Me and MBtGE had a discussion on what the best anti-Zombie round is. The argument is over whether you need .30 caliber like NATO 7.62 to be sure a head hit puts them down, or whether you can get away with .223 or even .22LR.
Obviously, super-reliable, high capacity semi-auto is a pre-requisite.
Slow moving masses that present their unarmored melon as a target readily is a help, so you concentrate on volume of accurate fire. I think the bench rest shooter, if in a good position, and woodchuck hunters are going to be kings of the ‘battlefield.’ And .223 will be the round of choice, it being more than adequate to disrupt an undead skull, and easier to pack large quantities. On the rare occasion a .223 doesn’t put Zed down, and a .308 or .30-06 would, the extra round of .223 needed still puts you ahead of the same weight of .30 required.
Of course the .30 will do the job very well, and if you have 12,000 rounds of it at your remote house on stilts, ready for a Zombie Apocalypse, you probably don’t have to sell off the ammo and convert to .223.
But will a .22LR do the job? Probably, but at shorter ranges. Good backup ammo that you’d have anyway in large lots. Use the .223 on the long distance ones, but if you are in your tree-stand, use .22LR when they are surrounding the trunk.
Something to think about… dispatch them at long ranges, if possible, to have less stink when they rot.
And night vision and spare batteries will be critical for the night watch. People better get used to sleeping with the pop of anti-zombie sniper fire. Suppressor might be in order for quality of life issues and to avoid attracting more zombie or bandit attention.
Might as well use a fine Ruger product. M-1 carbines have been recommended in the past because of their cheapness, but the cartridge it uses is oddball and they are getting more expensive all the time. A Ruger Mini-14 and 10/22 is cheaper and just as reliable.
And remember, this is just for the zombie head shots. I know other weapons will be needed in the Zombie Apocalypse. Like to bring down a migratory bird or rabbit for dinner. And to keep freeloaders off my porch.
MBtGE is leaning match grade .308. If you got zombies coming you want to off them as far as possible away when you head shot them so they don't stink up the place as they decompose.
This is about the only application I would recommend for the 5.7 FN round. Most of the weapons are hi cap 20 in the pistol and 50 in the rifle. Small round with hi rate of speed and great penetration. The civilian ammo is almost dead on to the .22 magnum, which should be good for the occasional Zombie at 50 yards.
ReplyDeleteA .22 is to slow them down so that you can chop off their melon with a machete, for the zombie-hunter on a budget.
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