Choose Your Best Zombie Weapons

When all hell breaks loose, when the widespread pandemic of flesh-eating zombies is at your doorstep, clawing and possibly gnawing on remnants of the hottie next door, you will not have time to pick and choose what weapons you deem to be the most efficient zombie killing tools.

Ideally, you have already prepared, having trained your mind and body (see Conditioning), and assembled your bug out bag and survival gear in a position of easy access.

Either way, whether you’ve prepared your bug out bag or not, a knowledge of weapons for future scenarios where you may be faced with the decision between a handgun and semi-automatic rifle or machete or baseball bat, may be the knowledge that keeps you from becoming them…one of the walking dead.

Zombie warfare should be approached with careful consideration. When choosing the right weapons to defend yourself and your loved ones, or group against the incessant hordes of the living dead, you must consider a variety of variables:

1. Stealth Capabilities

Large caliber weapons may give you the confidence and reassurance in your firepower that you’re looking for, but consider the advantage of a weapon that will not give away your position to other zombies. Loud noises attract zombies. The louder the gunfire, the larger the radius is of incoming zombies. When choosing a gun, consider silencing capabilities.

2. Availability of Ammunition & Magazine Size

Your ultimate goal is to put down/ kill zombies by way of decapitation (separating the head from the body) or otherwise destroying the zombie brain or brain stem (where the infection or control center of the zombie is housed). Choosing the right weapons is not necessarily about choosing the ones that will inflict the most damage.

A crossbow or bow and arrow may be ideal for the first variable, but what about the availability of arrows in the zombie apocalypse. If you have made friends with your inner caveman, no problem…just make your own, but if you’re like most of us you may need to simply focus on magazine size and the popularity/availability of the rounds for that gun.

Also, how many rounds can your magazine hold?

A shotgun, though it may sound like a zombie-devastation-machine, requires consistent reloading…and reloading in the middle of a high-threat zombie strike could make the difference between life and unlife.

3. Ease of Carry

Consider the weight and barrel length of the weapon and whether or not it would be ideal for traveling. A 5 lb. weapon will feel like 30 lbs. after a day’s travel on foot, whereas a 2 lb. weapon may only feel like 10 lbs. The weight of your weapon will affect the efficiency of your travels and your stamina.

4. Variety of Long Range, Short Range and Melee Weapons

Always be ready to handle all attack scenarios, from short range to long range and even melee attacks. Carefully consider at least one weapon to combat each range.

5. Skill & Strength Requirements it.

A bow and arrow, though silent, requires a lot of practice and dedication to master…and let’s not forget loading speed – there’s a reason weapons have evolved to enhanced rebound and power machines. Strength requirements mostly relate to melee weapons, as that’s where the real weight of your choices factor in. A 20 lb. sledgehammer may turn that zombie’s head into mush, but a blade may be more practical if you can master it.

A bow and arrow, though silent, requires a lot of practice and dedication to master…and let’s not forget loading speed – there’s a reason weapons have evolved to enhanced rebound and power machines. Strength requirements mostly relate to melee weapons, as that’s where the real weight of your choices factor in. A 20 lb. sledgehammer may turn that zombie’s head into mush, but a blade may be more practical if you can master it.

TOP 5 L0NG RANGE WEAPONS FOR KILLING ZOMBIES

The information below has been collected by Zombie Slayer Special Forces and hardcore zombie survivalists from across the world.

To identify and familiarize yourself with a variety of long range weapons and more specifically, rifles, one must also become familiar with that weapon’s inherant traits. These traits include weapon characteristics, availability, versatility, ergonomics, and ammunition availability.

Now imagine the zombie apocalypse is upon us, and consider these variables:

• Those around you are dying and reanimating from MAD flu / zombie flu exposure.
• Survivalists and every day citizens everywhere are arming themselves in panic.
• More deaths are occurring due to inexperience with weapons, and so allowing themselves to be in an otherwise avoidable, dangerous situation – wasting valuable ammunition in the process (attempting to shoot beyond their weapon’s distance capacity…or just being a horrible shot).

Survivalists, arm yourselves with thoughtful consideration. Familiarize yourself with versatile weapons that have more than one use…and when that moment of action strikes, don’t be scared to pull the trigger!

Below are the top 5 best long range weapons for killing zombies and surviving the zombie apocalypse

#1 M-16/M-4 Carbine Service Rifle / AR-15 (civilian)

• Characteristics: LM-GAS- Light-weight; Magazine-fed; Gas-operated; Air-cooled; Shoulder-fired weapon
• Maximum Effective Range (point target): 550 yards
• Maximum Effective Range (area target): 800 yards
• Caliber / Magazine: 5.56mm / .223 cal. 5 – 25 round magazine

#2 Remington 597 – .22 Long Rifle/ .22-270

• Characteristics: Bolt-action or Gas-operated, Mag.-fed, Air-cooled, Shoulder-fired rifle
• Maximum Effective Range (point target): 100 (windy conditions) / 850 (no wind conditions) Accuracy highly dependant on winds.
• Maximum Effective Range (area target): 240 yards (windy conditions) / Up to a mile (no wind conditions) Accuracy highly dependant on winds.
• Magazine: 30 round capacity (after market magazines) and 10 with factory magazines
• Advantage: Low audible report and readily available ammunition

#3 Remington M700 – .30-06 x 150gr./7.62x57mm

• Characteristics: Light-Weight, Bolt-action, Air-cooled, Shoulder-fired rifle
• Maximum Effective Range (point target): 600 yards
• Maximum Effective Range (area target): 800 yards
• Internal Magazine Capacity: 3-5 rounds

#4 Dragunov Sniper Rifle

• Characteristics: Medium weight, Gas-operated, Rotating bolt, Air-cooled, Shoulder-fired weapon
• Maximum Effective Range (point target): 800 yards
• Maximum Effective Range (area target): 1300 yards
• Caliber / Magazine: 7.62x54mmR, 10 round detachable magazine

#5 AK-47

• Characteristics: Medium weight selective-fire, gas-operated, bolt-firing system
• Maximum Effective Range (point target): 350 yards
• Maximum Effective Range (area target): 380 yards
• Caliber / Magazine: 7.62×39mm

OTHER RIFLES WORTH MENTIONING:

Springfield M1Ae

• Characteristics: Medium weight, Gas-operated, Rotating bolt, Air-cooled, Shoulder or pod fired weapon
• Maximum Effective Range (point target): 500 yards
• Maximum Effective Range (area target): 875 yards
• Caliber / Magazine: 7.62x51mm, 5-20 round detachable magazine

Ruger Mini-14

• Characteristics: Light weight, Semi-automatic, Gas-operated, Rotating bolt, Air-cooled, Shoulder-fired weapon
• Maximum Effective Range (point target): 100 yards
• Maximum Effective Range (area target): 225 yards
• Caliber / Magazine: .223 Remington/5.56x45mm, 5-30 round factory box magazine

M14 Rifle

• Characteristics: Medium weight, Semi-automatic, Gas-operated, Rotating bolt, Air-cooled, Shoulder-fired weapon
• Maximum Effective Range (point target): 500 yards
• Maximum Effective Range (area target): 800-875 (w/ optics) yards
• Caliber / Magazine: 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Winchester)

SKS – 7.62 x 39mm

• Characteristics: Medium to Light-weight (wood v. synthetic), Gas-operated, Air-cooled, Shoulder-fired weapon
• Maximum Effective Range (point target): 430 yards
• Maximum Effective Range (area target): 600 yards
• Magazine: 10-40 round internal magazine

Barrett M82 50 Cal Sniper Rifle

• Characteristics: At 31 lbs, you obviously won’t be wanting to lug this thing around in while running from a zombie horde, but if you happen to come across one when you do find a safe-house, this weapon will soon become your best friend.
• Maximum Effective Range: 1,800 meters
• Caliber / Magazine: 50 BMG (12.7x99mm NATO) and .416 Barrett, 10-round detachable box magazine

Remington M24 Sniper Rifle Weapon System

• Characteristics: heavy weight, bolt action
• Maximum Effective Range (point target): 875 yards
• Maximum Effective Range (area target): 1000 yards
• Caliber / Magazine: 7.62×51mm NATO (M24A2), .300 Winchester Magnum (M24A1), .338 Lapua Magnum (M24A3), 5-round internal magazine (M24A1), 10-round detachable box magazine (M24A2), 5-round detachable box magazine (M24A3)

MOST COMMON RIFLE ROUNDS:

• 308 Winchester / 7.62x51mm NATO
• .30-06
• 7.62x54mm
• .223 Remington /5.56x45mm NATO
• 7.62x39mm
• .22lr
• .22wmr

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THE AK-47: A BRIEF HISTORY & EVOLUTION OF THE AK VARIANTS

The AK-47, arguably the most iconic assault rifle, with its characteristic curve of the Kalashnikov magazine, made its first appearance as far back as World War II. The 47 in its name indicates the year of its invention. The A stands for the Russian avtomat or automatic, and the K represents the last name of the inventor.

Lieutenant General Mikhail Kalashnikov (Kalishnikov was only 22 years old when he and his team invented the AK-47).

AK-47

Invented with the honorable intention of protecting his country and removing one of the biggest threats the world has ever known, the AK-47 has since been taken by the hands of rebels and terrorists for slaughter and abuse.

For decades, the AK-47 has played a role throughout history. Officially approved from the Soviet Armed Forces and used by the majority of the member states of the Warsaw Pact, the AK-47 was the weapon which enabled the Soviet Union to control territories they had acquired via the victory over Nazi Germany.

It was even the weapon of choice for Third World revolutions and as an icon used to strike fear into Osama Bin Laden’s targets of terror when he claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.

AKM | AK-74

In the initial stages of production by the Soviets, they encountered difficulties manufacturing the stamped sheet metal receiver and substituted it for a heavier machined receiver. In 1959, the AKM (or modernized) AK began production.

Modernized in three ways, the actual AKM featured the originally intended sheet metal receiver, an angled muzzle brake on the end of the rifle barrel to compensate for muzzle rise under recoil, and a hammer retarder to prevent the weapon from firing out of without the bolt being completely closed, through rapid or automatic fire.

Later, the AK-74 (basically an AKM) was manufactured to house a smaller round (the 5.45 x 39) as well as featured a different muzzle break than the AKM.

AK-101 | AK-102

Additional variants followed — the AK-101, which is an AK-74M style engineered to be used with the 5.56×45 cartridge. The AK-101 has a 16-inch barrel with an AK-74 style muzzle brake attached to the barrel to control muzzle rise.

The AK-102 would be a far more modernized version of the AK-101 with a shortened carbine and a foldable stock, which is hollow, allowing a field kit to be stored inside. The magazines are made out of plastic, and it fires 5.56x45mm ammunition. It can also fit a GP-25 grenade launcher.

The AK-102, AK-104 and AK-105 are the designations given to the more compact carbine variants of the AK-10X rifle series, firing the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO, 7.62 x 39 mm M43 and 5.45 x 39 mm M74 rifle rounds respectively. These carbines differentiate themselves from the normal rifles of the series in that they have much shorter barrels, only 314mm in length.

AK-103

The AK-103, a variant of the AK-101 firing 7.62x39mm M43 rounds, is in limited service with selected units in the Russian army – the AK-74M still held as the main Russian assault rifle of the Russian Federation.

It is for this reason that we expect the AK-47’s next chapter in human history to be one not of human conflict or terrorism, but as a driving force behind mankind’s victory over the zombie war to come.

More AK-type rifles have been produced than all other assault rifles combined (the type 4A/B Stamped AKM receiver being the most-used design in the construction of the AK-series rifles).

Today, there is an estimated 70 million AK-47’s in use today.