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Craig Peters




PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 12:21 am    Post subject: Back-Up Weapon for the Zombie Apocalypse         Reply with quote

I know we've had a thread like this before, but I couldn't resist.

As many of you already know, there have been some bizarre cases recently of people attacking other people and eating them. While these cases are probably just isolated instance of cannibalism, others think we may be nearing the zombie apocalypse. So when the apocalypse comes, how will you protect yourself when things get up close and personal?

Even the most ardent sword enthusiast is probably going to want some sort of firearm to deal with zombies when things go bad. Let's face it: firearms allow you to take out zombies at long range, and weapons like shotguns and rifles have a lot of stopping power that can put a zombie down in a hurry. But firearms have disadvantages as well. A gun makes a lot of noise, even if you supress it, which is not exactly what you want when there are hordes of zombies nearby. An even bigger problem is that once you're out of ammo, you'd better hope you can find more in a hurry, because a gun without ammo is all but useless in the face of a swarm of the undead.

Obviously, besides your trusty firearms, you are going to want a back-up weapon that you can use, something that doesn't run out of ammunition. So the question is: what do you take as your back-up, ammunition-less weapon, and why?
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Craig Peters




PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 12:28 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

My back up of choice: Albion Armorer's Next Generation Duke Great Sword

When you have to kill zombies with a hand-held weapon, you need something that can split skulls with authority. Albion's Duke, with it's broad, spatulate blade, is the perfect choice. A long sword with a wickedly acute thrusting point might be outstanding for penetrating zombie skulls, but the last thing you need is to get your sword stuck in a zombie when there are hordes of them nearby. Similarly, a kriegsmesser like the Knecht might be a better cutter, but the Duke allows you to make a follow up short edge attack in a hurry if you need to. The Duke has the range of a polearm, but unlike a spear or a halberd, you don't face the problem of being impotent once the zombie gets past the head of the weapon; you can still cleave into a zombie within a few inches of the hilt of the blade. If you find yourself feeling tired from using the Duke, you can still halfsword with it and drive the point into the decaying face of your foe.
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Sam Barris




Location: San Diego, California
Joined: 29 Apr 2004
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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 4:48 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

This question has become much easier to answer in the last few weeks. She was almost a Svante, and then chose a different path in life. Behold! Big Grin

I can think of nothing better with which to face the undead hordes when the guns run dry.



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Pax,
Sam Barris

"Any nation that draws too great a distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools." —Thucydides
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Robin Smith




Location: Louisiana
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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 6:58 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

No way I am carrying a sword. Far too great of a risk of infection from blood spatter. Just remember, its not just the bites that get you. Blood spatter, or even just a scratching your skin with their fingernails is sufficient.

Also,all the issues about gun shots being loud and alerting the enemy apply equally to a modern battlefield, and yet swords are not carried there. If you're worried about running out of ammo, a better use of the space and weight of a sword is to carry more ammo. That space and weight is better used for loaded magazines than for a single purpose tool that you would only use in absolute desperation.

At most, I would carry a machete. Atleast then it has a function primarily as a camp tool, that can in a pinch be used as a sword. Most of the techniques from HEMA are no good anyway, since cuts that don't disable the brain are fairly ineffective. A machete would be adequate.

A furore Normannorum libera nos, Domine
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Nathan Quarantillo




Location: Eastern Panhandle WV, USA
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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 8:01 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Zornhau, Zwerch, Oberhau, Mittelhau, Krumphau, parting strike (forgetting the German name) all of those cuts could easily target the head/neck area. HEMA stuff could be pretty effective IMO.
"Id rather be historically accurate than politically correct"
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Mike Harris




Location: Texas, USA
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 8:13 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Pondering this topic, one thought comes to mind. This could be the motivating factor for the revival of the falchion or large messer as an everyday companion. Big Grin
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Simon Whittle




Location: V.A.
Joined: 17 May 2011

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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 8:26 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

It also seems to me that armour would be quite useful when defending oneself from the shuffling masses; a full covering of mail would probably be enough to protect you from any biting or clawing, though if the zombies had the dexterity to attempt to remove the armour, it might be less effective. It would also seem that a Greek phalanx in a bottleneck would probably keep zombies out very well, though simply having a fortified wall that you could rain bullets from would be better in every way. As my sidearm, I would probably go for any of the A&A pole hammers or pole axes because of their longer reach and versatility, though, as Robin said, the best sidearm would be more bullets.
*Warning, poster has odd sense of humor*
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Craig Peters




PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 8:32 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Robin Smith wrote:
No way I am carrying a sword. Far too great of a risk of infection from blood spatter. Just remember, its not just the bites that get you. Blood spatter, or even just a scratching your skin with their fingernails is sufficient.

Also,all the issues about gun shots being loud and alerting the enemy apply equally to a modern battlefield, and yet swords are not carried there. If you're worried about running out of ammo, a better use of the space and weight of a sword is to carry more ammo. That space and weight is better used for loaded magazines than for a single purpose tool that you would only use in absolute desperation.

At most, I would carry a machete. Atleast then it has a function primarily as a camp tool, that can in a pinch be used as a sword. Most of the techniques from HEMA are no good anyway, since cuts that don't disable the brain are fairly ineffective. A machete would be adequate.


The thing that must be considered is that modern soldiers are expecting usually to face a finite number of enemies. I know I'm perhaps oversimplifying things a bit by saying this, but consider the difference between a modern conflict and a zombie apocalypse. In a zombie apocalypse, you could face thousands, or hundreds of thousands, or even millions of zombies. Granted, having a large cache of ammunition in a safe zone would be ideal, but that's not always possible. I'd probably want to have a back-up weapon along with me.

As for the machete, a zombie's going to get awfully close before you can hit it...
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Roger Hooper




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 8:38 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

A poll-axe would come in handy. You could keep your distance and still reach those zombie heads with spike, hammer or axe. It would be good for swinging in a large circle as well. With an overall length of 67 inches, Arms and Armor's version will be short enough to carry around without too much trouble.


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Craig Peters




PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 8:52 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Also, keep in mind that not every member of the board lives in a country where it is legal to possess a firearm. In my current location, it is very difficult to legally own a gun. If the zombie apocalypse broke-out here tomorrow, my only means of protection could well be my Tritonia. I'm sure there's a police station not far from here, which is the first place where I'd go, but it would be a short walk with a ton of zombies, and it might just be better to hide and/or flee.
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Michael Parker




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 9:05 am    Post subject: The Many Varieties of Zombification         Reply with quote

Nathan, your parting strike is a "scheitelhau". Happy

The "perfect anti-zombie weapon" debate is always pretty hairy just because people don't agree on the characteristics of zombies. "Classic" zombies shamble around slowly and infect you by biting you. Of course, whether the plague is a bacteria, virus, or a magical curse depends on whose story you are referencing. We get our zombie legends from African voodoo and bo traditions, but clearly a lot has been lost or changed in translation. Lately, so-called "fast zombies" have become a lot more fashionable, such as in the movie of 'I am Legend" and the videogame "Left 4 Dead" (though in "I am Legend", the zombies share characteristics with vampires such as hatred of sunlight, while I hear the book was about vampires). One crucial difference is whether zombies are defined as "the undead" or more loosely as the "infected". In those versions the zombies aren't so much shambling rotting corpses as they are grotesquely infected and rabid people, who run at you at top speed trying to turn you or eat your flesh. The whole "aim for the head" thing also varies with what source you like best. Max Brooks' "World War Z" and "Sean of the Dead" with Simon Pegg are more traditional in insisting the zombies will keep getting up unless you remove the head or destroy the brain. Max Brooks explains this by showing how zombies' bodily fluids become more viscous and their brain stops relying on the body for nourishment, so that even if you cut one in half the zombie will not bleed to death and its top half will stay alive. It's even scarier if you imagine that zombies can hibernate or survive for long periods without food. However, Left 4 Dead just throws that out and says that if you shoot or dismember them enough then they will bleed to death, even if the head stays on.

The method of infection is important too. If your infection transmits only by being bitten you have some leeway, but if it is by coming in contact with zombie fluids then you have to avoid physical contact at all costs and close range fighting is likely to get you infected even if you survive combat. On the other hand if the virus is depicted as airborne and especially if it were capable of being carried by vectors other than humans then you might have a hard time not getting infected anyway. If you're still around when everyone else has been turned into zombies it might mean you're immune to the airborne form, bite-transmitted form, or both, in which case risking a few scratches in melee combat might be a viable option. Which of these rules apply would basically determine whether you stand a chance in close combat.

A quick survey of our monsters shows that zombie is in fact a very flexible term for all manner of flesh eating rabid human creatures, who are so different from each other that they are probably suffering from very different diseases or curses. It's all up to the author's imagination and there is no right or wrong way to do it. Regular human cannibals, of course, can be dispatched with the sword since the sword is designed to kill people, but in order to determine what weapons are fit to kill zombies we need to specify which zombies we are trying to fight.

"This is a sharp medicine, but it is a physician for all diseases and miseries."
-Sir Walter Raleigh, upon being allowed to see the ax that would behead him, 29 October 1618
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Robin Smith




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 9:54 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Craig Peters wrote:
Also, keep in mind that not every member of the board lives in a country where it is legal to possess a firearm. In my current location, it is very difficult to legally own a gun. If the zombie apocalypse broke-out here tomorrow, my only means of protection could well be my Tritonia. I'm sure there's a police station not far from here, which is the first place where I'd go, but it would be a short walk with a ton of zombies, and it might just be better to hide and/or flee.
Gotta use whats available to you. For me, I'm grabbing my guns, my bug out bag, and my chest rig (which is already loaded up for just such an occasion).

If it comes down to wading through a mass of zombies with a melee weapon I'm heading the other way. I most certainly would not head to the police station. Its better to escape into the countryside than to try and go to a location that is sure to be crawling with the undead, in the off chance you might find a gun/supplies/etc.... This applies to most of the other places people think they should go: grocery stores, malls, military bases, etc...

A furore Normannorum libera nos, Domine
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Mike Harris




Location: Texas, USA
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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 10:51 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Another random thought on controlling such creatures, given they are of the mindless variety, is to attract them to a fence or wall or other impediment to their forward progress. Then use a thrusting spear to deal with many in rapid succession by thrusting through the cranio-ocular opening. Seems like you'd want a spear without any sort of sideways protrusions like wings or halberd head to minimize the chances another creature might be able to grab hold of the tip. Thus gives rise to the post-apocolyptic game of "Poke A Zed, In The Head", guaranteed to be fun for all ages (that survive). Eek!
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David Lewis Smith




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 12:47 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

a Jody Sampson signed piece.



That should do the trick, the bow behind it gives me some distance options that does not make noise

David L Smith
MSG (RET)
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Lloyd Clark




Location: Beaver Dam, WI
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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 6:17 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

One word: flamethrower....just sayin' Evil
Cheers,

Lloyd Clark
2000 World Jousting Champion
2004 World Jousting Bronze Medalist
Swordmaster
Super Proud Husband and Father!
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Craig Peters




PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 6:20 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Lloyd Clark wrote:
One word: flamethrower....just sayin' Evil


Technically, since flame throwers can run out of fuel, they fit in the same category as firearms. What's your backup?
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Bryan W.





Joined: 27 Oct 2007

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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 6:38 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

My backup is being a level 30 Priest I can destroy Zombies at will and my protection wards work wonders for while I sleep.....

For everyone else though this question depends on the TYPE of zombie apocalypse, type of zombie, route of transmission, weaknesses....we all know there are hundreds of types of zombies....

My advice: Change your name to Ash, buy a book on Chemistry 101, get a good blacksmith friend to make you a robotic hand and learn some cool catch phrases.
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Mike Harris




Location: Texas, USA
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 7:24 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Bryan W. wrote:
...My advice: Change your name to Ash, buy a book on Chemistry 101, get a good blacksmith friend to make you a robotic hand and learn some cool catch phrases.


This. Best cheap movie made on a low budget ever! What's not to love? Medieval combat with zombies, lots and lots of sword play,innumerable cheezy one-liners, and a beautiful love interest that turns bad, reeeeeal bad. Big Grin
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Robin Smith




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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 7:29 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Lloyd Clark wrote:
One word: flamethrower....just sayin' Evil
Flaming zombies sounds like a wonderful way to get yourself set on fire. Wink
A furore Normannorum libera nos, Domine
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Eric Meulemans
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PostPosted: Mon 04 Jun, 2012 8:35 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

A sword is definitely not my choice of weapon for use against zombies of any type. Assuming you just need to cave in their cranium, then a mace or other bludgeon is the way to go. Fast, easy to handle, doesn't get dull(er), unlikely to break, easy to carry without injuring yourself or others, decreased distribution of potential contaminates, and unlikely to get stuck in a skull at an inopportune time.

Of course, primary weapon is a shotgun. And a Calico .22 as a backup arm. Again, assuming all that's needed is to penetrate the braincase and mix up the contents.

Remember: Kill the brain, and you kill the ghoul. It's not rocket science. Unless you use rockets...
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