Zombie Apocalypse

[SVT666]

I'm thinking diesel pickup truck, maybe an M-ATV.

Weapons?  I'm thinking a Kel-Tec KSG shotgun, an M4 or M16 rifle, a 9mm semi-auto handgun, a .357Mag revolver, .22LR semi-auto rifle, a 9mm semi-auto carbine, and a katana.

How many different types of ammo will you have to carry with you?

[Soup DeVille]

How many different types of ammo will you have to carry with you?

I'm counting five right there, and he doesn't even have a good rifle round yet..

[Northlands]

Some sort of APC, maybe like a BTR-90. AK-47 as an AR since they're....everywhere and practically indestructible. A decent sized flexible spear and either a decent katana or a scimitar for close quarters.

[MX793]

How many different types of ammo will you have to carry with you?

I want to be sure I've got something to cover a lot of different, common ammunition types so I'm not stuck with a gun that can't fire whatever ammunition I manage to scrounge up.  If I had to pair it down, I'd go with the KSG, the 9mm handgun, and the katana.

[NomisR]

Some sort of APC, maybe like a BTR-90. AK-47 as an AR since they're....everywhere and practically indestructible. A decent sized flexible spear and either a decent katana or a scimitar for close quarters.

You might want something with long range reusable or ammo that you can make yourself.... like a crossbow, or a homemade repeating crossbow.

[Soup DeVille]

I want to be sure I've got something to cover a lot of different, common ammunition types so I'm not stuck with a gun that can't fire whatever ammunition I manage to scrounge up.  If I had to pair it down, I'd go with the KSG, the 9mm handgun, and the katana.

If the ammo is there to scrounge; so are the guns.

[SVT666]

I would have a 12 ga shotgun as well.  You could reload them with anything as long as you can get your hands on more gunpowder.

[Soup DeVille]

There's so much ammo out there already, by the time it runs out, if there are still zombies around; well, it'd be best to just stab 'em.

[MX793]

I'm counting five right there, and he doesn't even have a good rifle round yet..

Are you really going to be taking pop shots at zombies at long range?  You don't need a 30-06 or .308 to put a hole through a zombie's head.  .223/5.56 doesn't have the range or power of a .308 or whatever, but it's a smaller round so you can carry more rounds per pound.

12ga buckshot is highly effective at closer ranges and you don't need to be a crack shot to hit your mark.

9mm is one of the most common handgun rounds.  Plenty powerful to get the job done.

.22LR doesn't have much range or power, but its super common.

The .357 is powerful and can fire .38 rounds as well, lending some versatility.  And revolvers don't jam if there's a misfire.

[Soup DeVille]

Are you really going to be taking pop shots at zombies at long range?  You don't need a 30-06 or .308 to put a hole through a zombie's head.  .223/5.56 doesn't have the range or power of a .308 or whatever, but it's a smaller round so you can carry more rounds per pound.

12ga buckshot is highly effective at closer ranges and you don't need to be a crack shot to hit your mark.

9mm is one of the most common handgun rounds.  Plenty powerful to get the job done.

.22LR doesn't have much range or power, but its super common.

The .357 is powerful and can fire .38 rounds as well, lending some versatility.  And revolvers don't jam if there's a misfire.

If you need to clear a building, why make it so you have to walk up to them?

If versatility is what you want, get an Astra 600.

[SVT666]

If you need to clear a building, why make it so you have to walk up to them?

If versatility is what you want, get an Astra 600.

What makes it so versatile?

[Soup DeVille]

What makes it so versatile?

It's a blowback design chambered in 9mm Largo. Which means, the length of the cartridge is somewhat flexible.

It can fire 9mm largo (9x21), 9mm NATO, 9x18 Makarov, and .380 ACP. Barrel switches can give you .32 ACP, 7.62 Tokarev, and a couple of others.

A .30-'06 can be fitted with chamber spacers so it can also fire .308 and .32 ACP.

Get a .22 conversion for that AR instead of another complete rifle.

Now, you have three guns that can fire any of nine common rounds.

[SVT666]

It's a blowback design chambered in 9mm Largo. Which means, the length of the cartridge is somewhat flexible.

It can fire 9mm largo (9x21), 9mm NATO, 9x18 Makarov, and .380 ACP. Barrel switches can give you .32 ACP, 7.62 Tokarev, and a couple of others.

A .30-'06 can be fitted with chamber spacers so it can also fire .308 and .32 ACP.

Get a .22 conversion for that AR instead of another complete rifle.

Now, you have three guns that can fire any of nine common rounds.

Good to know.

[Soup DeVille]

Good to know.

After thinking about it, you could also have a second cylinder for that .357, but have it machined to take 9mm with gear clips; which would also accept .380s.

So now, you have one revolver that takes four very common rounds.

[MX793]

If you need to clear a building, why make it so you have to walk up to them?

If versatility is what you want, get an Astra 600.

I'm not a good enough shot to be hitting moving, melon-sized targets at over 300 yards.  But for a given carry weight (which is important if you're hoofing it), you get roughly twice as many rounds of .223 as you do .308.

[Northlands]

I think I'll just make my way to Soup's truck and just carry whatever he's carrying to fight off zombies.

[Rupert]

Noobs.

M35A2.

Millions of them around, last forever and will run on anything from crankcase oil to vodka. Cheaper than all the options mentioned so far as well.

Too big. Only reason to get one is so you can build a living space on the back (which is a a good idea).

[Soup DeVille]

Too big. Only reason to get one is so you can build a living space on the back (which is a a good idea).

They actually feel smaller from the drivers seat. Good visibility. I'd like to see what a bobbed one is like.

[veeman]

M1 Abrams Tank.

[Rupert]

They actually feel smaller from the drivers seat. Good visibility. I'd like to see what a bobbed one is like.

Heh, that would be rad.

[S204STi]

FN FAL in .308, Benelli Supernova with all the frills, .44 Magnum, claymore - Sword, and mines.  Carry all this shit around in a Marauder with a 50cal on the roof.

[Raza]

M1 Abrams Tank.

Have you seen The Walking Dead?  That story does not end well for the tank.

[Raza]

I'm counting five right there, and he doesn't even have a good rifle round yet..

Zombies have soft skulls.  You don't really need a big round to penetrate them and get to the brain.  You'd only need a bigger round for killing people who are attacking you, but an M4 will do that job as well. 

[Soup DeVille]

Have you seen The Walking Dead?  That story does not end well for the tank.

Tank seemed fine. Even if it wasn't an Abrams.

[Soup DeVille]

Zombies have soft skulls.  You don't really need a big round to penetrate them and get to the brain.  You'd only need a bigger round for killing people who are attacking you, but an M4 will do that job as well. 

They might have soft skills eventually; not sure about that. Other people might be a problem though, and I don't want to have to close on them either.

[MexicoCityM3]

On second thought, this:

Shelby mustang GT500 ( I am legend)

[Raza]

They might have soft skills eventually; not sure about that. Other people might be a problem though, and I don't want to have to close on them either.

My thoughts on this are as follows:

Guys who are saying they'll use swords are the first to get killed.  Swords are not easy to use; if you don't know what you're doing, they're cumbersome and dangerous, and in very close quarters, extremely hard to use effectively.  Since headshots are all that count (even decapitation, by Walking Dead rules, isn't a kill), lopping off body parts doesn't even slow them down.  You'll be swarmed and a meal before the average person can figure out which side of the sword is sharp.  If my old college roommate, an accomplished fencer, said he wanted a katana, I'd say cool, go for it.  But if the closest you've come to using a sword is a toy lightsaber, you're fucked.  And not in a good way.

Zombie skulls are fragile (again, Walking Dead rules) and plentiful, so to me, accuracy and penetration are very important.  Very few zombies wear body armor (though some do), so a 9mm carbine would be a good choice as a medium distance zombie hunter.  My choice here would be a Beretta CX4 Storm, 9mm carbine.  I know that I'm deadly accurate with it.  Throw on a scope and a suppressor, and you've got a nice weapon for an elevated position; night defense, day defense, without the sound of a loud, large caliber weapon drawing in more zombies. 

Reloading sucks, so I'd choose a 9mm handgun with a higher capacity magazine.  I know in actual life, I prefer an SA/DA handgun, but in high stress frantic situations, a consistent DAO handgun might be better.  Something like a Glock 17 or a Walther P99, with no hammer to get snagged on clothing, would be my preferred choice, despite the coolness factor of my Sig or an HK USP.  I'm leaning Glock on reliability.

I'd also want something that without a doubt settles the argument.  Smith and Wesson 686+ chambered with .357s would do the trick.  And truth be told, I wouldn't mind a .45 Colt Defender as a last resort type of handgun.

Then there are two more types of weapons that are a must have in any zombie apocalypse arsenal: shotgun and long gun.

Shotguns are reliable and easy to use.  A Remington 870 would do the trick just fine, but if mayhem is your soup du jour, an AA12 with a 200 round drum is a must.  Personally, I'd go with the Remington pump action shotgun over a potentially fickle AA12.

Long gun.  I have a preference for bolt action here, something that's easy to manage and easy to clean.  Higher powered, so people think twice about raiding your camp once their buddy's head explodes.  I honestly don't know much about these, so I'm going to choose one of my favorites from the Call of Duty series, the Remington 700.

Home base is of utmost importance.  You don't want to carry everything with you all the time, or sleep in a car, or anything like that.  So your loadout can be variable.  On a run, you don't want to be too specialized and run into something you weren't prepared to handle.  That's when I'd go for my all rounder:  Ruger Mini 14 Tactical.  Pistol grip, reliable, with a flash suppressor, integrated scope mounts give it versatility; you can get dirty with this gun.  Semi auto, so you don't burn through ammo, TV show style.

And, luckily, I'm a decent archer, so I'll keep a bow and arrow around as a backup.

For the car, assuming you've got a defensible home base, I'd want something decently quick and all wheel drive, so I can get off the main road if I need to.  And a bit of space, so you can throw gear and/or supplies in the back.  Maybe an older hawkeye/blobeye WRX wagon or Forester 2.5XT.     

[NomisR]

Well, for close range, a blunt weapon would definitely work better against undead based on the rules you've stated.  And I believe blunt weapons also has a bonus vs undead too so this definitely helps.  So a large sledge hammer or a mace would be a much better close range weapon than a sword would.  Bats probably wouldn't last more than a few dozen blows at most. 

[Soup DeVille]

LOL. I'd like to see what a 200 round drum of 12 gauge looks like.

[Northlands]

My thoughts on this are as follows:

Guys who are saying they'll use swords are the first to get killed.  Swords are not easy to use; if you don't know what you're doing, they're cumbersome and dangerous, and in very close quarters, extremely hard to use effectively.  Since headshots are all that count (even decapitation, by Walking Dead rules, isn't a kill), lopping off body parts doesn't even slow them down.  You'll be swarmed and a meal before the average person can figure out which side of the sword is sharp.  If my old college roommate, an accomplished fencer, said he wanted a katana, I'd say cool, go for it.  But if the closest you've come to using a sword is a toy lightsaber, you're fucked.  And not in a good way.

Zombie skulls are fragile (again, Walking Dead rules) and plentiful, so to me, accuracy and penetration are very important.  Very few zombies wear body armor (though some do), so a 9mm carbine would be a good choice as a medium distance zombie hunter.  My choice here would be a Beretta CX4 Storm, 9mm carbine.  I know that I'm deadly accurate with it.  Throw on a scope and a suppressor, and you've got a nice weapon for an elevated position; night defense, day defense, without the sound of a loud, large caliber weapon drawing in more zombies. 

Reloading sucks, so I'd choose a 9mm handgun with a higher capacity magazine.  I know in actual life, I prefer an SA/DA handgun, but in high stress frantic situations, a consistent DAO handgun might be better.  Something like a Glock 17 or a Walther P99, with no hammer to get snagged on clothing, would be my preferred choice, despite the coolness factor of my Sig or an HK USP.  I'm leaning Glock on reliability.

I'd also want something that without a doubt settles the argument.  Smith and Wesson 686+ chambered with .357s would do the trick.  And truth be told, I wouldn't mind a .45 Colt Defender as a last resort type of handgun.

Then there are two more types of weapons that are a must have in any zombie apocalypse arsenal: shotgun and long gun.

Shotguns are reliable and easy to use.  A Remington 870 would do the trick just fine, but if mayhem is your soup du jour, an AA12 with a 200 round drum is a must.  Personally, I'd go with the Remington pump action shotgun over a potentially fickle AA12.

Long gun.  I have a preference for bolt action here, something that's easy to manage and easy to clean.  Higher powered, so people think twice about raiding your camp once their buddy's head explodes.  I honestly don't know much about these, so I'm going to choose one of my favorites from the Call of Duty series, the Remington 700.

Home base is of utmost importance.  You don't want to carry everything with you all the time, or sleep in a car, or anything like that.  So your loadout can be variable.  On a run, you don't want to be too specialized and run into something you weren't prepared to handle.  That's when I'd go for my all rounder:  Ruger Mini 14 Tactical.  Pistol grip, reliable, with a flash suppressor, integrated scope mounts give it versatility; you can get dirty with this gun.  Semi auto, so you don't burn through ammo, TV show style.

And, luckily, I'm a decent archer, so I'll keep a bow and arrow around as a backup.

For the car, assuming you've got a defensible home base, I'd want something decently quick and all wheel drive, so I can get off the main road if I need to.  And a bit of space, so you can throw gear and/or supplies in the back.  Maybe an older hawkeye/blobeye WRX wagon or Forester 2.5XT.     

Some of us can use a sword. Or one of us. Spears are better.  I don't think any of us have any notions of using it unless there's is only one or two zombies groping for us if there's no time to reload ammo.

As for cars. No need for anything fast. Pretty much anything on four wheels with an engine sporting more than 60 horsepower will outrun zombies.