Zombie Apocalypse: Choose your weapon

It’s a question I’m sure we’ve all struggled with at one time or another… What weapon would you choose in the event of zombies?

Basically, you have two broad categories:

1. Melee

2. Ranged

Inside Melee you have things like Baseball Bats, Chainsaws, Frying Pans, Katanas, Halberds, Staves, Swords, Truncheons, etc

Inside Ranged you have things like Automatic Weapons, Bolas, Bows, Crossbows, Pistols, Rifles, Shotguns, Spears, Trebuchets, etc

You need to have at least one weapon that doesn’t require ammunition of any kind (bullets, shells, powder, ping pong balls, batteries, electricity, gasoline, etc), so that you aren’t defenseless when you run out of ammo. You will run out of ammo. It is going to happen, accept it, and be prepared to eventually move on. If you are lucky, it won’t happen to you for awhile, but as was pointed out in The Book of Eli, eventually the majority of people will have guns, but no ammo. Humans might be willing to back down from a gun (whether it is loaded or not), but a zombie likely won’t hesitate.

You also have to consider the noise factor. Guns go boom. That’s part of the allure for many people, but in an apocalyptic situation, most of the time you don’t want to draw extra attention to yourself. Also, as guns have moving parts, they are susceptible to breakdown. You don’t need much to clean and lube your gun, but trying to find that in the middle of an undead wasteland could be problematic. So carry a small cleaning kit with you.

What about explosives? Well… much like in video games, you need to conserve your “special weapons”, however don’t conserve it to the point where you are wasting a bunch of ammo/time on a problem that could be solved by a well placed explosive.

What would I take in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse?

1. PS-90 — Accurate lightweight gun. Major Downside: use 5.7 ammo, which will be fairly rare. Perhaps a better solution would be a semi-automatic MP5, chambered in 9mm
2. Silenced Walther P-22 — Very quiet and very light gun, used for operations which would require stealth
3. Glock 17 — Well designed 9mm
4. Machete — Brush clearing
5. Multitool — Leatherman or similar
6. Folding Knife — Emerson or similar — basically something you can put some serious weight on
7. Shotgun — I don’t have a specific model in mind, just something that can handle getting some dirt in it and not necessarily getting cleaned (Mossberg, Remington, or Winchester are some of the most resilient), chambered in 12 Gauge, as it is the most common; ideally with a folding stock.
8. After talking with my father, I think a .22 Long Rifle would also be an excellent tool. Hunting game is going to be a major source of food and a .22 is definitely useful in regard.

What do you think? What is on your “must have” list?