Close range zombie defense

In movies and games that populate the lives of many we see the hero standing up as the undead close in around him. First he empties his long gun, if he even has one, and as the enemy closes in all around he draws his pistol. Depending on the movie or game it is often a revolver, large and powerful the symbol of American gun perfection, the soul of the old west. He brings up his gun and fires till they are all dead. In real life he pulls the trigger six times, maybe hitting half that number of zombies and maybe killing one, and as he tried desperately to reload dropping the cartridges because his hands shake with fear and adrenaline he is over whelmed and consumed.  Did he have the right weapon for close range zombie defense?

The above is designed not to deter one from carrying a handgun during a zombie outbreak, rather it is designed to deter a person from thinking that a handgun is the solve all that many movies portray it to be. Of all modern firearms the handgun is by far the hardest to master. It takes years and thousands if not hundreds of thousands of rounds for one to master the use of a handgun, be it revolver, autoloader, or otherwise.

  • RevolverSingle Action Revolver: One of the oldest and most widely recognized handguns is the single action revolver of old western fame. Rugged and dependable it is nearly the worst handgun that could be chosen. The gun is slow to fire and even with a great deal of training reloading is slow and tedious. Even barring the single action army model Colt and looking at something like the Smith and Wesson Model three with its break open top reloading the weapon under enormous stress is difficult.
  • Double Action Revolver:  This is again not the choice weapon when handguns are concerned since reloading the weapon is still time consuming. Some may argue that speed loaders have ended this debate and also that there are now revolvers that will hold eight round, the same as a standard 1911 with a seven round magazine and one in the chamber, that the double action revolver may still hold its own. However, unless you are a champion pistol shooter and have used one in combat or are a former police officer who carried one on the streets and have been shot at I would not recommend such a handgun as your backup weapon.
  • Semi-Automatic:  This is for the most part the choice weapon when you have the ability to carry a backup weapon to your main gun. The weapon is easy to reload, inserting the magazine into the gun and releasing the slide, magazine capacity is greater than that of a revolver, and in general, there are exceptions, they are highly reliable. This is the preferred type of backup handgun when dealing with zombies, the only down fall of it is the chance that in a panic a shooter could empty the entire magazine of the gun in a few seconds hitting little more than air.

 Other factors to consider when selecting your close-range zombie defense firearm:

  • Weapon size: Carrying a massive handgun may only slow you down and the idea is to have a weapon that can be brought into play quickly. Accuracy is also a concern here in that a gun too small or too big for the operator can hamper the likely hood of hit on target. Another consideration is that this weapon will not be used to fire at targets from a great distance. Though many handguns and engage targets accurately out to fifty yards twenty five is more realistic and less than ten yard is the best bet for being able to consistently kill the undead. Another factor that must also be taken into account is that stress and the pucker factor must be added and accuracy will diminish more the closer they get.
  • Caliber: Another consideration when choosing a handgun is caliber. Though many will look for the most powerful round that they can this is not the best idea. You do not need to blow the zombies head clean off, you only need to destroy the brain. Another consideration is that a non standardized caliber will be hard to find, running out of ammo you may find yourself with nothing more than a fancy boat anchor. A prime example of this is the S&W model 500. It is the world most powerful production handgun and may be good you hunt zombified bear but will do nothing to save you against a horde of the undead. Calibers that should be looked at are the trusted .45ACP, the 9mm luger/parabellum, the .40S&W, and finally the humble .22LR.   Stay tuned as we plan to offer an additional article which covers caliber more in depth.

 GlockThe official ZAC close range handgun choice is the Glock.  For various reasons, ZAC endorses the Glock as the firearm of choice when you find yourself in need of close range fire-power.  The Glock is a reliable handgun and is easily purchased.  It is not a speciality item and is easily recognizable to any and all.  There are numerous accessories available and also numerous models of the gun as well. 

Lastly you should remember that you need to keep and train the most important weapon of all, your brain. The ability to think and reason is what will allow us to prevail over the enemy. The weapons that are best suited may not be at hand and thus you may need to go with a less ideal weapon. As long you can survive use that weapon to its greatest potential and adapt. Also training before the coming of the zombies is essential to survival.  A professional with a poor weapon has a better chance of survival than an amateur with the latest and greatest arms on the planet.