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[Strife26]

The .22 will travel a mile on certain ballistic paths, but with damned little accuracy and damned worse stopping power. I'm not even sure if a .22 LR can reliably penetrate skull.

But no, a properly homemade spear is a very good zombie killer. Here's the way I've got mine set up. You'll a pole to start with. Make sure it's very strong and about the right length for you to use. In a pinch a broom stick or copper pipe will work. Take about a foot of small PVC pipe (you want the smallest width possible while still allowing both your knife handle and haft to fit, ideally, the knife would stop at the cross-guard). Carefully take some industrial sealant (the type that comes with a tube-gun) and attach the pipe to the haft with enough space in the top for your knife. Allow it to dry overnight. If you have an extra knife lying around (and you can use a pretty cheap combat knife, only the point, not the handle or edges, matters) you can glue it in now, or wait until later. Next, take a roll of duct tape (you should have a not inconsiderable stock of the stuff anyway) and give some additional strength with it. Feel free to tape over the bottom of the blade. Also reinforce the pipe-haft connection. Finally, use it to add yourself some grips.

You now have a relatively light weight weapon that can kill zombies at a slight distance. Provided you have a porous barrier (a ten foot topped fence would be ideal), you can stab with relative impunity. You'll also note that the number of areas that can get cuaght within a zombie are near nil (not that it should matter, you're aiming for the head, and should be shattering the skull pretty badly already).


Armor: Heavy armor is highly effective against small groups of zeds. It'll largely prevent the lucky bite => infected system. However, if there are enough zeds, they'll get past your guard and run into you. If you get on the ground, you are in serious trouble. Heavy armor will badly hurt your CQC (close quarter combat) abilities, and a traditional longsword or mace depends far to much on momentum. You might have a chance if you can draw a dirk or dagger, but even then it's a crapshoot. Better yet, have a high-cap pistol to draw (the M9 would be ideal for this)

But Strife, how do I use a pistol when I've got zombies on top of me?! Shuffle over to your ZSG and look it up. Pull the handgun (It should be condition 1, so flick off the safety), place barrel directly on zombie's temple, and pull the trigger. You still risk having your throat torn out by the other ones though.


A .22 to center mass is pretty survivable, but Teddy was immune to bullets anyway.

[Vester]

I just checked wikipedia, and it wasn't a .22, it was a .38 that hit Teddy Roosevelt. That makes him hardcore-er.

For zombies, personally, I believe that non-contact is the best possible protection. Seriously, if they can't touch you, there's no need to worry.

[The Architect]

Come on, Strife, don't pull up the bullshit over spears again. Read back a couple of pages, and you'll see definitive arguments as to why a spear is one of the shittiest zombie killing weapons available. And please don't plagiarize again, pulling your language and ideas from a book without giving credit.

Have you ever been involved directly in any sport, particularly along the lines of wrestling? Know anything about the human anatomy or the historical uses of spears, bayonets, short swords and other stabbing weapons? If the answer to any one of these questions were yes (good grammar, sounds weird), then you would know that taking a spear to a zombie is the last mistake you'll ever make.

Why, you might repetitively ask? Why, here is the answer, repetitively given: "Spears are bloodletting weapons. If you need to attack the central nervous system, you will be going through bone. Even a real spear will get stuck if used that way."

Further holes in the very professional-sounding, but ultimately foolish homemade spear instructions: Anything less heavy than a butcher's knife will just break as a spearhead, and broom handles and pvc pipe will also break. It's simply a matter of torque. If you don't believe me, go stick the end of a wooden broom handle into the ground and lean on it, bending it in the middle. It will snap, unless you weigh almost nothing. You would be less likely to break something actually INTENDED to bear weight, namely a hoe handle.

So if you are going to send people to their deaths with homemade spears, at least give them some reliable information about the kind of materials they need to make sure they don't just poke an eye out, so they can take one with them before they go (rather than just adding themselves to the population).

As far as cracking skulls, the average human being won't be doing that with anything weighing less than 5 lbs. Put that on the end of a broom? Laughable. I'm sorry to shatter your very professional, ill-thought and unresearched theory, but if a zombie apocalypse comes people like you will be getting brave, innocent people killed.

A .22 long rifle round is quite reliable for cracking skulls. I've hunted with them before. They kill deer quite well, though heavier calibers are normally used so you can target an easier spot and keep your trophy intact. While a human skull is tough, a .22 long has just enough power. It's designed to, in fact. Don't try it with short rounds unless the target is ~30 feet away; they have a smaller powder charge. Those are still 100% deadly when fired into the brain by pistol, as they tumble end over end causing massive damage. However, a pistol with short rounds is only reasonably accurate up to about 15 feet. In fact, the most effective and accurate weapon that I would put in the hands of an amateur (such as a housewife) for home defense is a .22 magnum revolver pistol. She won't have any trouble hitting a target with that.
...unless he backs up 30 feet and takes aim with a 9 millimeter. Got long hallways? Invest in an alarm system and professional shooting lessons.

A well-sited .22 rifle with long rounds is accurate enough to make shooting eye sockets a trivial matter up to around 50 feet for a trained marksman. My uncle is better, but he and my dad put on a show for us rapid-firing pocket change off a stump at 20 feet with semi-autos .22 rifles. Thanks to decent eyesight, steady hands and a tiny bit of training, I can pop targets about an inch in diameter up to around 80 feet. Anyone else can do the same after some practice if they stay calm.

And in case someone wants to ask for the umpteenth time, yes, yes, yes, a .22 long rifle round will penetrate a skull and destroy brain tissue up to at least 100 yards. It's not a matter of conjecture, nor something that can be debated, it's just fact. That is what it was designed to do, and it does it.

[Tack]

I disagree again. I'm a proficient hunter, and I say that when we kill pigs, we use at least a 22.250, or a 22.300. Using something as piddly as a 22, especially a 22 pistol, will not be effective at range. Kangaroos are even hard to kill with 22's, and they have very weak skulls. A human's skull would easily deflect a 22 bullet fired from any decent range.

Also, spears suck. As said in "the book", your best close combat weapon is a machete. I, personally disagree, but only because I think a Rhomphaia or Falx would be better. Sure, they are harder to get a hold of, and are far less easily home-made - but falx and khukri (Ghurka Knives) are easily obtained in many Australian hunting stores because the curvature of the blade is designed for easy dismemberment. Dismemberment is something that will give you an edge against zombies, and it also accounts for decapitations. And believe me, I mean easy dismemberment.

[Angellus]

I disagree again. I'm a proficient hunter, and I say that when we kill pigs, we use at least a 22.250, or a 22.300. Using something as piddly as a 22, especially a 22 pistol, will not be effective at range. Kangaroos are even hard to kill with 22's, and they have very weak skulls. A human's skull would easily deflect a 22 bullet fired from any decent range.

Also, spears suck. As said in "the book", your best close combat weapon is a machete. I, personally disagree, but only because I think a Rhomphaia or Falx would be better. Sure, they are harder to get a hold of, and are far less easily home-made - but falx and khukri (Ghurka Knives) are easily obtained in many Australian hunting stores because the curvature of the blade is designed for easy dismemberment. Dismemberment is something that will give you an edge against zombies, and it also accounts for decapitations. And believe me, I mean easy dismemberment.

That Khukri is something I'd want to get a hold of.. Too bad I live on the other side of the world

[The Architect]

Oooh, now THAT sounds interesting. If I get cornered, I want one of those! Or assuming head trauma will do the trick, a simple mace will suffice. It can't get dull, nicked, cracked, or broken, after all. Even the best steel can't hold an edge repeatedly against bone.

A .22 can be deflected if you strike a glancing blow, iow a poor shot. But even then it would crack the skull. Usually when hunting with a .22 you shoot for an eye socket. Boars have thick heads; that's a fact. I don't know squat about kangaroos, but it's a simple fact that .22s are capable of killing humans by brain trauma. That is what .22 pistols are designed for and used for. They aren't any good for body shots; they just don't cause enough damage if you miss the vital organs.

I think a little research will put this recurring question to rest in the minds of all the doubters. When considering lethality, lethal is lethal. A .22 will kill if you make a good shot. If you don't, it won't. It is the same with any other caliber. If you miss entirely, even a .50 desert eagle won't do you any good. The difference is that said desert eagle will blow limbs off if you just miss a little.

There are a lot of trade-offs, but if you can shoot for shit then a .22 will get the job done. It's not up for questioning, it's just reality. If you can't, or if you want more stopping power, you can always opt for something heavier. You are just going to have trade-offs in ammo weight, recoil and in some cases accuracy.

All that said, facing runners I wouldn't dare try to survive making pot shots with a .22. A slow, rotting corpse or an unaware deer is one thing, but a charging animal demands heavier ordinance. Let's face it, unless you learned from Annie Oakley you won't be able to shoot eye sockets on runners.
It comes to mind that shooting eye sockets at a downward angle won't have much effect on the more vital parts of the brain; you'll have to let them get close enough to split their foreheads instead.

[DJ]

If you are already in a defensible compound, just melt some styrofoam in gasoline, pour it down on zombies and throw a match at them.

[Neruz]

If you are already in a defensible compound, just melt some styrofoam in gasoline, pour it down on zombies and throw a match at them.

Then get poisoned by the fumes? Excellent idea.

[Vester]

I think a little research will put this recurring question to rest in the minds of all the doubters. When considering lethality, lethal is lethal. A .22 will kill if you make a good shot. If you don't, it won't. It is the same with any other caliber. If you miss entirely, even a .50 desert eagle won't do you any good. The difference is that said desert eagle will blow limbs off if you just miss a little.

Aren't zombies, um, technically already dead? Things that would kill a human being, like blood loss, or physical effects like going into shock, won't work on something whose system is already dead.

[RAM]

The point of a spear, is that it is long. If you have the luxury of a strong fence then you can kill most zombies with just about any sort of injury. Historical tactics are all but irrelevant against people who are immune to pain and bloodloss. You can just keep bashing their heads until you bash open their skulls, or mangle their necks until the spine is the only thing supporting it...

I don't see how you could use a machete or kukri and not get bitten, if you are seriously going to melee them in the open then the only possible scenario that makes any sense is a shield and a club. Knock them to the ground with the shield and keep them down with a lead pipe to the head. But seriously, a shield is the only weapon that has any hope of working in the open...

[Neruz]

Good luck killing a zombie with a spear.

[DJ]

If you are already in a defensible compound, just melt some styrofoam in gasoline, pour it down on zombies and throw a match at them.

Then get poisoned by the fumes? Excellent idea.

You won't get poisoned if you retreat indoors and the fire is outdoors, provided that the fire isn't too big. And it's solving problems with fire. We all know that fire is better than bullets.

[Neruz]

If you are already in a defensible compound, just melt some styrofoam in gasoline, pour it down on zombies and throw a match at them.

Then get poisoned by the fumes? Excellent idea.

You won't get poisoned if you retreat indoors and the fire is outdoors, provided that the fire isn't too big. And it's solving problems with fire. We all know that fire is better than bullets.

If the fire isn't big enough to poison you, it's probably not big enough to do anything useful. You seem to be vastly underestimating how poisonous the fumes from burning styrofoam are, or potentially you're underestimating how much fire you need to make an impact on a zombie horde.

[Vester]

I think I need to stress the fact that, being dead, they're technically no longer alive, or even human. What makes fire so effective a weapon against living critters - fumes, the pain from heat - won't matter to a zombie. If your fire is large and hot enough to eat away their legs before they can reach your enclosure, that's all well and good, but it probably won't. And then you'll have flaming zombies after you.

Do you really want flaming zombies coming after you?

[Neruz]

Actually they probably won't burn; human bodies have too much water in them to burn properly, they just cook.

So you'd have cooked zombies.