Best round for zombies or apocalypse

[ohio traveler]

I need to decide on what gun / caliber to use for my "go-to" firearm.

7.62 maybe ??

Maybe a .45 handgun / 7.62 AK combo ??

If you're mobile, you probably don't want to be too weighted down.

[Hideout]

Zombie situation, don't use guns. They jam, they run out of ammo, etc. Use a crowbar, weapon and tool.

A friend of mine actually wrote a research paper for his composition class on survival tactics related to a zombie outbreak. It's pretty interesting stuff.

[ohio traveler]

Zombie situation, don't use guns. They jam, they run out of ammo, etc. Use a crowbar, weapon and tool.

A friend of mine actually wrote a research paper for his composition class on survival tactics related to a zombie outbreak. It's pretty interesting stuff.

A crowbar over an AK ?? Gee, I don't know about that.

The problem I see with the crowbar is that a person would wear out quickly after swinging that thing around.

[Hideout]

That's true, but the way I see it, the preferable option would be to avoid contact as much as possible. I mean, with a gun there would be loud noises which might attract more zombies. An axe or crowbar, or any melee weapon would be much quieter, and attract much less attention.

[Wyrdlight]

Read the Max Brooks Zombie Survival guide.

He goes over eveyr aspect of a zomie invasion in fine detail.

Including weapons etc.

He states that any weapon that has a full auto fire function is essentially worthless as it requires huge skill to get repeated headshots and immense discipline not to "rock out" and spray and pray when the zombies get too close to you.

Handguns are OK, but not great, better as a last resort in a melee then a ranged weapon.

He recomends (and i agree wholeheartedly) that single shot semi-auto carbines are the best and most effective weapon. With training and practice you can drop a zombie with a headshot every 2-3 seconds at medium ranges, you conserve ammo and make every shot count.

Bearing this in mind pretty much any semi-auto gun would do.

Melee weapons are best for most encounters, a fit person with a club, bat, crowbar or similar weapon could easily and quietly take on and kill half a dozen zombies with no real problems.

Bear in mind zombies are slow, its pretty easy to crush a skull with such weapons.

[Rafterman]

OK, I'll play.

I know some disagree with me, but I still contend that a .22 semi-auto carbine is the best weapon once you weigh all of the options.

It's light, relatively quiet, easy to handle, hyper accurate, high capacity magazines are available, and the ammo is light and plentiful. You can engage targets at range and in CQB situations quite effectively. Almost any store that sells firearms will have thousands of .22 rounds in stock. A 1,000 round brick takes up about as much room as a few packs of cigarettes and you could easily put 20,000 rounds in a standar backpack.

As for stopping power, you don't really need it against zombies. All you need is to score headshots and the .22 is powerful enough to do the kind of damage you need to do to "kill" them. Sure, a Desert Eagle .50 cal will take a zombies head clean off with one shot, but where are you going to find the ammo?

[msmike1]

Why not?

I think everyone is wrong with the semi-auto idea. Yes they would be effective, assuming they did not break or jam. Semi-autos are much more prone to malfunctions than other action types. The .22 lr is a wonderful idea and would probably be my first choice for the reasons listed. I would much prefer it in a pump or lever action rifle. Lever action most likely. They are more durable, simple to field strip, clean and work on should the need arise. Most are very accurate, point well, and are light. Most of the time dirt, and grime will not interfere with the action unless it is extreme quantities and then a simple field strip and cleaning and you are back shooting. No recoil to speak of so you don't have to worry about reaquiring targets after each shot. A lever action can be fired nearly as fast as a semi auto and any faster you wouldn't be acquiring targets. Just spraying.

With a very few minor parts you could repair most anything that breaks, which is highly unlikely in the first place.

Mike

[ohio traveler]

Are you all so sure that a zombie would survive a single headshot from a .22LR ? I know many humans regularly survive .22 shots.

But I do own a Remington 597 that has 30 round mags.

My AR15 ( 5.56 ) is very light weight and also has 30 round mags. I believe that I would feel more confident with it over my .22LR

But they are both standard semi-auto. If they jam I'm in deep doo-doo.

I like the idea of lever action.

Also totally agree. Full auto is a big waste of ammo.

[Damrod]

Gimme a classic "street-sweeper" Pistol gripped semi auto 12 gauge shotgun and a 20 shot rotary (barrel)clip...alternate your rounds between double 00 buckshot and slugs...

Melee weapon, definitly going with a nice poly or steel handled hatchet or camp axe and my machete... might want to keep a good supply of glass bottles and a couple cans of gasoline around ...in case you need to serve your guests "cocktails"...

[StarGateAtlantis]

Gimme a classic "street-sweeper" Pistol gripped semi auto 12 gauge shotgun and a 20 shot rotary (barrel)clip...alternate your rounds between double 00 buckshot and slugs...

Melee weapon, definitly going with a nice poly or steel handled hatchet or camp axe and my machete... might want to keep a good supply of glass bottles and a couple cans of gasoline around ...in case you need to serve your guests "cocktails"...

I recommend just using objects, baseball bats, crow bar, knife, sword, anything you can find in your tool shed, maybe planks, you name it. Ever play Dead Rising? That should teach you a thing or too.

[WoIverine]

I need to decide on what gun / caliber to use for my "go-to" firearm.

7.62 maybe ??

Maybe a .45 handgun / 7.62 AK combo ??

If you're mobile, you probably don't want to be too weighted down.

If you're crafty, you could probably modify some of those to use cheap ammo. I'd really like to sign up for a gunsmithing class, but there's none where I live, that I know of.

Anyways, I'd go with:

Combat shotgun strapped to my back, dual 45s, ka-bars and folders in available pockets, belt with extra shells, Internal or side pockets with extra clips, claymores with clackers for escape and area of effect, maybe throw in a 50 cal sniper rifle or two, topped off with full body kevlar, a few grenades, then I'm set. Maybe a katana when the bullets run out. Of course, my list is a little unrealistic lol. Probably doable though if you have connections, or you're former military, etc. Could probably buy dynamite with a license or something to sub out for mines and grenades.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Spid3rCyd3

[Fluffybunny]

Personally, I am a fan of my Ruger 10/22. Accurate as heck up to 150 meters or so, and can make headshots easy. .22 caliber bullets have a tendency to make a nice clean entry in the skull, but lose inertia and then bounce around a half dozen times making the brain into goo. They are pretty quiet rounds. 1000 rounds of ammo can fit in a jacket pocket, they are cheap and easy to take care of. I have a lot of different guns to work with, and unless I had some reason to shoot through doors, or glass(Which would require a heavier round), to go directly into a body(particularly a head shot) a nice .22 magnum will do an amazing job.

[msmike1]

I don't know how many humans survive headshots from a .22lr, but I do know that I don't want to be shot in the head by one. Anyway, you would have to be able to protect yourself and others, but also be extremely mobile. I for one don't want to be trying to run around with 400lbs of guns and ammo strapped to me. Ever picked up one single box of shotgun shells? Pretty heavy. For close quarters a 12 gauge would be an ideal weapon, but personally, I don't want to get that close. My personal battery would consist of 1. lever action .22lr, 1. .40s&w pistol with as many mags as I could carry comfortably, 1. large knife of some sort. Now, if I had a home area that I could hunker down in. OHHHHH ****, that would be a different story. Nothing would want to get to within 300yds of that place I assure you, lol.

Mike

[Rafterman]

Why not?

I think everyone is wrong with the semi-auto idea. Yes they would be effective, assuming they did not break or jam. Semi-autos are much more prone to malfunctions than other action types. The .22 lr is a wonderful idea and would probably be my first choice for the reasons listed. I would much prefer it in a pump or lever action rifle. Lever action most likely. They are more durable, simple to field strip, clean and work on should the need arise. Most are very accurate, point well, and are light. Most of the time dirt, and grime will not interfere with the action unless it is extreme quantities and then a simple field strip and cleaning and you are back shooting. No recoil to speak of so you don't have to worry about reaquiring targets after each shot. A lever action can be fired nearly as fast as a semi auto and any faster you wouldn't be acquiring targets. Just spraying.

With a very few minor parts you could repair most anything that breaks, which is highly unlikely in the first place.

Mike

That's a good point and something to always keep in mind. I can say, however, that in almost 40 years of shooting pretty much anything that will shoot, I've never had a failure of that type with a semi-auto.

But like in pretty much any situation, a back up weapon is essential.

Any of you guys ever been to this site: www.zombietools.net They make some killer blades and I love their motto: A Fistful of **** Yeah!

[HushDelu]

Hand held weapons would be better.

[msmike1]

That's a good point and something to always keep in mind. I can say, however, that in almost 40 years of shooting pretty much anything that will shoot, I've never had a failure of that type with a semi-auto.

But like in pretty much any situation, a back up weapon is essential.

Any of you guys ever been to this site: www.zombietools.net They make some killer blades and I love their motto: A Fistful of **** Yeah!

Well, you are most likely like me, and keep your firearms clean and in top working order. This will prevent most, if not all malfunctions with semi-autos of all types. This will allow for years of trouble free shooting from semi auto firearms for sure. Only problem is we are speaking of a zombie situation. I doubt very seriously that we would have time to sit down every so many hundred rounds and clean the firearm and inspect for damaged and/or worn parts. We are talking about a firearm that will see many thousands of rounds, in all types of horrid conditions, and will not be cleaned or inspected for long periods of time. In that situation you can have a semi auto. I will stick with the more durable firearm.

Mike

[jbondo]

The best weapon is a shotgun. They are point and shoot and they rarely jam. SGs are effective at a range that's far enough from the Zombie as not to put yourself in direct contact. Hand held striking weapons are great but if you drop it or don't drop the Zombie on the first strike, odds are he's on you. If you have them coming from several directions at once you'll either be glad you have a shotgun or wish you had one.

There is a drawback: SG ammo is cumbersome to carry. Of course a good 20 gauge would do the job and the shells are smaller, slender and lighter.

Personally, I'd carry a 20 gauge as my main weapon, a semi-auto handgun for finishing a Billie Club on one hip and a good survival knife strapped to my leg.

[The Lone Ranger]

I live in a country were (unfortunately) the gun policy isn`t as great as it is in the U.S.

So i have to seek substitute products. anyone has any ideas?

melee weapons shouldnt be any problem (swords, bat etc,)

but something for a middle-long range (besides bows).

i was thinking about a nail gun. what do ya`ll think about that?

[WoIverine]

Yeah, never thought about the antigun thing in the EU before. You guys are screwed if a zombie outbreak comes to fruition.

[ohio traveler]

Yeah, never thought about the antigun thing in the EU before. You guys are screwed if a zombie outbreak comes to fruition.

Yep. You all might want to run for the hills.

Perhaps if you had some bottled gas you could rig up some kind of flame thrower.

Nah Just run !!

[The Lone Ranger]

thanks for the compassion hahaha

you can have guns here, but the laws are very stern.

guess i have to make it to the mountains....

i havn`t thought about the flamethrower though, thats a good idea

any more ideas?

about the melee weapons, i think the katana is the best idea.. effective on close range. When you have no room to swing (in case of a bat) you`ll run **** outta luck (thats the expression right?), however katana does needs some expertise on how to use it.

[Moonie2012]

Is there such a thing as an autoloading mini-crossbow? It would be silent and avoids direct contact.

[WoIverine]

Just remember, stay away from old ladies who have to go back because they forgot their little chihuahua or something, that always happens!

[zombeikiller]

Don't forget bolt action rifles. some take the .308 and also 22. my henrey lever action can hold .22 long .22 lr and .22 shorts. if your gun can shoot a number of diffrent round your in good shap. and fire a .22 short is like shooting a gun with a silencer. almost no sound.

i should know. when i was liveing in the city my dad shot a racoon with it. no one could hear it. also a 22 can shoot though a bullet proof vest. just to let you know. i bought a box of 500 rounds for only 20 bucks. and ther where like 50 in the glass shelves of mijers.

i rather have a gun. to tell you the truth. a gun is both a melee weapon and a ranged weapon. if out of ammo then use it to bash there heads in.

also when will you have time to use a melee weapon. if there 5 or more zombies comeing after you and they have you stuck in a ally way. you can't kill them all that fast. but with a fire arm you could easily put them down fast and easy and still have time to get away befor more show up.

also the zombies have changed into sprinters. so you technally have both. the more recent dead bing faster and more mobliy while the slower ones are the ones who are slowly decaying.

and there will be times where you can infact take care of your weapon. but not all the time. or be like me. gather up a large group of people and start blasting away. look up on how many people in the world there are. and count out that many bullets or so. there you have enugh to kill all the zed heads. there's more bullets then humans just to tell you.

it's common fact. and that every one already know's how to kill them. it shouldn't be hard to end a zombie apocalys in less the a day.

also pardon my spelling and garmmer.

[Keosen]

Get a sledge hammer and let the party begin