Guns For the Zombie Apocalypse and Preppers

There are a number of debates about zombie guns.  There are several FaceBook and other forums devoted to these selections.  Many of the participants in these have many opinions.  Unfortunately, most of the guns they would select would be wrong for the task.  Some of the firearms I have seen selected are the following:

1) Machine guns  (any caliber)

2) Flame throwers

3) Grenades

4) Shotguns

5) Desert Eagle - .50 action express

6) High powered rifles  (.223/5.56 - .308 and up)

These selections would be inappropriate for the following reasons:

1) Zombies do not "wound" and do not stop in the same way human combatants do.  Humans have a psychological pre-disposition to stop fighting when they know they are wounded, and when they feel pain.  Zombies are mindless creatures who have no psychology, and who can only be stopped by a shot to the head or brainstem.  Forget anything you ever heard or think you know about "stopping power".

2)  Zombies (fast movers or walkers) are attracted to loud sounds.  Any loud report or multiple reports from a high caliber rifle, machine gun, handgun, or a shotgun will bring the hordes down on you.

3) Most people will not survive a siege, in a fixed location.  Sound may not be a problem, but food will. Once they find you, they will not stop until they are all eliminated.  More will show up and you will be surrounded.  Most people will starve to death if they are hemmed in.

4)  Machine guns, shotguns, big handguns make lots of noise and the psychological factor of having one will not matter.  Body shots that would stop a human attacker, will not work with a shotgun,  the hail of bullets that mowed down troops in WW1 will not stop zombies.  If they are head shots, these firearms will work (remember they are LOUD) but most humans will fail to use them that way.  Humans wielding shotguns for defense are predisposed to use body shots. I m,san it works in the movies, right?

5)  Grenades and flame throwers will not stop a zombie.  Period.  All of the reasons listed above apply.

Forget the "Last Person in The World" (LPITW) scenario.  That attitude will cripple you mentally and get you eaten.  This is an attitude fostered by the movies, and adopted by many preppers.

The "bug-in" scenario (siege mentality) will eventually have to give way to a bug-out once the food is gone.  When you bug-out, what gun will you take?  A couple of factors influence my decision.

1) Ammo carrying capacity.  Shotgun ammo is heavy, bulky and you can't carry much of it.  Large caliber rifles are heavy, and the ammo takes up lots of room.  There is no way you could carry 1000 rounds of ammo, supplies, and a firearm.  Oh and, both are NOISY.

Armalite upper, POF lower SBR with GemTech Quick-detach suppressor.  Scope is Nikon 2-8x AR223
Close quarters sight is Leupold Delta Point

2)  .223/5.56 NATO firearms and ammo.  The guns are usually light and you can carry several hundred rounds in magazines.  In a siege these would probably work, but on foot, in a survival bug-out,  still too heavy and noisy.  AR-15's are difficult to suppress, and 200 rounds is just not enough.  You need to be able to carry 500-1000 rounds on your back.  The caveat here is that 5.56 will be easy to come by.  It is everywhere.

3) A suppressed .22LR using subsonic ammo is probably one of the better choices.  No noise.  1000 rounds would be easy to carry.  Ammo of any kind would be easy to get.  (note: subsonic applies to any bullet that leaves the muzzle of a firearm at under 1080 feet per second)

$)  5.7x28 FN.  More powerful that a .22,  more deterrent against human predators, ammo is light.  I could easily carry 500 rounds in a backpack.  The draw back here is that ammo is not common and sometimes is hard-to-get, even now.  Guns are light and can be compact.  A suppressed 5.7 is about as loud as an unsurpassed .22LR.

Two 5.7's, One 12 inch SBR with GemTech suppressor

A 6 inch SBR with a Bowers Suppressor,  close up shows Leupold Tactical Prismatic sight

6) Heavy sniper rifles are impractical on a long term bug-out.   There are no key personnel to be taken out at long ranges here.  Guns are heavy, ammo is heavy.

I was watching an episode of "The Walking Dead"  season two where the protagonist is trapped in a high school gym, on top of the bleachers, with a shotgun.  He had about 50 zombies trying to get him and a buddy.  IF these macho fools had had a .22 rifle, they could have dropped every zombie, very calmly and efficiently and never would they have attracted more attention, and had ammo to spare!  12 gauge shotguns make for better television though.

What does any of this have to do with real life prepping?

The Center for Disease Control recommends that we all prep for the zombie apocalypse.  Simply because it is a humorous way to get people to actually prepare.

All preppers seem to be firearms and self defense aware.  However most of the same principles above, apply to real life prepping.

Forget trying to be the LPITW.  You won't be. There will be other people trying to survive.  There may even be hordes.  If you have to bug-out,  you don't want to attract attention.  You are not the military and are not trying to engage other LPITW's.