Zombies

[ZJ]

This is going to sound a bit ridiculous, but here goes anyhow.

I know nothing about guns, and as most guns in Australia where I live are illegal most everyone around me knows nothing about guns, I thought I will seek advice from the professionals.

I am writing a story involving 2 guys caught in a city that is full of Zombies. I am at a point in the story where they have broken into an unmanned gun shop and have guns at their disposal to defend themselves against said Zombies. What type of guns should they be concentrating on, keeping in mind that they are inexperienced gun users themselves, will be doing most of the shooting at close range, and need quite a bit of Zombie stopping power (zombies of course are hard to stop, are already dead, and don't feel pain).

Would they be looking for some type of shotgun with standard ammunition? Is there some type of hollow point bullet that should be used with another type of gun? At this point I am thinking some type of short barreled shotgun would be the weapon of choice but as stated earlier I really have no idea.

If anyone has experience with zombie stopping, or even an opinion into zombie stopping, it really would be appreciated if you could pass it on...

 

[Froggy]

ZJ, you might get some answers here at THR but a great place to ask that same question is here:

http://zombiehunters.org/forum/

 

[TexasRifleman]

Oh Dear God.

I predict 45 pages before it's locked



You came to the right place, hang on!!!!!!

 

[Kaylee]

Oh. Oh my did you come to the right place.

 

[Roadwild17]

To kill a zombie, you have to inflect head trauma or sever the spinal column from the base of the brain. In order to do this, the best would be something low in recoil with high magazine capacity. Something like a 9mm carbine or a 10/22 would be fine. The common anti-zombie arsenal is a shotgun and a .45. According to the zombie survival guide, a 308 is the preferred round.

 

[spartan20]

Hotel 23

http://www.tacticalunderground.us/forum/

Go here, post on their forums, they focus on this sort of thing.

The site was started by an Air Force pilot who wrote "Day by Day Armageddon". A great book.

Anyways, that site has many users who love talking about this stuff, a few from Down Under as well.

 

[PPGMD]

Zombies eh? I would rather be in a nice tank or APC with plenty of fuel and just run them over. After all don't zombies just sort of stumble around? Should be rather easy to run over.

 

[ebd10]

If it's the slow, shambling, kind of zombies in Night of the Living Dead, a scoped 10/22, a hi capacity 9mm and a 20 or 12 gauge shotgun would suffice. If it's the athletic and fast kind in the remake of Dawn of the Dead, a 12 gauge shotgun with 000 buckshot, an AK-47 or AR-15, and a hi capacity 9mm or a .45 ACP.

You might also look into some sort of club or sword for those up close and personal encounters.

 

[illspirit]

If they're really inexperienced, I would imagine they'd simply grab all the scariest looking things first (AR-15s, AK-47 clones, etc..) without thinking tactically. Not that those wouldn't be handy, but it would some variety would be a good idea. Then again, they might just grab shotguns and revolvers since it might be easier to figure them out under stress.

Either way, if you don't know much about guns, perhaps it would be best to not focus on details (which may trip you up), but rather describe them from the perspective of the non-experienced protagonists?

 

[JWarren]

ZJ,


Looks like you already got some good advice already.

I'm glad someone mentioned Zombie Squad. You may also want to look at FVZA.org. They are a bit more towards the fantasy aspects of zombie apocolypse. Like on THR and ZS, I am registered there as JWarren.


Good luck with the book. If you'd like someone to take a look at it, I'll be happy to. Its not much, but I have a bachelors in literature, and am an avid reader and do some writing.

Looking forward to seeing you on the best sellers list!


John

 

[bogie]

Guys, forget about your favorite boomstick - let's analyze this...

You need enough force to punch through a little bone. Fine.

You need control and fast follow up. Fine.

You need decent accuracy. Fine.

You need reliability. Fine.

You need capacity and easy reloading - zombies seem to be in packs. Fine.

Now, I don't trust .22LRs (or any rimfire) as far as misfires, not to mention penetration.

Rifle rounds are just too damn loud. No problem if you're plinking to clear an area from a few hundred yards off, but try cranking off a coupla rounds in a parking garage. Plus they kick. Recoil recover takes time. Time = potential of getting munched.

You need 3" accuracy at 100 yards, or else you are looking at a "sniping/clearing" situation. I'll trade accuracy for reliability and short-range punch.

Reliability is primo... Let's make it 4" accuracy at 100 yards. But it goes "bang" every time.

So...

I'm thinking of a 9mm or .45 ACP magazine fed carbine (not a .357, .44 or .45LC lever gun), or maybe a .30M1, if a suitable supply of ammo can be located.

 

[PPGMD]

How about the A-12 automatic shotgun that they had on Futureweapons?

That would tear up some zombies, and how very little recoil, of course it seems like it would be a pain to reload.

 

[bogie]

You want something that isn't gonna create a gnarsty biohazard situation - splatter is bad.

 

[Professor K]

Shotguns, because of Resident Evil.

Later on, when they defeat zombie soldiers, or break into military arsenals, they can get better stuff.

I guess shotguns, and M700s and milsurp rifles, along with any other large/medium auto pistol in a caliber over 9mm. Then have them go pick rifles off dead soldiers and military arsenals. Then, they can find like a few LAWs, and a FN MAG somehow, along with FALs, if this is taking place in Australia. FN FALs are probably being stored, due to the switchover to the Aug.

 

[SaMx]

does the story take place in Australia or the U.S.? It would effect the type of firearms that would be available. If it's in Australia, then I would expect break open shotguns, with buckshot, as well as hunting rifles for long range shooting.

If it's the U.S., then I would expect the best weapon would be an autoloading carbine in an intermediate caliber like .223, 7.62x39, or .30 carbine. That or a pistol caliber carbine, in 9 millimeter. More powerful rifles aren't necessary because only headshots count on zombies. Actually, in Australia, lever action rifles are legal I think. A lever action rifle in a pistol caliber like .357 magnum/.38 special would have enough range and power and be pretty fast to operate.

 

[Hoppy590]

id say the venerable 12 gauge shotgun. mossberg 500 or remington 870

357 lever gun

both are close distance mid power, require very little user experiance and are found everywhere, probibly even Australia

How about the A-12 automatic shotgun that they had on Futureweapons?

being it started its life in the early 1970's and has been in, for the most part the same configuration since the 1980's the A-12 is not "future"

 

[CNYCacher]

Since you got two guys, you could have each one approach the zombie problem from vastly different philosophies. Not only would it show some gun expertise, but you could have all kinds of opportunities for witty dialog between the characters.

Character 1: AR-15 with holographic sights. He grabs a rifle and straps 10 30-round magazines to his belt. Rants about how it's the perfect zombie weapon as he plinks zombie skulls from 100 yards. He handles low numbers of zombies far away.

Character 2: Pump-action 12 gauge shotgun. Make it a 1972 Ithaca 37 for style points. 870s and 1100s are so cliche! He grabs the shotty and dumps a couple hundred rounds of #1 buckshot into a backpack. Brags about how one round of #1 Buck is as good as 12 shots up close with the "poodleshooter". He handles high number of zombies close up.


Character #2 saves buddy's butt when a pack of zombies gets too close and AR guy is panicking while pumping round after round into the air and drilling holes in zombie shoulders. Shotgun guy draws up and detonates 2 zombie heads with one shot and knocks over 3 more zombies, then proceeds to knock down the rest of the hoard by holding down the trigger and slam-firing the shotgun from the hip (style points!).

There is almost no end to the banter you could generate between the two.

 

[bogie]

Shotgun has a limited magazine capacity and takes time to reload.

It kicks too much.

It splatters too much.

If you peel off the zombie's face, but don't penetrate the brainpan, the zombie's still coming.

That said, an AR-15 with .223 isn't the answer either.

 

[Cosmoline]

We're talking about two American gun nuts and they manage to get to a gun store? Lordy. They will argue with each other for about five hours over what to take, by which time the zombies will have broken in. Have you seen "Tremors"?

Seriously (?), if we're talking classic Romero slow zombies, the emphasis will be on a few high-grade hunting rifles with good optics, plus a good sidearm. The original Dawn of the Dead featured a Savage '99, which offers a good mix of accuracy and quick, jam-free followup shots. If we're talking modern fast zombies, it's more than a matter of plinking and I think they're going to opt for an AR or AK platform as a main weapon with plenty of capacity and reasonably portable ammo. Either FMJ or HP's will do, since you have hit them in the head no matter what. The fast zombies are so quick, a sidearm is pretty much for emergency and/or suicide use. So smart shooters won't bother much about one.

Me, I'm bringing my new Polish M-44. It NEVER runs out of ammo! Sadly, the zombies will overrun me as I try to open the next spam can of 'banian 54R.

 

[bogie]

I'd like to have an M1 carbine chambered for 9mm...

No recoil, plenty of ammo, easy reloading.

 

[wacki]

At this point I am thinking some type of short barreled shotgun would be the weapon of choice but as stated earlier I really have no idea.

It depends entirely on the situation. Shotguns are perfect if you don't have time to aim or aren't skilled enough to aim. (most people can't shoot worth crap)

If you can shoot, and that is a big if, ideally you want the smallest bullet possible that will still devastate the brain. That way you can carry lots of ammo. Some say a .22 will do (they bounce around a lot in the skull but are far more likely to ricochet off of the skull). Others say 5.56 is where it's at.

If you can't shoot then a shotgun is where it's at. Just hope you don't get bum rushed by more than more Zombies than your tube magazine holds.

 

[bogie]

Gamers...

Shotguns are not "spray and pray and you'll hit something" weapons. At 30 yards, you might have a shot pattern a yard across. That's about a foot for every 10 yards.

If you saw a sawed off 12 gauge blowing a buick sized hole in a wall three metres away on TV, I'm sorry, but that doesn't happen.

In a target-rich environment, recoil and stoppages/misfires suck.

 

[TCB in TN]

In my Zombie hunting experience, I have learned to depend upon systems of weapons. (It is also good to use items that would often be found in the average gun shop) As a huge carbine fan, I would start off with a Beretta 9mm CX4 Storm with a nice reflex scope to be matched with at least a pair of beretta 9mm's on my hips (preferably more) with extended capacity mags, of at least 30 rounds, (after all they all use the SAME mags and rounds, besides the storm looks cool also). This would be backed up by a pistol gripped 12 ga semi or pump with and extended tube loaded with 00 for those times when you have to serve plenty of customers up close and personal. Both long guns with slings to keep them handy, when you need to switch to pistols. Also you will need a good back pack to load Dozens of loaded extended cap berreta mags, and plenty of 00 for the shotty. In addition I would have a nice sharp machette on the hip JIC you run out of 00 at a bad time. Wouldn't mind using something more exotic but in most Zombie situations you cannot count on finding exotic ammo or replacements mags etc, 9mm and 00 are VERY common and most any gun shop will have more berreta mags were something to happen to your backpack (which always seems to happen during these things). So match up both guys with the same set up then you can handle even the worst of traditional Zombie out breaks. In addition to the above it is always a good idea to drop a few extra pistols into your back pack in case you run into any other living folks who might be able to help you fend off those pesky undead, and they come in handy for after the comic relief moment when you run out of pistol ammo and have to chuck your pistol at the head of a particularly resilient undead individual.

 

[torpid]

If they are up against modern style pimped-out "Olympic athlete" zombies, frankly, they're pretty much screwed.

If they are facing "real" (aka Romero style) zombies, then try plain old fire in molotovs or a improvised flamethrower. Folks tend to overlook that not only are the ghouls vulnerable to fire, it's the only thing they are actually afraid of.



"Chief, if I were surrounded by eight or ten of these things, would I stand a chance with them?"

"Well, there's no problem. If you have a gun, shoot 'em in the head. That's a sure way to kill 'em. If you don't, get yourself a club or a torch. Beat 'em or burn 'em. They go up pretty easy. "

 

[Mandirigma]

I am writing a story involving 2 guys caught in a city that is full of Zombies.

Zombie Story Cliches

Bada**es Inc.
There is always at least one gung-ho gun-toting hardcore nail-eating mother****er who, at some point, will die.

The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth
The quiet, smart character who silently holds his own throughout the story will either survive without a scratch, or sacrifice himself to save the group.

I, Hero
Heroes in a story bear an overwhelming similarity to the author, in many cases. They may be long lost twins. Only DNA testing can tell.

Ad Infinitum Clause
Once the hero has secured his fifth or sixth weapon, ammunition will suddenly cease to matter.

Save Me!
The hero/heroine will at some point save a member of the opposite sex from a gruesome death. The two will then immediately fall in love.

Don't Worry. I Know What To Do.
If the story is a narrative, the main character always knows just what to do to escape a dismal situation.

Richard Dean Anderson Rule
If the main character knows what to do (see Don't Worry. I Know What To Do. above), sometimes they won't have the equipment necessary to utilize their escape plan. Don't worry, though, because the hero or a party member will know how to jury-rig such a device from the spare bits of scrap and tennis shoe laces lying around.

The Smug B**** Rule
If there's a character near the beginning of the story who is in any way arrogant, vain, or overly self-assured, that character will be among the first to die. Always. (note: nameless extras don't count.)

The Psycho Clause
Every zombie story must have at least one deranged survivor who for reasons unknown wants to kill the hero, even though the hero wants the two to work together.

Church Brainwashing Phenomenon
All religious people will turn into fanatical zealots mere minutes after the undead invade and proceed to try to kill anyone who is not a member of their school of thought.

Surprise! I'm Dead
At least one character will at some point be bitten, but will manage to keep this information from the other characters until he/she pops up as an undead. Usually, this character will be a love interest of the main character.

I'm Armed.
If the hero starts the story without a gun, they will acquire one shortly. Very shortly. Say, within a couple pages. This gun will either be a shotgun or a pistol. If it's a shotgun, it's a 12-gauge pump-action. If it's a pistol, it's a Beretta, Glock, or Desert Eagle. If the hero starts the story WITH a gun, they always only have twenty bullets or so. This gun will be discarded when they run across their new Desert Eagle a page later, which will come with fifty or sixty rounds and three magazines.

I'm Armed and Semi-Dangerous.
The first shot a character fires in a story will always miss its intended target.

I Told You I Was Semi-Dangerous.
Their second shot will always hit.

***?!
If the zombie invasion is just beginning in the story, the first person to die won't figure out what's happening even as he/she is being torn apart. Usually, they are ambushed in some way or another.

The I'm A Rotting Hottie Phenomenon
Hot chicks die a lot. This usually leads to terrible rage on the part of the hero. The hot chick in question doesn't have to be a love interest. It's just the principle of the thing that sets the hero off. The hottie will die in some agonizing manner that the hero could have prevented.

Dude, This Gun Sucks
At least once in every story, the weapon the hero is using will jam, usually at a critical juncture.

Nevermind, It's Cool Now
The gun will unjam at the very last second, though.

'Cause I'm Accurate Like That
At some point, someone will fire full-auto in a rage (usually at seeing their love interest die) from the hip. Somehow, these bullets hit their target.

The Time-Space Continuum Thingy
If I story starts off with the hero in a perilous position, it will shortly time-warp back to the beginning of the undead invasion.

I Don't Need TP
Heroes and heroines never stop to...you know...answer the Call. Yes. That call. The one from Nature. Ever.

Or Water
If they drink, it will be alcohol. Occasionally they will sip some water, but usually seem impervious to thirst.

But I AM Hungry
Heroes and heroines love MREs, and will eat at least one in every story, if not more.

Made In The USA
If the hero uses an assault rifle, it'll be an AR-15.

Or Not Made In The USA
If they use an assault rifle and it just so happens to not be an AR-15, it'll be an AK-47.

Snipe Hunting
At some point, the hero will lay his/her hands on a sniper rifle, and will magically be able to use it like an experienced sharpshooter, accounting for windage, extreme range, movement of the target, et cetera, all by themselves. Heroes NEVER use a spotter. They're badass like that.

Jiu-jitsu? I'm going to learn...jiu-jitsu?
Whoa. Heroes will break at least one zombie neck with a quick move during the story.

EDIT: http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/morningstarsaga/vpost?id=172267