If anything else, this site is about being aware and ready for the undead.  Much like the military, law enforcement, etc., you learn to train like you fight, and fight like you train.  Meaning, if you can practice shooting at zeds, why not practice with some realistic targets?

The kind folks at at Fork Targets have made preparing for the undead apocalypse that much easier with an entire set of zombie related shooting targets.  Why shoot anything but a zombie when trying to prepare?  You need to be ready.  You need to train your body and your mind to recognize these threats and be ready to take them out!

You can check out their available packages here: http://forktargets.com/Fork_Targets/ZombieShootingTargets.html

One of the oldest weapons of man is the ax, in various shapes and forms. While some of the oldest were little more than stone wedges today’s axes are high tech and designed to do their jobs with minimum work.  So, is the ax, the hand ax, and the American cousin the tomahawk the answer to the melee debate?

Advantages:

1. Availability: As a utility tool and a combat weapon the ax is simplistic and brute effeteness in one package, it is also widely available. While you may not find the latest and great in battle “hawks” at you local hardware store you will likely find a fine variety of utility axes.

2. The all around tool: While you can kill with an ax it’s most tantalizing aspect is the multi-use aspect of it. One can use an ax to chop wood, breach a door, or hack their way out of a house through the roof when they fled to the attic after the defenses have been over run. The uses for an ax are many and varied and this is perhaps one of the reasons that many will choose it over a sword or other weapons that require years of training to achieve proficiency.

Disadvantages:

1. Exhaustion: In combat the weight of the ax and the energy required to swing and swing it is perhaps one of the greatest downsides of the ax. Exhaustion against an enemy that does not tire can be fatal and even at peak fitness a person can easily run out of energy and once fatigued make a fatal error, by either over committing a strike of injuring oneself.

2. Carrying options: While for utility axes means of carrying is not a big issue for tomahawks and other axes designed for combating adversaries other than logs bringing then into action quickly is often a problem. Their sheaths are designed for keeping the blade away from fleshy parts of the wearer, not for quick draw and combat, this may be a fatal flaw in a life or death situation.

While the ax has many uses, it pure utility aspect will make it part of many kits. However, as a combat tool, perhaps there still lies pieces of it that require refinement before it becomes a mainstay of firstline combat kits.

The key to defeating, any enemy living or undead, is to make them fight the battles on your terms. When the dead rise, and the world as you know it has collapsed you will need to understand that you will have to make the undead fight you on your terms and not simply run at the horde baseball bat swinging and guns blazing every time you see them, or hear their moan.

For centuries armies fought battles primarily in the day. Why? Because, human beings lack good night vision. We as a race cannot see in the dark well enough to identify friend or foe at any great distance. Zombies, however, don’t care if its day or night, they hunt using all of their senses, hearing, sight, and very likely smell. Humans, on the other hand, primarily rely on their sight to maneuver and function. While, there will be those who will say that they can fight the undead in the dark here why these engagements are highly discouraged, except in controlled engagements, and as a last resort.

Night Vision Devices: Since the Second World War nations have worked on and developed, some may even say perfected, devices that attempt to turn night to day. Everyone, who has not been living under a dark rock, has seen combat footage of American soldiers fighting in darkness through the lens of a camera equipped to film in the dark. These green hued films may make many think that getting a set of night vision goggles, will make them the next Sam Fisher and the key to ending the zombie threat. In reality, and not video games, night vision goggles have short battery lives and narrow the line of sight of the user. Also, they make aiming a firearm with any degree of precision difficult.

Fire: While fire as a weapon is not highly recommended, except when the trap for the undead has been properly prepared, it’s use as a means of illumination is invaluable when dealing with a society that no longer has the advantages and luxuries that we are currently use to. However, to use fire as illumination for night fighting, first you must know how to make a fire, something that has fallen by the wayside. A fire, also needs to be fed, which may be difficult in combat, and it will also attract attention from things other than zombies. And, of course, if the fire gets out of control, the results can be disastrous.

Flashlights: Flashlights, an item that almost every home has at least three of sitting around, though not all will likely have batteries, have advantages and disadvantages that intertwine with the two above. First, they require batteries that may become hard to find, and will run. Secondly, they attract attention, and as fire will, they degrade your natural night sight, meaning that other survivors may be easily able to ambush you. However, flashlight are readily available and cheap, generally speaking, something that cannot be said of night vision devices. Also, they are simple to use, and are not likely to cause runaway fires that burn down your base of operations.

In the end, what you have on hand will likely affect what means you use to fight the undead. However, it is ZAC’s recommendation that you avoid combat with the undead at night, unless that is your only option. Make them fight you on your terms, and give them only the minimum number of advantages.

A tank is something that every little boy wants. They are big, heavy, they can soak up punishment, and they have a big bad willy extension on top of it all. It is for these reasons that some desire these vehicles to combat the zombie threat, however, are they the end all answer to zombies or just a willy extension and nothing more.

When people think of tanks there are a number of myths that they have about these vehicles and these beliefs are what mislead many who want these massive vehicles to use in combating the undead. These myths must be resolved before any tank, especially the latest and greatest, can even be considered as possible weapons against zombies.

1. Tanks are invincible: Put bluntly, tanks are not invincible, and that is not only saying that there are weapons that can disable and destroy these behemoths of the battlefield. Tanks require a great deal of maintenance and that’s before the rough and brutal combat conditions that they see. The latest and greatest M1 Abrams is perhaps the most delicate flower that there is in regards to main battle tanks, primarily because the turbine engine that runs the vehicle needs essentially a one to one or better ratio of use to maintenance. Now, also, before someone starts saying that you can just run the zombies over, you do have to maintain these tanks and it does not take much for someone to become infected even washing the tank off do not mean that there will not be some material from the zombies left over for someone to infect themselves with. And since those who will be required to maintain these vehicles they are invaluable and their loss will result in the tanks being useless. Not to mention that the trends on the tanks are the most vulnerable portion of the tank and if they go down without replacement you will not be able to move the tank with any degree of success.
2. They are a good form of transportation: Again put bluntly they are not. Tanks are not the most agile form of transportation and while they are big and bad do not think that you can simply roll over a city when every street is blocked by totaled cars and burned our collapsed buildings. Also, tanks burn full on a horrendous scale, some requiring as much as a dozen gallons or more to just start the engine, others have an effect range measured in dozens not hundreds of miles. The militaries of countries around the world require miles upon miles of logistical backbone to keep these gas guzzlers moving and without fuel they become little more than giant stationary pill boxes with a big canon that once the batteries go dead is useless since it can not longer be aimed.
3. Their firepower can stop a zombie horde cold: While there is no argument that a tank has a great deal of firepower that does not mean that they are the end all answer to zombie combat. Yes, a main battle tank does carry a big gun that can do tremendous amounts of damage, however, even with canister shot it will only do some much against zombies. The fact that the average canister load out for a tank ranges between two and four rounds mean that you have somewhere between little to no chance in stopping a major horde, especially since canister is simple a massive shotgun and to kill a zombie you have to destroy the brain. Also, of note, in the case of the M1 Abrams the depleted uranium rounds that it is famous for are completely useless. The coaxial and top mounted machine guns, however, do offer a real possibility at force multiplication, especially the coaxial since these machine guns are known to be some of the most accurate since they are mounted into a structure that can be made to be very stable and the only variables being the wind and bullet drop.

Just because the myths that many believe about tanks are false this does not mean that tanks could never be used. They would make very good strong points in a large base against not just zombies but also the human enemy. Their coaxial guns could also be used to thin out the undead at a greater distance than most of the survivors could reliably accomplish. However, they are simply not up to the task of hard fighting with limited maintenance and few if any replacement parts. However, if you must use an armored vehicle look to a wheeled APC or a light armored vehicle, less firepower but more mobility and easier to maintain. Let’s face facts here, how often do zombies drive tanks, and how many people are going to be carrying anti-tank rockets or missiles.

Stay safe.  Stay informed.  Stay alive.

Take a day and go to any major range and you will see any number of AR-15 model rifles, many of which running close to a thousand dollars or better. At accessories and the prices quickly become outrageous. A sidearm can also run well over five hundred dollars for just the base model any major quality manufacture. Add in ammo costs and the idea of become proficient with your weapon quickly become hopeless. But, this is when you look at the newest, latest and greatest weapons out on the market. What about old school military surplus, guns and ammo, weapons systems that are older than you, and have been battle proven decades ago, can these weapons possibly save your live during the zombie apocalypse.

Arming yourself on the cheap does not mean that you have to go with weapons that are poorly constructed or unreliable. Looking at communist surplus may be the very best source for a working firearm that is both cheap to own and cheap to shoot.

1. The Mosin-Nagant rifle is arguable one of cheapest rifles to own, and one of those rifles that lends itself to hard use and reliability even under horrendous conditions. This is a rifle that has been in service since before WWII and is still encountered on occasion in Iraq. It is accurate, the ammo can be bought cheaply and for those who want to reach out and touch someone it is one of the best. Granted the rifle is not a slicked up sniper rifle it is a solid rifle that has one advantage over many of the latest in bolt action rifles, iron sights.
2. The SKS: The SKS was one of the first rifles to be produced to use an intermediate power rifle cartridge. While they were not long lived as primary military arm of the Russian Army millions were produced and used as a secondary arm in both Russian and those countries that were supplied by the USSR. The SKS, while not as cheap as the Mosin-Nagant it is still more affordable than an AR-15 or even the ever present AK-47. Also, the SKS has a large selection of accessories and ammo is relatively cheap and easily found. Plus, for those who seem to require a bayonet one is already on the rifle.
3. Tokarev: No matter what your primary weapon is you need a back up for those times when you just don’t have the time to reload. And what better handgun to go with your Russian designed rifle than a Russian designed pistol. The Tokarev is a neat little pistol that fire the 7.62x25mm round that was the 5.7×28 of it’s day. It is flat shooting, hard hitting and accurate at distances that some modern pistols have a hard time matching. Add in the fact that the ammo is dirt cheap and you have a handgun that you not only can afford but that you can afford to shoot and become very proficient with.

Granted none of these guns are quick or fancy but by God they work, and they can save your life in the zombie Apocalypse.

When the debate rises over the proper dispatching of the undead everyone knows that you have to destroy the brain, cutting the control that it has over the body and the creature that is trying to eat you. The debate, however, rises over the proper way of doing this. Do you use a sword and finesse, such as a katana and decapitate the fleshwalker, or do you use a club and brute force and beat it’s brains out?

This debate, sword over club, is the age old discussion of finesse over brute force. Granted there are swords that combine both quite effectively, the claymore for example. But, since the two weapons that are debated most commonly are the baseball bat and the katana we will look at them.

The Katana:

The katana is arguably one of the most elegant weapons ever made. The sword is sleek, slim, lightweight(roughly three pounds or 1.4 kilos), and has the grace about it of a beautiful woman. It also has the vicious bite of a tiger and is capable of severing limbs and even entire torsos. The katana’s main use against the undead is to separate the head from the body and eliminating the zombie as a threat. In the hands of a trained user it’s motions are seeming simple, the balanced blade moving with grace and flowing from one cut to the next. It is however an edged weapon, and no matter how good the steel or how sharp the edge it will need to be sharpened regularly if you expect to take the head of the many undead that will be about.

The Bat:

The baseball bat is iconic. Not just sports, but also in the area of zombie killing. There are any number of movies and games where you can see someone take a baseball bat to the brain pan of a member of the undead. It is also lightweight, running anywhere from one and half pounds(.5 kilo) to about two and half pounds(a little over 1 kilo). The baseball bat also conjures up images of the bad  boy tough guy bashing heads with the short wooden stick. However, with the bat you have more than just wood to choose from, you can pick up its aluminum brother that is lighter and hits just as hard, or if you’re feel inadequate with those can always upgrade to the allegedly unbreakable Cold Steel Brooklyn Smasher. With the possible exception, and possible is used loosely, the baseball bat will break or in the case of aluminum bats bend. This is not a possibility, it is a good likelihood that after prolonged use the bat will break, the question is just when. Even just hitting a baseball a sufficient number of times will cause a wooden bat to break so if you carry a bat, carry a back up or two.

The Smashup:

Which one these two choices are the best? That is the question. The answer, however, is not simple. There are a number of factors, training being the greatest, but also durablity. But, in general for the basic survivor what is recommended. Well, for ease of use, availability, and because when it connects with force it is a kill the recommendation goes to the baseball bat. While the katana is elegant and sleek, and will likely outlast the baseball bat it is designed to cut and sever not smash. A decapitated zombie head can be just as dangerous as a walking zombie, possibly more so. Just because the head no longer has a body does not mean the jaws aren’t working and trying to bite you at the ankles. The heads that are rolling on the ground like biting soccer balls and still must be dispatched unlike if you crushed the skull with a bat.

Since so many countries limit, or prohibit private firearm ownership, its more likely that America will survive the Zombie Apocalypse than perhaps any other country. Everyone says that Americans are all gun crazy warmongers, but that is definately going to help us survive when so many other countries will fall under the rotting foot of the undead menace.

This is just a fun topic with links to some youtube videos for everyone to watch and comment on.
Full Auto shoot 1

Full Auto shoot 2

Mail Call episode from Knob Creek full auto shoot

Chainsaw Bayonet

(This article was not aimed at slandering or poking fun at any other countries. Try to enjoy this for what it is. Don’t over think it.)

Stay safe. Stay informed.  Stay alive.

Against the undead there is often the idea that distance mean safety. So, taking this stratagem to the next level why can’t we just use our great technology and advancements in the art of air power and bring collective hell down on the heads of the undead where they can’t even touch us?

You no doubt have seen the videos of smart bombs disengaging from the bottom of a jet fighters or falling from the bomb bays of bombers and falling through the air, making minuet adjustments so that the target, often times a small window is hit dead center. With current advancement in thermo baric devices and a plethora of others including atomic weapons it is understandable that these weapons that are thought to be able to win wars would be of great advantage against the undead.

Over the past century air power has become one of the deciding factoring in conventional war. He who controls the skies controls the war. This is in conventional warfare, not guerrilla, and certainly not against the undead. The undead that mankind will face are not the herds of the movies, are not semi-moronic ones that still have some idea how everyday item may. They cannot work door knobs, they cannot drive cars, and they know not enough to even turn on the lights.  The point is, that the undead will likely stay where they rise, unless that is in the streets or fields. Unless you want to flatten everything in the country, and I do mean everything, you will not be able to win the war by air power alone. Also, even if you do try to use air power to completely eliminate the undead, there will be those who flee to the underground, those that are alive and either infected or whom are overrun by the infected in there shelter. Be that the sewers, bomb shelters, of just the subways, places that bombs cannot reach and when the area is repopulated the threat from these areas will hang over the heads of those there until every zombie are dead.

“You can keep your atom bombs, your tanks and your airplanes; you”ll still have to have some little guy with a rifle and bayonet who winkles the other bastard out of his foxhole and gets him to sign the peace treaty.”
General George S. Patton

Just to indulge all of us that like to fantasize about what we would do during the zombie apocalypse, we put forth this question.

If money was no object, what weapon systems you would want to take into battle against the zombies?

Assume that you are going to battle against a large group of zombies, and bringing NOTHING except weapons and ammo that you could carry on your person.

Answer in this form:

Main weapon and accessories you would add
Reason for the choice

Secondary weapon and accessories you would add
Reason for the choice

Side arm and accessories you would add
Reason for the choice

Melee combat weapons
Reason for the choice

Any other weapon or destructive device
Reason for the choice

Example:

Melee combat weapons:
A pair of Kamas…

Reason:
I’m a mall ninja…

“Although it may take several decades for the process of transformation to unfold, in time, the art of warfare…  will be vastly different than it is today… the distinction between military and commercial space systems-combatants and noncombatants- will become blurred… advanced forms of biological warfare that can “target” specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool.”

-Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy, Forces, and Resources for a New Century. A Report of the Project for the New American Century. (September 2000)

There is no doubt that there are advances made in the sciences all the time, everyday. Many of these advances are bought and paid for by the government and then slowly leak to the civilian sector. While others are kept under lock and key for fear that if they fall into the wrong hand that they could wreak untold havoc. Diseases and viruses that made the bubonic plague look like the common cold. But, what if these plagues have already fallen into the wrong hands, the hands of the keepers.

Current bioresearch is looking into the future in a search for everything from the cure to cancer to advancing a person’s very body through gene-splicing. Though, it may be called fear mongering it takes little imagination to consider that a virus developed to help man may in fact turn on him. Though, considered, by some a dirty word, evolution occurs all the time. Plants and animals either adapt to their environment or die. A retrovirus designed for one purpose may replicate incorrectly and create a whole new virus, or an amino acid that is tasked to create one protein and in turn affect another in unforeseen ways. A gene inserted or activated to create one thing may have dire consequences in another area.

While these scenarios are bleak what is more so is the idea that the government may take this technology and use it against the very people they are charged with protecting. “To save the country we have to destroy it!”

It is as real a possibility as any that the very plague that destroys mankind may be unleashed by the people we elect to rule this country may kill us all. It is not as far from reality as one may think, just ask your parents about the days when a nuclear dawn was very real possibility.