Zombie Research Society
I’ve long thought the question of best Zombie weapon was both too broad and too variable to reach a singular conclusion. For every defense scenario, a new set of factors will inevitably dictate the ideal tools to get the job done. But I recently decided I needed to take a stand on the issue, and started with a simple process of elimination.
- FIREARMS: Unless you’re living inside an ammunition factory – or video game – the chances of running out of bullets to keep your firearm functioning is too great. Over the long term it’s not a solid option in my book.
- OTHER RANGED WEAPONS: A spear, throwing ax, battle Frisbee, or boomerang ain’t gonna cut it for obvious reasons. They have the same essential problem as firearms, and are not as productive when attacking on all cylinders.
- EDGED WEAPONS: Swords, machetes, claws and spikes don’t make my cut for several reasons. They’re generally only dangerous from one side or angle, they require maintenance or will become dull and useless, and the much-overlooked risk of getting their sharp edge stuck in something at exactly the wrong time is too great.
- BLUNT WEAPONS: For the reasons stated above, I am a strong believer in blunt weapons. They can be used against Zombies and hostile humans alike, with both lethal and nonlethal force. They are dangerous from most angles. They require little or no upkeep. And they’re more easily obtained than other specialized objects.
So when it comes to blunt weapons, what makes the top of my list? The common aluminum baseball bat. Bats are easy to carry and store, they don’t necessitate any advanced training to be effective, and they can be used to poke, cross-check, and strike equally.
What do you think? Am I way off base on this? What’s your pick for best Zombie defense weapon?
I just stumbled across this thread… Felt like adding my 2 cents
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I’ve hummed and hawed over this topic, and finally came up with what I consider the ultimate survival gear vs zombies.
Blades could get stuck in bone, don’t care how strong you are. Lopping off heads takes a lot of strength and you’re bound to get jammed in a vertebrae or skull sooner or later.
Shots are too inaccurate, I doubt anyone here can shoot with the accuracy people have in zombie movies. Plus, bullets are limited. Still, one would be incredibly useful to have
My primary choice in weapon would be a collapsible baton, or an asp. Lightweight, very easy to carry, and a simple swing can shatter bone, even crack a femur. A skull won’t last against that. And you need less muscle power so more life saving swings
As for defence… I’m suprised people never thought of this…
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A shark suit
If a tiger shark can’t bite through it, some wimpy zombie sure as hell won’t be able to.
What do you think?
Think out side the box guys a truck with a bubble top on the back and bars on the windows stay in a vehicle during any zombie attack. Keep wepons gas amunition food ex.. built a hose connected to fuel tank possibly two one back up in case shit really hits the fan. Potentially make a slotter machine huge tires with blades made out of carbon nano steal the strongest and sharpest metal in the world to cut them down a size and the average human is 5.7 so make blades out of all that carbon nano steal about 5.7 from the ground if any thing is higher dead lower have gun holes all over to shoot the others make it your death machine and put a 50 cal hooked up to a custom amo box in the bed to hold at least a few hundred thousand bullets before reload make it something that a tank even would have trouble to take out barb wire and a steal cage aground the top of the truck surrounding the turret with the turret being able to rotate 360 degrees make everything out of titanium except the blades or metal used to destroy the titanium is to give the car a much lighter vehicle to get around Cuz the heavier the most likely something to go wrong or get stuck make the front and back with titanium snow plows to spread your path to prevent getting stuck and have a huge motor possibly a vortec 6.2 or higher by gm to make it have the muscle your survival needs have a zombie guts blood ex.. all over the outside to cut down the sense of smell also keep highly explosives to clear paths that your zombie killer can’t break threw have empty glass bottles or something that can make loud noises with a potato gun big enough to shoot the bottles far enough to make a distraction and make your car with air bags built for usually a semi truck so if there are millions u can drop the truck to sit on the ground to avoid them flipping u over and there you go zombie killing factory on wheels it might take work but garentee u will be killing the zombies and live to tell your tale and also a trailer with a button to drop the hitch with stereo load enough for noise to attract them hooked up to c4 or any huge explosives that will just destroy thousands and cary explosives with u to and meat or something that attacks them sourounded in explosives and sound and that’s for a smaller crowd
it takes years to gather all the materials you need to build this thing and even after you’ve gathered all the stuff it’s gonna take you a few years to build the ‘zombie killing factory’.
How will you survive all those years?
…….I wouldn’t go for the aluminum baseball bat. the wood one, even though more brittle, it makes a better weapon in my opinion, plus you can pound some nails through it and have complete carnage. That is all i have to say
-MadReplier
I kinda got bored of readin all the entries so I thought I just throw in my two cents and be done.
I can’t believe how obsessed e everyone is with bats! They don’t do much other than smash. Yes it could crack a few skulls but even a common kitchen knife could kill more zombies just by having a sharp pointed end, and being able to use little force to kill. But if you really want a weapon use any blade longer than 12 inches made of some good high carbon steel. One slice to the neck and tada, zombie down. Saves the trouble of dulling the blade on a fat skull. And if your afraid of runnin out of stamina fighting, CARRY A SHEILD !!!!
Really a good solid sheild could do wonders.
And this is a zombie world is it not? Who said you can’t go dead rising 2 on their asses and make your own awesome weapons ?
For my final comment my personal zombie world weapon set up.
A sheild with a fully auto rifle strapped on as its handle, a katana and machete tucked away inside the sheild, knives all over me, silenced pistol maybe 2, and a bow if I can get any better before the zombie out break.
Sheild- safety
Rifle- long range and speed
Katana- fast long melee attacks
Machete- good blunt force blade (backup)
Knives- throwing and close range back up
Pistol- deal with enemy personnel ( abundant ammo)
Bow- retrievable ammo and silent
I hope I’ve made my point and maybe saved a life ;D
@ Duke–you assert the comment “One slice to the neck and tada, zombie down. Saves the trouble of dulling the blade on a fat skull.” is a miscalculation on your part.
The issue is the simple assumption that blood loss via the carotid artery is going to “tada” them. The general thought of “zombieism” is that it’s a viral state of the brain that is immaterial of blood loss. No matter what literature you choose to read, they all say the same thing: “Destroy the brain.” That means you have to get through the skull….or….completely remove the head from the rest of the body. Regardless of what you choose to do, that means contacting bone with the weapon of choice. The skull will just about detonate with a full swing from the bat but it will not likely sever the head.
As to a sield, now you are on track. Heavy plastic from jugs, office chair mats, porch runners and the like that can be cut into vambraces or greaves would be ideal, as well as light-weight
Everyone says “no” to a Japanese katana. I disaagree PROVIDED the Katana is a robust and proper build. Cold Steel makes good chopping items as their torture videos boast. I would agree that splitting skulls will eventually dull it, removing the head completely is less damaging to the blade because the neckbone is 1. flexible; 2. thin[er] than skull bone.
The Katana must also be appropriately sized to the user. a 5’6″ human should NOT be weilding a 33″ blade of ANY make or model. The Harder the steel, the more brittle it is….so whatever you use must be a carbon steel blade….or at least….high carbon content.
Too much weight. If you got overwelmed your screwed.. pretty simple. Take a good low draw weight crossbow with after market cams and strings and some good limb and string tuners to quieten it down And a Sling so you can carry it on your back when its not needed. A good glock .22 pistol with a silencer. (glocks dont jam as bad as other brands.) Plus .22 rounds are very light and you could carry hundreds or thousands of rounds easily. (Clip fed of course.) A nice sharp curved machete( The curve lets you generate more swing force with less effort.) A good M48 tactical tomahawk. Tomahawks have A axe style blade and a good sharp 3 to 4″ spike blade for impaling.(Two weapons in one, Plus its very lightweight) You can find one on fivestarmilitarysurplus.com for $40 bucks. A boot knife, A must have for last resort defense. An lastly a fuckin snub nose .38 special revolver for your very last resort when death is upon you. Paint the walls with your own brain matter..
……….. A .22 with a silencer? A GLOCK 22??!!!!
Kay, kid. First off, if you’ve ever fired a .22, you know you don’t ever ever ever need a silencer. They literally make the noise of an air gun. No kidding, youtube that shit. Second of all, a glock? What determines jamming is not the quality of the gun, but the quality of the magazine and ammo. Most .22 round stick together and jam just because they are mass produced, and then the actual bullet is tipped with wax.
That being said, I do agree with your choice of ammunition. .22′s are light, and when shot at the head you could do some serious damage with the bullet splinters after passing through the bone. However, .22 rounds lack some serious range, meaning you’ll have a hell of a time trying to clear an area than you would sneaking around.
Personally, I say screw OP and stick with a spear. Spartans, Romans, Macedon, Persia. Of all these nations every single one of them incorporate a spear as an essential arsenal. Why? For christ sake the range on these badass mofo’s are insane. You could kill two men without even have to draw out a sword. Heck the spear could be blunt and you’d still fair better than two swordsmen. Come on guys, A katana? Even if you were to obtain a legit katana, those things need constant and diligent care. They’re iron, they rust easy.
Just stick a knife into the top of a pole, and fuck zombies up. Why the hell would you throw your spear when you probably suck at it anyway? Impale a mother fucker.
I think thats a great idea, but i think the 18 is better than the 22
I have to disagree with you there; shields are generally carried to defend against a. ranged weapons b. warriors who use weapons. Against a horde of zombies it will do nothing there shear bodyweight will bog you down and you might get away with your life if you’re lucky. if its let’s say 1-2 zombies then it would be quite effective but the size and weight of the shield will be more of a hindrance than a help
Just want to point out that throwing knives is impossibly hard, and require years upon years of training to perfect to a standard that is remotely useful.
The same goes with shooting an arrow.
if you look at the history of war, strait from the earliest recorded history, the main theam of weapon development was to counter the enemy’s weapons. With Zombies, this no-longer factors in the equation, Zombies my be able to wage Total war, but they don’t have the ability to fight beyond tooth and claw. What this meas is; no armor, no range, no heave hitting attacks, no cavalry.
So without the enemy having anything more then their on body to attack, we no-longer have to make specialized weapons, other then for fighting hordes from a defensible position. What this means is that we don’t need much more then club/mace style weapons, they do their job of cracking skulls exceptionally well, and there easier to make for durability.
Though I do see the need to hold onto guns and ammo, but this is more for holding back human enemy’s, not zombies.
If you want a crowbar, get one made of titanium. Lighter (less weight to carry, swings faster, and therefore less tiring) and tougher, almost unbreakable. Why does no one think of using cryogenic fluids (i.e., liquid nitrogen, etc.), Although liquid hydrogen and oxygen are flammable, and great for burning things, I think they pose as great a hazard for the user as the target(s). Freeze them, a la the morphing Terminator in Terminator 2, then shatter them with anything handy. Hell, at that point, throwing rocks would work as well as anything.
So take over a gases plant, they’re typically fenced in, fortify and supply up. Good a place as any.
There’s one thing that I think would work well for many reasons that I really haven’t seen people turn to. For me I would go with a climber’s ice axe. It’s extremely capable when it comes to blunt force as well as penetrating the skull. I’d go with one without serrations so it won’t get caught when retrieving it. There are two sides to it so you can even swing backhanded. They’re incredibly durable since they are meant to hold all of your weight and more. It doesn’t have a blade which means you don’t need to maintain it as much to retain its strength. It can also be used as a sort of crowbar for some circumstances, and with a decent sized handle, you don’t have to be too close. Overall, I’d imagine it would be ideal for many situations.
Obviously many things would serve the same functions. I’m fond of short swords and kukris, having had extensive experience with those. Bows and hand crossbows are nice to use but don’t have the range of other guns. More suited for quietly moving around. As for tools, crowbars, hammers, hatchets, and knifes all work well for utility purposes as well as some combat. Obviously guns are nice but should be used sparingly. I’d always want one for a quick and easy suicide if it got desperate. Much less traumatic than the alternative. Those are my thoughts on the matter, anyways.
I like edged weapons, and blunt weapons. Firearms should be considered, but kept holstered or slinged until a necessary moment arrives. Bats are nice. Thick lengths of wood wrapped with wire and studded with filed down nails are excellent.
But, in my opinion, the best zombie defense weapon comes from Mr. Miyagi..
“Best defense, no be there.”
Avoiding confrontation is your best defense. Engaging even one zombie will keep you busy long enough for two or more to join in. And forget a baseball bat against a dozen or so hungry monsters.
A foot long length of lead pipe. Ideally with fairly sharp screw threads for piercing. About 2 inches in diameter will do wonders to a zombie horde. Next in line. A foot long pry bar or crowbar. Concerned about them sticking into zombies when using them to impale..
KARATE!!! is the ULTIMATE ZOMBIE WEAPON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not sure if you want to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a zombie. Big risk of getting infected blood in/on you.
Since you’re being all “scientific” about it, let’s look at it from a medical point of view. Without circulation the tissues will breakdown very quickly (this won’t be something that lasts months). However, looong before that (hours-days) once someone dies there’s no way for the muscle cells to produce energy (they need oxygen for that), without this cellular energy the muscles will not be able to relax/contract. In fact rigor mortis will set in and they’ll be stiff as a board, once the tissues breakdown then the body “relaxes” but only because the muscle is basically turning to jelly lol. So no worries about the zombies, or video-game survival logic etc etc.
Let’s say we lived in a universe where the laws of basic biology have been changed and there were in fact zombies. I would be between fencing or trapping. Fencing as in finding a place surrounded by a fence to keep you safe but still allow you to push a sword or something through to kill a few. If there were many then a flame thrower/ Molotov cocktail would be very easy to make/refuel with common materials, even in said world of fantasy biology- nothing is going to be doing much of anything once it’s been carbonized.
Trapping could be done 2 ways:
1.) only 1-few of them, use a net trap, slay while they are immobilized/confused.
2.) a whole buttload of them, a fenced enclosure within a fenced enclosure (prisons, schools, etc), lure them in and set the whole thing a blaze, or shoot them like fish in a barrel (I’d suggest arrows because you can always make more/ recover them from the zombie corpses you’ve dealt away with). This type of trap can be used over and over again, because you can make fire with items found in nature and finding flammable material in nature is easy (easier in a post apocalyptic world I’d imagine lol).
Of course the logical choice in defense is multiple varying weapons, and ideally limb bracers (tough coverings/ light alloy plates that would be impossible to bite through should you need to fight in dangerously close range. (in order of range) Survival knife, kunai (throwing knives are common, cheap, easy to learn), some kind of sword, a handgun or 2, and because it’s my fantasy- an elephant gun (because if there’s a hoard I want to know that each bullet made it through more than one’s head). I’d probably have entirely too much fun if I found a tree with low branches and a guandao (which you can make yourself).
As for where to live in the long run? I’d pick a hospital- food, medicines, lots of equipment and parts, and the catch 22. Which is you’d need a group of people split into at least 4 teams of like 5 people (depending on the size of the hospital) going floor by floor killing anything zombie. First all 4 groups sweep the first floor, then 2 groups sweep the second floor leaving the other 2 groups on the first floor at the stair wells to make sure nothing is moving back down into a “clean” floor. Go up level by level until all are clean. Even though it’s a hassle, a hospital has a lot of strong doors that can be chained/barricaded should there be a successful invasion into the building. Further the layout of many rooms (with some improv renovation lol) can be an excellent source of escape routes filled with traps and funneling points etc etc. I live in the suburbs so this would work for me, but in a large city I don’t think it’s as feasible to defend a building passed the first three floors unless you have a method of escape from the roof (like a couple of helicopters or parachutes lol). Added bonus, hospitals have large parking lots and garages with many vehicles that could be preselected/modified for emergency escape.
You know the only thing that sucks about all this planning and preparation is the bugs. Blood sucking insects like mosquitoes can transmit a pathogen just as easily as a direct bite from an infected person. And obviously eradicating mosquitoes and the like now is nearly impossible, much less in a post apocalyptic world.
That’s a very bad place to fortify. The chances are someone will get bitten and someone stupid will try and treat them with medicine. Everyone but that guy knows that there is no cure now, and that person zombifies taking out the person trying to stop him and the person trying to save him. And if there is anything living that hasn’t been bitten besides you, the same thing would happen and then start spreading rapidly because you think he/she is a pro. After that its just F’d up.So the hospital (X)
I would chose either your own home or a gun store. You know where everything is in your house and problably have some wood lying around to board up windows and doors. The gun store usually has one door (double doors don’t count) and barred windows, Along with guns, ammo,and other needed things to survive the apocolypse.
For my weapon, i’m not even going to get a real firearm, just ammo. I will get a long wooden board, a thin wooden board and a guitar string. put holes in the thin board’s ends, glue/nail the thin one onto the regular one, put the guitar strings in the holes and boom, a improvised crossbow
Hmm, i kept thinking whether i should start training myself with a special weapon which i is good against zombies and other situations.
“Katana” and “Aluminum baseball bat”
Those were my weapon of choice, i would normally curry a pistol but bullets don’t come easy in the UK so a weapon that does not need any bullets and has unlimited use was best of use for me.
But i rethought that after seeing other Zombie movies, there were all so many different types but a few zombie movies i was sure humans would not be able to survive against them because of how they are, Speed, strength and bullets don’t easily kill them, unless you are a good shooter and able to shoot at the target while moving at high speed then again, at that situation attempting to outrun them was no option at all because they were faster than humans, I hoped if Zombies were too exist they would never be like them, they were simply too dangerous but the best type of zombies which i would be super glad to have if they were to exist was zombies from “Zombie Land” Easy to fool and out run (Depending on your fitness, not hard to kill.
Others may say no such thing as Zombies and bla bla bla, but as so many know that scientists love to discover new things such as cure for cancer, etc, what are the chances of this cure being success and having side effects such as corrupting the brain and turning them into mindless creatures such as in the movie “I am Legend” all began with a cure that almost whipped human race from the face of the planet, as much as i would love for it not to be true many people say that “Anything is possible” the chances may be low but what are percentages that something like that wouldn’t break lose, humans have curious minds which wish to discover many new things, i bet you even if the government discover such a virus they would use it against their enemies even though they are well aware of the risks and so many and watching so many zombie movies, lol.
Anyway, i would probably take both Katana and bat because they don’t weight much specially and easy to use at close range against their enemies, You may say that a sword would get stuck on the skull or something, the chances of that are high but it depends on the wielder if you have full control over the blade and know it’s weakness then the odds of that happening switch to your side since you would know what happens if you dash the blade at something like a skull, you would carve the blade in a cutting manner instead of dashing the whole thing on the head like a foolish person trying to kill as fast as possible.
I don’t know why but i still wonder how the bat works that well, maybe because it is able to break the bone and maybe the impact affects the brain some how, but as long as it works it’s good with me. x’D
I would say a mace, sans spikes, would be better for multiple quick kills. Swift strike to each head would turn the insides nice and spongie. It benefits from speed and ease of use over the claymore. Also most swords will not cut through three people at once, no matter what kind of sword it is, for a couple of reasons.
1) Few people are the exact same height at the neck, so you are likely going to hit one zombie at neck, and then the next two at shoulder or lower jaw, better hope it is lower jaw.
2) Aiming that precisely and being able to swing a sword for long enough to matter is going to be a real test of skill. Try it out, take any long metal object, draw a line on a tree that is easy to see, now try to hit it five or six times in a row. Not as easy as it sounds, I learned this when I had to chop a tree down as a teenager. Looks easy till you realize you have been chopping for half and hour and have chop marks ranging up and down 6 inches of tree instead of straight through the 6 inches of truck, lol.
I have been studying the zombie pandemic since he first Lincoln movie came out. Is this stuff really true??? I was just wondering because I am handicapped with one child, How in the Hell am I supposed to defend myself and my families safety. I can use handguns and rifles, and thats about it.
Also, If the zombie turns out to be a heavy population, How are we supposed hide?
Sincerest Rebecca Burkett (Becca)
Hmmm. How about before advanced firearms were available, say around 1851 in the Great Dismal Swamp, or aboard a whaleship?
I’d favor a long-hafted Danish axe, with a similarly designed hatchet in a sheath at my hip. Maybe a flintlock on the opposite hip, or, even better a largish Bowie knife with a braided leather grip.
a bow. or a crossbow would be an ideal weapon for using on a zombie, because the fact that you can make bolts and arrows out of anything, and after your shots you can get you ammo back from the zombie. a machete is good because its a weighted blade, which you can cleave off the head with ease. bats and hammers are good too but it’s messy and the infected blood may gets everywhere. If you come across of an automatic pistol get a silencer ASAP, this would be your emergency weapon. only use it if the zombie gets too close well you are running. and make sure the ammo is a smaller cal. because the bigger cal. the heavy it gets.
hahahahaha you know people its better to use baseball bat for me ..
and you dont need to kill them all all you need is to survive, and escaping or hiding is not cowardliness its just a tactics, and the gun thing , you also need a gun, once youve bitten you better to use it to yourself , to not harm others ..
I Like the crowbar idea. they are curved so the idea of it sticking into a skull might not be as likely as people may think. further more i would also place my bets on a wrench pipe. with practically a zero chance of it sticking into something and it is still versatile. THOSE ARE MY 2 PERSONAL FAVORITES
I personally rely on firearms and a bowie knife …. I have quite the extensive years of military experience and training ….. Being a combat veteran with 6 and a half years in an active war zone I have somewhat mastered the art of war. From my experience and knowledge guerrilla warfare tactics would be the best for this situation. These are the same tactics which were used against us in Vietnam and still predominantly used today. Short controlled bursts from a silenced weapon are the best defense. Fire and disappear as quickly as you appeared. If the enemy cannot see you and cannot pin down where the fire is coming from then they are essentially sitting ducks. For the average person who has no combat experience I can tell you that training is essential. Know your abilities as well as knowing your firearms. Know how the firearm functions and what to do if a malfunction should occur. Another tip would be to start preparing now. Most people are oblivious as to what is coming. Take advantage of their ignorance and become one step ahead of the rest. Assault rifle, shotgun, and pistol is the recommended load out for anyone. I currently have a bushmaster m4a1 that is fully automatic and silenced, I have paired that with an 870 custom tactical shotgun, and a beretta m9. The reason for my selections is : the m4a1 is standard issue among all military and security forces. In the event of an outbreak ammunition would be able to appropriated rather easily from already dispatched personnel. The 870 is a standard shotgun carried by security forces and the ammunition will be widely available. The M9 is a standard issued sidearm by the military and all security forces. These are all things that should be taken into circumstance. Preparation is key. I currently have 25,000 rounds already loaded into clips and ready to go. Now how you take my tips are up to you. I wish you all the best of luck if this event were to happen. Just remember preparation, cover, always have an escape route.
and the best thing u can do is get riate gear and a riate sheildand baton the baton its self is stronger than an aluminum bat and is easyer to carry drive a bus aroundand only fight when absolutly nessesarry such as getting other survivers and suplies then take evrt thing into a remot place out side any cittys
This has nothing to do with this but above has crap grammar
You need firearms, but as anyone who has watched “The Walking Dead” knows, the sound will bring the walkers in by the hundreds. The ammo problem can be solved by stockpiling, I have thousands of rounds of 5.56 ammo stockpiled, as well as .45 ACP. Still, the firearm is a last resort weapon. My choice for first line zombie defense is a Cold Steel Chinese war sword. This awesome weapon can behead a zombie with a single stroke. The sword was invented using a farm implement as a model, and was designed to arm untrained militias of Chinese warlords. The Japanese soldiers in the Second Sino/Japanese war feared these swords more than anything else, as Chinese peasants would behead Japs with a single stroke. It is a great choice because of it’s power, and because it can be used effectively with minimal training.
I fully agree with the guns and amo statment. also you will not be anywhere as good a shot as you may think oull miss way moor often than you’ll hit your target. As for edged weapons, i think there more useful than you think, as for sharpness, a machete, or sword doesnt have to be razor sharp, of course the sharper the better but we’re cutting down zombies not trees.
Where can you get liquid nitrogen? People should think, a lot of stuff will be out of stock. There wont be much ammo and firearms left.
While all the weapons discussed could dispatch a few zombies, what, if anything would you do when faced with a horde of hundreds? (Other than become zombie chow that is.) Here is my idea zombie weapon, which you could dispatch any amount with. Take a heavy metal object. Anvil, a small engine block, something like that. Now tie it off to a piece of rope. Get in an elevated position (Climb a tree if none are available.) Now pull up the heavy object. As zombies get to the base of your position, drop it on their head. Pull the object up and repeat. If you lack physical strength or are worried about getting tired, a system of pulleys can cut the required strength to a minimum. If you get tired, take a nap, eat something, whatever. Then get back to smashing Zeds. If you set it up beforehand, you can even move from tree to tree as the bodies stack up around the tree. Like Ed said, a sharp mind. Think smarter, not harder.
Seeing as how I’m a little late on this blog..I would just like to say that I would prefer blunt objects. Whether it be a bat, or something else. Everyone talks about how bats bend, it’s not THAT easy to bend a bat. Yes they dent, rather easily. They crack. But they stay in tact. Enough so that you can keep using them reguardless of how dented or cracked they are. Unless you crack it so bad that it literally just falls apart or are some sort of super human and can bend it in half by hitting something. It’s going to stay a bat whether it be useable on a ball or not. Also just a thought in the back of my mind. Watch the show Deadliest warrior. There are some cool easy to make tools on there that were used back in the day by other’s that wouldn’t be too hard to make in today’s world. Particularly watch the episode on zombies vs vampires. They make some claws that are supposed to resemble the claws a “vampire” would have and if anyone could put any sort of power behind them, they’d be pretty deadly though I don’t know that I’d want to get that close.
the best wepon in my mind, is a sharp mind its self. So can use forsite.
the best weapon would be cardio, run bitches run. military training would be nice. when it comes down to it if you cant get away, your in trouble. just about anything heavy enuff to smash a head can be found so its not what you use its how u use it. as least as possible would keep you alive longer, meaning just dont get caught. but then again wheres the fun it that.
Get the aluminum bat, make a hole, and fill it with clay,sand, wet saw dust(not rly recommended), or concrete, or a mix of them. Heck get a plastic bat and fill it! Guaranteed effectiveness, minus the worry about it bending. Is it too heavy? Mix the concrete with lighter stuff, or just put a large stick in the middle before filling it.
But the BEST Zombie Defense Weapon?
All terrain land+sea APC with lots of gas and extra gas on top of it that can be refilled from inside the vehicle. Run everything over and you’re safe as long as you’ve got food.
Finally got stuck,reach a dead-end, or run out of gas after running over thousands of zombies? Okay, time for the last stand, mow down everything with either: a machine gun, to a 30mm auto cannon, to an automatic grenade launcher. If you’re lucky you even have an ATGM (Anti Tank Guide Missile) to blow up a lot of them or blow a hole in a wall and make your escape and run over even more…
Axe and hammer and a small sharpening stone.
a metal baseball bat will bend after continued use go with the wooden instead it will never fail to do its job, bashing shit other than that i agree with every word
well honestley metal bat not so good cause when you wack a zombie in the head the vibration will hurt like a son of a bitch and it’s easy to avoid the blood getting in your eyes just wear goggles like the ones snowboarders use and a bandana around your mouth like the iraqies
but my weapon combo of choice would be a wooden baseball bat with nails in it and 2 pistols or if you can find it a hunting bow this is why i picked these
baseball bat: i picked this because it’s very easy to make and it’s lightweight and lighter then a steel baseball bat and also imo i think a wood one is better then a metal one
2 pistols: these things can save your life because there are police stations everywhere and since cops have guns there has to be ammo and also you can be close to zombies smashing there heads in with bats all the time you need to keep your distance so if you see lots of em coming towards you think about how screwed you would be if you use a short range weapon instead of a long ranged weapon
the unwanted attention: now pistols will attract unwanted attention but hey thats what home made bombs are for and also you could fix up something like a bomb that makes a really loud high pitched sound kind of like the pipe bomb from l4d except it will be loud! but with the pistols attention grabber you should use them only when you are in a life threatning situation
thats all i gotta say for now.
hey guys,
new to the site and with anything zombies gotta check what people are saying about weapons. 2 things for me factor when talking weapons, the ability to have or get them and the easy at which you can use them. I know that people have said on this page that the best weapon is the best weapon for YOU.
That being said, you never truly know when the outbreak is going to happen so having access to your weapon is paramount. I believe that blunt is teh way to go but I will also say this…TWO IS ONE AND ONE IS NONE! meaning if you do have a weapon, any weapon and lose it..game over man, but if, for example you have 2 collapsible batons not only do you have two decent weapons that almost anyone can operate but you lose one, run and gun my friend with the knowledge at least your not fight the unholy living dead or the a$$holes that are trying to steal you $h*t with your bare fists.
Second, a small woman or child or feeble man child might not be able to use or choke up on a bat and make them more vulnerable. maybe mommy likes the rolling pin or the cast iron skillet?! dont let your conventional ‘ideas’ of weapons slow you down. Find a survivor ask then what they did for a living. experience count.
just my 2 cents. love the site…heard about it on the frank fontana show which did you no justice…lol.
keep prepping
A scythe.
I know its an unlikely weapon to find antwhere but in my mind if you can get ahold of a morning star i think that would be your best bet its an unlikely weapon to find but if you can find one along your travels pick it up
Ralphrepo, that being said, there’s still a full page of blogs about blood on this website.
I feel the answer is simple. The best weapon is YOU! Why? Because it is impossible accurately plan for the hundreds of possible scenarios that could occur. You may have all the equipment somewhere, but what if you’re somewhere else when faced with an attack? Now what? You must learn to use whatever is at hand as an effective weapon. Weather it be a shotgun or a broom handle, we must be prepaired to defend ourselves effectively any time, anywhere, with whatever we have access to. Adaptability is the key to survival, so YOUR knowledge and skill will determine if, and how long you survive. No combination of weapons will do that for you.
I’m from Scotland, so guns aren’t available to every random person over here. I do however, have a Zulu shield, with a Knobkerry club and Iklwa stabbing spear. Hypothetically of course, I reckon the club is probably more dangerous, because it’s got this really long shaft that could be used for quite a hard swing. The Zulus actually designed them to smash skulls open. Not sure why more people don’t know about them tbh…
i’m totally with this guy. although i suggest the zulu short spear as well
How would you rate spirits and rags for distance based weaponry? I would think ammunition wouldn’t be too much of a problem as people who drink outnumbers those who don’t.
I may not of read all the comments posted on here but in regards to firearms it does take a little practice there is so much that movies and video games do not show firearms must be cleaned regulary there’s nothing worse then a rifle or handgun jamming. I believe the ammo topic has already been covered but with reload shells comes one problem too much powder or too little can lead to problems in accuracy or power sometimes both. if you know how to maintain a firearm then usage for zombies won’t be a problem but all out combat should be avoided. its best to know fight or flight in most situations I agree that blunt or bladed weapons are best in close quarters a knife would be best as swords or bats can take too long to withdraw on enclosed spaces and a gun is just too inaccurate. understandably I don’t know what you’d be doing in a space that tight. But all combat is a at risk scenario. So my advice for firearm users would be:
1:take care of your firearm what ever it maybe because gunpowder leaves residue
2: rifles can all be silenced to an extent if your know what your doing a potato can be quite useful or if you just finished your soft drink and have ducktape tape it on the end of barrel it does work (most of the time)
3: your not solid snake or annie any firearm does take skill practice and knowledge to use because hitting the head of a zombie in a panic situation isn’t gonna be easy.
I think I’ve made my point … I hope
I am going to disagree with the author as I believe your chances of survival for bravely holding your ground against a horde by staying put are 0%; even if divine intervention granted you a lightsaber*. The purpose of a firearm is to maintain standoff. Yes, that means you are going to need some training. You are going to want something that can crunch through a skull with precision, but in a rush have enough kinetic knock-down power to put a zombie on his un-coordinated ass. Relying on blunt objects, already means the bastards are too close, and unless you are a professional (or AT LEAST MINOR league) baseball player, you’re not going to do much damage to a group (5+) of zombies without getting tired out, tied up in a swarm to have proper-wind up to generate skull-crushing force, to say anything about scoring a perfect smack on the head. A zombie is going to be a moving target and depending how hardcore of a ‘classic/purist zombie fan you are’ you better not waste your time yelling at zombies for running “ala Dawn of the Dead remake” or 28 Days/Weeks Later” and violating the [zombie speed limit]; you may have a lot less time to react than you think. With melee weapons, in order to fight effectively means you HAVE to be close, so unless you are taking ONE down, sure, save the ammo.
A rifle or carbine-sized assault rifle is ideal for many reasons. The biggest advantage is ammunition capacity, though inaccurately regarded as a [disadvantage]. I guarantee you can pull the trigger 300 times (10mags of 30) far easier than swinging an aluminum bat 300 times… True, you will not be taking on an entire city of 50,000+ zombies. You would be ‘dead’ tired and too fatigued to follow-up shots on that kind of horde. Unless you are carrying, next to near worthless .22 ammo, odds are you don’t have thousands of rounds on your person, and you sure as hell aren’t going to score all headshots (and good luck getting a .22 to fire without mis-feeding every five to seven shots). The advantage comes from being able to get yourself out of a sticky situation quickly and get the hell out of there. You are NOT going to achieve this running up to someone with a baseball bat. If you’re too liberal or too blind for firearms, well sucks to be you.
Let’s also assume that said cause of zombie plague may be contagious. Is that something you really want splattered on you? A drop of blood in your face, as badass as you might be, may be all it takes. And if you become a ‘Doom-zombie’, you are now a baseball bat swinging zombie. Just what the rest of us needed (all though shotgun zombies would suck too)… I think someone’s comment of a good chemical suit is probably not a bad idea until you know more about the cause of the outbreak (Chinese soy products).
As far as my personal recommendations: AR-15 type assault rifle, a good AK series, or any other 9mm, 5.56mm, 7.62mm weapon because of their high distribution across sporting goods stores, Wal-Marts, etc. I recommend you keep these places in mind during your evasion. As far as which is the best is irrelevant. What can you hit things with the best? It’s been more than five decades since the first version of M16 came out, so an AR is an entirely different weapon that is considerably more user-friendly. An AK has higher muzzle climb per-shot even on semi-automatic. Good luck getting consecuetive headshots with that. It’s far less accurate, but has good punch in close. Recommend this for very novice shooters who can run fast… Speaking of which, I encourage you to throw on a vest with 300 rounds (not necessarily armored) grab a rifle and do some run and shoot drills on a range. See how fatigue affects your shot groups. You may be awesome at Call of Duty, but I don’t care what kind of weapon you have, if you are dying by the time you get to the top of a set of stairs at on your way to the XBOX and the kitchen, nice knowing ya.
Did I miss anything?
Agree, in the end my fist pick will be my metal bat, I have other weapons that would work even better then it, but bats are unlikely to get you in trouble if you have it on your person, or in your car. Other blunt weapons, like the mace, are also easy to make on the fly, and are quit effective right from the start.
Edge weapons will probably go through an evolution, as there are not that many people that can make you the good ones. Axes will probably become the most popular, with thick, single edge, swords coming in second.
as for rang weapons, I can see bows, and crossbows becoming very valuable, along with the people that can effectively use them. Being able to kill a zombie without to much noise or exposing anyone to danger, people will gather around the ones who can do that.
That sounds like a pretty good training exercise. If I may add to it, building up the raw strength for decapitating a zombie with a single blow can be done thusly (NOTE: This is much easier to do if you live in the countryside).
Get yourself a bundle of straw or hay, approximately 12 inches in diameter. Stand it up (use a bamboo post for this), and practice your cuts with whatever blade you favour. The straw and bamboo are pretty close to the same density of human – and I imagine zombie – muscle, bone and connective tissue. If you can cut cleanly through this kind of mockette, the real thing should be within your abilities as well.
Just an idea I’ve lifted from some samurai research. Hope it helps.
I think the best weapon is, as cliche as it is, the human body. Be it mind, body, or charisma, the human is truly one of the best things to utilize in the battle against the undead.
Only a good mind can visualize the forthcoming group of humans and/or zombies and come up with the best possible course of action, be it firing, taking in the survivors and hope they aren’t here to steal from you or sabotage you, or running away. Furthermore, a great mind can decide which weapon the situation warrants and find a way to use it most effectively.
Beyond using it as a weapon, it can prevent you from having to even worry about incoming hostiles. A well-trained body can evade enemies, build a small fortress out of a building, or even raise you to a safe (ish) height.
Besides the human body, the best weapon, in my opinion, is a bolt-action rifle. Its single shot mechanics force the shooter to make every shot count, has the range to take out many hostiles before they are even close to you. Plus, rifles (and their ammunition) are readily available in all gun shops. Even Walmart has rifles.
Melee weapons simply don’t do what you need them to do in an attack. They can only take out, at most, a couple zombies per swing, and they take time to get swinging again. If you get swarmed (likely), you won’t be able to do anything. Plus, melee weapons require the individual to be in close range with their attacker(s), causing the problem of being bitten, which usually isn’t a good thing in an undead world.
Having both a rifle and a melee weapon would be best, as it allows for both range, lethality and unlimited “ammo”, provided you can keep swinging. The best melee weapon would be something that has an alternate use, such as a crowbar. It’s got the blunt force, the straight, pointed edge to jab, and it can be used to open doors or crates.
im afraid im gonna have to disagree with all of the ones ive been bothered to read, quite frankly, bats, club, pole arms, fire arms, all effective, but not in the sleightest practical, i think if you are looking for a sturdy long term zombie slayer, then you have no better choice than the machete simply because when sharp, with enough power will crack the skull and destroy the brain with minimal blood spay (granted zobies dont have arterial spray cos there dead therefore no blood flow), and i dissagree with the first statement about it needing constant upkeep , by all means if you want to waste valuable sun light in this apocalyptic zombie infested future feel free but the truth is even if you dont bother to sharpen the machete it still has the weight behind it when blut to crush the skuul and the brain, my oppinion, its a no brainer, machete all the way. XD
Zombie ghostbuster
@Fred Smith: The thing about using an aluminum bat is that they are extremely plentiful. Walk into your local Wal-Mart, K-Mart, any sporting store, or even toy stores. You can find 20 bats on the rack at least, so when one bends, you can grab another. Every weapon has the potential to break, some more easily then others. Although crowbars would be very difficult to break, they are much heavier then a bat, which makes a bat much easier to wield.
Yes, if a bat bends you CAN grab another… if you happen to be fighting the walking dead in the middle of a sporting goods or big box store. If you’re out on the road or in the middle of the woods when your bat bends, you’re lunch! A crowbar, on the other hand is very hard to bend (the whole purpose of the things is to lever things you can’t normally lift), and the titanium ones aren’t that much heavier than a baseball bat. It offers a good, solid melee weapon and a versatile tool.
hgow many of you have actually killed a person at close range? I have while in combat in my country (Colombia) and I have seen others. Human skull break easier than you think and a blunt weapon such a hammer will do the job quite easy. I believe a mechanical hammer would do the zombie/skull basshing job easier than any other weapon, also will come with a handle that could be shock absorbing like the eastwing products.
realistic check, humans are weak not much needed to bash a skull adn damage a brain, so with a hammer not getting stuck in the head the only real problem left would be stamina
How about a very powerful catapult for long range? I mean you can practically use anything on the floor for ammunition. And it can be fixed easily, just need to get more elastic.
I would pick swords or one with a curved blade. If they become dull then they can be used as a blunt object. So they work both ways. Although I would really like to have guns. Especially one with a silencer on it.
Snow.
How can a weapon used against zombies be “lethal”? They’re already dead.
Lethal doesn’t just mean causing death.
: gravely damaging or destructive : devastating – “a lethal attack on his reputation”
: very potent or effective – “a lethal fastball”; also : having a high alcohol content – “a lethal rum punch”
Tho, not all zombies are dead.
There are different types of zombies.
Tho, in my opinion:
No one really knows what would cause a zombie they just know that the brain needs to function for something to move so the best answer is to destroy (or, deliver a lethal blow to) the brain. And to me: If the brain functions enough for movement then it’s alive.
(I feel I haven’t said what I’m saying right but, it is 5AM and I got sleepy typing this. :{ )
I would head straight to work because im a desil mechanic. There tons of fuel i can syphon from trucks to fill my generator. theres plentiful weapons and tools to make weapons. Theres trailers i can block off and create my own safe zones or reinforce the fence the place is allready fenced in. Theres plenty of tractor trailers to take out drive down and raid the town for supplies. the construction site next door hold plenty of equipment its not in an area people would normaly go there its not like theres anything there for people to get unless they get the same idea as me. Its pretty mutch a fortress without to mutch effort its out of the way but still close enoph to get into town for supplies without driving hours witch is important to me because i would be more afraid of other survivors then i would the zombies im strong and i can kill but im not to bright and im overlytrusting of people My weapon choice i would prefer blunt its just how i roll i rather smash then stab pretty mutch anything in this building u can pick up and have at it without to mutch effort. And for vehicl well close range ide have the fork lift for out in the parking lot and some kind of vehicle i always keep fueld and hidden in case i am overun by human or undead just something to put some distance really nothing fancy. One of the CF something like a box truck mabye for trips for supplies. I know my spelling and stuff is bad but im not a rocket scientis here >.> im a highschool dropout.
Baseball bat is the best. Has a good weight, easy to use. Good for breaking skulls open. Metal bats wont break as easily over use
Actually, I’ve seen debate otherwise. Hydrogen or Atomic bomb fused with Nano-tech that can destroy the brain, leaving the brain stem, in which the nanos can replicate the brain, thus giving zombies their basic animalistic functions (brain stem control). Course that would mean the nanos would soon expire, and leave a crumpled, rotting corpse. Just throwing it out there.
the best close quarter anti-zombie weapon…..
anti-magnectic Mine proder…. for those who don’t know what one is google it…
used them in the army for prodding mines, come in two varieties…. short and with extension..
From what I’ve read.. No one has said anything about bows….
the metal bat is by far the most durable common weapon probably, but 1000 rounds of typical handgun ammo is going to run you a couple hundred bucks currently. using it only when you’re about to be overwhelmed could prolong your existence greatly. the main problem i have with firearms is the noise, which attracts other zombies/looters/whatever you’re battling. my other addition would be a polearm, or a long rifle with a bayonet. since you probably pierce with it instead of slash, it’s less likely to get stuck in something you can’t quickly remove it from, plus it keeps things at a safer distance from you. again both these options are enhancements to your trusty bat or club.
good hunting
Gotta go with the classic medieval flanged mace, at least in the mid-range. Probably the pinnacle of evolution of the club as a blunt trauma instrument, the flanges can provide penetrating power when needed and huge amounts of blunt trauma. There tools were used to bludgeon knights to death inside their armor; it’ll take a very tough zombie indeed to stand up to one.
Because I’m personally trained in it as well, I wouldn’t give short shrift to the rapier, at least against “fast” zombies. It’s a fast weapon, easily counters grabs and unarmed blocks, and a reckless attacker generally impales himself on the blade of a trained user. This is preconditioned on a “rabid human” zombie that gives up when a femoral artery gets slashed or a kidney gets punctured.
Ten humans defending a home or walled fort? Spear or halberd block, easy. Five gust in the front with large shields and short swords, five guys in the back with spears. It worked for Sparta, it’ll work for you.
I would agree with you 95% of the way but I think you never gave enough merit to many weapons. One thing I believe may have been good to talk about is how you could set up a defence with it because lets face it running between towns will get tiring plus you will need to make camp every so often. A little firearm would be handy in such a case, it will be close at hand should any zombie start creeping in.
A bat would most likely be effective but not the best as you can’t just swing it anyway, cramped spaces or things can get in the way of a swing especially if you are focusing on swinging with enough force to crush bones.
Also with guns they would most likely be the LEAST effective as even with proper gun training your chance of landing a hit isn’t all that high whereas people see movies and games where it’s easy and forget that in reality you’re chance of successfully landing a shot to kill or wound a zombie are slim.
A knife could also be affective; it’s short so less chance of hitting things, you don’t need training but sadly if you don’t kill the zombie in the first stab or if you’re not fast then that zombie will chew your hand off given the chance. so also ineffective.
I don’t need to add ranged weapons, you covered the main point.
but what I’m trying to say is the Bat would be an incredibly ineffective weapon just like everything else, in order to survive you would need a variety of every weapon, each weapon has it’s own flaw and would be useful in certain environments.
i literally live within 5kms of an ammunitions and explosives plant :3
all you need is a lot of people with you, to use as “chaffs” whilst you run away! More food for zombies is the best defence!
I didnt read all the remarks….but I believe if an event happens and survival on wits comes to pass…well blunt wepons are good, but you would need wepons like a gun or rifle. For the sole reason….you dont take a knife to a gun fight, and if there are other survivors, chances are they will be armed with a gun or a rifle themselves.
So…use a blunt weapon when neccessary, and always have a backup. Expect the unexpected.
Sorry if this has been said at some point already in the nearly 3 yrs this thread has been going (!), but two things I want to throw in:
First, anyone who’s used a long bladed weapon like a spear, long axe, monk’s spade etc knows that once your opponent gets within the length of the weapon it’s useless. Unless you’re very skilled with the weapon, that can happen very quickly. Big axes and big swords were traditionally used to intimidate the enemy and break up organised lines. Against a mob of zombies immune to intimidation you’d be armed with a heavy, one-shot weapon that can get tangled up very easily. Even spears and the like rely to some degree on opponents wariness of the business end, which won’t work for a second with zombies who may well impale themselves on a blade, walk up it and bite your face off.
Second, realistically no one, and I mean no one, is going to last 15 minutes in the middle of a crowd of zombies, no matter what they’re armed with. The only way to survive is to punch through and keep running (assuming you’re outside a defensible area). Discussing weapon types only makes sense in the context of what you want the weapon to do, in this case punch a hole big enough for you and your team to get through.
If you’re defending a wall you have more time, but in the heat of battle aiming for necks and headshots will give the other zombies a couple more seconds to get past you. In reality you’re likely to be flailing with little control or consideration (at which point not using the sharp bit of a crow bar stops being an option) so will need something fast and effective from every angle. To me that’s a bat or club.
Ok.
If you seriously have to go toe to toe with a zombie horde and will only use handweapons then we must look to history of melee warfare and the current tactical kit for police and prison guards.
Armour or clothes thick enough to withstand being munched on – maybe face shield /mask to reduce splatter being imbibed. Good hand protection a must.
Shield (perspex riot shield like he uses in 28days would be nice but something improvised might do) and a hand weapon (axe, mace, sword, crow-bar, tire lever – doesn’t really matter). Hold them off as possible and crack your easiest target then move and repeat.
Good shoes to piss-bolt when possible or clear of that nasty entrapped position that lead you to this action in the first place.
Cheers!
I disagree with the Baseball Bat idea. I mean for someone to crack a zombie in the head hard enough to completely kill a Z. You really gotta swing for the fences. Ask any High School Baseball player, the fatigue and momentum you would generate would eventually cause your swings to be wild and ineffective. The firearm cleaning/maintence. Well for me isnt a problem due to my experience. Ammo could be a issue but also something I dont see talked about to often is the Looting of the dead. Just because someone becomes a Z doesnt exclude them from still being useful. Food for thought, instead of becoming just…well food.
Sawed off 12 gauge semi automatic shotgun and a knife and thats it. Think about it, a shotgun stock is almost as effective as a bat, its long and heavy which would allow you to knock back a small group, and it has all the range you need. If you cant hit them with a shotgun, you dont need to hit them, keep moving.
After reading a lot of these comments, some very thoughtful and insightful, others obviously inspired by too many hours playing L4D or hanging out in the local mall’s “ninja” store, I thought I’d put in my two cents.
First, some background. I have over two decades of training in various martial arts, including various Filipino arts involving single and double stick, single and double blades, long and short. I also have about a decade of regular handgun practice, range only, no tactical training.
Despite all this, I think the absolute best defensive item is a good, quiet pair of running shoes. If you have the luxury of planning ahead, know the terrain, know the general numbers you’ll be facing, etc., as in the case of a raid for food or to clear a shelter, you might choose something else appropriate for the situation. For the random, chance encounter or should you run into a group, the goal of using any weapon should be to create an opportunity to escape, so you can put those running shoes to work.
Oi! I think you’ve all forgotten slingshots. Very effective. Get a hammer in my opinion, builds your barricades and has a prying end like a crowbar, but smaller and easier to swing indoors. I think I just saved someone’s hypothetical life with these
the best weapons are the useable AND effective weapon, knowlegde, and your overall health in my opinon
while i tend to agree on most of the comments, mainly the ones about not fighting. these guys have a good idea on a good weapon. http://zombietools.net/tools/
i like The Reaper most. at a decent 6 pounds this thing would slice right through bone.
and being made from spring steel you dont have to worry about it getting dull very quickly
Seriously though if you do a little research it is not hard at all (or expensive) to silence your weapon. Everyone automatically assumes to silence your firearm you need some fancy high dollar screw on metal silencer like on Hitman. But it reality all you need is a plastic bottle or some other device stuffed with cotton (which is in nearly every single pillow in existence) taped to the bore of your gun to capture the expanding gases (which is what causes that loud BOOM) escaping as the bullet leaves the gun. And it should muffle the sound enough to stop from ringing the dinner bell for every zombie within 3 miles. And if you can’t find plastic bottles to salvage from our purified water drinking society and some duct tape then you probably don’t deserve to make it through the ZA.
I don’t know why no one has stated the obvious yet. There is only ONE choice for a close combat weapon and that is the LIGHTSABER. It’s the perfect weapon, it’s light and easily portable. No material on Earth can stop it, it makes quick clean cuts every time and there is zero splatter thanks to the instant cauterization it causes. You can swing that baby all day long and not get tired. And if by some chance there are too many zombies for you to handle you can always fall back to plan “B” and use a good ole fashioned force push. Just sayin
Right on!
My thoughts precisely! Firearms are as good as ringing the doorbell! You risk cutting yourself and others with sharp blades.
If you’re looking at a melee styled or hand weapon for defense purposes, the bat (aluminum or cold steel), Indian war club, gunstock war club, any multi-tool style device(forcible entry tool). tire thumper, or the tried and true old police style baton or ton-fa. Each have their pros and cons. The bats give length and ease of use as well as the thumper and Indian war club. The entry tools and the gunstock club give you some sort of sharp pointed area, that although helpful could in fact become stuck. The baton or tonfas, depending on construction, give you the swinging ability of the bat while also giving an extra handle for more torque. And the baton/ton-fa quickly becomes defensive if held properly, defending your forearm and still allowing for use as a weapon. Ultimately the decision is based on ones own feeling and thoughts, but I think when compared the baton/tonfas rank up towards the top of the list for me.
My M4 is outfitted with an eotech, eotech magnifier 4X, laser light, redimag attached to mag well, VTAC sling, and surefire flashlight. My Glock 22 is outfitted with tridium sites, 3lb trigger and a matchgrade barrel. My shotty is an 870 moded for breaching with a short breaching barrel and of course a short sling with a heavy duty D-ring that attaches to my body armor. I am really bored :/
I have been designing a pugil stick with a steel flanged mace head on each end. I am undecided on what the pole should be made of, either fiberglass or metal, wood will eventually break. I came up with the idea by recalling my military training. Pugil stick training was a blast, it was easy to take on multiple opponents (after some practice of course). The flanged mace heads will crush a head and not get stuck and they will not injure the user. Maybe a dull pyramid shaped spike on each end would help. A pugil stick requires the use of two hands for most strikes but can also be used with one hand in case one needs to draw a sidearm, knife , grenade, fith of Jack , etc.
thats a good idea but that thing would weigh alot and can easily fatigue you much quicker but it would depend on the materials made from
id take an AR with an aimpoint and a high capacity .40 or .45. good for 7-200 yards but any closer and id say a sawed-off 12ga pump with 00buck would be best for clearing small rooms where you dont have time for precision.
are you insane??
if you’re going against a single zombie, then yes, a blunt weapon
but when facing down the horde, guns are your only option
well zombies are slow so i dont know why u would want to fight a horde when bashing though them so u can excape
i would use a shield and either a mace without spikes, or a ball and chain. you can thrust them back with the shield, and then hit them with the mace, or you can hold them off with the shield, and come over the top of it with the ball and chain. or a simple 5-10lb maul or sledgehammer from your local home depot
DUUUDE U ALL SUCK ALUMINUM BASEBALL BATS Are useless!!! they dent crow bars are better weopons AND can open doors and countless other necesitys!! titanium crowbars are best due to lightness and strength!
How about a voulge polearm to keep them at a distance. A large bowie knife for close combat, a stinger compound bow to take them out silently at a distance (also loads faster than a crossbow), a beretta handgun, a suit of chain mail, some safety gogles and a mask?
Bow is a good thought. But crossbow with scope may be slower but more accurate. Most people can’t pull off a headshot with a bow even at a short distance. People can pick up a crossbow a lot easier in a short amount of time and use it a lot better.
Zombies dont go for brains. They go for flesh. If zombies ate brains, then the corpses wouldnt be able to re animate.
I would just raid my local historical museum and steel and medievalweapons or armour to protect my skin. if the zombies are slow u have 3 options run, sacrifce the innocent 6 year old in front of u as a distraction or fight my weapon would be a metal baseball bat, any army assault rifle from the nearest military base or dead army barricade. But if u are fighting zombies like i am legend go into your drug, gun cabinet or kitchen and kill yourself as painless as you can
personally, i think guns are a horrible idea unless absolutely necessary. they’re noisy, heavy and require a fair amount of maintenance. i think a cross bow would be a better idea as a ranged weapon, its quiet and the bolts can be pulled from the dead to be used again, meaning you don’t have to go searching for ammo. its also fairly easy to maintain and pretty light.
u cant load more than 4 arrows a minute, and that might be pushing it. longbow or recurve.
Unless you have a nice supply, an aluminium bat is a horrible idea. Within three or four skulls, it will have a considerable dent. More and it’ll be unusable. Crowbars are better options. Personally, I’d like a medieval mace
A good wepon would been a M4 or a bushmaster. Aside from the fact there realy good firearms with an abundance of ammo, the front sigting post is extremly sturdy and can easly suncture the scull. You could also us the stock (expacly if you opted for the solid stock in sted of the ajustable one) as a bunt instrument to bash in the head, brake the neck or even as a non leathel wepon incase any one gets out of line.
-sorry about the spelling, in a hurry
Also something else to keep in mind is you don’t have to kill every zombie you see. Most people can walk faster than a zombie can move so unless your clearing a house you can just nock it down and brake its neck with and thing that you can wedge between the brain stem and the vedibra in its neck. It could still bite you but as long as you keep away from it’s mouth you’ll be good.
I like the army shovel idea but I think that would let the zombie get to close (they’r only 2 ft long) A baseball bat with nails sticking out of it would be good to
best zombie defense… just shoot the first one. “blam, zombie apocalypse done”
but the most superior weapon would have to be the crow bar. think about it, sharp on one end, hooked on the other, blunt on one side, you can use it to open, smash, or pry on anything. it wont break, they are not to long, (2-3ft max), and its not that heavy. Perfect weapon.
The best weapon is the mind
well said, sir!
Pretty much anything big, 4×4 and oldschool, you dont want anything to new, the last thing you want is to mow down a zombie on the highway only to have 15 airbags go off in your face. But not too old either because you need something reliable, go for a diesel Toyota landcruiser troupie, good mileage, especially because most of them come standard with a reserve fuel tank. Solid as a rock, all steel so welding on additional window protection etc. is easy. Plenty of room inside for storing weapons, food, water etc. As they are proper 4x4s and not an SUV they also usually come equipped with extra batteries, 240v converters, CB radio, snorkel everything! and even if the one you find doesn;t have all that they were designed to take all that sorta stuff so installing it would be a cinch! these vehicles were designed to be out in the roughest terrain you can traverse for weeks at a time. Believe me theres nothing better!
A standard issue army shovel is probably the best melee weapon for close quarter combat. The blade is blunt so it wont get stuck and it is made from thick steel so it won’t break. Aluminum bats will break almost immediately after one or two headblows. Wooden bats are better but you need atleast 4 feet of space to swing, so using it in an average house would be suicide. The army shovel is two feet long and can take a head off with a good upward thrust, which requires no swinging space at all. A wooden bat will also break pretty quick in a real fight, it is not designed to be a weapon.
If you really want to escape a zombie attack I would suggest you make friends with people that are slower than you.
Happy hunting.
the PR24 police baton is the best blunt weapon. It is easier to carry, and delivers a more deadly blow. It take a little training, but anyone can get the hang of using it after only a couple hours of training.
my pick would be:
a backbag filled up with shotgunammo and granedes. A sawn off shotgun on my back and the best melee-weapon existing: the baseballbat. use of shotgun very sparingly and just when i see no other way (a big horde for example). a sawn-off-shotgun would be best fire arm because of it´s wide spread. no use to explain why i would take nades with me XD
also in my bag there would be some morphine, and a lots of stay-awake drugs. falling alseep during a zombie – apocalypsis at the wrong time is never a good idea. better beeing drug abused than dead
Grenades are a horrible idea, plus how do you intend to acquire something like a grenade? Like Mudpit states, the PR24 is a much better weapon, for one, it will not bend like an aluminum bat, unless struck against something extremely hard, with extreme force. Doubtful any zombie skull, or hostile human skull will be that thick. Plus it is much more easy to transport around. I used one when I performed security at a UPS facility. Also another flaw in your tactics of transport is the idea of filling your bag full of the shot gun shells and grenades. For example the average shotgun shell is around 3 oz, and the M67 hand grenade which is used by the US military currently is a little over 14 oz. Considering that, you’re looking at over 35 pounds filling an average sized bag. The average soldier carries around four to five grenades on the MOLLE vest. Which leads me to another suggestion. Why not buy some MOLLE tactical gear. That way you could store your ammo, and grenades, while conserving space in your bag for more essential items like food, and other supplies. Also a camel back is handy for water. Another issue with you plan is a sawn off shotgun. Those have pathetic range, and the shot spread would do next to no damage to the undead, with an exception to a lucky head shot. Personally I like the Benelli M4 Tactical shotgun. It’s simple, and reliable. Plus accessible by civilians. It also has a picatiny rail for mounting sights, like a reflex sight, or an ACOG scope. Reflex allows for faster target acquisition and easier quick snap shots, great for clearing a building that you’re wanting to turn into a safe haven.
Yeah man good call on the sawed off! I can’t think of anything more useless! I Live in Aus. and know stuff all about guns and even I know a sawed off is a shit idea
Morphine would deffetly put you to sleep. You need some addirall or ridilen (sorry about the spelling) that would keep you a wake and focased. As far as pain meds go get some 5mg hydrocodin that would be anuff to kill the pain and not make you dumb.
I agree with that. I always figured that I would run out of ammo sooner or later. I like the blunt weapons idea. You can make just about anything into a blunt-like weapon. I would most likely carry a sawed-off .410 gauge shotgun and a crowbar. I decided to make the .410 sawed-off because it would be easier to carry and I chose the crowbar as a weapon because it can be used as a weapon and for utility purposes.
I think a bo staff would be good for the fact that you can block blows and through out a few good ones to. I figure sence zombies are just dead humens that the have the same weaknesses as humans.(not mental or emotionsal weeknesses dont try n suduce onelol) But to move the Resbartory system is used for breathing mabey a good blow to the torso could nock the air out of one.
Really? Ok…
1) The dead require no air so theirs no “taking the air out of them” at most all you’d do is knock them back a few steps if any.
2)They’re not Zombie Monks from Taiwan. Their average humans turned into flesh-hungry animals. They aren’t going to come out doing round-house kicks and right hooks. They are gonna come out clawing and biting and any part of your body they get a hold of is going to be either gone or injured to the point you couldn’t use it anyway. Not to mention once they bite your arm off for “taking the wind out of them” within a few hours you’ll be one of them too.
SO, Mr. “a bo staff would be good for the fact of…” be sure to get your Shoulan monks ready please stay away from me, my baseball bad, my revolver, and my family. Thank you.
yeah, i completely agree. Bo staves may be useful against 1 to 3 opponents, not 10 to 30. Odds are, your bo staff’s gonna break, and you’re gonna end up a tasty meal for some usatiably hungry undead killer. GOOD LUCK SMARTNESS!!!!
When avoidance is not possible:
The choice of what weapon to keep on hand as a primary tool depends on what the zombies abilities are. If they are the slow, lumbering, rotted types we know and love, then I am all for having a long bat or broadsword for losely scattered groups. Unfortunately, wishing for slow dumb zombies is not preparing for the worst case scenario. If the ZA occurs as a result of a viral mutation, it is quite possible that the infected will retain mobility, aggression, and possibly organization skills – mob mentality. Up close and personal is unlikely to be survivable, so concentrating on evasion is best. If you have to cut a path through them, a 12 gauge semi-auto with 00buckshot is good for that. A 20 gauge semi would be a decent second choice, and is easily hangled by most people – men, women, and teenagers. Noise should be a smaller consideration. If they know you are there, more and more will just keep coming regardless of the noise. If they don’t know you are there, be quiet, do not engage and wait for an opportunity to sneak away. Shotguns can create a hole in a crowd, infected or not. Handguns (9mm for capacity, 45acp for knockdown, 40 cal for a compromise of the two)can do this also, but require greater training. A Stun-Shield would be interesting if you can get hold of them. The electrical disruption should work on the zombies as well as it does on humans and provides a physical barrier from bodily fluids and useful to ram your way out of a small group. I do have a folding steel trench shovel, nuymerous heavy bladed knives, and one homemade heavy kukri that is easily capable of severing a head or limb. That being said, relying on an edged or blunt weapon as a primary is a romantic, but impractical idea. Anyone can hit a teeball (slow zombie), 90mph fastball is a whole different story, and when that fastball has teeth, thats a bet I would rather not make. Avoid when possible, evade as quickly as possible, take as many as possible with you if all else fails. If you wish to see what weapons may work in a zombie mob, look at the videos of prison riots and street mobs. In a prison riot, the guards who are limited to batons are fighting for their life, but can only whip so many before being overpowered – and usually pretty fast unless the shotgun guards arrive quickly (I speak from experience). Bottom line, regardless of your weapon: If you are not running away, you will not win.
i for one respect your not MW2 knowledge of weaponry, as well as your tactics. i would reccomend to you a H&K USP in .40, because it holds 14+1 and if you have a front mounted light/knife/skull crusher (just an idea), it would be the shiz.
i own a 30. 06 rifle , shotgun and mussel loader. with boxes of ammo. so if you have a firearm i would use that first, then use your meele weapon. because depending on where you live, depends on the number of zombies you are gonna deal with.
Firearms are loud and attract attention – both from zombies and other humans. Very dangerous to make noise in an undead world.
To me it comes down to zombie speed. I favor blunt weapons myself but if we’re talking fast agile zombies (ragers) and if there are many of then its blunt is not really gonna cut it. I’d think having a gun on hand as well as my bat would be the best way to go.
the duck had terrible mileage and was horribly slow… sorry dude, you’ll be a (excuse the horrible pun) sitting duck…
i own a warhammer platemail and a shortsword and evinthena ak74u so im covered
They make crowbars out of titanium, a bit more expensive than steel/iron ones but more durable and less weight.
i would try my best to get the military to clear survivors out where ever the zombies are and……..NNNNNNNNNUUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEE!I mean seriously they shouldnt be able to survive that. But if some how they survive, then there is always plan,S,space.
I stand by my opinion that the ideal melee weapon in a zombie outbreak is a good cutting pole-arm like the naginata or the halberd, or as the Zombie Survival Guide states, the Shaolin monk’s spade. Decent range, cutting force, efficient. Yes, training and maintenance are still somewhat of an issue, but there’s always going to be a downside.
For example, if you’re getting swarmed, that bat is going to suddenly start losing it’s metaphorical edge. A blunt weapon can only take out one zombie at a time, and then you have to pull back, and try to strike again, avoiding the zombie you already killed. A good blade can take out a few zombies in one swing if you’re strong enough/they’re decayed enough. Even if it doesn’t, that head is going to move out of the way letting you strike again. If you start to get swarmed, you can also use a good pole-arm for a powerful shove.
I disagree if you spin fast with a good blunt weapon then you can defend yourself quite efeciently.
But then you get dizzy and fall into awaiting eager mouths
a machete, a crowbar and any accurate gun with a silencer.
hmmm…maybe but the owner explained how all of them are hand crafted and one i almost got was folded like 5000 times
Zaq- even if a store advertises that a katana is battle ready, it probably isn’t. Firstly, they are outlawed in the United Kingdom, and extremely rare in the U.S. and Canada. Every real samurai expert I have talked to says that any katana you can buy in an store or online is worthless for fighting.
Here is a recent article that covers this topic:
http://zombieresearch.net/2010/04/12/katana-is-not-a-zombie-weapon/
well i have an idea. a trench knife. it works well in halls and it could easily pierce the skull and make it to the brain. still i beleve avoiding combat is still best, as stated above, but if they get realy close i dont think you’ll have time to pull out a sword and guns just make to much noise and create more problems for times to come. im not saying this should be a weapon you rely on im just saying it would be a good item to carry. its got destructive power added to a punch and its fast. you could simply punch then bring the blade down into the skull. there are multiple forms of the trench knife too. some fold up for easy carrying. i advise if you do get one dont get a serrated edged one though. too many problems with it geting stuck. what do you think about adding that to your arsenal?
I dissagree that noise is bad. the other day I made a noisemaker and put it in the street when i came back 30 dogs were around it. theyre good distractions so you can get away
Okay, where the fuck does this guy live? And interesting idea.
actualy i know a store that sells battle ready katanas near where i live. lucky me
The ultimate melee weapon is the shovel. A standard shovel Has a blunt blade that wont get stuck and can take a head off with a good upward thrust under the chin. The other end makes for a good club when being attacked from behind and the shovel also has a 4-5 foot striking range. When fighting in a tight space, an army shovel is very effective and tough because it is made entirely of steel. The army shovel is lightweight and portable and useful for many other things besides zombie hunting.
Oh hell no! An aluminum baseball bat will bend and dent after extended use. The Katana is the best weapon, as well as a primary firearm (anyone with sense will pick a bolt action rifle with silencer), and another backup weapon preferably a machete.
Agreed that aluminum has its limitations, but a katana is not a viable option for the reasons stated in this article: http://zombieresearch.net/2010/04/12/katana-is-not-a-zombie-weapon/
By that article, no bladed weapon is a viable option.
But anyway, I don’t know what softball bats are made out of, but I’ve dented one the first time I hit a baseball with it. But then, hopefully, the zombie skulls are a little softer by the time you’d have to use the bat.
Pretty much, this comes down to “what weapons do you have on hand?”
ZRS, no offense but i have a carbon steel cheapish katana that was like $90, and i use it to cut through watermelons, coffe cans, and the occasional chair inone strike and i have never had a problem, never hurt myself. i would, however, recommend a kushirigama because it is shorter=less swing space.
a bolt action rifle is terrible if a horde or something is comeing at you it won’t be able to hold them off
Ok people if zombies came im grabbin a chain saw a machete a shpener a 2by4 my xbox m 4 MOLOTOV baby naplalm a sniper and and and live in a big 5 sound good.
no it doesn’t your screwed, chainsaws run out of fuel, sniper rifles suck unless the z is 200 yards away, and molotovs take forever to kill a zombie this isn’t L4D2 grow a pair
someone’s played too much Left 4 Dead.
even though i’m a firm believer that you can never play too much L4D… ammo, Molotovs and Katanas just won’t be lying around.
Wearing combat boots or at least contruction boots during the apocalypse is a given, but why leave it at that.. take something like a pair of landscaping nails or railroad ties and affix them along the back of your boots sticking out about a half inch(even a piece of metal taped to your heel). If you’re only dealing with a couple zombies or have the coordinated efforts of a few people taking out a small group of zombies I do believe this would work rather nicely- 1.take your machete, staff, bat or other melee weapon and take out your targets’ leg(s)
2.curb stomp the F***ing thing
3. repeat
Benefits?
-less chance of blood splatter where it’s going to enter through the passages on your face
-no munitions spent
-don’t have to put your hands anywhere near the zombie’s face or claws
-try stomping melons for ten minutes I bet you wouldn’t even get tired
-how badass is curb stomping zombies?
Might not work so well with larger groups of zombies but at least you’ll have ammo and arm strength to deal with that when it happens. Aside from that the only worry is making sure the spikes are securely fastened to your boot, and in urban areas the metal isnt even necessary.
I would love to hear some reactions to this little strategy I’m rather convinced it would work and would be delighted to hear either why it doesn’t or someway somehow to make it better
I think you’ve got a great idea, however it can only be effective with heavy construction boots or combat boots as you’ve said. The only thing I can think of to add is that you’d need to reinforce the inside sole of the boot with a small piece of wood or metal, because there is a high probability that you may wind up poking one of the nails back up through your boot, which would lead to all sorts of unpleasantness.
Pretty much the only risk to that method, is if you should somehow miss your stomp in a panic and the zombie takes a bite into your leg, or if you encounter a group of them.
broadsword is WAY too heavy for most people and from personal experience is a b*tch to swing a lot. flamethrowers use gas, gas is petrol, petrol is 1000′s of feet underground and hard to process into anything that could be suitable for a flamethrower.
You could also cover your clothes in duct tape. Try biteing through two or three layers of that.
How about a big axe. You could use it as a walking stick and it’s sharper than a spade.
I agree with the katana idea however it is too long to use in close quarters. If you can use them you could alternate between a katana and a wakizashi (short sword).
may i sugesst working on making at least a useable metal sword bu hand then firehardening it
Ok, I nominate you to go try this then. Go hand-forge a sword. I’m pretty sure by ‘firehardening’ you mean putting a temper on the steel. You should read up on that and decide if it sounds as simple as you apparently think it does.
You could probably stand to read something about sentence structure too.
Although it’s hard to find, the best possible close-quarters zombie defense weapon is the trench spike. It was made in World War I for the very use of close-quarters battle. It’s basically the hilt of a sword with a hand protector/set of brass knuckles, which is sufficiently kick-ass on its own, except it has an 11 inch solid steel spike jutting out of the top. The spike is strong enough to punch through a steel helmet (and definitely some zombie skulls). And if you can’t get the spike in their skulls fast enough, knock ‘em down with a brass knuckle punch to the face.
As much as I love a good old fashioned 8 inches of cold steel, the zombies are going to love it just as much. The thing about it is, you might as well be using your own fist. Sure, you can kill a zombie with it, but you’re going to be at arms length with that thing, and I don’t think any of us want to be that close. Yea, its cool and effective, but it doesn’t fill every niche.
After reading through half of these comment’s I have come up with what I believe is a good hand held weapon. start with a steel tube, size of about 1 inch, but what ever you have is good, and weld two or three pieces of rod at the end. Like a giant metal toothbrush. The pro’s of this weapon are several. At least one person in your street will have a welder if you dont, and even a bad weld will still do a very good job. It is a weapon that can be made from things around the house. cyclone fencing, hand rails, some plumbing lines, nails, racking inside ovens. It is also totally customisable. Longer, shorter, heavier for more effect, lighter for weaker persons or speed. I would keep the rods short, enough so they do the damage required but reduce the chances of getting stuck. I would also keep the rods flat at the end, and not spiked as to also reduce the chances of being stuck, and increase the damage they do to the spot they hit. Overall similar idea to a bolt gun they use on livestock.
you cant go wrong with a pointy stick
Love it, made me lol.
Wouldn’t the M1 Garand be a very good weapon for zombie survival? Its sold in every gun store in america which means plentiful ammo.
Well, sure. M1 garand would be a great killer of zombies. The .30-06 shell is almost totally oversized when it comes to “will this blow a human head apart,” so there would be little concern over whether or not a head shot would do enough damage to stop…well…just about anything short of a Cape buffalo. It’s accurate to a point, and rugged as hell. You could, and soldiers have since the advent of this weapon, use the stock as an effective skull-smashing club in a pinch.
I think you might be misinformed about the availability of the gun and the ammo though. You can probably find M1′s occasionally in gun stores, but the .30-06 shells are like shooting dollar bills every time you pull the trigger. They get used in some modern guns, so they’re not impossible to come by, but there’s a reason why a lot of people hand-reload their spent shell casings.
the m1 would be terrible because you cannot reload (and only then with 8 round en bloc clips) until every round is fire and the clip ejects with a loud ping! noise in case you just feel like working the action a bunch so you can reload.
I’m surprised that no one has mentioned the targe or buckler as an off hand melee weapon. Aside the fact it can be used to block, it makes a great weapon with a little practice, with the ability to hit with the face and edge, it breaks bones and smashes skulls, can be used to push an opponent back, allowing an escape, or to follow through with an blow from your primary melee weapon.
A targe is actually an interesting idea I hadn’t considered! The spike would totally be great for spitting skulls. I think the problem would be that you might as well be punching the zombie when you consider the reach of the weapon. A little close for comfort for how little of your body the shield really covers. A determined undead could reach around it, but you give me a neat idea.
How about a riot shield with a few steel spikes set on it at the appropriate height? That could be pretty effective in the right situation, like a hallway or a stairwell.
it’s better than punching the zombie heres why. the spike could penetrate the skull better than your fist. also imagine the skull cut you while you were punching through it. glass does that. i fell through a window once and got a bad cut. now imagine that the zombie blood and brain matter makes contact with the cut. next thing you know you’re not feeling to well…
Ok, here is something i have thought of and read about. But, noone ever seems to mention it. The Trench. If you have time and an area in which to do so, why not dig a trench. I’m not talking 100 feet long, but 10 to 15 feet, maybe 2 or 3 staggered or so. Of course this couldn’t be used in some instances (on the run, urban areas, or other places where the ground surface is unacceptable, ie sand). But, if you have the time, a shovel, and a strong back a trench or hole could used as a good weapon to trap or even kill stray zombies or even trap a few while you make an escape. And, some oil at the bottom could be used to incinerate zombies. But if zombies can’t move they can’t get you. A trench or hole does not take a whole lot of time to dig. And i was wondering if anyone had ever thought of using an industrial fan blade as a weapon. (Not a ceiling fan blade) .I was fixing a big fan I have in my barn the other day and I had to detach the blades to get the motor out. They are solid, light weight, and after swinging it a few times realized it could be used as a very effective weapon. Not exactly available to alot of people, but for some who can get access to a shop that has one, or like me a barn that has one, it can be a very good yet over looked weapon. And, yes I did hit a few posts with it each time doing considerable damage without damaging the blade. I reattached it and reassembled the fan. It worked fine, i figured I had unbalanced it, or bent it slightly, but it works.
I would probably wear a motorcycle helmet and carry a reinforced titanium golf club!
motorcycle helm is terrible it limits vision and is pretty heavy
Brilliant.
anything in .22 cal would be perfect.
a .22 round will enter the human skull but it will not blow through, but rather bounce around in side turning the brain into Slurpee.
another choice would be a pair of ball peen hammers, strike with the ball end and cave in the skull, of course this works if there’s only one or two zombies, and it works better if you have studied the martial art of kali.
I think that I have discovered an excellent (though short term) weapon for use against large groups of zombies… An extremely gung-ho sidekick.
….Well….extremely limited ammo, but probably the absolute best thing for dispersing a crowd of zombies, short of an incendiary grenade. I like the cut of your jib.
my weapons of choice: shotgun, dual pistols, crowbar and machete. the shotgun is deadly at both long range and close range, i’m a pretty good shot so the pistols should also mow ‘em down like grass, both the crowbar and the machete have other practical uses. back off Will Smith, theres a new legend in town.
A bigass car would get stuck if there’s other deserted cars around. right?
Yes, good point! Here’s a zombie vehicle survival post that makes the same argument:
http://zombieresearch.net/2009/03/25/zombie-survival-vehicle-study/
good thing i live in an ammunition factory
lol
that could get messy when you leave the stove on
hahahahaha well I wonder where everyone with a gun in your area is headed..
they were fighting a army of gun and sword wielding mexicans not slow brainless zombies
i dont care what anyone says. No matter how expenisve or good quality a melee weapon is (unless they are those really slow dumb zombies) if you had 8-9 sprinting at you wanting to eat you your only gonna get one good swing or jab with anything before they jump on you. Then you screwed. This may sound stupid but in a perfect world i would grap dual pistols for sidearms and a rifle/shotgun for my main weapon. With that you can take out at least some at long range and when the remaining get to you pop them with the pistols. If i took a melee weapon it would probaly be a crowbar, as well as good blunt and blade damage it also have practical uses like getting through doors
all i currently have is a wrench, and since i live in canada, theres no way for me to get any kind of firearm, anywhere
Josh, go and get your firearms license, goto your local gun shop and ask them what you need to do to get one.
josh just go to a local hunting store…hell i think they sell riffles in Canadian tires XD all you need is a hunting license(no criminal record)
The fact that you live in Canada is a blessing in itself. The freezing temeratures in the winter mean that youve got half the year in which zombies aren’t going anywhere. Because zombies are caused by viruses, theyre not going to be able to multiply/work in that kind of temperature, and you’re wrench is going to come in handy, so don’t be too bumed out.
Uh, fire could be quite useful, though it obviously has it’s limitations. Still, if were looking for the cleanest way to dispose of zombies, I think turning them into charred skeletons is a pretty good way to avoid any possible splatter. So, flamethrower as a primary weapon, a hunting rifle as a secondary weapon.
The only possible problem I could see with that is: what if fire doesn’t kill the zombies “virus”? That would mean that you’d be sending infected ash into the air, and then any people who inhaled the ash, or at food with ash on it, could potentially become sick, die, and then wake up as zombies themselves.
also unless there like zombie jerky like in RE3 there not gonna burn fast
there problem with fire is that it wont instantly kill them and for a few moments you will have flaming zombies running at you and that is just a massive problem
Pretty much the same sentiments as other commenters. Fire is a great way to dispose of zombies, and PROBABLY do so fairly cleanly. But even living people who get set on fire don’t necessarily actually DIE from being set on fire for a little while, and most burn victims are dying of shock before trauma I think, something that the undead would likely not have such a problem with. Even using fire defensively, say, from a fortified position where zombies can’t get to you easily. Zombie banging on your door + fire = flaming zombie banging on your flaming door.
Fire is really hard to control, and very, very dangerous. Especially when trying to get away from the fire will likely result in you getting eaten. Too unpredictable for at least 50-60% of the situations you might be in. The situations it’s good for might involve luring zombies into chain fence enclosures for a moltov, or just torching a building/neighborhood that you have no reason to preserve or leave standing.
wouldnt it take a while for this zombi to die though, since the brain would not catch on fire for a long time?this would make them a living flamethrower. could fire penetrate the skull quick enough to make this a reasonable weapon?
Fire could totally do the job if you have it burning with like wood well no but if you use a common flammable substance like gasoline, propane or acetoline like in welders torches turned in to a flame thrower you could easily incinerate the “undead” in seconds or if its hot enough less!
Better hope fire doesn’t spread the infection. Her’s an article about just that:
http://zombieresearch.net/2009/11/17/burning-zombies-good-or-bad-idea/
nothing like carrying 70 pounds for the entire zombie apocolypse, not including food, ammo, the rifle, clothing, water, tools, medical supplies, extra gasoline, fire-starting eqiupment, survival gear in general… Did i mention that the flame thrower has about a 30 yard effective range? Now in stead of a zombie chasing you down, youve got a flaming zombie… And the flame thrower creates a MASSIVE fireball thats going to attract everything within miles of you and that means… here it comes… MORE ZOMBIES. And then you have to point out that a flame thrower doesnt even fire for a full minute, and these were the massive ones used in areas like the pacific durring WWII…
Not practical… But if I see a giant 10 second fireball and hear screaming, I’ll sneak over and say “hi”
sks and ak shoot the same dont they?
yes they do, 7.62×39
ninja250r with duel sport tires. 77 miles to the gallon, four stroke so you dont have to worry about mixing gas and oil. Goes between the cars on the dead highway and shoulders. At only 300 pounds just about anyone can pick it up if you have to slide it out.
Aluminum bats bend after a while of beating zombies.
The best blunt weapon to use is a crowbar, because the slightly sharpened end can stab through the eye socket, or the curved in can bash the skull. Plus, the whole ‘prying’ aspect is useful. Same for a hammer, although its weakness is that it’s too short to be the ‘best’ blunt weapon.
what is the best zombie-killing gun and why?
Here is a previous article comparing shotguns and rifles for zombie killing:
http://zombieresearch.net/2009/08/10/robert-de-niro-vs-bruce-campbell/
personally I say the glock 3 handgun 33 bullet magazine at longest light weight cheap plentiful ammo and easy to aim
i read the article i want your personal opinion
Depending on how numerous the zombies are, you’ll probably need a few more cases.
But there is already a shortage on ammo. Guns are plentiful, but I’ve seen reports that the ammo can’t be made fast enough. Some silly notion that Obama is gonna outlaw guns or some such thing.
he cant outlaw guns however he can outlaw ammo theres no constitutional thing keeping ammo in and also its hunting season theres always a shortage near and in and after season ive been a hunter 4 years now
also im talking 10 cases at least as a start
He couldn’t do that because that would be political suicide. Since guns and bullets go together, you can’t touch one without effecting the other. And that’s why there is nothing specifically talking about bullets in the constitution.
Then again, “the right to bear arms” loses its affectiveness without bullets, so they might actually BE covered.
very true
12 gauge shotgun, because i can shoot one, and so can anyone. and one of the few rounds that is in a LARGE abundance anywhere. plus different rounds, buckshot for anyone to no scope a zombies head, slug, so it will destroy the entire head or knock the zombie down, breaching rounds to open doors.
glock 17, ammo abundance again in the US and europe. As well as abundance in the magazine, one flush fitting magazine holds 17 rounds. plus an extended 23 or 33 round mag can be used. and glocks are reliable.
metal police baton, easy to use, dont have to keep it sharp, or worry about it getting stuck in a skull. light and compact.
Obvious stuff out of the way, your brain is your best defense.
Probably followed by a semi-automatic rifle.
Since a lot of the discussion has been about melee combat, I think it’s worth mentioning that some thick gloves, maybe part of a wet suit at least. Thick rubber, or if you could find it, maybe kevlar for the arms/wrists/hands/ankles/neck. Likely targets Anything to stop those rotten teeth from finding what they want.
Melee weapon wise, Claymore would be great with space to use it. It takes remarkably little work to put one through human tissue. I saw test with ballistics gel where one went through 3 necks without slowing down. In a real-time situation, there’s no way they would all be perfect decapatations, but 1 decap, and 1 or 2 torsos cut in half or arms severed still beats the hell out of most anything else you could swing if you’re looking for fighting a group up close.
That said, it is still dumb.
My pick would be a hatchet. Mine has the blade and the handle all 1 steel piece. They don’t have to be kept very sharp to do their work. The wedge shape does everything. Sturdy as hell, and there is no way that a skull would hold up to one. Fast, light, compact. A little closer than I would like, but if you’re using a melee weapon, you had better be out of bullets anyways. Very useful tool too if you’re fortifying, or on the move. I can’t think of a single other, melee weapon that would gaurentee a kill on every blow to the head while requiring zero upkeep with almost no possibility of breaking, and still being remarkably light and easy to use for anyone.
A full sized ax gives you a little more reach, but it’s way harder for an untrained combatant to reliably hit with one I would think. And of course they’re bigger and heavier, and require a lot more space to use.
8 dollars at your local camping supply store.
Also, I just don’t feel like a baseball bat is a reliable 1-hit-kill on a zombie. You need to destroy that skull, and wreck the brain. Anything but a grand slam swing might very well require another swing or two.
I also feel like a spear, while perfect for keeping out of reach, would harder to use to effectively run through a nice, round brain case. Anything but a direct thrust to the eye socket (doesn’t seem that easy) has a lot of room to glance off and not make a kill.
While I’m thinking about it, the only drawback to the hatchet I was raving about is the possibility of it getting stuck. I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as something like the hook on a crowbar, but the possibility exists. Blunt weapons almost never run that risk.
So basically, I still think a sturdy hatchet is the most reliable sustained use, 1 hit 1 hill up close any situation weapon, but there’s that scary little chance that after zombie number 8 or 9, the handle is slippery and doesn’t come out of a particularly fresh skull quite as fast as you might like.
I think I’d still take it over anything but some sort of medium length, studded iron war club. That’s getting pretty heavy though.
Anyways, that’s enough out of me.
Good suggesion. Of course, the slippery hilt (due to blood, brains, your own perspiration, etc.) is a concern with any hand weapon… but there are ways around that. The one I reccomend – and this really isn’t that hard to do – is wrap the grip of the weapon/tool in some kind of braided wire. It makes for a very good, solid grip, is easy to attatch and remove, and – given the abundance of hardware stores and devices that contain wire – idiot simple to get your hands on.
I don’t like the hatchet for the simply fact of reach. With a katana or european long sword, there is still a little space (not much, but enough for me) between you and the zombie. A hatchet, you gotta get right up in there. Ofcourse, with a sword, you’d be aiming for the neck instead of straight through the skull.
Long sword, sure. Katana, actually probably NOT the perfect choice for your standard survivor. Here’s why:
Long swords/Broad swords were designed to crush and cut through armor. They are heavy, and even a totally dull one will smash the skull of, or decapitate a zombie. This means low maintenence. They don’t demand quite the degree of quality of a katana to not be a piece of crap.
That said, do you know how to sharpen a katana? How about how to use one with enough proficiency to consistently go through a head/neck/torso and not risk it just stopping half way through? Most people don’t. In the hands of someone who knows all that, it probably beats a broad sword.
That said, a hatchet is still 8 dollars, has none of the space limitations of a sword, and is about as simple as you can get for use. If you have a sword, great. I would use one too. But I still keep my hatchet under my car seat when I go on a trip.
Actually, yes I do, and it’s a pain in the ass. I own several and atleast two are “battle ready”, so to speak. I’ve had some training in Kendo, so I know all about it.
As for the hatchet, I have one. I actually have a tomahawk that’s usable too, as well as the machette. When it comes to weapons, I got the melee ones, it’s guns I don’t have.
I’m not saying I wouldn’t have a hatchet, just that it wouldn’t be my MAIN melee weapon. And the katana wasn’t meant to go through the head, it was made to go through soft body tissue. Just my preference is the katana due to training, owning them, and I like the size rather than a broadsword.
Hand protection, awesome idea, but instead of wetsuit materiel go for chainlink with kevlar underneath, its a hell of a lot easier to get you hand on than you think, any butcher, fish store, veg. processing plant will have shitload laying around, Ive worked in these places and the gloves are desigend to minimally restrict your hand movement, you cound still easily fire a gun or wield a melee weapon whilst wearing them.
Hi, I’ve have a horrible fear of zombies and a friend told me there are websites I could go to for escape plans. I just had another disturbing nightmare which ended up with me running but having no idea where to go. Please help!! I hate having nightmares and definitely don’t know what to do. P.s. i’m not a strong girl.
Great question. We’ve started a new category for sample zombie survival plans. Just look for the “Sample Survival Plans” tab on the right. We’re adding more all the time, so if you don’t see one that fits your needs today, check back again soon.
All of us are scared of zombies. What you are going to have to do is face them at some point or another. Hopefully in your dreams rather than in real life. Being scared isn’t the problem, in fact, it’ll probably keep you alive longer than some of the more gung’ho types. The problem is that you can’t let your fear dictate whether you act rationally or not.
In terms of melee weapons, I would suggect a bladed weapon such as a katana, western long sword (europe’s equivalen of the katana), or machette.
i have a question in a previous article they said shotguns are bad because zombies are breathing down your neck but if you have a bat theyd be breathing down your neck before you kill them anyway so a shotgun can take em out at 30 feet as apposed to a bat there three feet away at best
my ideology is there is no single best weapon against a horde of undead, rather i would choose an assorted arsenal including a compact long ranged weapon such as an M1 garand, but somthing a bit more modern would be preferable mainly cause it would be best to silence it (i’ve never heard of an M1 being silenced so i’m just assuming a silencer isnt available for it, correct me if i’m wrong) but the gun would only be used in the case of under 10 infected at a range at witch i can remain undetected. aside from a rifle i’d carry a pistol or a compact smg such as an mp5k. for close quarter weapons i’d choose somthing along the lines of a katana; lightweight, compact, but has the ability to remove heads and limbs in one strike. also i’d carry a double edged trench knife and possibly a machete. while some say that blade based weapons are ineffective, they are actually quite useful as long as you know what your doing. and as for the issue of maintenance, a zombie apocalypse would offer hours of down time in witch to sharpen witch again, if you know what your doing it wont take more than 15 minutes for the katana and less than 5 for the trench knife. but when all else fails i will also carry a standard aluminum bat, just for safe measure. of course i wont move as fast with all this, but its not like i have to go that fast to out maneuver mindless limping decaying zombies.
Crow bars and and blunt force objects don’t keep my opponent far enough away from me and mine… Same with swords and edged weapons.
Firearms are your best bet…
A Second World War infantry rifle (Lee Enfield Mk.4, KAR98, M1 Garand) with a bayonet would be best. You can shoot your opponents with great accuracy at over 200m, stab them through the eye socket and take out their brains, or use the butt as a club (they were designed for this and used to lethal effect innumerable times). Key is to have several thousand rounds of ammunition stockpiled.
Grenades and molotov coktails are great against large groups to slow them down. Zombies may not be killed by non-brain hits, but if you damage their legs they’re slowed or immobilised.
Grenades I can agree with, especially if thrown towards the front of the group. But I would suggest against using molotov cocktails. Reason being that the fire might not put the zombies down fast enough, then all you have are walking flames and whatever else those flames would ignite.
There is the rub. Unless you HAVE thousands of rounds of ammo, you’re gonna be stuck using that rifle as a short spear. A bow or crossbow is useful in the way that atleast you have the potential to retrieve your arrows/bolts. Though, a gun would still be a better tool to have.
In the end, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is NO one best defensive weapon. Just whatever weapon is right for you, the situation, and weapons at hand.
All the weaponry ideas are great, but what if you are a chick and not too strong to start with? I mean, if I just stand there and cry they will eat my brains. If I run, like chicks in the movies, I will undoubtedly trip, THEN they will eat my brains. If I try to shoot them or swing an aluminum bat, they will just grab it from me – shoot me or bash my skull open so they can eat my brains.
Hypothetically, what if a person just dressed up like a zombie, in a few old paint clothes, rolled around in the kitty litter box, and sort of just ambled & lurched along and tried to ‘blend in’ with the horde?
Then again, what if you hooked up a big boom box & started blasting MJ’s THRILLER? Would they suddenly develop start doing the ‘shuffle’ or smash the boom box then eat my brains?
Nervous Brains
A katana shouldn’t be too heavy for you. *shrugs*
If you try to run, at least make sure you aren’t in heels when you do. lol
It’s not a matter of the weight of the sword, swinging a bladed weapon hard enough to cut through bone is hard even for athletic men with that genetically enhanced upper body strength.
Nervous, my best recommendation to you is to think defensively, not offensively. Average people will almost always lack the training, weaponry, and physical endurance needed for prolonged hand-to-hand combat (with undead or the living). Get yourself a long-handled defensive weapon (shovel, staff, or a “boar spear”) and concentrate on keeping your opponents away from you while calmly backing your way out to an escape location. And once you get out of the range of those grasping undead arms, get yourself a gun and kill kill kill. Women have just as much potential with firearms as men and don’t need to work five times as hard to get that way.
p.s. – Not the biggest spear fan, but putting a crossbar near the end keeps the weapon from getting lodged in the bad guy and increases its defensive ability by quite a bit. They do that on boar spears to keep the boar from pushing its way up the length of the spear after it’s hit. Those things are crazy.
You seem very worried about this eating brains thing. If you happen to be one of those very clumsy girls you chances making it out alive aren’t very good. You probably would not want to leave the safe house to go on supply runs. You could however be useful at guard duty. In that case all you would have to do is train with how to use a rifle. Just don’t shoot you friends.
Believe me, I know what you mean. I’m a guy, but I’m not a BIG guy – I’m short, skinny, and not very strong, so I understand your worries.
Anyone else have any suggestions for those with limited upper body strength? I’ve got my own ideas, and I’m still leaning towards my lightweight crowbar, but I’m open minded….
Two thumbs up
A steel wire pulled by two people in cars across the street from each other. The living better duck. lol
Oh, I’m pretty sure if a person got zombies close enough together, multiple heads would roll from one cut.
Yup, sounds like Joe and I are on the same page now. Avoid melee when possible, if necessary, fight defensively and look for delaying/obstructing attacks and GTFO of the situation. /salute
I had made that post almost the same time you made yours and I didn’t see your post til I went back in and read mine to make sure it made sense. I have a naginata at home, and believe me, it is no where near being battle ready. Though the blade is sharp, i have issues with its construction. Though, I suppose the Odachi(6ft long sword) I have might be used instead. lol
Yeah, aside from a gun, nothing is gonna cut it in a hallway. The best a person can hope for is the “poke and run” technique. Maybe the person’ll get lucky and trip the first zombie, thus creating a domino effect.
As for thrusting, if it must be done, I’d rather aim for the neck for the reason you said; it will probably get stuck in the skull if the person thrusting doesn’t thrust hard enough to go all the way through.
A walking staff is nice and light (relatively speaking, I’ve used some heavy ass wood staves before…mostly waxwood types). The only thing I don’t like about the bo is the amount of force a person has to swing it for it to do damage to a zombie. Though, a thrust to a knee or hip would probably be enough to put it on the ground.
I’ve always preferred the jo over the bo. MUCH more maneuverability, greater focus of hit-power, and greater accuracy (that could just be a personal thing, though – you tend to be better with a weapon you like to use, right?). Best of all, the techniques you use with a jo can be adapted with minimal prep time to use with a cane, a hunk of rebar, a crowbar… heck, even an umbrella, if you’re desperate.
You lose a lot of range, granted, but I think it’sa fair trade. What do you think?
My general feeling is that avoiding combat at all is best, unless doing so would cause your long-term survival chances to go down. So that means about the only time you should be fighting is if you’re trying to secure a location (raiding, getting a new safehouse, rescue operation, etc) or defend a location. In either case the absolute best weapon is the one on hand with the most range. Hunting rifles are surprisingly common in America and rifle ammo is still plentiful and (relatively) cheap. While Andrew brings up a very valid point about the eventual lack of ammunition, I do not feel that this is such an untenable resource that it should be anything but the primary weapon to use against the undead. We must also remember that it will still be possible to manufacture new bullets with relatively little training. In fact, the materials and tools needed to make bullets will probably be around after we lose the technology and tools to make aluminum baseball bats. Though modern bullets are more complicated than medieval lead shot, they’re not all that different from the first all-metal cartridges invented more than a century and a half ago (before we had cars or electricity).
In the total absence of firearms, I would agree 100% with Andrew that a bludgeoning weapon is the only realistic way to go. Spears, halberds, poleaxes, and scythes look great in video games but the sad reality of these weapons is that they are cumbersome, hard to aim, and prone to getting stuck in the target. Slashing weapons (like the oft-praised machete and katana) are designed to lacerate soft flesh and kill the target through blood loss, not dismemberment or decapitation. Despite what you’ve seen in Hollywood about katanas, they are not lightsabers and thus require skill to use and sufficient strength to smash through bone to achieve that desired instant zombie kill. And to kill more than one zombie, you have to be able to swing that accurately and hard over and over again. To see if you have what it takes, spike a cantaloupe on a fencepost about head height. Hit it fast enough that it couldn’t bite you if it were a real zombie and make sure you cut all the way through the entire cantaloupe in one shot. Anything less means your blade is now stuck in the head of a zombie that is VERY close to you, and you’re stuck without a weapon. The human head is, of course, even tougher than the melon. Now see if you can keep it up, dispatching with the same speed and power and accuracy for 2-3 minutes without a break.
I’m not suggesting that baseball bats or a quarterstaff is infinitely better, but it does have the advantage of not getting stuck in the bad guy, can be used for defensive jabs as well as offensive strikes, and it can be easily replaced if you have wood and a knife.
So that’s my call:
1) Fight only when needed
2) Use firearms at the longest range possible (preferably from a raised, defended position)
3) If hand-to-hand fighting is inevitable, go for easily obtained simple bludgeoning weapons.
Here’s my suggestion. Find an area that is enclosed with a very strong fence, like the Prison on Walking Dead. But instead of letting the Zombies live outside the fence, use a sharp object and kill all of them safely. After a few weeks, you would not have to worry, as much because you would have an essentially Walker free zone (with the exception of a few wanderers).
If you wanted a good defensive weapon, you could run another fence inside of the perimeter and allow the Walkers to live there. I would also keep a few, in the event that another settlement declares war on you. All you would have to do is throw a Walker over their fenceline, in the dead of night, and let them marinate for awhile. Voila, no more war.
Definitely agree that it’s best never to fight, unless you are in a position where you need to get through a small cluster of a few zombies. It does depend on whether we’re talking fast or slow. You probably won’t be able to outrun fast zombies. Then it becomes a question of getting out into the wilderness and hoping that you can forage or hunt for food. If slow, then you might even be able to move through a crowd without firing a shot or swinging your sledge hammer. The best weapon is distance.
But if I could have a handgun with a large capacity magazine and a carbine-length assault rifle that would be good, too…
I agree with you weaknesses of all the weapons. I know a ton of people will comment saying that hand weapons are worse but I like them cause they are easy to find and use. But in truth there is no good weapon. With every weapon you are not just battling zombies you are battling time. With guns you eventually run out of ammo. With a blunt weapon your arms will get tired. In my opinion the worst mistake you can make is fighting. Every time you stop to fight or leave your hiding spot to fight you are placing your self and the people who rely on you in danger. so I say the best defensive weapon is cover. the ability to mask you presence form a zombie. It may not kill that many of them but time does the best job of killing.
oh and I like my crowbar rifle combo
The problem with a crowbar is that the sharp end can get stuck in things, just like an edged weapon (wood, skulls, etc.). Also, a crow bar is likely to splatter a good deal of blood around, which could be extremely dangerous for you and the people around you. Not much use in killing a Zombie if it’s going to result in you getting toxic undead blood in your mouth or eyes.
you should always have a gas mask on with fresh filters in a bag as well as detox powder!! don’t forget a rag to wipe they eye pieces of blood! Don’t forget your cheap British mil DPM chemical suit also! Cheap in price, not in quality : )
True with any blunt weapon the user has a chance to have toxic blood splattered on them. and yes the sharp edges could get stuck in a zombie, but i would sure hope the user would use their best judgement and use the blunt side of the weapon when facing off with multiply zombies. and if they dont well only the strong survive. after all when the zombies come its every man for them selves
I know but if its good enough for Gordon Freeman then I like it. plus you cant break into as many things as you can with a crow bar and all blunt force weapons have splatter.
To clarify: you are saying that if a crowbar is good enough for a fictional character in a video game that involves fighting aliens, then it’s good enough for you to base your real-world survival on? Not sure I’m following the logic there…
And not all blunt objects cause splatter. In fact, edged objects (for obvious reasons) cause much more splatter in general. So the sharp edge of the crowbar is the potential problem area.
Another question might be whether a blunt weapon will do sufficient crushing damage to the skull and then the brain. Is it enough to cause any sort of injury to the brain or is it necessary to destroy at least part of it? I don’t know whether I’d like getting close enough to find out. That said, once they’re down you can keep on hitting them in the head (as long as someone else is watching your back).
Actually all blunt force trauma weapons do cause blood splatter, some less then others but they all do…the strength of the hit is also a factor..
Zombies are dead; there is no circulation, hence there is very little blood to splatter. Given the fact that they’re walking around all day doing nothing, whatever blood they had should pool by gravity. Hence, hitting them in the head would be like hitting a dry cabbage. But seriously, all this is imaginary anyway as zombies, by virtue of their defiance of the laws of physiology (ie oxygen requirements, muscle cell functions and all that), cannot exist in the way that media commonly portrays them.
For the same reason that the US military uses a rifle but will nonetheless keep nuclear weapons, you would need stand off and close quarters weapons, depending on the situation. However, the best defense against such creatures would be distance, with the knowledge that anything that helps to achieve that comes with a cost and like all things, involves trade offs.
Me? I would live off the grid on a walled island surrounded by strong currents.
Just thought I’d leave some input. If we are questioning the usefulness of a crowbar, I personally think the the variety of tasks and the potential as a lethal weapon can not be overlooked. Sure, there is the possibility of getting infected blood on yourself due to the sharp edges of the crowbar, but its bodily fluids would be able to infect you if they came in contact with the users bodily fluids (and I don’t believe that he’s going to be in this fight without the proper protection; sunglasses, jacket, etc…) Plus, a crowbar could stab through the eye of an infected if they were turned while using protective headgear.
Now, I’d like to point out that a bat isn’t going to be prying open any doors or crates that might be containing food or water. Plus, its made completely of solid steel, whereas an aluminium bat is hollow on the inside to allow for flex while playing the sport. The crowbar is definitely a much more solid weapon and versatile tool, making it my melee weapon of choice.