zombie apocalypse.....would your gun do the job!?

[Ian_Gere]

Hmmmmm... I suppose the more unsavoury of my life experiences combined with my interest in military matters in general might give me an edge against Joe Public, but my health isn't good and my stamina is pathetic. I think I'd grab my various canteens and water bladders, polythene sheet (yes, I do have one, which was originally 1/2 of a king size mattress wrapping, as part of my camping gear), tent, bed roll, ghillie suit makings, sword, binoculars, folding shovel, bill hook, wire saw, multitool, survival rations, hexi, and meds (inc vitamins) and head for the hills in my DPM's and para boots... try to knock over a chemist or 3 and some newsagents for baccy and skins on the way, but generally staying out of everyone's way would be my priority.

Better to rely on biology, that we can survive months with little to no food, but only days without water, however, especially for those who have never felt it, hunger hurts; physics, in that it not only rains often in the UK but that the water table is never that far from the surface; and psychology, in that the most salient fact in any situation involving public disorder is... the stupidity of one person is an unpredictable thing, however when 2 idiots join forces their stupidity is squared, not doubled, three cubed, and exponentially onwards until the actions it dictates become a matter of certainty, despite whatever efforts those few non-idiots amongst them may attempt, and therefore avoiding them would become a doddle.

 

[Samurai]

And a bycicle for transportation. It's small, light, quiet, handles terrain well, and doesn't need fuel.

 

[armysurplusandtoys]

hide and cry in the corner is the best option

 

[cropzy]

Do you think a thunderflash could kill a zombie if you put it in its mouth and it exploded? Like damaged the head?

 

[Russe11]

When I eventually get a Lee enfield (probably my next gun purchase) I think I will have the best possible airsoft gun for a zombie related situation. Long heavy and capable of fitting a bayonet. An airsoft gun will not kill a zombie easily, a long metal and wood implement can cave in a zombie skull nicely and an optional long sharp thing attached to the front will work for melee with a long standoff distance. I shall probably got for an SMLE, the bayonet is basically a sword in its own right

My strategy for survival would be to load up a bicycle with tent, and gear and get the hell away from population areas. The main benefit of airsoft weapons would not be defence so much as to deter banditry. Long term I will want a boat as the UK is too densely populated.

 

[remus]

agree, though you have to think that thank goodness its an island population too so if the infection starts in europe we have a natural defence to slow it down getting here, unless they figure out how to swim ala pirates of the carribean style... inwhich case we are all in trouble no matter where you go...

 

[BrightCandle]

I think the air rifle shot into the socket of a zombie might do the job. Its going to be a tough shot under duress especially since you'll need to let them get close just to be able to have enough energy to penetrate but its certainly possible a 16 joule air rifle could take out a zombie. Since you can get semi auto ones with about 10 magazines its not even that bad a weapon for zombie clearing duries. The airsoft gun wouldn't be any help at all, just not enough energy to severe the brain stem. The other very useful weapon is a compound crossbow, which can be had from your local gunshop that does air weapons, that would be more than capable of taking out zombies and with reusable ammo.

What airsoft guns are good for is blagging your way into a police station or army base by catching the occupants unawares and making them believe you really have an assault rifle pointed at them so you can get to the ammo and guns. So many breaches of the law right there but in the event of zombie apocalypse you have two priorities, getting out of the cities and getting out armed with as much ammo for your really common ammo gun as possible so you can then find water and shelter.

 

[SuicidalBarrelRoll]

Personally, my approach would be to finish my Witch King of Angmar helmet, and command the forces of the dead to do my wishes.

What? Mixing up plot lines?

Pff.

 

[TacMaster]

Meh. Boots + bergen + ration pack foods = survival for me.

Plan of action: grab my Mora hunting knife, my dad's axe and his crowbar from our shed, raid the shop across my street for supplies, get all my kit assembled and go walkabout.

I'd only go about firearm & ammo gathering after the first few weeks when human vs human incidents begin to occur- my dad has OS maps of my part of Hampshire so I can grab those and get a bearing to walk on for Bordon military camp. There I'd seek shelter/loot (depends on whether there's anyone alive in there) and score some rifles and ammo if I can.

Then I'd see about building a small base or similar in the middle of nowhere or an easily defendable building. Plenty of building materials around (there's a building supplier down the road from me anyway) and start work on that. i'd want to stay by myself for as long as possible as I'd be worried about people double crossing me for supplies.

 

[Ian_Gere]

My g/f lives a long way from me and, TBF, when it comes to things like suffering and violence, she's fucking useless... have to hook up with someone else for a shag. I mean, 'ksake, in a zombie apocalypse you'd really need a reason to crack on and no shagging would really put a dent in that!

 

[baptiste121]

you can get 500fps revolvers that fires a metal projectile.. surley we could upgrade these to fire at a higher velocity!? its a borderline firearm..

and its like 110 quid!

 

[remus]

6 shots that could maby do damage? eh yea ill take my bow/crosbowpistol... cheaper reusable legal...

 

[cropzy]

My Dan Wesson could I think.

It fires around 450 fps with stock shells in, around 250 with downgrade shells in.

Just use the stock high power shells and use steel bb's.

 

[Caliber]

I think airsoft guns would come more into play with the post-apocalypse looters. They aren't going to know your RIF is a RIF, for all they know they have a fully loaded M4 pointing at them. I'd only use my airsoft guns as clubs if my swords, knives and tools break, it'd be fun to use my L96 as a battle hammer.

Unless we're talking Flood from Halo (They fit the description of a Zombie), then I'll dig myself a nice little hole and pray to the old gods and the new that I'm not the next on their list of shit they want to infect.

Come to think of it, my Dragunov SVD can push 500fps with it's upgraded spring (I remember it could shatter 0.25g bio BBs within the barrel sometimes). Further upgrades and a bit of cleaning out, with the addition of 6mm metal BBs, I reckon it could hit over 450fps with the metals.

 

[jcheeseright]

450fps with a metal BB is still not exactly a lethal firearm though, a 9mm pistol for example is typically 1100-1300fps and that's with a seriously heavy bullet (7.5grammes approx for 9mm FMJ). For those who can't be bothered with the maths, that's about 570 joules at the top end. I should caveat that by saying that a 9mm is actually a fairly low energy firearm, the british SA80 (or L85 as you lot insist on calling it!) has a muzzle velocity of nearly 3100fps, with the 4.1g 5.56x45mm NATO bullet it fires. That's 1,767 joules and 5.56 NATO has received some criticism for not having enough stopping power in combat.

Don't get me wrong, it'd hurt like hell and definitely break the skin, but as far as piercing bone and doing actual internal damage? No chance.

In short, NO, your airsoft gun would NOT cut it in the zombie apocalypse, regardless of how big a spring you put in it.

 

[Deej]

I don't think the people suggesting guns are thinking far enough ahead. Sure, you can cap the first 10-50 Zeds pretty quickly and - let's remember why automatic weapons rule(/d) the world for so long - effectively, but I think it's pretty common zombie mythology that "standby" Z's (that is, ones with no active target and thus just lemoning around) will head toward anything out-of-the-ordinary. Lights for one, but most importantly sound. A weapon report travels a good long distance, and essentially calls all the brainmunchers in your vicinity to dinner. By all means, carry a loaded weapon and be ready to use it, but also be ready to get the hell out of dodge after the dinnergong sounds!

A good compound bow is an obvious tool for rural zombie killing. Most of the benefits of a firearm but with no noise output, and fletching an arrow is easier than finding the materials to refill casings, or going all Metro and sharing powder among rounds.

Finally, if you're carrying an automatic firearm and a compound bow you're already travelling pretty heavy, so a light yet hardy bladed weapon is all you're going to be able to manage without lowering survivability through sheer fatigue. Forgive me for picking the over-used and potentially underwhelming Katana option, but a properly forged katana (you know, the genuine article forged with the most modern of techniques yet truly built for war - a rare item in and of itself perhaps, but we're doing theoreticals, right? . ) Would probably be my pick.

I agree a Katana isn't built for hacking and smashing through hundreds of skulls, but isn't the method of kill "destroying the brain or severing the spinal column"? I'm sure you could behead thousands with the same blade if you simply aimed for severing necks.

Before I get screamed at for not being well-trained enough to hit a neck consistently... As previously mentioned, Zees have no self preservation instinct and would present a pretty uniform target.

Stay away from built-up areas as much as possible and don't go taking on crowds of shamblers and I think this would work. The firearm is also a useful tool in drawing - when you need to raid a gas station or somesuch for supplies and the area is infested, firing a single round from a good distance away then circling right back will allow you to ransack the store while expending as little ammunition/blade-durability as possible. Stay mobile, keep a low profile... I figure if the flesh is dead, it should rot as a corpse would. Even the 28Days zombies would eventually go from sprinting to a world-beating faceplant as their decaying knees fly off at a dead sprint. Stay alive for a couple of months and the job is all but done for you, then y'just saunter around executing crawlers!

Edit: Oh, original question: No. RIFs are toys at the end of the day. Take a real weapon, or even a bat/rebar/crowbar would be better.

 

[Mr Monkey Nuts]

We are making a lot of assumptions about what a zombie can or can't do, and it appears we are choosing their abilities to coincide with our convenience.

I believe a zombie would have a defence instinct, if it has an instinct to feed, it has an instinct to survive.

If the zombies have no reduced motor function then we are definitely on a losing battle.

Personally a bow wouldn't be any better, you are limited to the amount of arrows you can find/carry and home made ones will have terrible accuracy, once shot it's going to be hard to retrieve an arrow, it takes a lot of effort to pull repeatedly and unless you are proficient at game hunting, (which lets be honest doesn't happen a lot in the uk) you won't be quick enough. It would be a different world to field or target shooting.

If I was to carry a bow it definitely would be a recurve, simple to use and fix, you don't want to be re stringing a compound in a hurry.

The key is to survive long enough to survive. I would be heading for high ground. Get a car and find a tourist peak with easy road access and shelter with water and heat, but difficult access by foot. hopefully it will be less populated than urban areas. I would be heading up to the cat and fiddle pub in Buxton. No zombie is going to treck it up there, they are prepared for isolation and there will be limited zombie life.

In my version of Z day anyway.

 

[baptiste121]

but if were taking this seriously (to a point) then thier flesh would be mostly rotten.. surley metal bbs at 450+ would penetrate?

but were not stupid enough to just run around with airsoft weapons.. when you can get crossbows and such.

 

[SuicidalBarrelRoll]

but if were taking this seriously (to a point) then thier flesh would be mostly rotten.. surley metal bbs at 450+ would penetrate?

but were not stupid enough to just run around with airsoft weapons.. when you can get crossbows and such.

Maybe but it wouldn't shatter bone to get to the brain

 

[JackHG]

Personally a bow wouldn't be any better, you are limited to the amount of arrows you can find/carry and home made ones will have terrible accuracy, once shot it's going to be hard to retrieve an arrow, it takes a lot of effort to pull repeatedly and unless you are proficient at game hunting, (which lets be honest doesn't happen a lot in the uk) you won't be quick enough. It would be a different world to field or target shooting.

If I was to carry a bow it definitely would be a recurve, simple to use and fix, you don't want to be re stringing a compound in a hurry.

I agree with most target shooters wouldn't be proficient at retrieving their arrows from the corpses but I think field archers probably would have the experience to manage it. And I know atleast 7 people who can manufacture some very good aluminium Fatboy arrows for compound bows just with the base materials and tools in their homes.