very fresh. If you're up against walkers, and are in good shape, then the best thing to do is keep in open areas with a Kaiser blade (ditch hook). Guns are not for zombies, they are for people. Guns draw attention to you. They are good for holding a fort but that just draws more zombies to you and then you are in the mess that people who stay still always get into in zombie movies. Most zombies can for some reason hear just fine, so so blaring away is a bad idea and no matter how much ammo you have, it's not going to be enough. Kaiser blade dosn't run out, though you can get tired.
Ultimetly it will be all those people that play lacrosse that will make it. If they can get to a hardware store, easy pickings. But yeah, stay on the move, if it a 100 yards away, better to leave it be and stay unseen. Keep them scattered. Kill the strays.
Cory,
Where are you getting this thing about zombie skulls being soft? We're going with the works of Max Brooks as canon here. I don't remember that being mentioned in WWZ.
I certainly agree that there are situations in which the sound of the rifle would be a liability in terms of attracting more Zs to the vicinity. But if you are fighting them at close quarters every single time with a blade on a stick, eventually you're going to get bit.
Think about situations like this: You're on the move, sacked out for the night in an abandoned commercial building with the only window boarded up and quick access to the roof. You wake up, get packed up to move out and look outside to see that there are 40 zombies between you and the open road. There are woods on all other 3 sides and who knows what's in there. This kind of situation would come up constantly as you travel hundreds of miles to the nearest 'safe zone.'
The smart thing to do would be to sit up there on the roof with your rifle and shoot each of them in the head quickly and methodically before bolting because you cannot kill 40 zombies at once with anything other than a firearm.
Sure, the shots will attract more zombies to that spot but you are about to jump on your bike and get the hell out of there anyway.
Gringo,
Those WASR AK copies are pretty neat all right. However, while you can get 5.45x39 for a fantastic price via mail order at the moment, you wouldn't be able to reliably scrounge more in a post-apocalyptic zombie scenario.
The neat thing about 7.62x39 is that so many American sporting rifles are chambered for it now that you can find the ammo at any gun shop. Remington makes it and you could probably even find it at Walmart at this point.
Good luck finding 5.45x39 anywhere except in a catalog. If you found yourself low on ammo for that WASR-2 and only halfway to the safe zone in the Rocky Mountains that you set out for on foot, you'd be screwed. The WASR-2 and the 5.45x39 cartridge are a great combination, but not in a situation where you might have to travel through hostile territory in the US for an extended period while scrounging more ammunition along the way.
If you're planning to ride the whole zombie thing out in a fortified position with supplies and ammunition to last you for years, then that WASR would make a lot more sense. Such a rifle ties you to a very specific supply line. If you're ok with that then all right.
"Where are you getting this thing about zombie skulls being soft? We're going with the works of Max Brooks as canon here. I don't remember that being mentioned in WWZ."
Ok, by Brooks canon, probably not. But by Zombie film canon, they break like greenwear. Some zombies can take a beating, but most can't. In some cases the skull dosn't even need to be broken. Just bet those brains to slam around in their like a pinball machine and they'll be taken care of.
As for getting bit, yeah, I'd agree... to a point. A gun is only as good as who is using it, and not everyone can load a a gun in two to four seconds while in a combat zone. Same with a blade: if you don't use it right it will get you killed. For either argument to work, the person must be to some degree skilled with their weapon. That's why I said lacrosse players would do best just as someone with the millitary background to know how to use every part of a rifle as a leathal weapon woulds be most ideal. But even shooting while running is not a skill most people have. Another atvantage to a blade over a gun is that unless the gun is very high powered, it is only really good for head shots. If I cut off a zombie's leg, it's going to slow it down. In this way you can take out twenty or so easily, by keeping them scattered and picking away at them.
I'm also talking about county warfare. Not urban. Urban is different. Stay away from cities man. Total death traps. More people = more zombies. In the county you should be able to avoid dealing with more than twenty at a time if you don't make a lot of noise.
"Think about situations like this: You're on the move, sacked out for the night in an abandoned commercial building with the only window boarded up and quick access to the roof. You wake up, get packed up to move out and look outside to see that there are 40 zombies between you and the open road. There are woods on all other 3 sides and who knows what's in there. This kind of situation would come up constantly as you travel hundreds of miles to the nearest 'safe zone.'"
Sounds like a bad place to rest. But what kind of commercial building? What do I have to work with? if it's a clothing store I'd use the clothes for a fire fight. Throw shit from above. If I have chemicals all the better!
"you cannot kill 40 zombies at once with anything other than a firearm."
Give me a propane tank. Give me a gas can. Besides, I don't need to kill them all. I just need them out of my way.
"Sure, the shots will attract more zombies to that spot but you are about to jump on your bike and get the hell out of there anyway."
Oh come on man. That's too easy. I'm talking about on foot and on your own. Sure some people have bikes. A bike with a grease burnning diesel engine would be really nice to have at such a time too... or a tank. It's just a whole other game then. If you get a bike, I get a $2,400-$10,000 sword and the skill to use it like a badass.
I'm not saying no guns. I'm saying 40 zombies means at least 40 rounds for a dead shot. You're goning to need a lot of ammo if that's what you wake up to every morning. More ammo means either less food and water on you, or more weight. Speed and quick thinking are your two best weapons against a zombie. Why lose one?
Cory,
A propane tank or a gas can does you no good. All that means is that FLAMING undead ghouls are trying to eat you. Fire only kills a zombie if it seriously damages the brain. You'd have one hell of a mess on your hands within a minute. Much better to just shoot the bastards in the head and be done with it.
Where is Not Buck Turgidson when we need him? I'd love to hear his thoughts on this important issue. His blogging days seem to be over, unfortunately.
I'm not convinced that the country would be much safer than urban areas after the initial, big panics. The zombies will follow the sound of people, who will be trying to evacuate from the cities. As they evacuate, they will also be bringing infected people with them who are hiding their bites. Infections will pop up all over the place. Within a matter of months, there will be zombies pretty much everywhere. A prudent man will need to be prepared to fight zombies in urban, suburban and rural areas, not knowing where the fight for survival and the search for supplies might take him from one week to the next.
It is definitely true that if someone doesn't know how to use a rifle, they won't have much luck trying to do so in an emergency. But the whole premise of this discussion is the question of what firearm would be the best choice for someone who knows how to use them. If you just happen to be a trained Samurai or something, use a sword. But we here are 'mericans. And Americans tend to enjoy firearms as our traditional weapon of choice. In, say, England, this would be a pointless discussion because nobody there knows a safety switch from a magazine release. We gots lots of guns here in Virginia and a lot of us know how to use 'em.
Seriously, you need to read World War Z. You can borrow my copy if you want. Brooks goes into all of this stuff in detail and it's all very well thought out. Once you accept his basic fictional premise of a zombie infection in the first place.
Jack,
You wrote, "If you're planning to ride the whole zombie thing out in a fortified position with supplies and ammunition to last you for years, then that WASR would make a lot more sense."
Well, yeah, that's pretty much my plan. Three or four spam cans of 5.45x39 ought to last you through the whole zombocalypse. At $119.95 for 1080 rounds, that's only eleven cents per zombie skull. How ya gonna beat that?
Gringo,
Then there you go. If your plan is t ride out World War Z in a prepared, fortified position then your choice of weapons and cartridges opens up a great deal. 5.45x39 would be a great choice in that case.
The surplus ammo will probably be berdan primed and in steel cases and thus difficult to reload, but if you are going to be in one prepared place then you might as well get yourself set up for reloading to stretch your supplies even farther. Contrary to popular opinion, it is possible to reload berdan primed ammunition. You just need some different tools and primers in order to do it. It's more labor intensive than reloading boxer-primed cases but I suspect that you'd have rather a lot of time on your hands anyway.
http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting2005/berdanreloading/index.asp
Incidentally, a hearty round of applause to nearly everyone who has commented on this important issue both here and on Waldo's blog. Almost everyone has managed to accept the zombie premise without question and immediately move on the fun stuff.
Thank you for the link to those articles on reloading Berdan cartridges, Jack. As many times as I've visited surplusrifle.com, I've somehow managed to miss that article.
I’ve got to throw in my $0.02 here. I agree with you that a semiautomatic rifle is the way to go, for a primary weapon at least (Although the term “Battle Rifle” technically only applies to full-caliber rifles such as .308, 30-06 and 7.62x54r, and all 5.56mm and 7.62x39mm chambered weapons are technically “Assault Rifles” due to their intermediate caliber, notwithstanding that what we’re talking about here lacks the other requirement of an assault rifle – selective fire, so these guns really fit into a different category from that, but that’s a different discussion).
In any event, first I’ve got to disagree with you about the SKS being such a great choice. If you only have $200 to defend your life with when the hordes come to get you, then fine, go with the cheapest rifle available. However, if your survival is really important to you, you’ll spend a few more bucks and either get an AK or an AR.
I also have to disagree with you about the 10-round stripper clips being more effective than the 30-round detachable box magazines found on an AK (and even the 30-round detachable box magazines for the SKS are inferior to the AK mags due to their odd appendage for latching into the receiver and their generally poorer construction). 10 rounds from a stripper clip isn’t that much better than 8 rounds from the tube of a shotgun. I know you can reload it much faster, but the last thing I want to do when I’m fighting for my life in the abandoned streets is RELOAD every 10 rounds, regardless of how quickly it’s done. I’d much rather have at least 20-30 rounds available at a time, and preferably in a box magazine.
So, as I mentioned, the AK is probably the better choice than the SKS, and maybe the best choice. It is reasonably accurate, relatively inexpensive ($350 is nothing to pay for your life man!) and extremely easy to maintain. Ammunition is plentiful and inexpensive, although the sights are terrible. If I was going with an AK for my EOTWAWKI rifle, I would like to add an Ultimak rail so I could attach a flashlight, vertical grip and a red dot sight, preferably an Aimpoint. I am also a big fan of the ARMS QD throw-lever mounts, which let you stick what you don’t need on the rifle in a pocket or pack (flashlight in the middle of the day, etc) and then quickly and easily re-attach it when it’s needed. I’d have both my optic and my flashlight set up like this.
One of the reasons I mention the red dot is my own experience shooting my custom-built AR. I can shoot well enough with my iron sights, but the red dot is much, much faster to acquire and engage targets accurately with. I wouldn’t do without one. You could even get by with one of the $50 Chinese Aimpoint copies on eBay (same for the ARMS mounts) – I’ve shot with them and they’re surprisingly good for the money, if you’re on a budget.
This leads me to my ideal set-up – and it is actually the SHTF rifle I’ve got in the cabinet, ready to go. It’s a 20” chrome-lined 1x9 twist AR with a flat-top upper receiver, a Midwest Industries free-float quad rail foreend, YHM flip-up front sight, Matech 600m flip-up rear sight, Rock River Arms 2-stage match trigger, A2-style stock, TangoDown pistol grip, battlegrip and rail guards. It wears an Aimpoint red dot optic on an ARMS QD throw-lever mount, and a Pelican LED tactical flashlight on another ARMS QD throw-lever mount with a pressure switch velcroed to the vertical grip. It hangs off of a Specter Gear QD single-point sling, which I find to be the most elegant solution for a sling. Inside the buttstock is a cleaning kit with everything I need to maintain the rifle for several weeks. Inside the vertical grips are two sets of batteries for the flashlight and four sets of batteries for the optic. The buttstock wears a magazine pouch which holds an extra 30-round magazine nicely, also helping to balance some of the weight towards the dangerous end of the rifle. Finally, I have a Burris Fullfield II 3-9x40mm scope on a Larue Tactical QD mount in the rifle bag (which can be worn as a backpack for more comfortable long-distance carry) along with a Harris bipod, also on a QD mount. Aside from the 2 30-round magazines on and in the rifle, there are 4 more 30-round magazines ready, with 2 20-round magazines as well for prone shooting.
My ammunition choices are 55 grain m193 ball in the 30-round magazines, since it has a higher velocity, flatter trajectory and fragments better out of my 20” barrel. I have 68 grain Hornady Boat Tail Open Tip Match ammunition in the 20-round magazines, since they have a better ballistic coefficient and are thus more powerful and accurate at long range. The scope is zeroed for the 68 grain bullets, the red dot and irons are zeroed for the 55 grain bullets.
This rifle, set up as such, can easily and quickly be switched from a close-in utility rifle (red dot, vertical grip, flashlight, 30-round mags) to a long-range precision rifle (scope, bipod, 20-round mags). Unnecessary components can be removed and stored off the rifle, helping to save weight on the gun. With the batteries, extra mag, and cleaning kit stored in and on the gun, it can be grabbed out of the safe as a stand-alone system if there is no time for extra ammo and accessories – the rifle is completely self-sustaining for 60 rounds or 2-3 weeks, whichever comes first (I know that’s not long, but it’s better than most can say about their rifle!)
I prefer the AR over the AK for personal reasons, and feel that the set-up I have described is far superior to the SKS. It weighs only slightly more, yet is more accurate and much more versatile. It was definitely expensive, but I was able to add to it over time, buying new components like the scope and bipod when I had the money. I now have a top-notch Zombie Slayer and would recommend this setup to anyone as the best possible weapon at the end of the world.
AK, AR, SKS. Pfft. In the 'money is no object' category (and we are talking about preserving your life and the lives of your loved ones in WWZ) I'd go with an H&K SL8, with the German military handle modded on - the handle integrates a 3x zoom scope and a red dot scope. It uses 5.56mm rounds (NATO standard) which should be readily available, especially in my first port of call: the nearest military base.
Why? Two reasons; a)Gear(guns, ammo, vehicles) and b)Supplies (MRE's, clothing, boots). In WWZ military units will not have time to strip the barracks of all useful gear when bugging out to engage the Z's or protect Evac-routes.
Add to that that the SL8 can be modded further to accept 30 round magazines by Dremeling a bit off (a somewhat illegal mod in some areas), and the plastic can be died black permanently, as well as a silencer added (fortunately they are legal in some countries such as New Zealand and Switzerland,so can be readily bought prior to Z-Day).
Add to that the high reliability (being an H&K product), low recoil, and sweet tactical badass looks, I think we'd have one heck of a winner on our hands.
elChupacabra!, you seriosly need to post a pic of that AR.
Nicely done.
I'll have to let the rest of the army know our M16 and M4's have full auto on them. We had no idea.
And as for the AK's without full auto being neutered... you are an idiot.
Full auto is trash on an assault rifle.
As I see it, why do we all presume we'd be alone? I know from my household alone, there'd be three or four full grown adult males ready and willing to arm up to fight many hordes of the undead. Surely an SKS would be the most well rounded choice (for a loner) but I think an intentionally thought out fireteam would be the way to go. One shotgunner (maybe two, as up close they can put some hurt on), several short to medium range rifleman (or pistolero's in an urban setting for household clearing) and one long-range rifleman for suburban and rural destruction of the undead. A pistolman must be confident in his abilities if he should run this setup.
All rifles should (in my opinion) be caliber .308 winchester (7.62 NATO) so that ammunition may be shared and very easily acquired. Shotguns, none other than 12 gauge 00 buckshot or 1 oz slug, alternation of shot desirable but not necessary. Steel BB is also acceptable; these guns are for clearing buildings, not clearing pastures; we're not birdhunting. Speaking of which, ever tried to shoot a bird with a rifle? Pigeon will probably be the only edible animal in the city, those shotguns will come in awefully handy after cleaning out the undead. But I digress.
For combat loadout, one gasmask w/ spare filter, one or two 9mm semiautomatic pistols (.38 special revolvers substituted) and one large canteen for every two squad members. 8 reloads of ammunition desirable, with one mule in support role with extra munitions for all, and medic kit for slight injuries. Mule will be shotgun equipped. All fireteam members will have a KABAR fighting knife (or equivalent, especially concerning quality. KABAR is expensive, but best quality for price) with serrated back, color of grip owners choice. Last but not least, for every two fireteam members, someone will have a large maglite or equivalent, with spare batteries. Leather hiking boots and leather gloves required. Leather jacket optional, but helpful against zombie bites. Essentials such as food are covered by base camp, but that's an entirely different story altogether.
Regarding my tactics, I believe thoroughly in a small fireteam's redundancy. Two shotgunners, two intermediaries, one leader/mule and one long-ranger. In the event the long range messenger is injured, the leader can easily pick up the role, or if the leader is hurt, his load can be split. Each shotgunner will stick together as a two man team. Same with every other position, they are miniteams who support each other. In fact, two small 6 man squads can work together, staying abreast of each other, or one behind another closely as support, taking turns raiding homes for zombie clearing and supply acquisition. You are no longer humans at this point, you are zombie hunters/apocolypse survivalists, and your job is to destroy all of the undead sons-of-bitches, however you must do it.
Jon
P.S. Melee weapons are a bad idea for anything other than a backup. The only weapon a zombie can employ is its blood, teeth and other bodily secretions. Why needlessly place yourself in range of them? However, I do agree with the statement that if its 100 yds away, avoid it; that's prudent. The only time you'd wanna take him/her/it out is if it's along your path ahead of you, its "death" bringing out its buddies and forgiving their locations. They heard the gunshot too.
Jeez this is crazy talk. Enough, good night.
Ok- slightly different aproach but here we go.
A zombie is f'ing stupid, it would walk twords you slowly, moaning like a dumass- killing it in close combat wouldn't be to hard, lets say some elbow long chainmail gloves (they use them at deli's) and a large kukri- machete, heavy tip will allow it to be quickly brought down destroying the brain. I think a fit male would beable to drop 10 or so by themselves, using hit and runs as to make sure you are dealing with very few at a time. A group of maybe 3 or so able fighters and you have it made
The smart thing to do would be to travle by country, a gun with easily found amunition is a must. Take a commonly found hunting rifle with a detachable glass scope and i think your set.
I think a lot of you guys forget that not only will there be zombies, but other survivors as well. Some of which will be double the threat of any zombie.
Theres gonna be a buffet of nut jobs, shooting at anything that moves, looting, raping, burning, ect. People that will kill you for your fancy gear and weapons.
When the SHTF and reliability is key, look to Zionist technology. For me there is only one choice: the Galil ARM in 5.56mm NATO. With reliable 50 round mags, you can keep the Zombie hoards at bay.
I one or more of each of the weapons talked about here - many have merits, but in the end, one will stand above and be the one that I grab - That will be the Galil.
real all of what you guys have said and i got to say i love it all...well kinda. i'm not gonna say whose right and wrong but you gotta remember when choosing rifles and ammo, you gotta gotta consider gear and clothing.
SHOTGUNS
For those that say the shotgun does the trick you have to consider, "where are you keeping the spare shells?" this isnt the wild west, you cant just find a belt with premade shotgun loops already built in. in other words, shotgun shells could only be kept in jacket pockets. And if thats the case,
1.You couldnt fit many - Because how many jackets can you find with pockets that wide to hold more then 20 - 30 shells? I mean yeah you can put a shitload of shells in a plastic baggie or backpack, but how are you gonna reach em in time?
2.You couldnt reload as fast - I don't know how many of you can do a speed reload for a shotgun, but let me tell you. Its hard. I can do it because of my Marines MP training, but still, all it is, is putting a shell into the ejection port, hitting the bolt release (or on pumps pulling the handle forward) and then manually loading the rest of the rounds. Only cuts off about 2-4 seconds for the FIRST shell.
3.You can't run AND reload. - My brother bought me this AWESOME green Swish? Army jacket. It has 2 giant pockets in the front and 2 giant pockets in the back, all with buttons. If you could get ahold of a jacket like this, you can hold tons of shells. But even with this jacket, how are you going to run for you life, unlach the button, reach into the pocket, pull out a shell out,load your SINGLE shell and repeat? its too much. Your shells would spill everywhere from running or from you pulling out one shell too quick...
Assault Rifles
Real quick, this here is my primary choice for a firearm. And my choice for that firearm being...oh yes....the M16a4. Because thats how marines roll. Now just hear me out ok? Doesn't anyone else find it funny how max brooks says to stay away from M16s and its cousins alltogether yet says that a semi auto like the m1 carbine is a good choice...? Or how he says that the M16's 5.56 aka the .223 round is infiour? Yet he then goes on to say that the .22 round is deceit? Uhhh...the .223 is a .22 round...only bigger. ok on we go
Assault rifles have either long straight magazines or banana shaped ones. And because of that you can hold many, espeically if you can get your hands on the M16's magazines. Because finding gear to hold them in is easy. You can hit up your local airsoft store for Military grade load bearing vests. And then your problem of how you're gonna carry all these magizines is solved. as a matter of fact, all 3 of your problems are solved because with the load bearing vest you can carry tons of ammo, reload just a fast, maybe faster (with a load bearing vest i could reload a M16 in 2 or less seconds) and you could run and reload just as easy if you were standing. Hell if you can get ahold of a load bearing vest (which you can, you can get them at airsoft stores, they sell better ones then i was issued!) you could carry a pistol too!
Pistols
Only problem i have with pistols being mentioned is some might say they are too weak. Some would say choosing a 9mm Beretta would be a dumb choice. On a human yes, on a zombie? Hell no. Its light, accurate, and has tons of rounds, 15 + 1 in the chamber for the Beretta. Weak round you say? Alright, just buy hollow points. Problem solved. Hollow points are MEANT to be used for close quarters anyways. Can't find any and all you got are ball point? Even better. Make yourself a hollowpoint round by taking knife and hammering a x into the bullet head (gotta be careful) and now you got a dum dum round. Which is a home made hollowpoint. Soldiers in vietnam used to do it because the ballpoint rounds didnt have the mushroom stopping power hollow tips did. The only problem i have with pistols are revolvers, looks cool, fun to shoot, strong, accurate, but they're like mimi shotguns, they just dont hold enough and are too hard to reload, and the ammo space and yeah....
wow
that was fun. hope you guys like my little speil on things...................jack please dont tear up my options too bad.
shot guns
have clips
http://www.lesjones.com/www/images/posts/italia.jpg
http://world.guns.ru/shotgun/saiga_12k_tromix.jpg
as far as the different loads buck shot is 000 buckshot can be found in many stores and is quite large
http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dimage/10451i_ts.JPG?cell=130,130&cvt=jpeg
while Flechette rounds arnt in every store they would also do alot of damage
http://weapons.travellercentral.com/ammo/shotgun_flechette.gif
here is a ballistic report of buck shot http://www.firearmstactical.com/images/Wound%20Profiles/12%20Gauge%20No%204%20Buckshot.jpg
and some of flechette
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/4589/flechette1uv4.jpg
http://www.brassfetcher.com/images/12%20gauge%20flechette%20block.JPG
Anonymous 3:39,
The M-16 and M-4s that our military uses all have full-auto capable receivers. Each variant may be set up for single or double round taps and the selector switch may even just be 2 position in some cases, but the weapon is inherently designed to be able to fire on full auto.
a saiga 12 would be a great weapon for this scenario. Semi auto 12 gauge with up 30 round clips/drums. i think there is a 50 drum available. fast firing and easy to reload. a bit heavy i suppose but with the right slugs it could be accurate up to 50 yards.
I see few people here understand the first rule of the Zombacalypse. The Zombies aren't your enemy, their an obstacle. It's the people who'll kill you, even if you're smart, and well armed. On Z-day I'm rounding my family up into a vehicle and shooting my way out of town, through living or dead, blue, green, I don't give a shit what colors I see, on Zday it's every man for himself. So I hope you're all ready to kill regular old living folks, and plenty of them, "innocent" and otherwise, because I tell you what I'll look pretty damn innocent right up till I draw my crappy .38 SNS and put one through the back of your head. I can't wait to get my hands on some of yall's sweet rigs. I'mma laugh and laugh and laugh. Do me a favor, carry plenty of ammo, wouldya? ;D
I agree the the M1 Garand is probably too heavy and bulky to consider, and its ammunition, while powerful, is not as economical in either cost or space as the .22 or other smaller rounds, but the fact that people will also be a hazard along with the zombies makes a powerful round attractive.
With that in mind, I would suggest the M1 Carbine as a definite option. The M1 Carbine was developed specifically because the Garand was so heavy, and weighs under five pounds. The M1 Carbine is quite easy to carry, and can be made even lighter and smaller if one acquires one with a folding stock. The powerful round it shoots will pass right through car doors, bricks, and even small tree trunks, so it is more than capable of a good headshot for taking out Zs, and will take care of human assailants quite handily. The fact that it ignores quite a bit of the more common types of cover is also a plus, since human assailants such as bandits probably will not be attacking from an artificially fortified or entrenched position.
The m1 carbine is clearly the best rifle. It is the easiest rifle to clear a jam from, bar none. If you have a lever rifle in 44 mag or .357, say, you only get nine or ten rounds, and the thing can jam up so bad you have to disassemble it to get it unstuck.
my wow gold buy wow power leveling cheap wow gold cheapest wow power leveling
replica replica rolex
CHEAP wow power level
BUY power leveling
CHEAPEST power leveling l
you guys are ignoring a huge concept. knowing your local. have a target area. where are you fighting to?
i live on the oregon coast, the town im in has only 300 permanent residents. thing the fucking boondocks.
first thing i hear of an outbreak, im grabbing my camping shit, my 12g 870 shotty, and my 45-70 lever rifle and hit the logging roads. lots of mountain passages that there is only one way to get to(by human or zombie). follow the spartans plan, lure them into a bottleneck, where their numbers count for nothing.
gotta love the oregon forests, good hunting, edible vegitation, and temperate climate.
the goal isnt to rack up kills guys, its to survive.
Hmm. Good post but I'd change a few thing.
The SKS is out for two reasons: first the 7.62 x 39 mm is less readily available, and second they are prown to malfunctions, jamming and even slam fires.
I wouldn't totally rule out the shotgun, it may not be ideal against zombies, but it's usable, and it's probably better than many other things against non zombie enemies which you'll also have to deal with.
For myself I'd go for a modern AR type rifle in the M4 configuration with a reflex site like the army's ACOG, a hunting rifle in .308, a short barrel 12g shotgun, and a 1911 style pistol in .45 (really any semi automatic pistol will do, but I'm old fashioned.)
Whatever weapons are selected should be limited to 9mm or .45 for pistols, .223 and .308 for rifles, and 12g for shotguns. All good rounds, and more importantly all very common and easily available rounds. After the zombies come you'll likely find the stuff laying around in the streets.
what about a p90 they are deadly at 200 yards and civilians can get their hands on the semi auto's which seems to be the better choice they have 50 round magazine and the round is a 5.7x28 round so it seems ideal.
Ok, this is my opinion, tear it apart if you wish but here it goes.
the saiga is the best shotgun for zombies. box magazine and the reliable ak action means it can survive anything. however, anything over a 10 round magazine will risk snagging.
a semiauto m4 variant because the 223 is a popular round and is still decently price. if you are seriously worried about zombies, you can invest in a couple 100 round drum mags. the cost around $300, but come on, 100 rounds, you could take out a lot of zombies. as for a scope, a decent red dot is perfect.
for longer ranger engagements or targets, any target rifle with a box magazine will do, but i would prefer something chambered for the .308 because the round is easy enough to obtain. but if you plan on staying home, get a .50 and just have fun hitting things from your roof.
as for the hand gun, i wouldnt carry anything but the FN Five-seveN. 20 round magazine and a sick little round. the 5.7x28mm is a smaller round and is easy to carry. it is a bit on the expensive side, but you could always learn to pack your own round and start stocking now.
now, equipment. Standard military BDUs and stuff of that nature are tear resistant and will stop a bite pretty effectively. the Kabar is good. but a multitool is a must, the wirecutter will be needed, and this like screwdrivers could come in handy. a camel backs would be a good think to hang onto because it can be worn and a lot of the load bearing vests you can get have pockets for them built in. high and low powered flashlights, with a couple of light filters, red/blue/green. a shakable led is perfect for the low powered, but a tactical light is a must for longer ranges. care plenty of batteries, but not too many to be unruly. you could invest in a pocket solar charger and a dozen rechargeable batteries.
Flare gun. standard walmart flare gun. could be used as a distraction i guess. but if a helicopter was flying overhead, it would be needed.
other then those, standard survival gear. map, compass, first aid kit, a zippo lighter and fluid, etc.
and yes, i would carry a katana.
Look I have served in the U.S.M.C for 3 tours in the middle east. and anyone in the core knows there way around guns. There is no perfect zombie gun! it depends on the user and what u find. personally i would use my M14 because it is very accurate at long range, and at close range still has a lot of kinetic energy to knock down anyone. also with the M14 the 7.76 round is very easy to find. The M14 will run you from $400 and up but you can probably find a used one cheaper. http://unlimitedcallofduty4.webs.com/m14.jpg As with the M14 There is one more weapon of choice, The all so true AK series. any AK variant that fires the 7.76 round would be the next best weapon. you can find one cheep, and they are virtually impossible to go wrong with. on semi-auto they are arguably accurate and as with the M14 very easy to find. And i also might add a side arm (and not a knife) with at least a .35 any smaller will have little stopping power. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/AK-47_type_II_Part_DM-ST-89-01131.jpg/800px-AK-47_type_II_Part_DM-ST-89-01131.jpg
Look I have served in the U.S.M.C for 3 tours in the middle east. and anyone in the core knows there way around guns. There is no perfect zombie gun! it depends on the user and what u find. personally i would use my M14 because it is very accurate at long range, and at close range still has a lot of kinetic energy to knock down anyone. also with the M14 the 7.76 round is very easy to find. The M14 will run you from $400 and up but you can probably find a used one cheaper. http://unlimitedcallofduty4.webs.com/m14.jpg As with the M14 There is one more weapon of choice, The all so true AK series. any AK variant that fires the 7.76 round would be the next best weapon. you can find one cheep, and they are virtually impossible to go wrong with. on semi-auto they are arguably accurate and as with the M14 very easy to find. And i also might add a side arm (and not a knife) with at least a .35 any smaller will have little stopping power. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/AK-47_type_II_Part_DM-ST-89-01131.jpg/800px-AK-47_type_II_Part_DM-ST-89-01131.jpg
"Anyone in the core"???
That's "Corps". The proper way to say it, especially if you want people to think you are a Marine, is "Anyone in the Corps".
Any Marine would have spelled it properly and would have capitalized it.
Any Marine that knew who you were, claiming to be one of them, would happily teach you the correct spelling in a way that would certainly stick. In general tehy don;t much like folks that pretend to be Marines.
Sounds like the author has AK envy... SKS suck dude!!
SAIGA 12 - shotgun with a clip. but that still doesnt allow you to have lethality at distance. i recommend the sig 556 or ak-74. both use smaller rounds for flatter trajectory and accuracy at distance, while having the reliability of an AK platform.
I wouldnt trust my life to an SKS. In any circumstance. Human threat or zombie. There is no such thing as a tactical reload with stripper clips. High capacity is the way to go. I own the Kriss cbr/so. Its a carbine in .45 acp accurate out through 100 yds. 30 rd mags that can also be used with the Glock 21. Its a virtually recoiless design with no real muzzle climb to speak of. It has a 16" barrel, folding stock, integral tac light, HK style foregrip. The entire weapon weighs about as much as a full loaded 30 rd mag. The only drawback: I dont know if Id swing the thing as a club. But I have a good machete for that. ;)
As far as rifles go, there are two main types that you could use, and whichever type you use is based on personal preference. First off there are the heavy, solid wooden rifles. The best semi-auto examples that I can think of are the m14 with the fairly common NATO 7.62x51 mm round, the ak47/sks, and any 30 06 rifle like the M1 Garand. What people haven't mentioned as possible zombie killing weapons are bolt action rifles. Yes, they do take slightly longer to reload and generally only hold 5 rounds, but bolt action rifles are much more accurate than any other guns. Bolt action rifles such as the Lee Enfield and high caliber hunting rifles. All of these rifles, bolt action or semi-auto have large, heavy stocks that are great for close quarters fighting. You can smash a person's skull even if you are not very strong by either swinging the gun like a club or by doing a punching motion with the back hand. All of these guns that I listed are 30 caliber, which is a devastating round, and ammunition for all of these guns can be found almost everywhere. The drawbacks of these heavy guns are the weight, which is commonly ranging from 7 to 10 pounds. I know from experience that it is hard to be accurate over long periods of time while holding these heavy guns, because your arms begin to shake. Another problem is that the recoil is too much for some people, especially with the Enfield and the Garand. The first time I shot my Enfield, my shoulder was throbbing after 3 shots, so for inexperienced shooters I would recommend wearing thick clothing as well as earplugs. The final problem with large rifles is that they are terrible for use inside. Making a quick turn into a room with a 3.5 foot gun is next to impossible, so If you chose one of these guns you should have a sidearm.
The second type of effective rifle to use is short, lightweight rifles. These are usually made of plastic and common models are the m16, ar15 (semi-auto m16 for civilian use), the m4, and the ak74. Other great choices that are less common in the U.S. are bulpup rifles, such as the sa80 (seen in 28 days later), the Famas, the tar21, and the Styer Aug. Bulpup rifles have the magazine behind the trigger, so the barrel goes back farther and does not have to protrude as far. These rifles are much shorter than most combat weapons but have the same length barrels, meaning that they are just as accurate as other lightweight rifles. These small, light rifles generally use a high velocity .223 caliber round (5.52mm), and they are decently accurate, although they can not compare to the accuracy of bolt action rifles. Lightweight rifles are much easier to run with, and they are also much more usable indoors. To some extent bulpup rifles can even be (inaccurately) fired with one hand! The only real drawback for this type of rifle is that they are not good for skull bashing due to their light weight. Therefore if one is using a light combat rifle it is imperative that they carry a backup weapon like a baseball bat or golf clubs. Having to carry a mele weapon is supplemented, however, by the fact that you can carry significantly more ammo due to the light weight. Another word of advice is to try to use hollow point ammo if possible, because .223 hollow point bullets break apart when they hit flesh and shred up the target's insides with devastating results. And if any of you were wondering, .223 bullets still have the power to go through a human skull. If you can get your hands on a bullpup rifle, go for it, because they are great to shoot. I have held several at gun shows and they were lighter than a tiny mp5 sub machine gun! I am trying to buy a Styer Aug, but you must realize that apart from being upwards of $1,500, they must be imported to U.S. residents, meaning that they are very difficult to purchase besides at gun shows.
(im the same person as the anonimous link from above)While it is true that shotguns are very slow to reload, people seem to be forgetting about double barrels. Double barrel shotguns are almost instant to reload and are probably more accurate than any other kind of shotgun due to the simple firing mechanism. They can also be sawed off (but not legally), so they are effective indoors. Shotguns have incredible stopping power, so even if zombies do have to be shot in the head (which they most likely wouldn't), the zombie on the receiving end of the shot would still be knocked back of disabled. As far as the ammunition situation, the shells are very heavy to hold in large groups, so ammunition in coat pockets would make it very awkward to run. Extra ammo could be carried in a backpack, so that is not a problem, but the ammunition could be carried in a hip pack (yes you would look like a scrub but does that really matter?) or it could be carried in the pockets of a fly-fishing vest.
As far as pistols go, stay away from them unless you are an experienced handgun shooter. Unlike in video games and movies, pistols are not accurate for an experienced shooter to more than 25 yards, and to hit a head sized target you would probably need to be within 10 yards, which is when you should have started running anyway. The first time I used a pistol, I missed all but one shot on a head sized target at 15 yards! I'm not kidding people, pistols are useless for head shots. If you can kill zombies with body shots, however, then pistols could be useful as a sidearm. Regardless of what the zombies are like, Pistols are excellent for use in buildings, so If you are going to be in buildings a lot then pistols are handy.
Finally, to address the question of a 50 caliber rifle, the utmost and absolute answer is do not even think about it. The Barret .50 cal. sniper rifle, when shooting from 800 yards, can rip off someones arm from the shoulder when it hits them in the hand. It is a devastating weapon and not to be messed with. Although it sounds tempting at first, it cannot be fired repetitively without a bipod due to the massive kick, and if held wrong the recoil can break your collar bone or shoulder blade. This gun is crossing the line into field artillery, and it is completely unnecessary to use against a person or zombie unless you are a highly trained sniper firing at ranges in excess of 1800 yards. Also a full clip of five weighs almost a pound, so you won't be able to carry hardly any ammo (if you miraculously get your hands on the ammo in the first place). And good luck finding or buying one because they cost thousands of dollars. Elephant guns fall under the same rules, if not as extreme, I mean we're trying to kill zombies nor African bull elephants.
I hope you enjoyed reading this (congrats if you got to the end cause it's pretty lengthy), but don't actually buy these guns for the sole purpose of killing zombies, cause lets face it people, zombies aren't real. They are all great guns for hunting and target shooting, so they are worth buying. As well as a zombie guide, this can also serve as a guide for self defense against criminals.
cant wait for 2012, its gonna be soo much fun, me and my friends just talk about this in all our classes!!!
the best weapon of all for a zombiepocolypse staying in a fortified position would always be the m107 barret .50 cal for 3 reasons
1. everyone would be either dead or zombies or trying to help kill zombies so you could just walk anywhere and get some shells (i just have to get to my uncles he ha millions of surplus shells from his military days)
2. you just have to hit them in the chest or higher because of the size of the round would mak a hole big enough to kill them
and last but not least
3. some .50 clas are semi auto so you just have to aim and fire and they die especially if you get groups just aim into the masses and blam they all die sorry if this throws your whole theory out of whack but ALL zombie movies show that a zombie with a whole in its chest will die
sorry for the double post but the guy above my first comment is insanley wrong the barret .50 cal has a muzzle break that makes it have the recoil of the 30-30 meaning it will not break your shoulder second the ammo does wiegh a ton but when your in a fortified position then whats the point of the matter of weight? huh? there is none!!! i know the best gun because if i didnt then i would be in mass panic because i have a fear of a zombiepocolypse
Anonymous 9:44,
I want to start out by saying how thrilled I am that this comment thread is still alive THREE GODDAMNED YEARS after I first wrote this blog entry. Thank you for keeping it going.
That said: dude, the 50 BMG? No. That is a cartridge chambered in bolt action rifles for the purposes of anti-material sniping. Putting a round through an engine block at 800 yards and such. That's great and all, but its way more than you would need for zombies. And while over-kill in its self isn't enough of a case against any cartridge (nothing can be too dead), .50 BMG makes no sense on other counts as well.
Go out there and price it. Go on, look it up on Midwayusa.com or cabelas or where ever. Its around $5 a shot. How the hell are you going to stockpile that in advance? And how many people do you really think are shooting .50 BMG in any given town? Precious few, meaning that if you are on the run and hitting abandoned Walmarts and local gun shops you will run out of ammo and not be able to find more.
Furthermore, while you are correct about recoil not being an issue given the weight of the rifles, think about that in practical terms. You think you can shoot a .50 BMG off-hand and standing up while the horde descends on you? No goddamned way. Those rifles weigh around 30 pounds or more. Not gonna happen. It's great off of a rest or tripod against a target that isn't trying to charge you in thick cover from 30 yards away. Otherwise, you are dead as fried chicken, my friend.
For a general purpose anti-zombie rifle you would need something chambered in a cartridge that you could scavenge anywhere if forced to move (what your uncle has in his garage is irrelevant in that sense) and the rifle and cartridge combination should be something that you can shoot off-hand at mid to close range if need be. The .50 BMG, while a fun cartridge in other senses, does not fit the bill.
I'd have to go with the Ruger Mini-14. I've seen used versions equipped with scopes for as little as $599, which isn't a lot when you are talking about your personal safety.
Yes, .223 rounds are more expensive, so stocking up pre-apocolypse will cost you a little more, but after the apocolypse you should be able to find large stockpiles laying around for free at abandoned sporting goods stores and military bases.
The Mini-14 with a scope and plenty of 30-round magazines makes a lethal combination out to 300 meters.
J.C.,
I agree that the Mini 14 would be a good choice. There's nothing wrong with .223 against zombies, but I should point out here that the Mini 14 is now available in several other chamberings, including 7.62x39, 6.8 spc and .222 Remington. That wasn't the case when I wrote this piece in 2007. The Mini is also more accurate now than it was a few years ago.
A few thoughts on the accuracy of handguns and shotguns. Several have commented that neither is accurate out past 25 or 30 yards, even less for pistols, but I think they are missing the point. Neither is intended to be a distance weapon. Get yourself a .308 or something for that. Both the pistol and the shotgun are intended to be "Holy $h|t I just walked around a corner and a zombie is standing in my shorts" weapons. If the zombie is far enough away that these weapons wouldn't be accurate, then use your .308 or whatever. And a shotgun loaded with 12 ga 00 buck doesn't need to be accurate anyway. Just point it in the general direction of the zombies head and erase it from the neck up.
My ultimate set up:
Any semi auto rifle in .308 cause the .308 round should be readily available and easily scroungable.
Add truglo sights for close work and any decent scope mounted on see through rings for long range stuff and you should be good to go.
Any 12 ga magazine fed shotgun (of which there are several models to choose from these days) Shorten the barrel as much as the shotguns layout will allow and fit with a good choke to make up for the lost barrel length. In fact if you choose one that can be shortened enough and remove the butt stock too, you might even be able to carry it strapped to your thigh, Mad Max style.
Any high capacity pistol in 9mm, loaded with hollow points.
Just a crazy thought, but some submachine guns have a single shot setting. Used this way, and not in bursts or full auto which would waste ammo and be inaccurate, you would essentially have a longer barreled (and thus potentially more accurate) pistol that takes 20-30 round mags. Set to bursts or full auto and its good for non zombie threats too. Granted, not all SMG's would be balanced well enough to be fired accurately one handed, which would be preferable in a pistol alternative, but it may be worth considering.
Hand to hand? Yes, fighting zombies hand to hand is stupid, but sometimes its unavoidable. Again, "Holy $h|t I just walked around a corner and a zombie is standing in my shorts" is the scenario to be worried about here. Whether you have run out of ammo, or simply don't have time to reload, you have to be prepared to defend yourself up close and personal. Many people will think of cutting weapons like katanas or the ever present fire axe, but a cutting weapon could lodge itself firmly in a zombies skull or spine, and while you may have killed him deader than dirt in the process, you have left yourself defenseless against his 99 buddies standing behind him.
Blunt weapons, baseball bats, lead pipes, etc. These are the way to go here. Crush the zombies skull with no risk of getting stuck therein. My best choice? A steel crowbar, available in any hardware store and probably in your own garage, will do the job nicely with the added benefit of being a useful tool in its own right.
To all this all a load bearing vest, as much ammo as is practical for all three firearms, and no more clothes and other gear than you can fit in a good sized back pack. You wanna be able to grab it all and run without having to go back for anything.
One of those zippy new off road racing quad bikes would make for a good vehicle. Fast, good mileage, handles rough terrain, and if outfitted with a rack behind the seat can carry more cargo (extra gas, food, ammo, etc) than a dirtbike
Just my $0.02, hope you like it.
My ultimate set up (Revised):
The SCAR-H rifle in .308 (readily available / easily scroungable.)
Long (20") barrel fitted with a muzzle brake with truglo sights for close work and any decent scope mounted on see through rings for long range stuff. A CQB (13") barrel with a reflex sight (and truglo backup) for closer urban type stuff.
Here's where it gets even more fun. A 12 ga magazine fed XM-26 LSS shotgun fitted with a good choke to make up for the lost barrel length mounted under the forward hand guard of the CQB receiver.
A 9mm Uzi, Calico M950, Franchi LF-57, Star Z-84 or Walther MPK, loaded with hollow points. Use in semi auto only as a 20-40 round pistol alternative with a reflex sight. Set to full auto either is good for non zombie threats too. All of this assuming that any of the above SMG's are balanced well enough to be fired accurately one handed, if not then a Glock, Sig or whatever in 9mm.
Laser/LED Taclight combos on both the SMG and the SCAR-H CQB.
Hand to hand? Steel crowbar, as described in my previous post, to double as a blunt weapon and a useful tool for prying your way into abandoned buildings and so forth.
To all this add a load bearing vest, as much ammo as is practical for all three firearms, and no more clothes and other gear than you can fit in a good sized back pack (External frame style). You wanna be able to grab it all and run without having to go back for anything.
One of those zippy new off road racing quad bikes for a vehicle, outfitted with a cargo rack behind the seat. Fast, good mileage and handles rough terrain.
Just my $0.02 (again), hope you like it.
the Calico M950 .22 is a work of both insanity and genius. With a capacity of firing 50 or even 100 rounds from a cylindrical magazine roughly the diameter of a soda can it will never jam.
If you want to seriously survive a zombie holocaust the only rifle you need is a basic semi auto .22 rifle. Nothing fancy except maybe a laser sight. All you need to do is penetrate the brain and destroy it. A typical .22 round will not go all the way through a human skull and out the other side. What it will do is go in and bounce around on the inside. Maximizing the brain destruction goodness. .22 caliber shells are rediculously easy to aquire in large quantities. They also don't take much powder so if your reusing your shells you don't go through alot of powder suply. Its not the coolest weapon but it is the best for killing them and not using up your suply of ammo.
My setup would have to be:
9mm Beretta Cx4 storm
Beretta 92fs
Cold Steel warhammer
Why? Because the Cx4 is a carbine and thus less weight. The mags are interchangeable with the 92fs mags with a conversion kit from Beretta. Also, I have found 33rd mags for the 92fs so the same ammo capacity as most assault rifles. Plus, the ammo doesn't weigh a lot which helps in ease of carry. And finally the warhammer because it was designed to bash heads in, the one from Cold Steel weighs only 2 pounds and 7.80 oz. It has the reach to keep you away from the zombies with an overall length of 30". Plus any idiot can use it.
Links:
http://www.berettausa.com/products/cx4-storm/
http://www.beretta.com/Defence-Pistols-Carbines/Defence/Full/92FS/index.aspx?m=82&f=2&id=795
http://www.coldsteel.com/warhammer.html
I have alot of training with assorted weapons and i have also tested many different firearms on ballistic gelatin. You guys are overlooking a number of great weapons that would be useful for zombies. As far as the .22 penatration question goes, it depends on what kind of round you use. Sub-sonics and hollow points defiantly will have a failure to penetrate the skull, but CCI mini-mags will. As far as machine guns not working, who says you have to shoot a zombie in the head to render him useless, I am pretty sure that if a hoard of zombies are walking towards you and you shoot out their legs making it easier for you to get the hell out of dodge. As far as weapons that are being over-looked. 1. The russian made PPSH-41, extremely cheap ammo, 72 round drum or 32 round box magazine. Even if you have a neutered civilian version its still 72 rounds that can defiantly come in handy. Its very easy to aim and you can get quite a few shots off before you have to re-adjust your aim due to recoil. However these are very uncommon but i have seen a few at local gun stores (NOT THE .22 ONES) going for around 650-1200 usd. BUT, unless you manage to find more than one 72 round drum magazine you might be in trouble. Then again when WWZ does happen money will be useless so you might as well buy anything and everything that you can. As far as the SKS goes, ive fired many an sks and I do not think that they are a reliable and easy to use firearm and I would never trust my life to a gun that has a 10 round magazine in a situation like WWZ. 2nd overlooked weapon: Ruger 10/22. Loaded with the right kind of ammo this is a devastating weapon. 30 round mags getting as cheap as 8.65 and 50 round drums going at 60-80 usd whats not to like about this weapon, plus the ammount of flavors it comes in and its price, it cant be beat at all. 3rd: Not actually a gun nor is it easy to get ahold of, just more of a "would this rule" type of thing. Dragonsbreath 12 gauge phosphorous infused cartriges. Costing 17 dollars for 3. But these put up a wide spray of phosphorous goodness that would certainly melt through said zombies cranial region and might even give you a second to laugh about it before you have to continue retreating from the whord of zombies, Strung buck would also be a sweet round for decapitating a zombie. Cant forget about flachette either. Just throwing some ideas out there, criticism is welcomed. Thanks for the read haha.
Clearly the shotgun is the best zombie weapon defense weapon. The zombie brain presents a cross-section of about 4-inches, and is highly mobile - dodging, sprinting (according to more recent movies, etc).
So you're aiming at a moving 4-inch target, what weapons is optimized for that...oh yeah, that'd be a shotgun. Ever try to hit a skeet or trap target with a rifled round? They make shotguns for that. And a skeet or trap clay is curiously close to the cross-section of a zommbie brain. Clearly, the trap and skeet shooters will survive the zombie apocalypse.
my opinion take it or leave it
an ar15 type- i have an armalite m15 a2no bells or wistles on it just a surefire flash light, something like a glock 17,19 for cqb beretta mod 92 would work also, not much on revolvers-but they wont jam either!shotgun ammo is very heavy-anyone who bird hunts will testify to that. weight will be an enemy in rough terrain so more than 2 weapons+ ammo and other gear will be hard to carry in vertical terrain. basic survival skills is more important than a tricked out rifle and shotgun or 33 rounds in a pistol
I like to keep things simple, give me the combo of the basic Mossberg 500 12 gauge and the .45 caliber M3 "Grease Gun". The Mossberg and Grease gun are the definition of reliablity and both are capable of maximum devastation in the event of a Zombie Apocolypse. Both rounds are readily available and the cyclic rate on the M3 is low enough to offer the shooter controllable bursts of the deadly 45 ACP round. While it won't win any beauty contests, the Grease Gun is a wonderfully simple design that doesn't require the same pampering as other subguns. Operation is extremely simple, simply insert mag, charge action, and flip up the dust cover and you're in business, no safety required. The Mossberg can be used and abused and will always be ready to dance with minimum or no cleaning. The SKS is cetainly a world class zombie gun as well, just my opinion.
Thanks,
BL
I don't understand why some of you think that an SKS wouldn't be a good zombie killer. I have a Yugo with the fixed magazine removed and Tapco's new 20 round removable magazines being utilized. I bought 10 of these magazines and I have not had a jam yet. I also replaced the original firing pin with a spring loaded "T" pin so slam fires are all but impossible. Ammo is indeed cheap and is "everywhere" even wall mart and k mart carries the 7.62 x 39.
With the removable composite mags, I have 200 rounds of ammo at my disposal at any given time. The bayonet can and will be used in close combat to go right through the Zombie's eye into his/her brain. The SKS is solid, battle tested, durable and reliable. It is more accurate than an AK type rifle out to about 100 yards, so plinking them off one by one from a distance when necessary is fairly easy. I can use it to shoot them, smash their skulls open and poke their brains out, depending on the situation. It can get loaded with brains, blood, rotten skin and zombie guts and still not clog. Some of you may like the fancy AR's and HK's, but I choose a rifle that has withstood the test of time and numerous wars. From the front lines of the Belorussian front to Korea to China and Vietnam, the SKS has indeed withstood the test of time and battle. I would not hesitate to trust my SKS to protect me from both zombie hoards and humans intent on causing harm to me or my family. I have stocked up on many, many thousands of rounds of surplus and commercial ammo and I will be ready when the SHTF.
ok listen your best bet is a 12gauge shotgun packed with either buckshort or bb rounds. as for a sidearm a 357 magnum revolver with fullmoon clips. and dont forget maele bring your favorite golf club! not only does it weigh next to nothing but its made of pure steel. buuut if a shotty dont suit ya get a mossberg crossbow at 79$ it might be the chepest wepon that makes no noise and it will never run out of ammo!
There are in fact, shotguns with magazines. Without going into fully automatic shotguns, a manufactuerer I can think of right off the top of my head is Saiga. But yes, ammo is expensive and very bulky.
For those of you that have suggested using old out of date guns, think again. You really can't count on finding a PPsH or an mp40 or anything like that. Also, if you own one, good luck finding spare parts for a 60 year old weapon. People also seem to assume that they will just stumble upon a Saiga shotgun or a .50 cal. rifle. Sorry, not a chance. Another consideration is reloading time- if you have a 50 round magazine it will last a while but it will take minutes to refill. Shotguns require being loaded one by one, so you can count on 8 shots from your 12-Gauge before it is useless for the rest of the fight; in a stressful situation it will take even longer than normal to reload. The only shotguns that should be considered for drawn out fighting are double barrels, which are very quick to reload. Guns with magazines have the same issue: they take longer to refill than to shoot off. Also, don't count on finding ammo for the guns that "you can buy bullets for anywhere", such as any .223 or 9 mil guns. Every other survivor will have a gun of a common caliber, so any ammunition in stores will be depleted very quickly. Use a gun with a rare cartridge that may be overlooked by others, but can still be found in the local gun store. My best bet is to use my 16 gauge double barrel (which seems to be less common than 20 or 12 gauge shotguns)and my .38 caliber revolver. I have an SKS, a 9 mil. glock pistol with a 32 round magazine, a 30-06 hunting rifle, and a 22, but I won't plan on using guns that will either have no ammo left so scrounge or that will take too long to reload.
Just wanted to point out that the shotgun is not accurately portrayed in the several of comments here. If it was inaccurate as mention then hunters would not be bagging anywhere near the game that they do, in fact, bag. Have the people nay-saying shotgun accuracy actually fired these weapons? Don't confuse accuracy with effective range. They are related but separate individuals. Rifled slug barrels are capable of accurate shots out to 100 yards. I know a prison guard who heads our state prison riot control group who uses this as his preferred weapon. I would guess that most game are taken with shotguns at between 30-40 yards. So the 20-25 yard quotes are preposterous. The spread on shotguns is also very misunderstood by most who are not familiar with the firearms. They can totally run the gambit between a no-choke sawed off and a fully choke long barrel.
I'm not saying that shotguns are the way to go...just try to correct some misinformation. Personally, I would use something that I would have the easiest time _finding_ ammunition for. Since our military and police forces primarily use 5.56mm I would expect that to be quite abundant and plunderable after z-day. Good (fun) blog topic!
OK, Here are my two cents. I would have a Ruger Mini 14 .223, a backup .22 Taurus revolver with hollow points(Let me explain before you rip it apart), and finally a Woodsman's Pal (Deluxe version with knuckle guard of course) The Ruger is a solid choice, fairly lightweight and accurate. The revolver is a good backup gun because of the simplicity of the gun. Easy to clean, easy to fire, and hollow point bullets will do their job on a zombie skull. Plus you have one gun that won't possibly jam on you. A pistol as a backup weapon should be something you can quickly fire in order to buy some time. That is what the 9 cartridge revolver will do for you. You get surprised while sleeping, grab your revolver, kill a few and then use your Woodsman's Pal on any still in the immediate facility. Your Ruger is your primary, but you should have a pistol always as a backup. Also, do lots of cardio so you can run :)
DUH Obviously you would use Gyrojets, G11's, Barrett M50s and a railgun while jet-packing away cuz lol the zombies can't get you if u haz a jet-pack!
Some absolutely absurd video gamer answers here. If there's a zombie apocalypse and you're on the move for more than a few days, you're testing fate every moment. It's a matter of probability that eventually you'll get killed. No respawns.
A lot of the answers here reflect the "If I could have any gun, and there's this one zombie that can't get me, which gun would I choose?" mentality. Correct zombie survival means defending a practically impregnable fixed position with food to last potentially years and trying to avoid dangerous firefights with zombies.
During the transit on the first few days post-outbreak from your civilian home to the eventual fort you get to, mobility, stealth and luck is more important than your loadout.
As far as guns go (lol ah yes the OP), a lightweight assault rifle is the way to go. Every once in a while, you might actually need fully automatic fire to deal with an urgent zombie that's too close for you to line up your sights.
You want an AK. Yeah yeah it's not 'off-the-shelf' like the OP says, but why not grab it pre-apocalypse? It's reliable, won't weigh you down and fairly cheap (same for internet ammo). You don't need to stockpile 1000's of rounds, cuz if you do, you haven't grasped the concept of zombie survival- AVOIDANCE.
Once you've reached your final destination, you don't want to be using guns if you can help it, as it attracts more zombies.
Oh, and you won't want any attachments with batteries (lol at gamers' red dot sight suggestions). Dead weight after a few days, plus the AK iron sights are fine. If a zombie is too far away to reliably hit from a distance, then you're better off not shooting him and running away.
IMO the best sidearm is a machete, pistols are more dead weight (inaccurate, more ammo storage requirements, reloading, etc.).
Well wow alot to digest lol I say everyone is making so much sense there is no arguement pick what is best for your need. I would say an eay post was way overlooked there are only a few real battle rifle calibers one being 7.62x54r mosin 91/30 ! I love it cheap to get ammo is cheap can reach out almost like the .50 can crack the engine blocks with soft point will make heads disappear and u can mod it to your liking as well as it is a bolt action so you have power ( 30 cal style ) it's a sniper rifle and more ! To add to that every soldier should have a sidearm I'll take my taurus pt100afs .40 cal and 9 shot .22 with a ruger 10/22 and ammo ! The .22's are for low noise hunting and I'll clear urban settings with my .40 and when we wanna stay outa sight that mosin gives me 500 yards easy lol ! Now add a red head that's shooting sniper and driving the jeep were good till we fortify oh and did we forget to say the bow ! A must u can always fraction a arrow when hiding in the woods ! Ok I'm done lol
@405r,
I definitely share your affection for the 7.62x54R. When I first got serious about learning how to shoot, I got myself a Mosin Nagant and more surplus 7.62x54R ammo than I can even recall. I blasted away with that stuff every weekend until centerfires felt about the same to me as a .22. The slick action of a Mosin Nagant is still more familiar to me than even my Remington 700s.
However, I think that the cartridge only makes sense if you plan on holing up in a very tall, secure building where you have removed the stairs and prepared the location with food, water and other supplies in order to remain there for months or years. In that situation, the cheap ammo would be great for killing zombies just for the heck of it.
If you expect to need to be on the move, crossing many miles (dozens? Hundreds?) to reach a safe zone, then really think that the 7.62x54R would be a poor choice. On top of being very loud and impossible to silence (in all fairness, most of the cartridges suggested share this trait), it could be very difficult to scrounge along the way. You can't walk into a Walmart and find the stuff. It is also much heavier than many other cartridges that could kill a zombie just as easily. You could only carry half as much of it as you could 7.62x39.
I like the sights are pretty much your basic three-dot configuration.They work fine in well lit,daylight conditions.In low light they're solid as well.
chiefsupply.com/search/night%20sights.aspx
Best firearm weapon for zombie survival is one that fires any kind of ammo. Totally universal one.
Also, sometimes there will be no ammo, or you just want to spare it. Then you want some makeshift gizmo which can fire big enough nails.
Instead of powder it must work on gasoline. Or, if its not possible, on water solution of ammonia nitrate. The latter is widespread fertilizer, with right catalyst its water solution behaves like liquid powder. Oh, this gizmo should have some silencer too.
Having Glock with silencer would be nice too.
Very little has been said about silencers. I legally own two (a $200 stamp makes it legal; otherwise its a felony to possess). I bought one for my AR and was a little distressed to discover that a suppressed AR is still pretty darned loud. That's because its a high velocity round and a lot of what you are hearing is the sonic boom. Also, the silencer only suppresses the sound coming out of the barrel, and semi automatic rifles blow a lot of sound out of the side when the action is open. After some more research, I bought a second silencer for my .22. Again, I was disappointed at how loud it still was. On a Ruger 1022, there is still a lot of sound coming out of the action, and the sonic boom is still the majority of what you hear when you fire a .22. So I switched to subsonic ammo, which made a huge difference, and I also had to buy a new rifle because all my .22 rifles were semi-auto, and you need a bolt action or your silencer doesn't do much good. I eventually settled on the Savage Mark II FV-SR, which comes stock with a 16" threaded barrel. I have concluded that I've finally found the perfect zombie rifle. I'm pretty sure it was designed with zombies in mind. With a suppressor and using sub-sonic ammo, it is actually quieter than an air rifle, and it is deadly accurate. What I'm not certain about is whether a subsonic .22 round will provide sufficient penetration. Some of you have stated that it won't go through a zombie skull, but I doubt if you have actually tried it. It certainly has more penetration than a crossbow, and it is quieter and faster to reload. I intend to try it out on the first zombie I encounter. I will keep an extra magazine handy loaded with .22 stingers just in case the subsonic stuff doesn't work. But again, if subsonic doesn't work, then I'd switch back to a Ruger 1022 because I'd rather have a semi auto and the whole point of a bolt action is to minimize sound, and if you can't use sub-sonic ammo then there is no point of using a bolt action.
One thing I'm positive would work is a silenced .45. I just recently learned that standard .45 acp ammo is subsonic, so even though it is loud, a .45 is an ideal caliber to use a silencer with. So now I'm saving up for a third silencer in .45 caliber. But I haven't chosen a gun yet, because I'm not aware of any bolt action rifles that are available in .45 acp.
I was happy to see that one other person mentioned the FN Five seveN. If you aren't going to use a silencer, then the 5.7 is a no-brainer. Super high capacity magazines let you carry three times the ammo compared to a .223 or even a 9 mm. The penetration and long range capabilities are comparable to a .223. I can hit a zombie brain-sized target at 200 yards with a Five seveN pistol; there is no way you could do that with any other standard pistol caliber. They also make 5.7 mm rifles, so you could use interchangeable ammo with both your primary weapon and your side arm. But that's only if you aren't going to use a silencer, because 5.7 is very high velocity and there is no way to suppress a sonic boom.
First off, good posts, read them all (took a while, haha).
Although this blog started out as "Which rifle caliber?" My 2 cents:
No one has really stated about 'staying on the move'. MANY safe houses and vehicles. Zombies are slow, keep ammo in the truck, shoot from the bed. Pull forward, repeat. Many guns, calibers, locations. It's ZombiePocalypse, stock up, everything's plentiful if u can get to it. No Zombie left behind, kill'm all or drive away.
On my person:
1) AR for modularity prob in 5.56 (not my fav cal) w/ plenty spare mags, ACOG, light, grip, possible silencer.
2) An 870 rem, mine is a 20in bbl turkey gun w/ red dot and flip-up sights. 3/1/2's 000buck, 18! pellets, removes the body from the head, or legs. sure to get more than 1 at a time. Gonna slow load?, make'm count.
3) Gonna use a .357 revolver, keep ammo in the boxes and empty into tac pocket as needed. Not a semi auto, got enough AR mags, don't need any more, a backup gun, is last resort besides..
STEEL:
Many options here, machete ok, but are are prone to sticking, and length a liability, as is the kukri and warhammer. A katana is a good choice. BUT I like the..
1) AX. 1 side sharp w/ good curve. Split dome and release. Other side blunt, for domes, doors and bashing. 3/1/2 to 4ft, but not too heavy, they are just zombies, not trees.
2) Zombie knife, a 12in+ survival/ camp knife.
3) Duh, a quality folder.
In The Truck: (more guns)
1) Scoped, bolt action 30-06
2) Lever action .44mag
3) Bullpup .308 (I like Kel-Tec's)
4) A Bow, for those silent times.
6) FN45 tactical w/ silencer and red dot. This thing's 15+1!
5) Ammo, ammo, ammo, some supplies, (water, snacks)
Look, I'm trying to get humanity started up, not run and hide. THEY'RE ZOMBIES, they want to die, is why they move slow ('er than the truck) Good luck and happy hunting ;)
All of your ideas is correct but there is one thing you left out...
and that is! problems !! guns: you need to have them clean or they will fail on you. It does not matter what kind of gun! if the gun is not being taken care of it will be destroyed by ware of the metal and the powder will build up in the gun causing malfuctions.
two knifes: they will rust !! so goes for guns. unless they are stainless steel and they are hard to come by in guns. knifes they are stainless steel are very popular and nowadays they are mostly made of that so that is a plus. the thing with kifes is the close combat that you don't want and if your not to experienced with sowrds your going to endup cutting your self with zombie blood and killing your self.
melee objects: melee object are great for zombie defense but the question is how many? how long can your object last? were can you plan an escape? can you last? lets face it most people these days (including me) are not in the best shape of there lifes they can not simply last the fight or running from them (if they do run) these are problems we have to solve when we encounter them but allways find an alternative way to get by.
surviving: a problem with surviving is the fight of food, other people, an mental strength of the person that is also problems we can face. we have to know our suroundings our cites, way outs and shelter.
re population: as most of you know that babies cry alot and not all ways the best thing to have in those situations having a high pich cry to alert the enemy that you are there. pregnate woman not the best of temper and not very mobile to keep along. during the survivel you need to be fast not slow and keep a right mindset for the women and law we don't need pregnat chick wihle being in this thing.
this was writen to give you of an idea of proplems you will face and try to fix before wwZ starts try to keep an open mind be nice and try to make friends maybe you will need some during survivle. all ways keep peace between folks but kill thoughs who have no hope try to help but if they not fix kill them but allways keep them in your memory
this was writen by a 15 year old boy named frank and i am who wrote this. from texas. this writing is not perfect but it felt needed to put this long comment here for you to see and thing of the now and the futuer allways keep thinking.
Post a Comment