Top 5 Reasons You Should Not Use a Shotgun for Zombie Defense

Chardee MacDennis

from http://www.zombiesarecoming.com/2007/11/02/top-5-reasons-you-should-not-use-a-shotgun-for-zombie-defense/



Hollywood, not to the surprise of many, has distorted several facts with regards to zombie outbreaks and more importantly, the survival of such an outbreak. Of most importance is the best weapon for defense, which Hollywood would have you believe, is the shotgun. This my friends is a fallacy and could cost you your life. Keep reading for the top 5 reasons you should not use a shotgun for zombie defense.
There is no doubt that the shotgun is a great weapon. It is used widely by law enforcement, military, and even standard home defense. Shotguns are powerful and the mere loading of a round into a chamber produces a very distinct sound that says “something bad is about to happen”. Yet, many of the aspects of why a shotgun is utilized in standard defense do not apply to the undead, which is why the shotgun should not be the preferred method of anti-zombie weaponry.

1. Ammo Capacity
First, the shotgun is limited in the available ammunition it can store as well as the amount you can easily carry with you. The ability to go mobile at a moments notice is not just a convenience, but a critical aspect in surviving an uprising of the undead. Let’s take, for example, the Remington 870 which is common in law enforcement. With an extended magazine, and stock suitable for storing shells, and side saddle, you could carry anywhere from 10 – 20 rounds on and in the weapon at any given time.

2. Reloading ability
Scenario: You have been forced upstairs into your bonus room and the baracade holding back the zombie horde in your living room has pushed through. You begin emptying shotgun rounds at the undead as they make their way towards your position. Your shotgun runs out of ammo. For argument’s sake, let’s say you have no other weapon available*. The time it takes to reload a shotgun, under that amount of pressure, with what would presume to be a lethal dose of adrenaline running through your system, is too long to get back into the fight. A weapon where you can insert a new magazine and continue to fire is best.
*Safety Note: Having only one weapon is setting yourself up for failure. Having a handgun with several magazines is the best route. This should be in your Mobile Zombie Preparedness Kit

3. Rate of fire
The shotgun can really pump out rounds if you know how to handle it correctly. However, it is still not the fastest. In the above scenario, zombies are coming at you. You are backed into a corner and will more than likely take out as many as you can, unless you have to turn the gun on yourself first. In that scenario, or any other scenario, it can never hurt to have the ability to dispense rounds at a much faster rate than that of a shotgun.

4. Range & Power
A shotgun will knock you on your back; no doubt. But is that what is really needed with a zombie attack? Hollywood, in movies such as the Dawn of the Dead remake, would have you believe that one person can continually shell out round and round to stop the horde. Friends, take heed: you do not need to have knock-out power to stop the undead. You merely have to stop the brain. With that said, the power of a shotgun, might not be necessary. Also, other weapons can provide the same stopping power and allow you to stand further away from your target. Why get closer than you have to?

5. Ease of use
For those of you who have actually used a shotgun and put many rounds through it at once, you can attest that your shoulder and armpit area is sore, possibly bruised, after extended target practice. When in survival mode, the adrenaline will only carry you so far, but you will need all of your strength. A shotgun will only wear you down. It is not a traditionally light weapon, though there are some lighter options available. This is not the easiest weapon to tote around.

So what weapon is preferred?

We here at ZAC officially endorse the M-4 assault rifle (and variant models) as the best weapon for zombie defense. Sure, the price tag is higher and you cannot stroll down to the local Wal-Mart to get one. However, when it comes to your life, and the life of your family, friends, and loved ones, what is that worth? We could easily devote an entire discussion about this weapon over the shotgun. This weapon was selected because of it’s features along with the fact that you can still obtain one, even if it is not as easy of a process as purchasing a shotgun.
This model of weapon is superior to the shotgun for zombie defense. It addresses and solves all of the aforementioned issues and then some.
Stay informed. Stay safe. Stay alive.

biko

Now available is the hybrid of both the shotgun and the automatic rifle.
The AA-12


Has a 20-round drum magazine which can be switched just as quick as a mag for a submachine gun.
http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/small-arms-personal-weapons/193-aa12-assault-shotgun.html

unreggd

I think the reason thats more important than all u mentioned is blood splattering due to exploding heads etc

Terrible for controlling infection!

A crossbow would be a good weapon to have

Its light, as its its ammo, so you're less likely to run out

And you can reuse the ammo if ye miss

Cravez

Regardless of what they say about the shotgun, any gun is better than no gun. No point in being picky when Z-day comes

dresden8

unreggd wrote: »

I think the reason thats more important than all u mentioned is blood splattering due to exploding heads etc

Terrible for controlling infection!

A crossbow would be a good weapon to have

Its light, as its its ammo, so you're less likely to run out

And you can reuse the ammo if ye miss

Worse weapon ever.

Really slow reload time. You're dead.

Quint

Yeah, no chance, 2 zombies come at you and you're gone.
Realisticly, the shotgun and rifle are the only gun available in Ireland. So we have little choice.
It's all very well and good picking a ZAC, but there's no way you're going to get one.

Drunkmonkey79

you talk about the M4 Carbine unattainable but honestly how many of us or people you know have access to a shot gun or Rifle. Lets say your lucky enough to know some one do you actually think you're gonna be ablt to just borrow there gun on Z Day!?!
While a cross bow is slow to reload, it is attainable in ireland so its bettrer than nothing, as are a bow and arrow, now i'm no Robin Hood but if its a choice of one of those or nothing i'll give it a go.
I reckon blunt trauma weapons and good evasion skills are our only hope!

dib

Well in preparation for Z Day I think it would be a good idea to have a list of all locations in the city and surrounding areas that are likely to have a stock of firearms.

**EDIT Just saw a thread for that!

Anyone around Tallaght would be advised to get to The Rod & Gun Shop in Greenhills.


(Newbie to this forum, but what a great forum!)

thefinalstage

dib wrote: »

Anyone around Tallaght would be advised to get to The Rod & Gun Shop in Greenhills.

Where everyone else has gone and where guns are worth more then gold. You are not getting one on z day. You could create a group there though.
Remember, no children.

I ahve my hammers and I can evade so .

Drunkmonkey79

thelastangryman wrote: »

I ahve my hammers and I can evade so .

Are we talking sledge Hammers(crazy heavy and hard to swing in small places) or regular claw hammer (why not throw some paperclips at the approaching horde)?

thefinalstage

Drunkmonkey79 wrote: »

Are we talking sledge Hammers(crazy heavy and hard to swing in small places) or regular claw hammer (why not throw some paperclips at the approaching horde)?

Two smiths hammers. Sort of a mix of the two. Pure titanium . Don't get me wrong I will be running most of the time.

Musashi

1. Ammo Capacity

All you need is a round under the hammer at any one time. My Barbour jacket can carry a box of shells in each front pocket handily. How many Zeds are you going to pop at while making your way to better cover?

2. Reloading ability

Watch an experienced Clay Pigeon shooter or hunter with his shotgun, they are fast to reload! Something like a pump or many of the semi-autos you can top up the magazine while still being able to fire the gun.

3. Rate of fire

Seriously? Rate of fire isn't an issue!

4. Range & Power

At the range a Zed could bother you, a shotgun is plenty powerful and a better choice than a snipers rifle.

5. Ease of use

It's as easy or as difficult as most other guns to use well. A double barrell is also less prone to jamming or failing than the M4 or other autoloading assault rifles. The shotgun loaded with 00 shot gives more .38 calibre projectiles per trigger pull than a semi auto rifle. Do you want one chance at a head shot or 12?

Watch the part where he engages a man shaped target with a standard pump shotgun, also some AA12 action.

And here's a lady using a Franchi SPAS 12 for Clay pigeon shooting, note the low recoil and speedy follow up shots on moving targets!

A shotgun, especially a quality semi or pump action, would be far preferable to the M4 or M16 platform for CQB applications. For ranged fire I'd go for a proper rifle in a decent calibre. Let the boys play "Blackhawk Down" with their lights and forward pistol grips.

The sawn off shottie of whatever flavour has been "The Daddy" up close for many years, for good reason!

gino85

best weapon for when z day comes will be a hand weapon, hachets,axes,swords will be your life saver since most of us commen folk wont have access to a gun

the zombie survival guide will be your friend if this day comes, altho its mainly set for americans the hand weapons section could be usefull to you

Musashi

best weapon for when z day comes will be a hand weapon, hachets,axes,swords will be your life saver since most of us commen folk wont have access to a gun

Have to disagree there lad!

"Best" weapon would be like a mini gun with unlimited ammo and an unassailable position to shoot from.

Most likely every body has some type of tools or sports kit that can be pressed in to service as a weapon. Hatchets and claw hammers are a good close range back up plan, if your being mobbed the space will not be there to swing a bat/hurley/sword. I'd like a strip fed nail gun there, most builders have them now so should be able to score one and plenty ammo in a general hardware store come Z-Day.

Arms (Zeds flailing limbs) and environment can also rob a slashing weapon like the Katana or a slash hook of their utility. I like the idea of teams employing a hay pike to control the range of zombies while the others despatch them with aimed fire or impact trauma. Think gladiator trident style stick and pin while someone else flakes the head off them with a crowbar!

Finally, lots of us "common folk" do have firearms, ammo storage would be an issue though. Most are only allowed to hold 100 rounds at a time, but you can ask for that limit to be raised. My uncles shoot pigeons for farmers and have had significantly higher allowances put in place. Failing that I do have a Mongolian recurve Horsebow that I've been messing with.

Have a look for the Valiant Co. Survival Golok or Tora Khukris for options in the bladed backup category. A Gransfors Brux hatchet (Hunters ax or small forest ax size) would be a good general camp tool and easier to tote than a full size felling hatchet or splitting maul!

gino85

Musashi wrote: »

Have to disagree there lad!

"Best" weapon would be like a mini gun with unlimited ammo and an unassailable position to shoot from.

let me go outback and dust mine off lol

Musashi wrote: »

Most likely every body has some type of tools or sports kit that can be pressed in to service as a weapon. Hatchets and claw hammers are a good close range back up plan, if your being mobbed the space will not be there to swing a bat/hurley/sword.

commen sense would dictate not to get hole up in confined spaces, but then again the zombie crew would know this

Musashi wrote: »

Arms (Zeds flailing limbs) and environment can also rob a slashing weapon like the Katana or a slash hook of their utility. I like the idea of teams employing a hay pike to control the range of zombies while the others despatch them with aimed fire or impact trauma. Think gladiator trident style stick and pin while someone else flakes the head off them with a crowbar!

swords and blades are also used to stab things, its what the pointy bit on top is for lol

Musashi wrote: »

Finally, lots of us "common folk" do have firearms, ammo storage would be an issue though. Most are only allowed to hold 100 rounds at a time, but you can ask for that limit to be raised. My uncles shoot pigeons for farmers and have had significantly higher allowances put in place. Failing that I do have a Mongolian recurve Horsebow that I've been messing with.

this i did not know. i would have thought it would be hard for people to get firearms in towns or cities, only downside to the horsebow is i would imagine it takes a **** load of training to get an anywhere half decent aim

Musashi wrote: »

Have a look for the Valiant Co. Survival Golok or Tora Khukris for options in the bladed backup category. A Gransfors Brux hatchet (Hunters ax or small forest ax size) would be a good general camp tool and easier to tote than a full size felling hatchet or splitting maul!

some nice options there but u would need to get up close and personal with the Z with those

personally if i had a choice of what non firearm weapon i would probably pick a shoa lin spade and i know its a big weapon but i wouldnt use it for house clearings

and also i have gotten tips from a zombie crew im in thats mainly based in the US, fkers even got the bug out bags made up

ps i hope u dont take what i said as a flame, its just my opinion

Musashi

I think a sharpened tip on a garden spade could make a decent Shaolin Spade. Tee shaped handle for thrusting under the chin, trying to take out the CNS. Katana could well be used for thrusting, bur lots of people have things like Claymores, basket hilted broadswords and various historical replicas. Many are designed primarily as slashing and chopping weapons (Greek Kopis and the Khukri it inspired) and some are primarily thrusters (Roman Gladius).

The Longbow does require practice, but depending on how long the war goes on we may run out of ammo, the materials to make black powder and be forced to make and fire our own arrows. Partly the reason I don't shoot a compound bow, they rely on Aluminium or composite arrows. See if there is a field archery club in your area, it's a good laugh and more applicable to the type of scenario we envision here

No worries mate, I'm on Zombie Squad (zombiehunters.org) and know what you mean about the kit they have assembled. It has helped me beef up my first aid bag though!

gino85

Musashi wrote: »

mind if i ask where ur bug out zone is because i wanna know where i need to go if the fit hits the shan

Musashi

Dungarvan Co. Waterford, look for the castle on the Quay









"The Moorings Bar" beer garden butts up to this wall



And I'll have this stuff















Happy Days!

gino85

Musashi wrote: »

oh my god, C3PO will save us but dude only thing ur missing is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa_NC-_fvKs

Musashi

Not a fan of the gas injection, may be ok for sharks but needing to carry spare CO2 cartridges

Maybe this is a solution though?

gino85

some weapon developer needs to get this into production



wont be practical but christ would it be fun to watch

Musashi

Did I mention I also have a Wakizashi (shorter companion sword to the katana) and a chainsaw

Actually, Trebuchet+Chainsaw+Bungee Cord for retrieval.............we may have a way of thinning out the numbers outside the gates!

If we can get to a hardware I'm sure we can boil up some tar to pour down from the slots over the gate, and if the main gate is breached there is a hole in the ceiling of the gateway for more boiling oil to be left out of

Phototoxin

my problem is that I'm a diabetic so unless I can get a supply of insulin from a pharmacy then I'm screwed...

I think a sawn off shotgun would be a good escape weapon. 2 barrels and a wide spread.. say you run out of ammo two wide spreads from a sawn off could knock back/distract the zombies enough for you to escape or get another weapon ready.

Zulu

Pish-posh, just gimme a DAO-12 (as famous from BF2). Fine you think it's shit - well I'll be blissfully blowing the crap outta zombie in my ignorance.
Stopping power, magazine reload, 12 shot magazine, (semi?)automatic.


pfftt, crosbows HA!

SimpleSam06

BastardPrince wrote: »

We here at ZAC officially endorse the M-4 assault rifle (and variant models) as the best weapon for zombie defense.

Assault rifles are not much use for close fighting or urban combat, which is what you are generally talking about on z-day. Automatic varieties are designed for squad combat especially. What you want is a shortened bullpup configuration weapon.

Musashi wrote: »

"Best" weapon would be like a mini gun with unlimited ammo and an unassailable position to shoot from.

You're wasting 95% of your precious ammo on non-headshots though, and you lose mobility. Not a good compromise I would say.

Zulu wrote: »

pfftt, crosbows HA!

You can get multi-shot repeater pistol crossbows. And yes, they are as cool as they sound. For myself, I'm a fiend with the throwing knife, so I have a nice little collection of (legal) custom built ones in the cupboard. I can whip out one and lamp it with a good degree of accuracy in less than a second. Added bonus, if it gets to close quarters, you have your stabbies right at your fingertips.

Phototoxin

Assault rifles are not much use for close fighting or urban combat, which is what you are generally talking about on z-day. Automatic varieties are designed for squad combat especially. What you want is a shortened bullpup configuration weapon.

surey the M-4 Carbine would be better...

SimpleSam06

Phototoxin wrote: »

surey the M-4 Carbine would be better...

No, the long barrel makes it unwieldy in close quarters. With a bullpup you get all the barrel length, plus increased accuracy and maneuverability, with less for a shambling revenant to grab hold of.

Roen

Assuming you're already trained in using and maintaining assault rifles. The average joe would end up killing the person next to him.

I've used quite a few rifles in my day and plenty of shotguns, but I still wouldn't be confident that I wouldn't end up accidently plugging my nearest and dearest if the s**t hit the fan.

Musashi

I've used quite a few rifles in my day and plenty of shotguns, but I still wouldn't be confident that I wouldn't end up accidently plugging my nearest and dearest if the s**t hit the fan.

Good Man! It may just come to that if they "turn". Watch for the signs, salivating when they stare at your forehead kind of thing!

DeadParrot

Musashi wrote: »

If we can get to a hardware I'm sure we can boil up some tar to pour down from the slots over the gate, and if the main gate is breached there is a hole in the ceiling of the gateway for more boiling oil to be left out of

To do what exactly?
You'll just turn shambling rotten death into shambling rotten badly blistered death.

knock back/distract the zombies enough for you to escape or get another weapon ready.

there is no distracting the undead...are you serious, its not like they will stop to re-assess the situation.

Grizzly 45

There is no doubt that the shotgun is a great weapon. It is used widely by law enforcement, military, and even standard home defense. Shotguns are powerful and the mere loading of a round into a chamber produces a very distinct sound that says “something bad is about to happen”

BOING....Nope sorry that only applies to pump action shotguns,semis and break actions are virtually silent.Nor do I think Zs are going to be bothered by the shuck shuck of a pump action.


.
1. Ammo Capacity

First, the shotgun is limited in the available ammunition it can store as well as the amount you can easily carry with you. The ability to go mobile at a moments notice is not just a convenience, but a critical aspect in surviving an uprising of the undead

Cant see whats the problem with grabbing two 50 rnd belts or a 200 round dump ditty bag and going with your bag as grabbing a belt of 10 fourty rounders.So your point being?????



2. Reloading ability

Scenario: You have been forced upstairs into your bonus room and the baracade holding back the zombie horde in your living room has pushed through. You begin emptying shotgun rounds at the undead as they make their way towards your position. Your shotgun runs out of ammo. For argument’s sake, let’s say you have no other weapon available*. The time it takes to reload a shotgun, under that amount of pressure, with what would presume to be a lethal dose of adrenaline running through your system, is too long to get back into the fight. A weapon where you can insert a new magazine and continue to fire is best.

Possibly,but if you are under that scenario and have never TRAINED with your firearm be it shotgun or box loader,you will die.A box loader can jam,you forget to clear the chamber,knock off the saftey etc.If you have trained properly with your gun ,you will be counting out the shots and know how to do one hand speed reloads.Plus why did you get caught in a no way out scenario in the first place????

*

Safety Note: Having only one weapon is setting yourself up for failure. Having a handgun with several magazines is the best route. This should be in your Mobile Zombie Preparedness Kit

Again unless you TRAIN with it you will die!Just having a gun and blasting away will not grauentee your survival.

3. Rate of fire
The shotgun can really pump out rounds if you know how to handle it correctly. However, it is still not the fastest. In the above scenario, zombies are coming at you. You are backed into a corner and will more than likely take out as many as you can, unless you have to turn the gun on yourself first. In that scenario, or any other scenario, it can never hurt to have the ability to dispense rounds at a much faster rate than that of a shotgun.

BULLCRAP!There have been enough cases and youtube videos posted of folks using shotguns to drop 10 clays in as many seconds.Tom Knapp a well known trick shooter can drop 10 hand thrown clayys with a Benelli M4 shotgun in four secs flat!!He did this by practise,and not having anything fancy in a box loader.


4. Range & Power

A shotgun will knock you on your back; no doubt. But is that what is really needed with a zombie attack? Hollywood, in movies such as the Dawn of the Dead remake, would have you believe that one person can continually shell out round and round to stop the horde.

Well theres your answer..Hollywood! It gave us the 20 shooter in Wild west movies,the unstoppable shotgun in Z movies.The do all silencer which is about 6ins long and can be used on everything from a 22lr to a 50 casl machine gun.So what Hollywood knows about guns can be written on a postcard IMO.

Friends, take heed: you do not need to have knock-out power to stop the undead. You merely have to stop the brain. With that said, the power of a shotgun, might not be necessary. Also, other weapons can provide the same stopping power and allow you to stand further away from your target. Why get closer than you have to?

Well,if you can control your adrenaline and can tale calm pistol shots like that tough ol SGT in the VC attack in We were Soilders Once.Great!!!
.However..the rest of us will be shaking,wobbly and aiming at a target the size of a head.A shotgun is ideal in this situation,as this what it was designed for close range,and launching a swarm of submissiles with one shot.Again a shotgun will carry effectively out to 50 yards,so if you are closer to a Z horde than that anything else wont help much either.


5. Ease of use

For those of you who have actually used a shotgun and put many rounds through it at once, you can attest that your shoulder and armpit area is sore, possibly bruised, after extended target practice.

Only if the gun does not fit you properly,you are using a crappy folding stock or you are a 60lb wimp firing 12GA 3.5in magnum shells.In that case simply go down a size of gun and get a 20 GA.It is just as leathl and is designed for people of small er statue.

When in survival mode, the adrenaline will only carry you so far, but you will need all of your strength.

For what will you need your strength???To haul out your trusty Conan two handed sword???You will be Z lunch before long if you are relying on swords,etc.You will be overwhelmed by sheer numbers!You would be better off having a plan of retreat,and having a fire team that knows how to leap frog back under cover with you and knowing how to reload while under cover.

A shotgun will only wear you down. It is not a traditionally light weapon, though there are some lighter options available. This is not the easiest weapon to tote around.

Bull****!! A 12 GA weighs about as much as a AK47,or FN FAL battle rifle.Of course some shotguns like the USAS will weigh in as much as a light Machine gun ,but they are very uncommon like non existant in Ireland.Hmmm I wonder how many hunters would disagree with it not being an easy weapon to totearound all day in the fields and swamps!




So what weapon is preferred?


BWHAHAHHAHHAAHA!!! YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING!!!
A piece of plastic junk,firing a pipsqueak round,known as a jamm a matic has to be kept scrupousily clean at least three times a day in high dust conditions.Sure it's light and accurate,but that isnt what will save your ass.You couldnt even hit aZ on their rotten skull without this falling to bits.And as we are speaking here of an Irish situation.The ammo isnt that common,12 GA is very common.Nor is the gun very common here,or likely to be due to firearms laws.The 5.56 NATO round is a so called wounding round,not a killing round.The thought is if you wound a enemy he needs at least three men to look after him and blocks up the enemy supply chain.Does Not Work.Ask any US Soilder currently serving in Iraq or Ghanistan.If they would like an M4 or an AK or 12 GAf or house clearing.Your answer would be a12 GA please! An M4 please with a bigger calibre like 6.8 somthing,which wont happen as there is too much tied up in producing 5.56 ammo and replacement parts in the US to change now to a new cal on a now dated weapons system.Plus Fullauto fire is the worst thing in a survival situation.There isnt going to be a re supply chopper of ammo for you to blast away.You will have to scrounge and hump your ownammo.I reckon you will find 12 GA alot easier than 5.56 in a Z situation.
Gimme a12 GAanyday.Use what you have,practise with it alot be it 12 GA or whatever and you will be fine on Z day.