Zombie Research Society
When discussing best zombie survival weapon, running out of ammunition is often cited as the Achilles Heal of firearms. A second common knock is that gunshots are loud, revealing your location and inviting countless undead and living dangers.
However, there is another much overlooked flaw that makes your shotgun, rifle or pistol a potential loser in zombie combat. Despite what you’ve experienced in your favorite video game, when you pull the trigger of a real-life firearm, chances are you’re going to miss your target over and over again.
A recent study of New York City police officers found that when firing at live targets just nine feet away their hit rate was a dismal 11%. When the target stood at a distance greater than 20 feet, that number dropped to 4%, meaning that 96 out of 100 shots missed their mark.
By contrast, these same officers were more than 95% accurate when shooting in a controlled gun range. They receive regular training and annual qualifications, and are statistically much better shooters than civilians like you and me.
When faced with a zombie horde or gang of roaming human thugs, hearts will race, hands will shake, and bullets will fly everywhere and hit nothing. If you think you’re going to be accurate even 15% of the time, you’re living in a dream world and are likely to wake up to the sound of being eaten.
I’m sorry I don’t know where you guys live, but I live out here in Idaho. I go hunting every year. And I have a much higher than a 15% accuracy rating. Hell at 20 feet if I do not hit within the black at least four of my five times, or have all my shots be able to be covered up with a quarter, I would be kick off the shooting range. An actual hunting with a group that is very competitive if you see something you need to shoot it before the next guy sees it or you lose your dear. Yes I do shoot with a rifle, but I have been known to go over ½ mile and still get a kill shot.
Want a solution? Zombies don’t have ranged weaponry, the most, if you’re really unlucky, is a kick. Get awkwardly close to the zombie, and blow it’s brains out.
This website is call zombie survival, not what you would do in Resident Evil….
The reason for missing shots is in real combat situation is your target is taking cover not just standing there in the open waiting to get shot, best firearm for zombies is a simple .22lr you can carry 550 rounds in one pants pocket and its quiet, you can find subsonic rounds for em for ultimate quiet kill and you can make a silencer super easy water bottle and pop cans and ducktape, make a bayonet for it for a cqc weapon and it can be used for hunting game for food always keep a back up weapon but any weapon that distances yourself is a better one the key is to survive goverments will try to destroy the zombies and they have better resorces
So many good points in your replay. I own 3 guns, a remington 887, a glock 19 and a sig 522lr. I take them to the range once a week, the sig .22 gets a lot more attention because it is so deadly accurate that i simply have too much fun shooting it and, like you said, I can carry 6 30 round magazines and literally 1,000 rounds with me. You can easily carry 2,000+ rounds in a backpack of .22lr if you had to make an escape from your stronghold.
It makes almost zero sound, you dont even need ear protection, so the argument about guns being noisey is moot. It’s not powerful, sure, but it can kill just as well if you know how to shoot it. My 9 year old daughter recently came to the range with me and nailed her still target 49 times, out of 52 shots fired, in the space of the jaw to the forhead at 30 yards. It has almost no recoil so it didnt intimidate her. There is a video on youtube of a father and 3 young girls at a range, with my same .22, shooting at moving targets. It was these girls first time shooting a gun. They connected over 90% of their shots.
Practice, practice, practice! Cops are notoriously bad shots. Not all of them, of course, but most. They don’t practice until they’re staring down the barrel of their annual qualification. Then they stop off at the range on the way home one evening and try to make up for a year’s neglect by sending 50 rounds down range.
The author derives the wrong conclusion from the information at hand. He’s telling us that since NYC police have demonstrated woefully inadequate ability with their firearms that that proves it’s just not humanely possible. BS! Grab your gun, get some practical training and practice!!!
one thing i’d like to point out is that guns dont have to be loud. Anyone can make a silencer for any size gun just by using a few common household items, the size of the round dictates the amount of materials. these silencers are good for 1-10 shots when well made, experiment to maximize shots before discarding. I’m unsure whether there are any laws against posting instructions so i’ll let you look it up on google, but remember that a silencer’s effectiveness is diminished when not using subsonic rounds due to the “crack” made when the bullet breaks the sound barrier.
Suppressor. Or however it’s spelled.
You need a special tax tamp to have one in USA.
sorry. i call BS on this. there is a big difference between police officers firing handguns on the worst day of their lives and someone who is expecting a certain kind of threat, trained to respond, and armed adequately.
apples and oranges.
firearms do have their disadvantages, just like everything else. but the biggest for firearms is finite ammo and noise (and silencers don’t work nearly as well as they do in movies and TV). but it would be utterly foolish to go without, even with these limitations.
How in the world do you train to respond to a horde of undead coming at you intent on feasting on your body? And you headshot a zombie to kill it. While that might be easy to do close up, I doubt it be a good idea to be standing near a horde of zombies, and zombies aren’t gonna stand still and let you aim at their heads. At the very least the head would be moving side to side.
And don’t tell me about going for headshots while backing away from them, No one anyone can be that accurate in real life.
And this is why in the military we go through a lot of simulated combat, with either advanced laser tag or more recently using light guns and video games. When you train over and over again with real humans rather than paper targets, it makes you a much better solder.
The idea being it gets drilled into you so hard that when it comes to taking your first life it is an easy decision. Free tip, it isn’t and if it ever does you’ve got problems as you now have a solder who’ll go on a rampage. To be honest, this is why most people will die when the zombies rise. To detach yourself from what you’re doing (zombies are still people), means you’ll just kill every fucker, human or not. It’ll be better to go quickly than drag it out only to be put down by a mental shooting everything that moves.
Fistly I’d like to propose that the argument about having difficulty shooting a zed does dwindle after survivors become more exposed to them. Eventully our minds would become desensitised to that or we dont and end up zed meat which i think in the end makes everyone’s lives a whole lot easier (more reasourses for you) “Survival of the Fittest” i guess you could say.
Now to my idea:
Firearms have two things i think that do somewhat make up for there flaws: range and the psycological effects they bring to the table.
I think we can all agree the further away from near-unbreakable death grips we are the higher our chances of survival are, and that is the greatest advantage that guns bring. Even with accuracy you still should have time to fire in case you miss, while in close range you really have one and only one chance before you die.
Secondly i think we need to considure the effects firearms have on not only ourselves but the people around us. A guy with a knife is intimidating yes, but a Glock aimed at your skulls makes you think twice about disagreeing with someone which in turn makes you’re life easier if you can sway others with a well sized weapon drawn on them. Also , while i cant personally confirm this, i belive that wielding a handgun is much more empowing to once self than wielding a baseball bat. In the hell of z-day every little bid of confidence you can get may help from deciding to throw yourself off a building or doing something drastic and stupid. However mentioning this “confidence” boost should also take into account those who become OVER confident who can do just as much harm to the sensible survivor as a zed can
one gun… saiga 12… cheep russian made aa12, twelve gauge, semi auto, extended mag capable…. paired with a decent sniper rifle and close range gun, and you will be good. but why run? just find out all you can about vehicle comandeering, XE (previously Blackwater) teaches classes on it (couple hundred dollars) (poor people like me can use google 🙂 ).
…… i went shooting today, and using a remmington 7mm mag (usmc sniper weapon) i was accurately hitting targets at around 50m+…. it was also the first time i shot the gun, an the range was only around 80m or so, so i put the target that far out. the target was the aproximate size of a human head.
i also used my ak47… but because it is using the cheepo stock that came with the gun, i was really more of spray-and-praying as to avoit punching myself in the face in order to use the sights. however, using propper ammunition, who says you acctually have to KILL the zombies to survive, would not enough bodily harm cause their bodies to stop moving in your direction (e.g. shooting off the legs/ lower torso)?
as for pistols however, i cannot see the average peron running at full speed while simoultaneulsy shooting accurate headshots at 10m, watch special forces training videos, THEY DON’T SPRINT, as your favorite video game strategy may have been. my stategy would be to either
A: stay barricaded in my house, shooting them from he second story window, OR
B: shooting my way into the town for 15-30 minutes and getting to a large, tall building, OR
C: getting in a caravan along with people i know, and getting to a secure area in a low population density portion of the northeast United States
additionally who sais you cannot bludgeon or impale (bayonet) them with the gun in case it runs out of ammo.
also, i you are on a budget, and want to prepare, get an ak47 for around $300 and buy 20 round a week for around 5$ for 20, then after a few weeks you will have enough to survive… unless thousands somehow all go to you. if you want a svope/bipod, you can get those for aroun 50$ for both together… bassically for 1000$ you can get a scoped gun and ~2000 rounds of ammo. if you reall y want to prepare, everything you need will only be around 3000$ (that includes full body riot gear, food (around 10 weeks for 1/2 people), guns, fuel, and survival tools/gear)
Training! More training! Train again! You get the picture. It’s a must to train NOW not LATER! It is the only thing you can do to prepare, and the only thing you can fall back on when under stress is your TRAINING!
while there are many down sides to a firearm in logistics and maintanence, it would be my primary choice. whats to say someone who lacks the composure under stress to accurately place shots on target will have the ability to use a large or blunt object. as far as the officer paradime goes, large agencies and departments do not train as often as you would think, and are not always better shots. many officers will fire as few as 200 rounds a year, which is not alot, will spend less than 3 1/2 hours a year training. it is all about the muscle memory when useing any weapon and 3 1/2 hours is not nearly enough to build that, also may law enforcement training programs involve no dynamic or “real world” training, still teaching officers to use car doors for cover (does not work). a lack of efficiency can be overcome by training. as far as the report of the fire arm this can be mitigated by the attachment of a supressor (often missnamed a silencer). which in 37 states is legal for civilian ownership with the proper paper work and 200 dollar tax stamp to the atf (not that big a deal i own one leagally). it all comes down to parctice, if you choose a rifle or shotgun (shotgun not advisable because of severe limitations for the average operator) make sure you have a secondary such as a revolver or semi automatic pistol. caliber wise look around you, what is the most common cartridge in use? the 5.56 is in use with most law enforcement agencies, and 40 s&w or a 9 mm. if you get a gun for your survival kit, train with it and spend the time to learn it, how to maintain it, how to clear malfunctions (even kalashnikovs malfunction, don’t argue, i’ve seen it), and how to be effective with it. seek training from a proffessional, and it’s fun
inaccuracy is not a problem for some officers are trained to hit non leathal at best where as the rural part of australia has been shooting kangaroos for decades now the head of a roo is smaller then human and they run faster yet in my time shooting roos it only took one shoot at a moving target and we killed it yes there is a difference between the too but thats for accuracy wise guns can be silenced easier then you would think a coke bottle on a rifle does it quite well ammo is a problem however but on that note really you only want to survive not hunt and a melee weapon will only touch as far as you can reach and a statement ive heard before “sir there in range *yes private were in there range too” just remember you can pump off bullets easier you can only swing a fast as you body will allow it
But most humans while shooting at humans have a subconscious erge to preserve human life and aim above the target thats why most soldiers at war for the first time don’t hit any thing and a fare few pretend to fire
good point
Crossbow. easier then a regular bow and arrow, quieter then a gun. ive used one before and could reload relatively quickly. ammos reusable not to mention makeable if necessary. my plan would involve a retrieval rope of sorts for retrieval from a sniping point making zombie sniping a sport as well as keeping local numbers at a minimum without attracting more attention then necessary.
Of course you would pack heat in the event of zombie attack. They key would be knowing when and how to use a gun. A good sawed off shot gun is perfect for puching a hole through a mob at close quarters, but more than a handfull of yards away the pattern becomes so big the blast becomes more of a loud noise than zombie killing fire. A side arm would be usefull for those unexpected zombies that just pop up out of nowhere, and smaller rifle such as a .22 long has benefits that far out way the stopping power of a larger more powerfull rifle, once again you have to think about the ease of buying/finding what you need. 1000 rounds for a .22 don’t cost crap and are availiable almost anywhere. Plus they are accurate over long distances and not very loud compared to ANY other gun. But no matter what weapon you have you are not going to go toe to toe with 200 zombies and get out alive, I don’t care how badass you are on “Call of Duty”!! Your best bet is to stay one step ahead and only smash/shoot/runover/hack if you have no other choice. Mid weight blunt weapon(baseball bat, act.) is you best bet, and fire arms for the ” No other choice ” situation.
I think what they say about the shooter video games is not all true because u can learn how to fire a gun from those games, since i play call of duty and the guns use iron sights and when you get to firing a real gun you get the exact same sight on your gun they are just smaller.
Thing is though, in Call of Duty, they modify the sights in game, some weapons even though they’re the same weapon in different games will have completely different sights, and the sights are completely different to real life firearms in many cases. Also, even if you can use the sight, rifles and shotguns are a lot heavier than they look let alone LMGs and HMGs, trust me I know, I’ve done clay pigeon shooting with a lightweight shotgun and it was MUCH heavier than it looks, also the recoil is phenomenal, you really don’t expect it, if you’re not experienced in over-compensating for your target you will miss most of the time, and even that isn’t something you can learn over time because it all depends on the situation like how fast they’re moving and how far away they are and what direction the’re moving in…
I’ve fired a shotgun before also (skeet shooter here) and the kick of a shotgun really isn’t bad if you know how to hold it right. If you get a good shoulder mount and stock weld, then shooting about thirty 12 gauge birdshot rounds in one session doesn’t even leave any bruising, although your shoulder and cheek may be a little red and sore the next day.
Also as far as accuracy for close range goes, really not a problem, as LONG AS YOU KNOW WHAT METHOD TO USE FOR THE SPECIFIC SITUATION. The main thing, for close range, is to utilise hand-eye coordination with good motor memory and a peripheral sight reference to be able to get fast(as in under a second), multiple hits on target.
This technique is known as “Quick Kill” and was taught by Lucky McDaniel back in the day, and it’s made me a lot better skeet shooter.
Note though, using this kind of technique, whether a hand gun or long gun, is only a close range thing (within about 25 meters for a shotgun loaded with birdshot) accuracy will suffer at longer ranges (that’s when using the sights fully comes in)
As far as the relatively bad accuracy of officers when the pressure is on, chalk that up in large part to the using the wrong tool for the situation.
What they train for on the square range (Using FULL sighted shooting) is fine for long distance shooting, but is lacking for dynamic close range situations. That’s where you use the tool of Target-Focused shooting.
Also, as far as learning Target-Focused shooting, and only using it within it’s LIMITATIONS (being for close range only, within about 10 meters for pistol, with maybe being able to stretch it out to about 50 for a rifle and still hit a silhouette target),
competence can be gained relatively quickly, within a few hours if being taught by a good instructor.
As for me, I learned this method mainly by books and videos, and for skeet shooting at least, it’s helped me. Maybe it can help you too.
Also, as far as learning how to shoot from video games, I agree with you, it really can’t be done very well.
Mainly because shooting is in large part kinesthetic, with the all important motor memory and eye-hand coordination necessary to be able to shoulder the firearm in less than a second and have it on target, only being able to be earned through repeated practice with the real thing (or at least a replica, such as airsoft perhaps)
Something that unfortunately can’t be achieved in a video game.
But as far as learning tactics and such, there video games may be useful.
also most video games use what is called “magnetism”, this is a mild form of auto aimbot, which allows you to HIT TARGETS EASIER BY LOCKING ON TO THEM, that is why people think they are so badass. also people see to much on television which makes them think “oh i can use a gun”, really there is alot that goes into shooting, i lol in zombie movies when people constantly shoot and either shoot hundreds of rounds without reloading, fire high calibres without hearing protection, somehow magically have no recoil etc. if you watch the videos of special forces (not just movies, because they are glamourized as all powerful in movies) you will see how much effort it takes to be good at what they do… remember, they LIVE to do what they do, and are not just average citizens. The german bundeswehr has many videos on the different trining activities their KSK (comando) and GSG9 (border control group 9) have to do. they train for years and fire thousands of rounds, but they are only a minority within a small countries army.
Yeah, and you learned to play gituar from gituar hero too, right?
I have to agree with the poster who suggested multiple weapons (guns) for different conditions.
Long range past 300 yards…M1a or PSL54C
Medium to close…M1 Carbine, AK or M forgery.
Not enough time to change mags in the midsize weapon….45 acp
last resort…Fusion tomahawk.
After that? SOL
Why the weapon choice? I own a PSL and am very satisfied with it though I would like to have an M1a. I own a M1 Carbine and am satified with its capabilities out to two hudred yards. .45 acp, do I need to say why? Though a .357 magnum could be nice. Tomahawk? It has been of more use to me all around than a machete.
If I had to go the assault rifle route, I’d have to go AK-47 because they are built with “it’s gonna get f*$ked up” in mind. You can slather the reciever with mud, inside and out and the gun is still likely to fire. It’s made to be mistreated. It may not be the most accurate rifle out there but you aint gonna be sippin’ mocha and cappin’ zombies anyway, your gonna be on the move. If your stopping to shoot zombies 200 yards away then you got to much time on your hands.
The PSL 54 is an oversized AK chambered for 7.62X54R. It looks like a Russian Dragunov but is actually totally different.
I don’t know what kind of shotguns or what kind of ammo you are using but a 12ga. round of 00buckshot puts out 9 .32 cal. balls of lead that will hold a 18 group at up to 25 feet. This will take a head off cleanly.
A simpler solution is to find your repeated accuracy, repeated accuracy range, and how accurate you are under pressure. Military training helps them keep a cool head and a cool trigger finger, in very tight situations. So why can’t we do the same? Has the method not been released to the public?
I understand the concept that when under stress you only shoot half as good as your worst day on the range. Having said that, I would add that the estimation that NYPD (or any PD agency in the country) is better than the average human is flawed. Being a cop does not make you a “shooter.” I’ve been around enough PD agencies to know that their scheduled “qualifications” are pathetic and hardly a measure of quality marksmanship. Any cop wishing to perform well under stress will need to take such courses and training on their own…like civilians do.
Shooters, which I’d guess comprise probably half the gun owning population of the country (which grossly outnumbers PD agencies), actually get out and shoot, compete, train. I know I put at least 10x more rounds down range and into moving targets than ANY US PD agency. However, I’m not so arrogant to suggest that I’m going to be a focused marksman under stress of advancing undead..but I’ll fare much better than the 14%. If you’re going more than a month at a time between “correct” shooting training, you’re running the risk of entering that 14% accuracy bracket. Natural point shooting accuracy and lethality comes from native muscle memory when your basic sensory responses are under stress from adrenaline. Qualifying twice a year on the range is why cops suck so bad. The cops that succeed in stressful shooting situations train themselves.
As for weaponry, my primary will be my AR when holed up or on the move, period. It’s what I train the most with, it’s what my muscle memory will react best with under stress, and it’s what will scramble more Zed brains than anything I can think of. Shotguns and pistols are good secondary weapons, and melee weapons are last resort after there’s no more ammo…along with a good rain parka and riot helmet with face shield!
the key word here is the cops were shooting at live targets not undead ones
…..what’s the difference? they’re humanoid, they move, and they’re trying to kill you.
the difference between live and undead is similiar to the difference between human and animal… you aren’t ending a life by shooting a zombie merely ending a threat. alot of the hesitation that comes into play in police shooting is that it is very hard to shoot a person even one who is a threat because not everyone is wired to kill easily. in the same aspect a zombie is already by definition no longer living no longer “human”
the thing is that zombies are zombies and therefore probably are disfigured. the face may not be recognizable so therefore you don’t recognize them as human as normal. The fact that you intentionally miss is because you recognize them as human and want to preserve it, but when the face isn’t even human looking anymore the task will become easier. In war when the enemy is wearing masks or helmets that obstruct the face you will find that you will be more accurate. but just as long as you can hardly identify it as human.
if we are sticking to the headshot rule to kill a zombie shotguns are useless. the buckshot spreads out making accuracy impossible. sure you can hit a clay pigeon but a zombie head is unlikely unless at very close range.
personally im gonna stick with a semi auto 22 with hollow points. easy to find bullets and easy to aim. while still having enough power to go threw a skull and scramble the brains on the other side. and for backup ill have an ax, which can be used to cut, kill and build given that it has a flat back.
and i hope no one expects to just pick up a gun and be accurate with it. it takes practice and also its a good idea to only use your own personal guns cuz then you will know what to do when it jambs or fails in some other way.
best bet is to avoid other people until you know they are friendly. and when you do approach i would make it obvious that you arnt infected, it would really suck to get shot because someone thought you were a zombie
a .22 hollowpoint will shatter on impact, leaving you screwed, know what your doing andyour facts or put down your gun
if you can hit a small disk flying away how cant you hit a face charging at you?
I’m sorry, but I have to agree here with a shotgun being to inaccurate to hit a head sized target (assuming that the target is within 25 meters). A moving clay is a much smaller faster target, than an undead head.
Although, granted, a clay isn’t trying to eat you =P
But ultimately, use what works best for you, that’s what counts the most.
Its called ‘clay Pigeons’ practice all the time and you wont have that problem. or go out to an isolated place and throw soda cans in the air (put some water in em though and dye the water red). there’s your moving targets.
In reply to this method, something similar to this was espoused by Lucky McDaniel, in where bb guns were used (as the proper motor memory could easily be achieved with them, since they have no real recoil and the ammo is extremely cheap) to hit objects thrown in the air.
Try it. It’s a method, a bb gun and throwing cans in the air and then shooting them, that has worked wonders for my speed and accuracy.
What nobody has yet to mention is the fact that with every zombie defense tool available, training is required! Without constant training, it is quite obvious that accuracy will fall. Also, it requires all of the above (blunt weapons, knives and firearms) to effectively dispatch any zombie threat, ranging from a minimal outbreak to full zombie apocalypse. Along with these categories, subcategories (especially for firearms) are required. In close quarters facing at least ten zombies? You need a high-rate of fire SMG such as a mac-11 or any variant of mp5, to a shotgun such as a Mossberg 500 or, ultimately, a SPAS-12. At a fair distance (100-300 yards) against 20-100 zombies? A semi-automatic rifle to high-grade assault rifle would be required, such as a m-14 or SKS or FN SCAR-H (if available) to a simple AK-47 (or 74, also depending on availability.) 300-1000 yards away facing an undead hoarde? A semi-automatic to high-end bolt action sniper rifle, such as a QBU-88 to a Remington 700.
Along with these subcategories, expertise with each is required to maximize effectivity. Ultimately, a small group of survivors would be required to fill each of these roles, and without specialization in each of these subcategories, survival rate would be maximized, thereby proving that firearms are, in fact, with training, an effective zombie extermination tool, alongside blunt and edged melée weapons.
Still, I can see how in the hands of adrenaline fueled, uncoordinated and untrained hands, a firearm could potentially present itself as near useless. As I said, it requires training! Hope this helps…
Tools require training, good insight.
But in response to the close range multiple zombies scenario, assuming you aren’t boxed in, and they’re the slow kind, you may actually be able to just run away from them and escape.
Or barring that, and assuming you’re quick and accurate, quick movement combined with accurate headshots from a handgun could be accomplished, with staying on the move and out of reach being the most important part.
See i only intend on using my firearms when absolutley necessary, such as using my pistol alongside my crowbar in a confined house when there’s little chance to miss, or my rifle when we spot a group of survivors who appear particularly un-friendly.
I think that all of you are right to a certain degree and then for some people these weapons may be completely useless. It is all in preference and style, if you like silent and deadly then yeah, go with a katana and another melee weapon ( or silenced firearm if you can aquire such an item). If you don’t give a rats a** who or what hears you then fully automatic and semi-auto firearms are probably a better choice in your circumstance
I think the don’t give a rats a$$ type people wouldn’t survive very long.
The noisy ignorant animal doesn’t live very long in the wilderness.
The plague type of zombies will always dictate the weapon. Fast moving groups versuses slow moving hordes. Too many run for the guns when a silent, or more stealth-type, survival approach is needed. A military M-4 would be the best weapon. Able to reach out and touch zombies at distance, yet able to handle rapid firing for faster/tighter situations. The second weapon, In my opinion since you asked, would be a katana type sword, or tomahawk type axe. Both are excellent, light close quarters weapons for when silence is needed.
As far as accuracy I believe practice makes perfect. If a zombie invasion were to take place, and you were to live past the first 48 hours, then you’ll have more than enough practice to be accurate. Plus, New York City cops have never been known for their accuracy.
As discussed here many times, the human threat is as great as the undead threat in a zombie pandemic, so you need to choose your weapons and defenses to protect yourself against humans. Meaning: even if the zombies are slow, the people will be fast.
NYC Police are as accurate on average as any other police force in the U.S., and considerably more accurate than civilians.
M-4= too loud, and burns through bullets on rapid fire.
Katana= gimmick weapon that takes decades to master, and is primarily only sold in ceremonial version which means it will fall apart if ever used for battle.
Like I stated, the situation will dictate the survivor’s needs. M-4 is a near perfect military weapon and if the situation dictates the need for a firearm, I want an M-4 as my primary. When you got a group or people or zombies coming at you burning through ammo is what you need to kill, or scare. If you’re in that situation then sound willbe your last concern. Attack and displace. Always moving, and never staying on one place. For myself I would use a tomahawk type axe. As far as the katana you can get quality, well built swords through several outlet around the U.S. guaranteeing forging and tempering. If stealth is what you need, then a bladed weapon would be the wiser choice. If the attack were to occur mastery of the blade will not be needed. Like I said, practice makes perfect and there will sure to be many situations to accuire proper muscle memory.
Well said – we have an article coming up soon about the katanas available for sale around the world, along with an interesting interview with an international samurai master about the ability of novices to use that weapon. Look for it soon!
As far as melee weapons go, wouldn’t it be better to have one that can serve double duty, as both a weapon AND a tool?
Examples being crowbar, machette, axe, hammer, etc.
Not to mention, these tools are also a lot cheaper and easier to get than a katana.
I agree with the tactics, but i believe you are mistaken about the M4 idea: the more shots per minute you take drops your accuracy drastically, so the only thing accomplished is wasting more ammo, faster.
When I stated that the M-4 was near perfect firearm choice, I meant it as an excellent “multi purpose” rifle. It can be used as a single shot to reach out and hit targets at distance (with the proper optics). The round penetrates most material, and can cause extensive internal damage (ie. disconnecting limbs, or trauma to internal organs- for the living). Full auto, if trained properly, is only used to supress targets. The Rambo style is made for the movies, and does not work. For example: A small/medium size gang of humans (thugs) coming at you as you attempt an egress. Rapid fire used to make them “put their heads down” and buy you time to escape, or get a better location to further engage the targets. Firearms will be essential in dealing with all aspects of associated with total societal collapse.
Im going AK ive seen an M-4 better than an m-16, but… ak has more ammo availability its cheaper, its more common, and the gun is cheaper, an M-4 is good but I like an ak m-4s dont jam very much, there accurate, but an ak doesnt jam and is accurate also
Mein Fuhrer I can walk!
also i c]have hit a head sized target 2 out of three times AT a 100 yard range and i was freee shootingx
zombiews are slow and dumb…
Was there any mention of solders in this b/c cops are not always trying to kill there targets just scare them but solders shoot to kill. I would want to know how they do live and under pressure. I mean of course it is not even going to be close to them on the range but still I would want to know if they fair better.
First of all, I am sure no police department in the US has the policy of “shoot to scare.” Police officers shoot to stop and incapacitate people.
That being said, shooting at moving targets is much harder than a stationary target. Shooting at moving targets that want to eat you? Ouch.
Unless you are at a very close distance, or train to hit targets that move, small arms are pointless. Assault rifles are better at long distances, but still, headshots are not easy with even a slow lumbering target. The general public does not have access to fully automatic weapons, let alone an ak-47 with enough ammunition to kill hundreds of undead.
The best option is just to get mobile or barricade (if you have enough supplies to last a while).
and and ak with 2 mags cleaning kits and a sling $500, 10 cases of 1000 rds, 2000 dollars, tell me… who doesnt spend way more than that on cable very 2 years?
You miss one key point. People are going to run and dodge and hide. Zombies… not so much. I’m not saying that guns aren’t less accurate than people THINK they are for the most part, but the reason police miss so much has less to do with accuracy and more to do with a target that’s actively trying to AVOID being shot. Even a fast moving zombie is going to be running right for you.
Like missing over and over in videogames is so foreign to me…hahahaaaa. I have that expectation as in video games apparently I can barely hit moving targets unless there is a crowd of zombies.
The survey that they spoke of in this article was tested with handguns, not rifles or shotguns. Even in a tense situation, your rifle or shotgun will be much more accurate than your handgun.
When did zombies become live targets again?
Most police officers are cops because they want to protect and help people, not because they want to get a record high score on headshotting people in back alleys. Threat and pressure will UNDOUBTEDLY affect accuracy with a firearm. But, there is a world of difference between shooting an undead menace shuffling towards you with the intent of eating you, and a 20 year old drug dealer who just got pinched, trying to get the hell away.
Try looking up numbers on the accuracy of an experienced hunter maybe? Human target vs Non-human target might add some interesting statistics to this.
What about shooting humans? The human threat will be as real as any undead threat in a zombie pandemic. When gangs of roaming thugs want to kill you and take your stuff they won’t make it easy to hit them.
Also, it’s dangerous to assume that zombies will be slow and shuffling when they come. Could be a deadly strategic mistake to plan your defense around that belief.
The gang of roaming thugs is often overlooked. Most movies have all survivors banding together for the greater good, but in reality it would be Lord of the Flies with zombies.
We all know zombies are just a metaphor for the brainless masses who will try to kill us anyway…
Ammunition, water, canned goods, and a plan. That will get you through the first 72 hours. Maybe.
Yes, gangs and thugs are also a treat, however, you can scare away a thug by firing at him, you can also incapacitate him, and there are many more options to shoot to kill: head, neck, heart, lungs, internal organs, blow off a limb to make him bleed to death… there are many more options.
People are more fragile than zombies are. If you shoot a person in the arm. they are probably going to stay down or get out. If you shoot a zombie anywhere but the brain they will keep coming for you. People are still an issue, but overall they are only human.
exactly my reason for using a shovel, a hammer and a cricket bat