Zombies Are Coming » Weapons

Pistols in the Zombiepocalypse

Angryvikingman — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:22:33 +0000

We all know that pistols will be a necessary weapon in the fight against the undead. Either to stave off the horde so you can reaload your main weapon, or as a main weapon itself. They are great for close quarters fights, and can be positioned and moved much faster than a shotgun or rifle. The thing is, which one do you choose? Do you go purely for stopping power, or magazine capacity? Why go with a S&W 500 when a 22lr Browning Buckmark will do? These are all questions that we all have to ask ourselves to find out what kind of pistol we’d prefer for the Zombiepocalypse. Below are some selections made by ZAC that have the best of both worlds.

9MM:

Manufacturer: Glock
Model: G34
Ammo Capacity:17-33

Manufacturer: CZ-USA
Model: CZ75 SP-01
Ammo Capacity: 16-32

.45

Manufacturer: Springfield
Model: XD Tactical
Ammo Capacity: 13

Manufacturer:Sarsilmas (imported by EAA Corp)
Model: K2
Ammo Capacity: 14

Manufacturer: Para USA
Model: P14-45
Ammo Capacity: 14

Feel free to make suggestions and provide links to your suggestions.

Which is best: aluminum or wood bat?

ZAC Admin — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:02:10 +0000

The folks at Zombie Go Boom put together a video breaking down the debate between aluminum or wood bats.

Training to survive

Angryvikingman — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 02:31:03 +0000

What kind of training will most closely resemble the kind of shooting you will have to do after the fall of man? What shooting skills will you need to learn? Short of military training, the next best thing is professional training at facilities like Blackwater, or Frontsight, but what if you barely have enough money in your budget for bullets? What should you do? ZAC suggests that you get involved in a practical shooting organization or take an NRA sponsored civilian marksmanship program.

There are many practical shooting organizations, but two of the most wide spread and best known are IDPA and IPSC. ZAC further suggests you get involved in 3 Gun shooting.

3 gun is a type of shooting that involves a military style rifle, shotgun, and pistol. You transition between all three weapons during the stages, shooting for the most accuracy in the best time. It hones your skills with all 3 weapons simultaneously. However, both of these groups have independent shotgun, pistol, and rifle matches. Learning to shoot against people with a better skill set is the best way to hone your speed and ability. It may be frustrating at first, but you will get better as you train and compete.

Other training organizations can be found through the NRA. One of the best is the Appleseed Project. It teaches you marksmanship at ranges beyond 100 yards.

ZAC encourages you to do your own research, find clubs, and organizations that you like and practice the shooting skills that could save your own life, as well as others.

Guns, Guns, Guns!

Angryvikingman — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 07:06:42 +0000

A brief listing and categorization of weapons to help you survive the
Zombiepocalypse.

There are numerous weapons that a person can choose to defend themselves
during the Zombiepocalypse. This is a short list of weapons that are more
commonly available in the United States, as this is where the majority of our
readers live. (Sorry to the Europeans and Aussies, your governments want you to
be defenseless.)

Each type of weapon will categorized and its strengths and weaknesses will be
listed.

Rifles:

A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with
a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves ("rifling") cut
into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called
"lands," which make contact with the projectile (for small arms usage,
called a bullet), imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the
orientation of the weapon. When the projectile leaves the barrel, the
spin averages out curve from imperfections improving accuracy and
prevents tumbling which improves range, in the same way that a properly
thrown American football or rugby ball behaves. The word "rifle"
originally referred to the grooving, and a rifle was called a "rifled
gun." Rifles are used in warfare, hunting and shooting sports.

Typically, a bullet is propelled by the contained deflagration of an
explosive compound (originally black powder, later cordite, and now
nitrocellulose), although other means such as compressed air are used in
air rifles, which are popular for vermin control, hunting small game,
formal target shooting and casual shooting ("plinking").

In most armed forces the term "gun" is incorrect when referring to
small arms; in the military, the word "gun" means an artillery piece or
crew-served machine gun. Furthermore, in many works of fiction a rifle
refers to any weapon that has a stock and is shouldered before firing,
even if the weapon is not rifled or does not fire solid projectiles.
(e.g. a "laser rifle")

Formerly, rifles only fired a single projectile with each squeeze of
the trigger. Modern assault rifles are capable of firing more than one
round per trigger squeeze; some fire in a fully automatic mode and
others are limited to bursts of three to five rounds per squeeze. Thus,
modern assault rifles overlap somewhat with machine guns. In fact, many
light machine guns (such as the Russian RPK) are adaptations of existing
assault rifle designs. Generally, the difference between an automatic
rifle and a machine gun comes down to weight and feed system; rifles,
with their relatively light components (which overheat quickly) and
small magazines, are incapable of sustained automatic fire in the way
that machine guns are. While machine guns may require more than one
operator, the rifle is an individual weapon.

Bolt Action Rifles:

Bolt action is a type of firearm action in which the weapon’s
bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing of the breech
(barrel) with a small handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand
side of the weapon (for right-handed users). As the handle is operated,
the bolt is unlocked, the breech is opened, the spent shell casing is
withdrawn and ejected, the firing pin is cocked (this occurs either on
the opening or closing of the bolt, depending on design), and finally a
new round/shell (if available) is placed into the breech and the bolt
closed. Bolt action firearms are most often rifles, but there are some
bolt-action shotguns and a few handguns as well. Examples of this system
date as far back as the early 19th century, notably in the Dreyse needle
gun. From the late 19th century, all the way through both World Wars,
the bolt-action rifle was the standard infantry firearm for most of the
world’s militaries.

In military use, the bolt action has been mostly
replaced by semi-automatic and selective fire weapons, though the bolt
action remains the dominant design in dedicated sniper rifles. Bolt
action firearms are still very popular for hunting and target practice.
Compared to most other manually-operated firearm actions, it offers an
excellent balance of strength (allowing powerful chamberings),
simplicity, and potential accuracy, all with a light weight and low
cost. The major disadvantage is a slightly lower practical rate of fire
than other alternatives, but this is not a critical factor in many types
of hunting and target shooting. This type of rifle is capable of
accurate shots at over a mile.

ZAC suggests these manufacturers:
Remington
Winchester

Lever Action Rifles:

Lever-action is a type of firearm action which uses a lever
located around the trigger guard area, (often including the trigger
guard itself) to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel
when the lever is worked. Most lever-action weapons are rifles, but
lever-action shotguns and a few pistols have also been made. One of the
most famous lever-action firearm is undoubtedly the Winchester rifle,
but many manufacturers–notably Marlin and Savage–also produce
lever-action rifles. Mossberg produces the 464 in center fire .30-30 and
rim fire .22. While the term lever-action generally implies a
repeating firearm, it is also sometimes applied to a variety of
single-shot, or falling-block actions that use a lever for cycling, such
as the Martini-Henry or the Ruger No. 1. This type of fire arm can fire
a variety of cartridges including pistol and large caliber rifle rounds.
It has a higher capacity than the bolt action rifle and a higher rate of
fire. It is also slightly less accurate at range when compared with the
bolt action rifle, but capable of accurate shots of over 500 meters.

ZAC suggests the line of Henry Rifles if this is your preferred type of weapon.

Semi Auto Rifles:

A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single
bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent
cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is
immediately ready to fire another shot. They may be operated by a number
of mechanisms, all of which derive their power from the explosion of the
powder in the cartridge that also fires the bullet. Historically, the
self-loading design was the successor to the repeating rifle, which
stored a number of cartridges within the weapon, but required manual
action to load a fresh cartridge before each shot. Automatically loading
the next round more easily allows for rapid fire. These rifles are also
commonly known as self-loading rifles (‘SLR’) or auto-loading rifles.

A semi-automatic rifle is distinguished from a fully automatic rifle or
machine gun in that it can only fire once each time the trigger is
pulled. In some contexts, the term "automatic rifle" may refer to a
semi-automatic/self-loading rifle, not a fully automatic rifle. The
magazine in a semi-automatic rifle is usually of a box-type which
protrudes underneath the receiver and feeds cartridges vertically into
the action. These may be fixed (as with M1 Garand, in which case
cartridges are loaded from the top of the weapon, with the bolt locked
back. Most modern designs use a detachable magazine, which is removed
for reloading. Some detachable-magazine rifles, such as the M14, can
also be top-loaded. Some designs use a horizontal tubular magazine
similar to lever-action and pump-action weapons, which may be located
underneath the barrel or in the butt stock. These rifles, when properly
outfitted and sighted, are accurate to 1000+ meters and are capable of
accurate sustained fire allowing the user to engage multiple targets at
range. However, the ability to fire rapidly can cause inexperienced
users to waste ammo.

ZAC suggests the AR-15 and these manufacturers:

Smith &Wesson
DPMS
Rock River Arms
Stag Arms

Full Auto Rifles:

Assuming you stumble into a cache of military weapons, you may find these:

M4 Carbine
M-249 Saw
M-240B
M2 .50 cal

In certain situations, these weapons are incredibly effective, but they waste
a LOT of ammo. Consider the application of these weapons carefully before
deploying them against the undead hordes.

Shotguns:

A shotgun (also known as a scattergun and peppergun,
or historically as a fowling piece) is a firearm that is usually
designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed
shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a
solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns come in a wide variety of
sizes, ranging from 5.5 mm (.22 inch) bore up to 5 cm (2 inch) bore, and
in a range of firearm operating mechanisms, including breech loading,
single-barreled, double or combination gun, pump-action, bolt-, and
lever-action, semi-automatic, and even fully-automatic variants.

A
shotgun is generally a smoothbore firearm, which means that the inside
of the barrel is not rifled. Preceding smoothbore firearms, such as the
musket, were widely used by armies in the 18th century. The direct
ancestor to the shotgun, the blunderbuss, was also used in a similar
variety of roles from self defence to riot control. It was often used by
cavalry troops due to its generally shorter length and ease of use, as
well as by coachmen for its substantial power. However, in the 19th
century, these weapons were largely replaced on the battlefield with
breechloading rifled firearms, which were more accurate over longer
ranges. The military value of shotguns was rediscovered in the First
World War, when American forces used 12-gauge pump action shotguns in
close-quarters trench fighting to great effect. Since then, it has been
used in a variety of roles in civilian, law enforcement, and military
applications.

The shot pellets from a shotgun spread upon leaving the barrel, and
the power of the burning charge is divided among the pellets, which
means that the energy of any one ball of shot is fairly low. In a
hunting context, this makes shotguns useful primarily for hunting birds
and other small game. However, in a military or law enforcement context,
the large number of projectiles makes the shotgun useful as a close
quarters combat weapon or a defensive weapon. Limitations for this
weapon are low round count and reload times. However, there are a few
magazine fed shotguns that allow for fast shots, and quick reloads.

For shotguns, ZAC recommends the
Saiga 12

Sub machineguns:

A submachine gun (SMG) is an automatic carbine, designed to fire
pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with
the cartridge of a pistol. An assault rifle, in contrast, uses an
intermediate-power cartridge with more power than a pistol but less than
a standard rifle or battle rifle. These weapons have the same strengths
and weaknesses as their rifle counterparts with the exception that their
range is limited to around 200 meters with a properly calibrated scope.
Generally they are used for close quarters engagements under 100 meters.

Weapons of this type that are available to the general public are:
H&K MP5/94 (94 is civilian version)
H&K USC/UMP
FN PS90
Thompson (Tommy Gun)
TDI Vector/Kriss super V

You may have to do some paperwork and go through a few months of red tape
waiting to get some of these, but you can get them. All of the civilian versions
of these guns can be legally converted into their military counterparts with
simple adjustments and a parts kit.

Pistols:

Revolvers

With the development of the revolver in the 19th century, gunsmiths
had finally achieved the goal of a practical capability for delivering
multiple loads to one handgun barrel in quick succession. Revolvers feed
ammunition via the rotation of a cartridge-filled cylinder, in which
each cartridge is contained in its own ignition chamber, and is
sequentially brought into alignment with the weapon’s barrel by a
mechanism linked to the weapon’s trigger (double-action) or its hammer
(single-action). These nominally cylindrical chambers, usually numbering
between five and eight depending on the size of the revolver and the
size of the cartridge being fired, are bored through the cylinder so
that their axes are parallel to the cylinder’s axis of rotation; thus,
as the cylinder rotates, the chambers revolve about the cylinder’s axis.

There is a hybrid form of the revolver, known as the automatic
revolver, which combines the revolving chamber concept of the
conventional revolver with the recoil-harnessing, self-cycling ability
of the semi-automatic pistol. Weapons of this type are rare, as the
technology was quickly rendered obsolete by a combination of the
double-action revolver and the semi-automatic pistol.

Lever action pistols

The first lever action pistols were based on a Horace Smith and
Daniel B. Wesson patent of 1854. The Smith & Wesson pistols were made in
Norwich, Connecticut 1854-55. In 1855, Oliver F. Winchester became an
active investor and H. Smith and D.B. Wesson both dropped out of the
enterprise. In July 1855, the name was changed to Volcanic Repeating
Arms Company, and later to New Haven Arms Company, opening an important
chapter in Winchester’s history. The production of the Volcanic pistols
lasted until 1860. Two models were produced: The Navy Pistol .41 cal.
with 6" / 8" / 16 " barrels and a Pocket Pistol .31 cal. with 3½" / 6"
barrels.

Semi-automatic pistols

The next development in handgun history after a practical revolver
was the development of the semi-automatic pistol, which uses the energy
of one shot to reload the chamber for the next. Typically recoil energy
from a fired round is mechanically harnessed; however, larger calibers
may also be gas operated (e.g. Desert Eagle). After a round is fired,
the pistol will cycle, ejecting the spent casing and chambering a new
round from the magazine, allowing another shot to take place
immediately.

Some terms that have been, or still are, used as synonyms for
"semi-automatic pistol" are automatic pistol, autopistol,
autoloader, self-loading pistol and selfloader.
Remember, Revolvers hold few bullets and the rate of fire is very slow,
but they rarely ever malfunction. Lever action pistols… ???
Generally you’re going to be better off if you use a pistol with a
capacity of 10 or more bullets, semi auto reloads faster, and holds more
rounds, so you do the math. Its your ass on the line.

Machine pistols

A machine pistol is generally defined as a firearm designed to be
fired with one hand, and capable of fully automatic or selective fire.
While there are a number of machine pistols such as the Glock 18 and
later models of the Mauser C96, these are rare; the light weight, small
size, and extremely rapid rates of fire of a machine pistol make them
difficult to control, making the larger and heavier submachine gun a
better choice in cases where the small size of a machine pistol is not
needed. Most machine pistols can attach a shoulder stock (the Heckler &
Koch VP70 would only fire single rounds at a time unless the stock was
attached); others, such as the Beretta 93R, add a forward handgrip.
Either of these additions technically create a legal non-pistol under
the US National Firearms Act, as pistols are by definition designed to
be fired with one hand. The addition of a stock or forward handgrip is
considered a design change that creates either a short-barreled rifle or
any other weapon, and therefore such additions are generally only found
on legal machine guns.

Edged Weapons:

First and foremost, seek proper training in the use of a blade before you
hurt yourself or someone else with it. (yeah, you heard me)
For edged weaponry, ZAC suggests something over 15 inches in length. Everyone
has their own style, so we won’t say what edged weapon is the best. Its up to
the user to decide.
Some fine examples are:

The Kukri
The Bowie Knife
The Machete (The ones from Cold Steel are particularly nice)
The Longsword
The Katana (Mall Ninja Alert! Anything you got at the mall or flea market won’t last more than a few good whacks on a zombie. Get something hand forged, or quality made)

This has been a brief dissertation on the types of weapons you may encounter after Z-Day.

The Body Armor Dilemma

Kain - ZAC Weapon Consultant — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 23:41:14 +0000

While there are without doubt a times when the chips are down the rounds are coming back at you where you want if not need body armor. But, the question is when fighting the undead, do you really need body armor? Or are you better off using the weight for other equipment.

Modern body armor is designed to stop a wide range of projectiles, from the low end Level II vest and general pistol rounds too Level IV vest with hard ballistic plates and even vests designed to hinder the lowly Taser. However, modern body armor is not designed to fight the undead, at least not in original design. It is also, and most importantly heavy.

The weight of modern body armor, is substantial. Low level vests can weigh as little as ten pounds while the top of the line military issue OVTs can weigh thirty pounds or more. With the ZAC standard rifle being the AR-15 each pound of weight that you carry means one less magazine you could be carrying instead, or extra food, commo equipment, or any number of other gear.

While those who are dealing with pocket of human resistance or positions where they may be taking fire from others may have a need for a ballistic vest, those fighting solely the undead do not have to, in most circumstances, worry about the undead shooting back. If the undead are not shooting back would that weight not be used better in carrying more ammo, gear, or just plainly lightening the load on the lowly grunt who is pulling the trigger against the undead.

Another consideration is that those wearing body armor who have turned may also pose a risk against the living, since if they turned in full body armor, helmet and all, it would mean that there would be the need to place a kill shot in a tight area as well as making it harder to kill them with non-firearm weapons. On the plus side though a zombie in full body would also be slower. Then again so would you in full kit.

The general seed that I am attempting to put forth is that you will need to be cognizant for the situation that you will be entering and preparing accordingly. However, when fighting the undead, toe to toe, gun to flesh, and machete to skull, full body armor is not a required. If the situation is uncertain perhaps a compromise would best serve you, perhaps a plate carrying Level IV standalone plates.

Train Like You Fight, Fight Like You Train

ZAC Admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:53:44 +0000

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

Axing the Debate

Kain - ZAC Weapon Consultant — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 01:29:12 +0000

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.

They Own the Night!

Kain - ZAC Weapon Consultant — Fri, 07 May 2010 01:53:31 +0000

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.

Tanks vs Zombies: The Reality

Kain - ZAC Weapon Consultant — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:21:02 +0000

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.

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.
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.
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.

Forget High-tech, Look to Old School

Kain - ZAC Weapon Consultant — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:12:11 +0000

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.

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.
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.
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.