Oh my… choices, choices.
It all depends on the type of zombie, see?
The mind controlled (al la Invasion of the Body Snatchers), while technically zombies, are still human and subject to normal human frailties. Shoot ‘em with a shotgun and they’re pretty much toast. Cut off a limb, and they’ll bleed to death.
Same thing with NEO (Near Earth Object) zombies (see The Comet).
Now, mutation zombies (you know, government experiment gone awry types) and demonic zombies are a tad different. The mutations might make the zombie stronger, faster, able to heal wounds that would stop a normal human. Demonic zombies? Well, pretty much the same thing, only the demonic tend to be even tougher to kill. Even the pieces of a demonic zombie tend to creep around and try to get ya!
Small-scale explosions, are usually the best way to defeat these types. Small-arms are only good for delaying tactics… or heroic last stands.
Fire? Never, ever, under any circumstances (are you listening to me, boy?), use fire on a zombie! Ever own a great big friendly dog? Ever wash that dog? Ever had that great big friendly wet soapy dog jump on ya? Yeah. Same difference, only with fire… and… zombies… Got that?
Your virus zombie? Ohhhhhh! Well, that’s a whole ‘nother issue!
‘Member what I said about blowin’ up certain zombies? Um, don’t do that if you’re facing virus zombies. Do you know what happens to the human body, particularly a decomposing human body, when it’s blown up? Leeeeeeetle tiny pieces of it get thrown all over the place. Chuck a stick of dynamite into a group of zombies that were already pretty soupy anyways and you got yourself a nice cloud of red mist… Add in a coolin’ breeze, and before long, you’re gonna be eyeing your buddy’s wife’s poop deck for more than the way it fills a pair of pedal pushers if ya get my meaning.
Nope! This is where the marksman with a rifle or pistol comes into his own!
Now, don’t be stupid. That .50 Barrett or Desert Eagle hand cannon may look cool, but portable firepower is the ticket!
Not that big is a bad thing. Overly heavy is a bad thing. Get yourself a good .45 caliber pistol and a metric shit ton of mags and ammo for it. You limp-wristed panty waists with your “nines”… well, yeah, actually that’ll work too. It’s just undignified is all. Never mind that…
Rifle – Look, get yourself a good quality AR type rifle in 5.56… Note to numbskulls: 5.56 NATO and .223 are NOT the same round! If you get one marked .223, make sure it’s also marked .223 Wylde OK? It’s not a perfect match, but it’ll allow you to use most military ball ammo you happen to come across.
Now, having said the above, understand this: Know the rifling twist of your barrel! The US military issues M855 ball ammo. This is a 62 grain projectile. Typical .223 Winchester (the kind you find at Wal-Mart or Bass Pro), is 55 grain. The typical rifling twist on civilian AR clones is 1:9 (that’s one full twist every 9 inches for those of you with your brain-pan group in vapor lock). A Ruger Mini 14 is 1:11. Military M4 carbines have a 1:7 twist. Why is this important? The tighter the twist rate, the heavier a bullet your weapon will stabilize. A rifle with a 1:9 twist will reliably stabilize projectiles up to 67, maybe 70 grain. A 1:11 twist… well, you’re pretty much locked into that 55 grain bullet.
What it all means: If you’re rocking along, popping zombies in the head with your trusty ARClonage, and you’re running low on ammo and just happen to get lucky enough to find a nice, abandoned SWAT van with a whole case of TAP (Criminy… don’t you have Google on your computer… Tactical Application Police. OK? )ammo in it… be aware that police typically use a 77 grain projectile (goes through drywall and car doors and such dontchaknow) If your AR clone is equipped with a 1:9 barrel, it won’t shoot that TAP for beans. You might as well club them zombies over the head with that rifle.
END Part 1 – Rooster’s “Odd shit that YOU need to know!”
