Zombie Survival - Choice of Firearm

[Spartan198]

Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days/Weeks Later, etc.
As my primary arms, I'd say (a) a similarly-configured Colt carbine like the one Will Smith had in "I Am Legend" with at least 300 rounds packed into 20-round magazines (less susceptible to magazine-related malfunctions) carried on me in a combat vest, LBE, etc.. A good all-arounder that can be used both at a decent range and up close. Full auto or burst capability wouldn't be particularly necessary, like Excalibur pointed out. And (b) a pump-action shotgun such as an Ithaca 37 for real nasty situations.

As my sidearm, a high-capacity pistol like a Springfield XD in 9mm (can carry more ammo, since caliber wouldn't necessarily matter in this case as long as the round hits the brain) or an FN Five-Seven. None of this Desert Eagle crap, thank you.

And when you get down to bare bones, a trusty Ka-Bar never runs out of ammo.

Resident Evil
In Resident Evil, zombies are the least of my worries, so I'd prefer to have full auto or burst capability in my AR should it be needed (Hunters, Lickers, Seekers, etc). All else identical as above.

Grenade launchers are attractive, but that 30 meter arming radius would work against me. Not to mention I can only carry a limited number of rounds for one. So I'd pass on my beloved M203 in this case, unless I'm trying to impress and get some poontang from a cute survivor before I die a horrible death...

[k9870]

The only zombies that amke sense, like i say, is the rage zombies, since they live, breath, have a heartbeat. Its a virus trning them into a swarm of flesh eaters. The undead thing makes no sense and is not feasible.
Body shots will kill them, the problem though is running out of ammo on full auto

[AlkoTanko]

Remember a last-resort handgun to put in your mouth if you get bitten.

Btw, am I the only one who thinks chainsaw is just about the worst melee weapon against zombies? It is big, cumbersome, requires gasoline, takes several critical seconds to turn it on, makes lot of noise (something you really should avoid at all costs) and if you fuck up your swing, you're good as dead. Axe is also bit overrated. It is useful outside combat, of course, but it has same problem as with chainsaw: one miss and it's game over. And it can also get stuck in zombie head, which is not good if there is over 2 of them.

[k9870]

I consider a frag grenade a last resort, i can take as many with me as possible. Bullet to the brain is a lame way to go

[Gunmaster45]

I read the zombie survival guide and while it was amusing, it was pretty stupid. They say zombies have super hearing so you should use a suppressor. If their whole body is a decaying corpse, what the hell would make their hearing improve?! They also used "clip" instead of magazine when refering to the M1 Carbine use during an outbreak.

M1 Carbines are a great choice... 30 years ago, back when ammo was available. A Ruger Mini-14 is almost the same thing in a more readily available caliber. Not super accurate but effective enough. I have one handy so I'm set for the zombies.

A good sniper rifle, even a .22 would work well on zombies if you were in an elevated position they couldn't reach. Take your time and rack up the head shots!

I'd like to think zombies are what everyone usually thinks of, a slow moving, stupid corpse that moans and can't sprint. I'd hope only a bite would contract the "zombie virus", as it is hard not to be touched by zombie blood. As MPM mentioned, everyone has their own ideas. I'm making a zombie movie this summer, I'll add caps from it on my profile (and try to use as few airsoft guns as possible!).

[Yournamehere]

Since I am a huge fan of zombies and firearms I have thought of this countless times.

First of all, the Zombie Survival Guide suggestions are not very educated, as the man seems to have never heard of modern assault rifles (come on, an M1 Carbine? Good luck finding ammo and mags in a pinch. You'd be better off using a .22 and gambling head penetration with the punier, more common round.) If you're picking a gun, you aren't just picking what gun you'd like to shoot. The gun has to be able to adapt to the environment, and there are few that can actually do that.

For a sidearm, 1911s are good. They will last and are good shooters generally, and you can find a helluva lot of magazines for 'em wherever you go. This also goes for my other choiced, Glocks (lighter, hypercapacity pistols) or Berettas (Military issue, so if you stumble upon dead soldiers, chances are they have ammo for ya). A small .38 is also good for use as a last resort, be it for the zombies or yourself. There's little that can be done to a revolver to make it stop working, so if you plan on using it, on whoever, it will work.

Which brings me to my rifle choice. Yes, rifle. I might have a sawnoff shotgun for breaching or absolute last resort (with the stock still on, mind you, aiming from the hip is nigh pointless when you need a headshot). I'd choose an AR-15 build gun, and I will tell you why. Normally I argue against 5.56/.223 Rem and it's chambering in the AR-15 as it has less energy than my champ, the AK 47, but it has what has always had, accuracy. Zombies only go down with headshots, so additional stopping power doesn't matter. What does matter is precision, as well as penetration at distance, not that you'll be sniping or anything, but 5.56/.223 will do this at insane ranges. Not only that, but everyone and their grandma has an AR-15, so ammo and mags are everywhere for you to take and use, and since it's lighter than other rifle rounds, you can carry a lot more ammo. In short, it's a good balance considering all the bonuses and all of the negative things that become null and void.

Also, full auto is not intended for zombies, but potential renegade groups that may try to kill you for your stuff, as seen in the first Dawn of the Dead. Other than that, keep your selector on semi.

Also, I did a thread on my forum about this a while ago. While not strictly a gun forum, we do sometimes have good gun threads. Feel free to browse at any of the arguments presented there.

http://diseasedboard.proboards.com/i...ad=1261&page=2

[k9870]

P&R mod 47, revolver that can feed so many different caliber, youd always have ammo

[ManiacallyChallenged]

Fantastic response!

My theory is as follows:
Despite what the literature may tell you, there will never be an instance in which people must be shot in the brain to be killed. Muscles do not work if not being delivered oxygen by the blood stream, and therefore blood loss will affect them the same way.

If anything, the zombies will be like feral humans, with their logic centers of their brains deteriorated by fever and disease, they will be little more than animals.
Animals feel pain, animals can not live without blood, animals can be crippled. And animals can be eaten if you are deperate.

Therefore any weapon would be serviceable to take them out, as long as it was effective against a human target.
I would choose for myself and friends a cross section of bolt action hunting rifles, and buckshot 12 gauge shotguns, whichever available.
For handguns, a single .45 1911 and a backup revolver in .357 each, again whichever type available in your area.

Now, in World War Z the rifle they issue was supposed to be a modified version of the AK-47 which they had tons of lying around somehow.
But I find the classic interpretation of zombies to be mildly ridiculous.

[k9870]

best survival would be to go with a group, hole up somewhere, and don't send 4 people out after one, we all know from the movies that that doesn't really help....

Lots of food, ammo, medical supplies. Rotate watches. All the guns in the world can'tt help without teamwork and strategy

[k9870]

gunmaster, wondering what the movie is like? How many people in it, basic plot, special effects? Ill definitely watch it. Ill be In Class A school all summer, and get to bring my laptop with me, too bad its 56 bucks a month for internet....