The Apocalypse Survival Thread

[Nite-Wing]

Pistols are all well and good but don't expect to just walk around getting headshots if your an amateur. Standing around shooting a pistol is no better than using the M14 like a hose. You would eventually get overwhelmed. The importance of the pistol is the versatility it has, even if you get knocked down by a zombie you still have the chance to get a headshot while its on top of you. Always stay in motion and then steady when your getting ready to shoot. Assault rifles don't offer you that mobility.

I can't even imagine how the group would even get out of the school with only a nailgun and blunt weapons. Guns are so necessary

Similarly the only reason I would travel with someone like Saya is because shes a genius and I would be able to rely on that for strategies. Mentally unhinged people are more dangerous than zombies sometimes.

[ImAKami]

Originally Posted by felix

On your right are handguns and light ammunition, on your left is a M16A4 and cartridges for it. With no bag in sight and no time to pack both in your clothes, you frantically pick the M16 and shove some cartridges in your pockets. [...] Zombies are now getting closer, your sholder is in pain and you start to get really clumsy at reloading your rifle. Soon you realize you are at your last cartage, but zombies are now so close you don't even understand what that means anymore. [...] Enraged you squeeze the trigger, the gun shakes violently and you empty the cartridge cutting the zombie sholder of.

I loled. I don't think I want to reload the gun by loading the only magazine I have with cartridges while there are zombies still coming at me.

Originally Posted by felix

With your hand on your aching, and now also bloody, sholder you run to the window. You see another survivor, a police officer, with two hand guns knocking two zombies at a time. With your pockets empty you think to yourself how ammunition for those weapons is easier to carry and share with others too...

With this thought in mind, you run back to the strange closest where you obtained your M16A4 in hopes of equipping yourself with two handguns and going akimbo. Arriving out of breath, you lower your head from exhaustion in front of the closest... and you see something you have failed to notice before in the bottom-left corner — BETA C-Mags for your rifle. Delighted, you reload your God-given M16A4, possessing 100 rounds of 5.56 NATO cartridges at your disposal. However, as a back-up, you take a M1911 and stuff few magazines in your pockets — it is a good thing they only carry 7 rounds each.

Going back to where that police officer was to lend a hand, you see a freshly reanimated corpse of a man dressed in blue. It is odd at first, but soon you realize it is the police officer you saw dual-wielding pistols. You think to yourself how could he have been overran by the zombies... then it strikes you — if you were to reload, it would take two magazines and twice the amount of time to do so, not to mention the reduction in accuracy while firing akimbo. Surely, to aim precisely at the head with two guns in both of your hands would require one to be in a rather uncomfortable range with the zombies, it is no wonder that police officer met his demise while you were gone. At a medium distance, you steadily aiming your M16A4 slightly below the poor officer's neck to compensate for the muzzle climb and fire a shot... The red mist behind the zombie's head confirms a successful kill. In retrospect, you think to yourself how a pistol is only good at close range, and as a secondary firearm... and that you should never dual wield ANYTHING like an idiot.

[Darsovin]

Originally Posted by Skyfall

@felix

I would agree though - a handgun would likely prove a more optimal weapon in a zombie outbreak for an inexperienced user. With no prior training it would be hard to take advantage of the superior range (we are going for headshots after all) and ammunition would be much easier to obtain for a handgun.

I go to a gun range at least once a week and frequently take friends and co-workers with me to shoot my firearms. I've seen MANY new shooters unable to hit a 12 inch wide target at 10 feet with a 9mm pistol. But I can give anyone, even women my 870 Remington tactical with Knoxx-recoil reducing stock and they can put "center of mass" or head shots easily with 00 buckshot at 20-30 feet.

In other words handguns are not easy to shoot, despite what you see on TV and movies, it takes so much more to keep steady aim, breathing control and trigger control for precision shooting. Not ideal for amateurs. The longer sight radius and stability of rifles/carbines/shotguns are much easier.

But back to the point, pistol caliber carbines ARE easy to acquire and easy to find ammo for (hell every local Wal-Mart near where I live is a prime example). Probably the best compromise of firepower and ease of use.

Bottom line there's no need for large caliber rifle ammunition. You don't need to blow a zombies head off at 300 yards with a 7.62 round or .308. They're not a threat at those distances. Did I mention that several magazines of rifle ammunition is *censored* heavy?!

And another thing, even in America, you'd be hard pressed to find full automatic weapons. Class III weapons are VERY expensive and not well circulated. A transferable MP5 costs more than some cars!

Sorry to hijack the thread a little but since this anime seems to have a lot of gun pr0n in it I'd thought I'd post a few tidbits of info.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN 119

On that note, if you find a dead cop or soldier, take his bulletproof vest, it could save you from a bite to the shoulder. Also, don't forget to take any assault rifles, hand grenades, claymore mines, grenade launchers and other goodies he might have on him.

You forgot the part where you smash the dead persons head in so that he doesn't come to life while you're looting and bite you.

Though I think if you're finding lots of dead soldiers you might as well kiss your ass goodbye. If trained soldiers working together are getting killed you and your untrained buddies can kiss your ass goodbye.

Originally Posted by ID555

I'd go with this:


(infinite ammo version)

It seems like a good idea until you realize why most armies don't use drum magazines. They have a higher failure rate than boxed magazines.

This is especially dangerious if you're a rookie who doesn't have allot of experiance with firearms.

Originally Posted by Nite-Wing

yeah a pistol and ammo is generally all you really would need.
ammo for the assault rifles and such would be a pain to carry all the time unless you had a car and even then thats only taking you so far.

Pistols are good backup weapons for close qaurters, but I'd never dream of relying on one exclusively over a rifle. Pistols lack the range and accuracy of rifles, meaning you have to get much closer to Zed to ensure a headshot. Close contact with Zed is the last thing you want.

Even Jeff Cooper, the father of modern handgun shooting techniques considered the primary purpose of a handgun in combat as a means to shoot your way to a rifle.

Originally Posted by dredmorte

An m1 carbine is the best kind of rifle. Small, lightweight, accurate, easy to handle. Thoug the Mk14 is really cool.

An M14(especially more modern modifications to it) are great rifles. Though I'd probably prefer something like an AR-15.

M14's extra range is ussually not going to be needed in a tight urban environment (though you should have someone in the group with a longer range weapon). Also, any extra stopping power the heavier 7.62x51mm nato has is kind of lost by the fact a headshot from a 5.56X45mm nato will kill a zed just as much as your 7.62mm would have. Body shots are so ineffective it's not even worth considering with anything short of explosives or heavy weapons.

Of course you're certainly going to take anything you can get your hands on.

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

I don't think the characters here fit those requirements. I do agree though, quality is more important.

The Nurse kinda does. The other girls are just about (or just slipping over) the curve on the graph where I stop finding the growing size sexier.

Originally Posted by dredmorte

When I said m14 i meant m1 carbine, silly mistake. It's a rather short and lightweight, old and thus cheap weapon.

Aw yeah, something like an M1 carbine would work nicely in this kind of close range situation. Low recoil makes jumping from target to target easy to.

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Medieval armor, even a full plate armor, isn't nearly as restrictive nor cumbersome as people would generally assume though.

Fun fact. Medieval armor weighs just as much as the combat dress and gear of modern soldiers. With the primary difference that it's better distributed over the entire body.

If anything a knight would have better flexibility than a modern soldier in a scuffle.

[blitz1/2]

Originally Posted by felix

Running from the zombies you approach a strange closet. The closet door looks very sturdy as if to protect something important. Bloody hand marks cover the door. The former lock lies at your feet, still attached to part of the door. You are afraid of might be inside but sounds of ghouls coming from your left compel you to kick the door open in anger; although with the lock broken a gentle push would have likely achieved the same.

In the closet you find weapons and ammunition. On your right are handguns and light ammunition, on your left is a M16A4 and cartridges for it. With no bag in sight and no time to pack both in your clothes, you frantically pick the M16 and shove some cartridges in your pockets. As you run out your eyes catch a glimpse of a book on the shelf with the handguns. The book is covered in blood and from the distance you can only make out the word "guide" in the title. You pay no attention to the book and run out in a state of panic.

As you run though the door, you wonder what a room like this would be doing in a highschool, but those those thoughts are quickly replaced by horror as you find you've been surrounded on both sides of the hallway.

Since the ghouls on your right are closest you take the rifle, tilt to your right and holding the rifle parallel to you with both hands aim and squeeze the trigger. Nothing happens. You turn the gun frantically and luckily remember you have to turn the safety off. You try again, aiming for to the left, and hoping to mow down the unholy creatures in one swing. Your shot hits three but under strain of the recoil jumps to the sealing, wasting ammunition. Two of the three slowly crawl back to their feet, the wounds from the 5.56 mm rifle would make some people sick just seeing them, but are nothing to the zombified corpses.

Feelings of helplessness fill you but you gather your courage and collect your thoughts and remember from old movies you need to aim for their heads. Deciding your current Rambo position would yield even worse results if you tried to aim higher you take the gun and mount it on your shoulder. Determined you take aim and fire. Because of your inexperience you can't properly control the rifle and you waste two or three rounds per zombie, but that does not bother you as you snicker at their heads exploding. The rifle shakes violently and if not for your will to live you would have probably dropped it by now.

You feel it will be a close call but you will be able drop them all and escape. Incapacitated zombies slow down the advance of the still moving. Thoughts of optimism swirl in your head, and you start talking to yourself, telling yourself you can do it. But growls and footsteps remind you of the thread from behind. Panicking you turn and start shooting at the now equally close zombies from the other part of the hall, then shooting back at the ones from before. Its a miracle you don't loose your balance from the weight of the weapon but your aim is getting worse and worse. Even though they are now closer you hit some zombies in the mouth, which has no effect on their progress.

Zombies are now getting closer, your sholder is in pain and you start to get really clumsy at reloading your rifle. Soon you realize you are at your last cartage, but zombies are now so close you don't even understand what that means anymore. You yell and swing your rifle around but it hits stopped by a zombies shoulder. Enraged you squeeze the trigger, the gun shakes violently and you empty the cartridge cutting the zombie sholder of. This however doesn't even phase the zombie.

With your hand on your aching, and now also bloody, sholder you run to the window. You see another survivor, a police officer, with two hand guns knocking two zombies at a time. With your pockets empty you think to yourself how ammunition for those weapons is easier to carry and share with others too...

You enter the school history club. There you find a replica of medieval armor. It takes a while for you to put the chainmail and armor on. You also pick a strange pointy helmet on the table nearby.

You move out to the hallway to find some legless zombies crawling their way to you. You try to run but its impossible in the armor. You try to walk fast but get tired quick. Soon you strain your muscles and feel like you can't go on. Its not long until you realize the legless zombies have made more progress then you.

You muster up some will power and do your best to claw your way forward, since your feet can barely hold you anymore. The legless zombies however take hold of you. You're afraid, but try to calm yourself with words like: "I'm safe in this." However, the zombies, though their unholy strength, tear easily though the sheet metal and chainmail. Somehow you feel stupid...

Is this some kind of a roleplay?

[Simonsy]

funny reading felix' little roleplay as you just said and then reading further people bringing in actual knowledge and facts that totally refute what he put out in story mode

[Sheba]

all that firearms talk is all cute and awesome. But that applies to people who lives in countries that doesn't have strict anti-firearms laws, like USA.

And what about us? Europeans like British and Frenchmen? Watch Shaun of the Dead and witness the almighty improvised weaponry that europeans will have to get their hands on. Watch Sheb and his ALMIGHTY MOP, or let's make an improvised polearm with the kitchen knife or meat cleaver with the shaft of the mop and the Power of Duct Tape!

Seriously, IF I was on that situation, I would just stealth (meaning, run the fck away from zombies like a little b*tch) and raid for supplies, and try to reach that game hunting shop that have some crossbow.

I say stealth and run, because I am aware I am no Leon Kennedy who suplexes zombies, I am not that Finnish sniper either. I am just an ordinary guy whose only quality is running rather fast, skill gained from running from thugs and bullies. LOL.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by Sheba

all that firearms talk is all cute and awesome. But that applies to people who lives in countries that doesn't have strict anti-firearms laws, like USA.

Isn't it awesome to be an American Just because of that post of yours I'm gonna go change my Avatar.



(Although the Swiss may be in a better situation than the USA overall. Not as many guns per capita, but more will be military rifles. Plus the distribution and proficiency will be higher due to the whole mandated rifle ownership for militia duty).

Originally Posted by Sheba

And what about us? Europeans like British and Frenchmen?

Nice knowing you Frenchy?(Corrected)


Though I'm not sure how fair it is to throw England in with France. France seems to have about five to six times the number of firearms per citizen than England has. So I guess you don't have it all bad.

[Simonsy]

speaking of zombies and how seems every zombie movie always has that mythical place where it is zombie free that people all try to flock to

how would like some place like in the mountains or like alaska or something in winter time. you know would their bodies freeze and quit on them being out in the cold? i know they seem to not feel anything, but their bodies would still freeze and die right?

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Simonsy

speaking of zombies and how seems every zombie movie always has that mythical place where it is zombie free that people all try to flock to

how would like some place like in the mountains or like alaska or something in winter time. you know would their bodies freeze and quit on them being out in the cold? i know they seem to not feel anything, but their bodies would still freeze and die right?

Antarctica. Enjoy your seals and penguins.

[NorthernFallout]

Originally Posted by Simonsy

how would like some place like in the mountains or like alaska or something in winter time. you know would their bodies freeze and quit on them being out in the cold? i know they seem to not feel anything, but their bodies would still freeze and die right?

They do not die (as they are already dead) but really cold places are preferable as their bodies freeze and they can't move. However, when (if) the snow thaws, they can get up and walk again. This is why these places can often be very dangerous. No one knows what might be hidden beneath the snow.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by Simonsy

speaking of zombies and how seems every zombie movie always has that mythical place where it is zombie free that people all try to flock to

how would like some place like in the mountains or like alaska or something in winter time. you know would their bodies freeze and quit on them being out in the cold? i know they seem to not feel anything, but their bodies would still freeze and die right?

The thing people forget is that without a reliable fuel/heating supply you're only slightly less likely to freeze out there than the zombies are. Very few people now a days know how to survive up there without modern day technology or conveniences (The Inuit used to, but they've pretty much lost all those kind of cultural survival skills due to close proximity to modern society).

Take a look to Christopher McCandless to see how someone who lacked proper preparation and skills fared living naturally out in the Alaskan bush.

[Circlebutton]

Originally Posted by Sheba

/snipped/ for space

Cricket bats, mate For those of us in Australia we'd probably escape to the outback. I cannot say more than that until next week.

Now I wonder what would someone like Simo Hayha do to survive zombie apocalypse...

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Circlebutton

Cricket bats, mate ..

Stuff availiable at my home: bokken, broom, kitchen knives and meat cleavers, imitation kaatana and the bass guitar.

Now that I think about it, the bass guitar is for when I get really desperate and want to go down in the most METAL way possible, smashing zombs with a heavy instrument. The imitation katana on the other hand is just a joke.

[Dextro]

If a zombie apocalypse ever broke out I would rather be in the US than here in Europe. Why? Three simple facts:
1 - Guns are easy to get hold of in the USA.

It's not that we can't get weapons here in Europe but they are under lock and key in small specialty shops and most people don't own them. In the US many people have guns and as such ammo is particularly easy to come by. Also the M1 rifle is the best zombie killing tool, just check the guide

2 - The US has vast amounts of open country untouched by civilization, something Europe hasn't had much for a while and as others have said: the first thing you should do to survive is get away from civilization.

3 - US Cities also have usually a lot more open space than Europe's cities. That's at least true outside the areas with large skyscrapers.

There, more slight off-topic... Should we get a Zombie Survival Thread going?

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by Dextro

If a zombie apocalypse ever broke out I would rather be in the US than here in Europe. Why? Three simple facts:
1 - Guns are easy to get hold of in the USA.

It's not that we can't get weapons here in Europe but they are under lock and key in small specialty shops and most people don't own them. In the US many people have guns and as such ammo is particularly easy to come by. Also the M1 rifle is the best zombie killing tool, just check the guide

At least certain parts of the US are. I doubt you'd be much better off in Chicago than you would be in London. Of course then you got certain area's where gun ownership is near universal.

Originally Posted by Dextro

3 - US Cities also have usually a lot more open space than Europe's cities. That's at least true outside the areas with large skyscrapers.

That is true. Would make urban combat a little safer.

[Darsovin]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Stuff availiable at my home: bokken, broom, kitchen knives and meat cleavers, imitation kaatana and the bass guitar.

Now that I think about it, the bass guitar is for when I get really desperate and want to go down in the most METAL way possible, smashing zombs with a heavy instrument. The imitation katana on the other hand is just a joke.

You could always stab through the eyes or a gaping open mouth of a zombie. But yeah I've seen "imitation" katanas bend pretty pathetically when trying to slash anything.

My personal load out would be my Remington 870 Tactical shotgun, bandolier full of 00 buckshot, and my .45 Kiimber Custom TLE II 1911. God bless America

Originally Posted by AcroDave

Although I find the discussion of weapons and zombie survival interesting, it sort-of distracts from the discussion of the actual show.

(anybody know what kind of 'numbers' a show needs to get it's own sub-forum?)

Hopefully soon. Since it's gonna be a while before the next ep for "relevant" discussion to take place.

[Darsovin]

Originally Posted by Dextro

Also the M1 rifle is the best zombie killing tool, just check the guide

As in the WWII M1 Garand rifle? Or the M1A which is basically a civilian M-14 that's semi-auto only? Wonder what the rationale is...not to say that the .30-06 or 7.62mm lack stopping power...

I agree with Roger Rambo that a 5.56mm NATO is probably all the rifle you need. Excellent penetration, lighter weight (more carry), and VERY LITTLE recoil. Makes shot placement and follow up shots much easier. One of these days I'm gonna get a hold of a Bushmaster ACR or FN Scar in 5.56.

[dredmorte]

Originally Posted by Darsovin

As in the WWII M1 Garand rifle? Or the M1A which is basically a civilian M-14 that's semi-auto only? Wonder what the rationale is...not to say that the .30-06 or 7.62mm lack stopping power...

I agree with Roger Rambo that a 5.56mm NATO is probably all the rifle you need. Excellent penetration, lighter weight (more carry), and VERY LITTLE recoil. Makes shot placement and follow up shots much easier. One of these days I'm gonna get a hold of a Bushmaster ACR or FN Scar in 5.56.

We're talking about the M1 CARBINE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_carbine

I'm happy there's a book confirming my idea of using this rile
According to the wikipedia, it's pretty dam light, and small! Perfect for the average person to shoot zombies in the head.

[SoldierOfDarkness]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

The thing people forget is that without a reliable fuel/heating supply you're only slightly less likely to freeze out there than the zombies are. Very few people now a days know how to survive up there without modern day technology or conveniences (The Inuit used to, but they've pretty much lost all those kind of cultural survival skills due to close proximity to modern society)..

I always thought about that. They even brought that up in I am Legend with Will Smith.

In places like Canada where temperatures are much colder so long as you have shelter to stay dry and out of the wind and wear heavy clothing you could probably stay there (like camping)