Zombies! discussion

my first choice would have to be a sword. you can't run out of sword ammo.

I would have to go with a steel telescoping baton for a melee weapon of choice and a .50 caliber handgun for ranged. The .50 cal would be better than a .22 for groups, which when it would be used, no use wasting ammo on a single zombie. Thus a .50 caliber would penetrate multiple zombies at one time and give the added knock down bonus that a high caliber gun can produce. Sure a .22 can kill someone, but lets go with a gun that was produced specifically for that task.

ok, imagine this, zombies everywhere, general anarchy, and you, like me live in a country where firearms are illegal except to a handful of trained cops, they're actually better equipped than the army here in merry old fucking ireland.
that said, crossbows and slingshots are easy to get and legal so one of each, a crossbow has as good a chance of stopping the undead as a .22 but with much less range and you can load basically anything into a slingshot.
lindsey, swords don't run out of ammo but they're heavy, combersome and dull quickly, a machette, although heavier has a longer life and more uses.
jerrod, dont expect zombies to line up for headshots, the.50 ammo is bigger, limiting the amount one can carry and is very loud, which will draw more undead.
a crowbar, sword, machette, lumphammer (very heavy but a one hit kill in close quarters) or a hand axe for mellee combat

Fig;

I could understand with your location, but I live in Montana, US. The average number of guns per household is estimated at 12. Ammo isn't to big of a concern since the gun would be for emergencies, not general defense. That is would intelligence is for. The baton collapsed is only 1ft long, extended over 3ft and unlike an ax or bladed weapon it doesn't rely on the edge being sharp for effectiveness or strength for penetration. It's made with a small and narrow knob at the top which maximizes the amount of damage at the striking end and can easily break/shatter bone. But if you are relying on firearms for defense, a smaller caliber is the way to go for transportation reasons.

I wouldn't be going for head shots with the hand gun, I'm going for penetration and knock down power. If it's a large group, I'm looking to escape, not try to kill as many zombies as I can. Thus the knock down and penetration. And a .50 cal puts big holes in big things and that isn't using a hollow point, steel core, or having it loaded hot.

And if I stay in my home state, their would be less than a million zombies in the 4th largest state in the union. And I wouldn't dare travel 8+ hours to get to the nearest metro area. Hell the largest 'city' we have is 100,000 people.

But in the end, it's each to his own. Good thing there are no wrong answers for this one.

I won't want to be weighed down with too much stuff. Assuming it's walking dead I'll go with a good crowbar as my main weapon; it's silent, won't jam or run out of ammo, and any side can be used as a weapon.

My main gun would be a .357 magnum revolver, I want to have a gun that won't jam on me when I really not it. My back-up would be 9mm P3AT auto, it's a small 6 shot so it wouldn't take up much room or add excessive weight. I'd keep a shot-gun at home base, but leave it when scouting it'd slow me down too much and get in my way.

For good measure I'd also take one of the 21 inch retractable steel batons. Their only about 8 inches long when collapsed and weigh a little over a pound; definitely springing for a more expensive police grade ASP version tho.

If it's running zombies, Dawn of the Dead 2004 style, I'll just assume I'm screwed.

if they run, they're NOT FUCKING ZOMBIES!
crowbar is a very good call, they have many uses, beyond simple pwning.
the baton isn't the greatest call tho,
one has to destroy the medulla and this simply cannot be done by a baton.

Fig,
it can if you are trained with the weapon. besides no living being can do much with their muscles if the bones are broken.

Actually, there are some reasonable scientific cases that can be made for fast, slower and slow zombies.

This is excerpted from a project I have in development for one of the networks:

The process of decay and its effect on both the potential motor function (so to speak) and the stiffness/looseness of the limbs of zombies can be viewed like this:

FRESHIES: When a zombie reanimates it still has normal human strength, coordination and speed, though these are hampered by its lack of conscious intelligence.

Key terms:PALLOR MORTIS, the earliest stage of decomposition, where the skin loses color because blood is draining to the lowest points of the body; ALGOR MORTIS: the process of the body cooling after death. Once active decomposition kicks in the body temperature will rise again due to active chemical breakdown of tissues.

SLOWS: Rigor Mortis sets in after 3 to 8 hours and the zombie will become increasingly stiffer and slower for the next 36 hours.
cold not stiff dead more than 36 hours

POST-RIGS: As Rigor Mortis wears off (36-44 hours after death) the zombie’s limbs become looser and it speeds up; however it’s now in active decomposition and is losing co-ordination and balance. Bacteria break down carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, and this breakdown creates acids, gases, and other products which cause volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and putrefactive effects. Zombies will get weaker within a week.

ROTTERS: Zombies in advanced decomposition are the weakest and if they are a few weeks old they can be knocked apart by heavy blunt trauma (a good baseball bat will work). The problem is for the humans to wait that long…and the danger of other fresher zombies showing up!

Jonathan Maberry
Bram Stoker Award winning author of
ZOMBIE CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead
(Citadel Press) www.zombiecsu.com

Fine. But if I see dead things running at me, I still refuse to call them zombies.

I agree, Randy. Zombies, in my definition, are slow. If they're fast I'll refer to them as infected.

1.) hmm... i would probably go with a .222 hunting rifle because it is normally a 1 hit kill to the brain of a zombie (slightly heavier than a .22) but the damage would be a lot higher.

2.) for a sidearm i would have a trusty glock 18 because its not hard at all to find 9mm ammo and its small compact and will still work with zombie blood splattered all over it because its reliable.

3.) my melee weapon would have to be a fire axe because their easy to find and it gives you a bit of room between you and the zombies

or since im an archer i might go and get my recurve bow and use that... the only problem is ammo... theres not arrows laying around everywhere

Zombies, Guns and Ammo...isn't that a Warren Zevon song?

Hahahah! Fuck you for making that joke before me. :)

Thanks a lot, guys. Now that non-song is going to be in my head all day.

Surrounded by the undead
I'm a desperate man
Zombies, Guns and Ammo
The shit has hit the fan!

Wow...I am impressed. People usually look at me weird when I mention Zevon, like "who the hell is that!?" One of the best and least appreciated artists. RIP

what bullet does one leave ones self? the proverbial last bullet to make sure one isn't wandering about attempting to infect others. a small calibre mightn't kill but a large calibre might go straight through and again leave one alive,
place your bets here...

Any round, .22 or larger, fired snug against the temple will likely be fatal. Even if it isn't a killing shot, you won't be cognizant enough to care anymore. And isn't that the point?

.22 cal semi auto rifle w/ big mag. Relatively quiet for a firearm. 9mm pistol. Lots of ammo in 1 mag. Pitchfork. Yes pitchfork. Like a spear, but easier to use, just thrust at the head. Machete and a K-bar knife. Should get you out of most scrapes if the odds are close.

pulse rifle from aliens cool as flip.