Zombies are coming!!!!

no i wont because they don't exist.

and even if they did i got my money on quagz ... Sorry alex your plan is flawed... big time

Just finished reading "World War Z," the last thing I'm ever doing during a zombie apocalypse if going anywhere near an Ocean.

Just finished reading "World War Z," the last thing I'm ever doing during a zombie apocalypse if going anywhere near an Ocean.

This cuts both ways.  The entire zombie and water thing is unsure.  Some say it's a great defense as zombies cannot swim or cross running water.  Others say that zombies will come out of the oceans, crawling from where ever they spawned from.

I'm sticking with my prior plan.  Hop on a boat, hug the coastline.

KR better be frakkin real! i give it like 60 bucks a month!

what it failed to explain in the book is that water pressure would crush alot of there skulls in, erosion would wear and tear, difrent types of scavengers would eat away at them, and there is a thousand other ways that water would mess them p

I agree with you Matt. someone remind me (im a bit fuzzy on my remembering of wwz) the zombies in the water.. they walked into the water from land to find more people to eat or they were allready dead and laying at the bottom?..

i still like my plan of getting out of nyc and getting to alaska.

I'll stay where I am and rely on remoteness coupled with a wide variety of weapons, plus open fields of fire.  The sliders will have to go. 

There is an abandoned house down in the hollow that is built from stone that is a veritable fortress.  No electric, but that is not a problem.

How are zombies on climbing trees?

The literature is scarce on the subject. :)

If I may chime in here for a moment, first off to whomever it was who stated that Zombies aren’t real well I have to tell you you’re wrong on that count it has been scientifically documented that zombies are real. That is in the case those created by the practices of Voodoo and Hoodoo the Zombie state is caused by introducing 2 specially prepared Powders into the blood stream. Some of the known ingredients are tetrodotoxin  the same chemical found in Puffer fish, and Datura which comes from a plant. When properly mixed, which only a few people in the world know how to do, they will render the victim in to Zombie. They victim enters into a death like state and are entirely under the control of their “Master” since they have no will of their own. In addition while in this state it is said that the “Zombie” is impervious to pain and incredibly strong which is why they are so hard to stop or kill. That being said if it were Voodoo Zombies that were coming after you then could kill them with almost anything because they are just as vulnerable as you or I, just make sure they are dead.
As for any of the other incarnations of “Zombies” be it the supernatural rising from the dead, or the Virally infected sort, or any other spun off version all this talk of which firearm is more affective; well it all kind sounds like macho BS…LOL. Because I am going to be honest if that were to happen I am going to do 2 things, that is after I stop trying to convince myself I am having a nightmare. First thing, change my underwear because I probably sh**myself. Second, find the biggest vehicle available and get the hell as far away as possible. I am not going to try and figure which rifle will afford me the most success, I just want make sure I got 4wd so I can drive right over them.
But in the event that I regrettably had to Man up and take up the fight against the forces of the undead I would have to agree with the gentleman who suggested the shotgun. What you have not taken into consideration is this, Firepower, accuracy etc. are not nearly as important as Ammo!! Where are you going to get it, you have to realize there are probably going to be a hell of a lot more of them then you have bullets you are going to run out of ammo sooner or later. Shotgun shells are a lot easier to come by then bullets and a heck of a lot easier to make yourself, which I know how to do, also if you don’t have or run out of lead or copper you can fill a shot gun shell with almost anything if you had to. Buckshot does a lot of damage, and more than likely slowing them down is all you’re really going to do with firearms. I don’t really buy into the “head shot” theory I just don’t think that would really stop one. I personally think there is only one sure fire way to kill/ destroy a Zombie Burn the SOBs. So shoot them to immobilize them (knee caps are good) and set them on fire. Also I think a Machete would be much better if you are going to go the route of decapitation an axe is a bit bulky and heavy to be lugging around a machete is lighter faster and designed for chopping so it will get the job done more efficiently.

Reload.  Buy powder in bulk, and buy a simple reloading system, say one by Lyman.


You are correct about the machete, as more people have been killed by it than any other weapon this century.  However, it is a regrettably close action weapon.

I have learned so much....thank you.

I think the best way to treat this as if you use the best real-life simualtion as you can.  Police vs drugged-out psychos.  I have read stories of police who run into drugged out loonies, high on some cocktail of different drugs.  The police found that other than using a lot of manpower to subdue the addict, or using a dog... and faced with a life-or-death scenario in which the druggie was armed (usually with a knife) was to shoot the person with a large, high-caliber weapon center mass or in the head.

Whether facing supernatural zombies or drugged-out/infected zombies... you can't go wrong with headshots and long-distance death.

As for machetes... those mass-produced blades tend to be poorly made and have been known to shatter and break against any type of hard resistance material... like thick wood or bones.  Decapitation is still handled best with an axe in my opinion.  Most modern axes are not heavy and utlitarian wise, can be better than a machete.

As for ammo... yes, shotgun shells are easier to make, but I doubt their effectiveness if we go by the current model of "zombie".  Buckshot or saltpeter rounds would do little to them, in my opnion.  A solid round right in the cranium is the preffered method.

Of course... all this is subject to the idea if headshots are key to killing zombies or not.  If not... that's an easier can of worms I'd rather deal with.  If they are fast-movies, supernatural zombies who can only be killed/stopped with headshots... well, then that's game over.

buckshot is a term used for lead or steel ball bearings. which are the projectiles of most shotgun shells. the reason they are so effective and are carried by police and soldiers is because they give a VERY large area of effect. as the shot leaves the barrel of the gun they spreak out.. and in close quarters use are KNOWN to remove entire limbe, heads and leave basketball sized holes in the center of torsos.. and are known to have a large enough impact force as to force a person to the ground. not through pain but sheer kenetic energy transfer. as for rocksalt/saltpeter charges that i believe refers to the mythos around zombies like the ones we battle at KR and that it destroys them.. like a stake of aspen wood to a vampire.

i have a machette i have had it for many years it is just as solid and sturdy as any other bladed weapon i have ever seen and would gladly take it up against any other "sword" i have cut down sapling and brush with it.. even cleared a small beaver dam with it.
my previous comment about carrying an axe was not to use as a weapon but to use as a tool for opening locked/barricaded doors and opening objects like solid fronted vending machines and the like.

while many axes made today are quite good in qulity they are only really good for 2 things, splitting logs and taking down doors/walls. I have felled many trees (100+) with chainsaws, hand saws and axes... the axes made today are not nearly as effective at felling trees as axes from even 50 years ago... and the ones from even that recently (50 yrs ago) are just as capable at opening doors and such as modern ones.

shotgun = good
axe = good
machette = good

as for the head shot thing. the only way in which a rifle (not assault weapon) is better than a shotgun at emptying a skull is because of the range. aside from that the shotgun wins/

again all opinion.. we have no actual evidence of any of this vs zombies such as we are discussing as the types we are discussing are FICTION

In Jamaica, the machette is the king tool.  I have cut down large diameter bamboo with them.  Where the populace demands a quality tool, industry (this time, Brazilian) responds.  One can buy a quality Machette, with no frills, for $900 (12 real dollars).

When the mud subsides, I will try the shotgun experiment.  It only takes one .32 piece of OO to kill you if it hits in the head and penetrates.  We have not discussed chokes, but to keep things neat, it will be full at 100 feet, modified at 50 and open at 25 and 10 feet.  How come everyone let the matter of choke slide?  Shocked I am.

If I remember correctly, all choke does is vary the size of the spread.  We're still debating if buckshot is serviceable for zombie killing.  If there is enough damage from the shot entering skulls and blowing bits of brain out, then we should move onto choke as which is best for head-level group shots and taking down groups of zombies. 

Of course, this is still dependent if shotguns loaded with buckshot rounds can accurately and decisively do the job needed in zombnie killing.

On an unrelated note, I am surprised and awed on how this thread has continued to survive.  It will never match the awesomeness of the metal thread, but this is still a wonder to behold.

There's always the possibility of the shotgun slug rounds, they're more accurate and more lethal than buckshot.

Absolutely true, John, but the purpose of buckshot was to allow for multiple knockdowns per round.  Otherwise, the assault rifle...

john is correct slug shells. are excelent. the issue with them is the recoil impact upon ones shoulder or other body part from where the weapon is fired "shooting from the hip" is greatly increased, reducing the amount of shooting one can do. also as fr shotguns, there are diffrent types of buckshot, correlating to the size of the shot in the shell, there are also flare rounds, and chain "bolo" rounds which can sever limbs and torsos, as well as incindiary rounds made of magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium.. and so on and so forth which would do quite well to incinerate a walking cadaver..

.50 cal rifle.

I love this weapon, on simple factor, it  causes damage regardless of wether it hits or not.  On a living person, a .50cal will rip off a limb or liquify a torso with a direct hit. The bullet can just graze and still do this.  It can travel up to 6 inches from the side of someones head and the force and overpressure will still rip a persons ear off. And it will travel through several of them.

as for ammo- the most common round that can be easily found are:  9 mm, 5.56mm, 7.63x39 mm. these are mass produced to the point of stock piles and there are usable is  almost any weapons platform that takes those with out the need of specialty ammo.

shotgun ammo...sure, easy to make and reload, but again you say fire power. If you hot load a shotgun, you get 8 +1 rounds. with a extended chamber thats an additional 3 rounds. so 12 rounds total. Compared to my Masada with a 30 round PMAG. Now is your shotgun pump or semi-automatic? now thats a rate of fire issue...as youll have to pump the weapon.

while aiming isnt to much of a concern with a shotgun, you also cant gaurenttee a killing hit. Its more of a spray and pray option your going with. With my assualt rifle, even with a ACO or what ever sight system I have, I can hit targets 3 feet away with out much thought...its a skill that gets pounded into your head in the infantry, you enter a room, you have maybe 3-7 feet to your target, you scan it, ID it as a threat or not, and drop it (since my weapon was already at the ready). Not much aiming invovled at anything close then 10 meters, you can simple look over your sights at your targets and  put a round in it.

While as a tool it works great for opening locked doors and such, but wouldnt hurt to have a few "room sweepers"  added into you line up just in case you dont have the time to switch to you main.

as for a machatte? you run the risk of get the blade stuck in bone if you don't cleave through. and why why why would you want to be so damn close to use a machette?

Shotguns are one each, pump and semi-auto.  Properly held to the shoulder, impact is negligible.

A good machete could cut through a lot... but as Rob said, why why why do you want to get that close.  With an axe, it's the head that's doing the work, so you have the length of the haft to add to your reach.  Plus the haft could be used for parrying those grasping hands that wanna grab you.

I can only echo Rob's comment on the shotgun stuff.  As for ammo, yeah... cartridged 9 mm, 5.56 mm, and 7.62 mm are pretty popular nowadays that they should be easy to get.

An idea came to me as I was looking over house boat designs (as I plan on being on the water when WWZ comes)... and I was seeing if I could mount a water cannon on my ship.  For when I come close to shore or when I see an infested dock, covered in zombies... simply dip a feed hose into the water and let the pump rip.  A high-powered firehose could knock down those zombies off the pier or where ever I'm aiming.  Same principle that fireboats used for ship fires.

I've been also rewatching Resident Evil: Extinction and seeing how the caravan idea plays out.  So far it's no good, but being on the move and not stationary could have it's benefits.  I'm also checking to see what those folks did right/wrong and wondering about what I should do IF I have to move to someplace (say far north or south to polar regions).

50 cal .. weapon is too big and heavy. as is carrying a sufficient supply of amunition.

again using the axe as a weapon.. its too slow fr what one would probably be doing. remember they wont be standing there lined up for you to take your time and aim. it will be like going though a bamboo forrest where the bamboo is clawing and grabbing at you trying to bite/eat you. quicker strikes are more effective.. again like hacking through jungle/bamboo forest. now if you can swing a fire axe as often, as fast and for as long as i can swing a machette more power to ya. but i doubt that would happen.

not everyone can get their hands on top of the line millitary assault weapons.
one should be so lucky to come across a gun dealership that hasnt allready been over run & ransacked.. likewise for police stations and millitary bases

as for RE, extinction. they did fairly well remember it was a movie and there was "plot" that got in the way such as the whole crows that eat zombie flesh and then become evil themselves.. highly dubious.. also super zombies.. possible but not plausible let alone ikely. one thing they did get right was the "once ur bitten you have 24 hours to get better or die heroically or im shooting you in the face" dealie.

again for firearms i advise shotgun, and rifle. I'd prefer M1-garande but that's just me. one of the ultra light ak-47's would do well.  and if you are going hand gun.. snub nose 357 mag or the colt 1911 .45 cal automatic. while amunition is "less available" the benefits of the weapons reliability FAR outweigh the (arguable) diffrence in availability of amunition. remember a 5.56 or a 2.23 or a 9mm dont back enough kinetic punch to knock somene to the ground.. let alone knock down a being who has no pain reflex. and we all like to think we are wild bill hicock. but hitting a moving target let alone an aimed shot on a moving target is VERY difficult.. regardless of how fast or slow the target is moving... UNLESS you are a trained professional.. millitary sharpshooter. SWAT.. avid hunter or firearm enthusiast.  the reason automatic fire and semi automatic fire weapons were invented were to put more lead down field to increase the chance to hit by less trained troops.

in refrence to "why would you let yourself get into that close quarters combat with them" because sometimes you run out of ammo and sometimes they surround you and you cant shoot fast enough. 

and getting back to things weighing too much;. many (some might argue the majority) of casualties of the normandy landings were due to soldiers being weighed down and over encumbered by too much gear that was too heavy to allow them to move let alone actualy swim to the shore. being weighed down is a REAL concern.. especialy if you are in a run for your life survival situation.
the more ammo u carry and the heavier your firearm.. the less food and water u can carry. the heavier your gear the slower u can move both in and out of combat.

AK-47s have horrible accuracy past 100 meters.  The 1911 .45, though accurate, has a limited magazine.

Can zombies climb trees or use saws?

Slow moving, supernatural zombies (ie the head shot kind) cannot climb trees or use saws.  However, they have supernatural strength or at least strength in numbers, so enough of them can attempt to push a tree over.

The fast moving, scientific pathogen types maybe able to climb trees, but not use saws.  Also those may have numbers on their side to do some heavy tree pushing.

Some folks have though of using the tree fort idea to survive the zombie apocalypse.  The book states that while hiding in a tree short term, or taking an elevated snipers position is ok... long term wise, enough zombies could gather at the bottom, and bowl the tree over with shear numbers.  Or if enough dead bodies are piling up at the bottom, they might climb up the dead bodies to reach up.

Another idea was using an offshore platform.  Since zombies cannot swim (or at the least, not travel through water well), an offshore platform would be a great place to hold up during WWZ.

My thought on trees was as a safe haven, if caught away from home where I reside.  Climb a tree with a shotgun and pistol and unless there are tons of them, I could hold out until they went elsewhere, unless it was dead winter.

Could snipe from the second floor windows just fine when they got close.  From three directions I have between 60 and 300 yards of open space.  Its that pesky north that is only a few dozen yards.  I'd be willing to lose the evergreen windbreak, though.

In Dawn of the Dead, the refugees took shelter in a mall and took to the roof to look around and occasionally shoot at the zombies that had gathered below.  In all the other zombie flicks, the zombies eventually pushed through doors, windows, and any other opening/portal into a dwelling through sheer numbers and weight.  So, while the idea of running up a tree to temporarily escape zombies is ok, if you plan on shooting them from above and once they were all dead, climbing down and running... it's fine.

Has anyone seen the new "hurricane-proof" house in Florida.  Some guy designed a new house which was dome shaped, made mostly of reinforced concrete, and built upon pillars.  The idea was the house was elevated, with only the garage on the lower levels.  The main living areas were raised, and that way no flooding damage would occur or cause issues for the support of the house.  The roof was dome shaped to resist wind drag and not have anything that could fly off.


This idea could be used for zombie-home proofing.  Take out the front stairs or make them collapseable, and the house should be high up enough to be out of reach of the zombies, who cannot climb up.  If you have strong supports, the zombies cannot knock it over and you'd be fine. 

I suggest some reading up on decapitation.  Specifically what I'm referring to would be the executions via beheading.  Even when a person was bound to the chopping block there were severe issues, (at times), with beheading the condemned.  One such story I heard of was with the use of a huge sword, apparently the executioner made it through the neck on, (if memory serves correct), the 12th swing.  So, anyone who feels particularly gung-ho about trying to one shot a moving target with some sort of chopping device; good luck.

At the same time though, you just need to do enough damage to severely damage the brain.  So an axe would work nicely as far as damage goes, however the issue of trying to extract said axe from the head becomes quite interesting.  Also, undershooting your target isn't a big deal, you can always swing again.  I'm not sure who out there has had the pleasure of swinging an axe poorly at something and hitting your target badly, or over swinging and hitting with the actual shaft.  It ranges from rather unpleasant to ludicrously painful. 

ps: most mass produced "collector" swords and specialty swords, will break after a few sturdy swings, as they are generally poured into molds rather than made for practical combat use.

I just watched a movie called "Mullberry St" (2006) about a virus that turns people into ravenous "rat people" akin to zombies. in this movie the police, firedept, natnl guard and other first responders were wiped out within the first 30 minutes of the movie.. and in NYC @least the cops and Natnl guard are for all intents and purposes the only ones who have firearms. the survivors used bats, large kitchen knives and a machette to sneak out from little italy (where mulbery st is) to the east river where they got onto a houseboat and made for "safer waters" so to speak. EVERYONE who used a motor vehicle (cars/trucks) for transport died. the subways were "infested" so to speak and the airports closed.

Dawn of the dead was a social parody that goes over almost everyones heads. it was about how even at the end of the world people go "shopping" and even after death..the walking dead go shopping too!.. so to speak. NOT that a shopping mall with its high walls and maze like interior would be a good place to hide out. infact it wasnt.. while it afforded minor security for a short time (less than a week) they ran out of food and water and then electricity. and had to retrofit the shuttle buses into anti zombie tanks. which brings me back to the comment made earleri about 4x4 vehicle. these shuttle buses were adapted to be antipersonael tanks so to speak. with barbed wire, and slots to attack from.. and the sheer volume of bodies pressed against the vehicle stopped it cold. such that an exploding propane tank was needed to clear a large enough path to get the team moving again. which also brings up do's and donts of the caravan plan.

as for decapitation by axe or sword.. it depends more upon the skill of the wielder than the impliment itself. in tudor england exection by the axe was common place. and while yes a newb execituoner migh need a dozen or so strokes to get the head off.. a seasoned, experienced executioner could easily do it on the first stroke if not the second with the first being a deathblow and the second only to completely sever the head from the neck.  ... inspite of the axe that executioners of the time used was incredibly poorly designed for such a task being poorly balanced and all.
john is still right to a point however.. it is VERY difficult to behead anyone.. let alone a moving target unless one is experienced wielding a bladed weapon in an actual physical encounter. also.. when you're cousin comes up to you and is a zombie.. its going to be a real test of your survival instinct..
+points for being a cold blooded pathological homicidal sociopath to help u survive Zpocalypse

and charlie in refrence to the ak-47 having an effective range of  only about 100yd.. i would hope that i were stealthy enough to sneak by the zombies without being noticed were i that range from them. and if they do notice me at that range well then they are now inside my firing range. and yes the 1911 has a limited capacity for amunition before needing a reload but its ability to physically knock a charging soldier to the ground. and onto his back mind you with a chest shot and its ability to pop a human skull like a zit makes up for the limited magazine. also i would hope that i would be able to use a larger weapon first. handguns come right before hand to hand melee combat. and if we were discussing sniping.. im still happy with my M-1 Garand. which was the weapon of choice over the M-14 carbine during korea (when both were in use and issue) because of its reliability and kinetic energy transfer stopping power.
my father used to tell me stories about when he was in korea about putting an entire clip from an m14 into the chest of a charging chinese soldier and it barely slowed him down let alone stopped him. where as his M-1 was a one shot one kill deal..

If I may chime in here for a moment, first off to whomever it was who stated that Zombies aren’t real well I have to tell you you’re wrong on that count it has been scientifically documented that zombies are real. That is in the case those created by the practices of Voodoo and Hoodoo the Zombie state is caused by introducing 2 specially prepared Powders into the blood stream.

No

For the love of god, Zombies are not real. What your talking are not zombies. Zombies are undead. Undead are not  real. Undead are make believe like KR and this Thread. 

C'mon Quags, you've got your metal thread with Joe.  Let us have this. :)

Vis-a-vis the round house - one of my partners is building an octagonal house to cut back on the drag from hurricanes.

Ok … the truth of the matter is to some extent everyone is right, given circumstances any one of the weapons mentioned would be at least useful and better than nothing. Use what you have, ideally a .50 caliber and crate of ammo mounted to some sort of big ass vehicle would trump a double barrel shotgun and a box of buckshot, but realistically (and I use that loosely…lol) who actually has access to that kind of fire power, really. I am approaching this from the stand point of average Joe wakes up and hey it’s an apocalypse wow what do I do now; I want to survive, what are my best chances. So again that’s why I say go with the Shotgun… easiest to acquire, simple to use, and ammo is easy to get not to mention light weight so you won’t be slowed down. And you get a lot of bang for your buck…lol. But if you have a Ak47 or a M1 or a .50 cal. or 357 Mag, or any of the other guns mentioned laying around by all means grab it you can never have enough guns or ammo.  As for the Machete issue let me just mention my intent was not to engage the enemy that way it is more or less a last ditch effort, if and when the Zombies close in on you your going to have to fight your way out, I think you can clear a path faster with a Machete then an axe it’s not just for decaps but you can take off hands, severe arms etc. and get away. An axe won’t do that after 2 of 3 swings your done, and parrying away blows and grappling hands with the haft…seriously you have to be kidding me one on one sure maybe, but more than likely there will be several on you all that axe will do is get you killed. Just to add again the Machete very easy to acquire, and very useful… and if you have a little time try and get a quality Machete.  And yes eventually it will dull and not be as useful and you might not go through every time but it will slow them down and if it breaks get another one, that ‘s the point of easy to acquire.
So again ultimately use what you have or you know what you can get, if all you have laying around is a Shovel and a BB gun hell go for it maybe you’ll get lucky…lol I mean I can tell you without a doubt and without reservation exactly what I will be bringing to the party, because I have access to them right now from my Dad’s weapons cache…
1. A Browning 12 gauge pump Shot gun
2. Double Barrel sawed off shotgun that my dad modified himself “its badass” not sure the gauge though. I think it’s a 410 which is it’s bore not gauge anyway, not that it matters because like I said he modified it anyway and bored it out, all I know is it blast the hell out of stuff at close range…? it has a pistol grip too…?
3. Winchester Model 1892 lever action repeating rifle, the same model as featured on the show the rifleman (dad’s favorite show) dad fancies himself something of a Cowboy.
4. A Machete ?
5. My pride and joy, a Katana; not one of these replica swords either, as someone mentioned before most of those swords like the 440 stainless/or surgical steel will bend or break and would be useless, mine is an actually Japanese Katana forged in the traditional style expensive but worth it and I can slice through a tin can like butter… and it’s just waiting for the Apocalypse.
6. And dad’s .38 smith and Wesson revolver (vintage)

Now I know the above weapons may not be as Badass or as powerful as say a .50 caliber (lol) but I figure this odds of winning slim, odds of surviving long enough to find safety also rather slim so I figure if I gotta go out I am going out with Style….LOL