Practical Weapons-When it hits the fan and the tough talk stops, what you REALLY should consider carrying & owning in the event of zombies or other disasters.

When it comes to firearms and weapons, firstly, stick with common calibers that are effective against both humans and zombies. The fact of the matter is both on and after Z-Day not only with you have the legions of the undead to contend with, but also understand there are going to be marauding packs of the still very much alive and kicking going about looting, raping and taking whatever they can by force if necessary. Just look at the Los Angeles Riots in the 1990's after the Rodney King beating and what happened there, or even more recently New Orleans after Katrina, except as we all know it will be far more widespread and law enforcement/National Guard is already going to be preoccupied in all likelyhood. In any event planning on the government to save you is a very poor idea and your arsenal needs to be equally effective against all manners of 2 legged beasts.

Carbines

To start I'm going to debunk the M1 carbine because I find that it is far from the ideal weapon for a number of reasons. I hear and see a lot of talk about the M1 carbine and while it may be effective against zombies (emphasis on MAY since nobody has ever actually tried it) let's consider it's actual effectiveness in both WW II and the Korean War when it was actually used. I believe much of the hype on the weapon stems from the fact it was in the Zombie Survival guide. If it was never named in the guide, it never would be talked up as much as it has been. The weapon was never designed as a frontline infantry issued weapon, it was originally designed as a weapon for Tank crews, artillery crews and officers since the M1 Garand battle rifle was too big and cumbersome for the confined areas of a tank, and only issuing a handgun was a poor compromise. Bascially it was a weapon to give to people who otherwise wouldn't be carrying one and the performance in wartime showed. Granted it did see some action with officers and senior NCO's who did not want to carry a heavier weapon and was favored to an extent with airborne units due to the light weight and small size it has a number of drawbacks, and if you speak to any veteran of those wars they'll tell you, "if you shoot someone with an M1 carbine and they find out about it, they're gonna be pretty angry."

The ammunition is nowhere near as prolific as other calibers like the 5.56mm NATO/.223 Remington, 7.62x51mm NATO/.308 Remington, or the 7.62x39 Kalishnikov, so if this is a weapon that for whatever reason you must feel you have, you're going to be hard-pressed for finding extra ammunition if you don't already have a sizeable stockpile and considering ammunition is going to be one of the most sought after commodities on and after Z-Day only count on what you have on hand and don't expect to scavenge. Not to mention with the lack of ammunition comes with a lack of spare and replacement parts for your M1 carbine, even though it was a widely produced weapon during the time since the 1960's it has all but ground to a halt. Thirdly, a 1951 US Army investigation of the M1 Carbine due to complaints of the performance of the weapon during the Korean War found this. In extremely cold weather the weapon is prone to very frequent jamming, and against heavily clothed or gear-laiden Chinese and North Korean infantry the weapon would fail to put an opposing soldier down, even after multiple hits. Talking strictly ballistics it was barely accurate or effective past 125 yards and the tiny bullet did not mushroom and caused relatively small wounds. So if you're one of those who's planning on going to Alaska or the Canadian North and you wanna take the M1 Carbine just because it's "pimped out" with a folding stock and looks badass you might as well turn it around and use it as a club against an adversary because it's prone to jamming in cold weather, against human adversaries wearing heavy clothes the woefully underpowered .30 Carbine round is pitifully ineffective and that's not even considering the modern-day advent of kevlar and ballistic armor, and it is also extremly uncommon compared to other rounds. Perhaps the only redeeming quality is the light weight and ease of operation so for those with small frames it is certainly better than nothing when a handgun is a poor compromise, and even then there are a variety of carbines like the H&K USC in .45 ACP or even a civilian AR-15 with a short barrel that would weigh as much but perform far better, but for anyone else who can hold and shoot anything comfortably that's bigger, look elsewhere if you want to make it past Z-Day plus 1.

Automatic Rifles

So now you're asking, "alright Mr. Wiseguy, if you're gonna bash the M1 Carbine what would YOU carry?" Read on children. As you could guess earlier I am a strong advocate of having a weapon system that uses a common caliber with common parts that is going to be equally effective against the alive, undead and other adversaries. My choice for a primary weapon would be an M-16/AR-15 variant thereof (be it Bushmaster, ArmaLite or some other maker) for several reasons. Firstly, it fires the NATO 5.56x45 mm round which is one of the most common military calibers in the world, it is also dimensionally identical to the civilian .223 Remington round and can actually fire both. What is little-known is that civilian firearms like the Ruger Mini-14 among others that are chambered for .223 CANNOT fire the NATO 5.56 round because even though the dimensions are identical, the 5.56 NATO rounds actually has more powder, greater chamber pressure and a heavier bullet than the .223 which could lead to excessive wear of your weapon or outright catastrophic weapon failure. By catastrophic I mean it blows up in your face. Secondly, the AR-15 civilian rifle and the M-16 share quite a number of parts so maintenance and repairs will be easier due to the commonality, and also they share the same magazines, and so do quite a number of other NATO weapons. A properly sighted and zeroed 5.56 mm weapon is effective out to 400 yards, yet the recoil is not so severe as with larger rifle cartridges that it would be a burden for sustained firing, and the small size and light weight of the M-16/AR-15 makes it easy to use in close-quarters, not to mention there are a variety of accessories available for those individuals out there who want to survive Z-Day and make a fashion statement in the process.

Now, for my readers who are outside of North America, and even in North America too, another great choice would be the AK-47/AK-74 or other AK-series weapon firing either the 7.62x39 or 5.56x39 for many of the same reasons as listed above. It is THE most common assault rifle in the world, easy to handle, clean, will fire under ANY circumstance no matter what you do with it, and while the ammunition may not be as prolific in North America (which is why I suggest a M-16/AR-15 weapon in North America or a NATO country, but if you're anyplace else forget what I said) in pretty much every other country in the world, the 7.62x39 mm is the common caliber made and will be continued to be made long after Western Civilization melts down. It's effective against about anything, isn't too heavy or light, easy to control and like the 5.56mm NATO you can carry a LOT of ammunition for the same amount of weight.

Sniper Rifles

Ok, for all you sniper wannabees and headhunters out there who's motto is "one shot, one kill" here are a few suggestions for longer range weapons. Bear in mind I recommend these as team gear verus an individual weapon because most long-range firearms aren't ideal for close-quarters. The round of choice would be a coin-toss between the .30-06 or the 7.62x51 NATO/.308 Remington. The former is the most common hunting round in the western world, was the same round fired by many US Army weapons like the M1 Garand, M1903 Springfiled Browning .30 MG and BAR during both World Wars, and I could go on but you get the idea. It's also probably taken more deer and big game in North America than any other round created, as is virtually a "must-have" for any deer hunter out there. While there is no single weapon I would want to select for this round because there's no one weapon system that uses it that was common throughout the world, the sheer abundance of this round makes it hard to ignore to not have something in your inventory that shoots it.

Now the 7.62x51mm NATO/.308 Remington is much the same, it's extremely prolific throughout the Western World, and at range the ballistics of the .308 and .30-06 are fairly comparable. Here's where the advantages come in. The 7.62 NATO replaced the .30-06 at an attempt to standardize the weapons and ammunition, and as such, it's fired by quite a number of of military weapons like the M1A/M-14 Battle rifle, the H&K G3, M240 Golf, FN FAL, M60 Machinegun and the list goes on. Add that to the round's popularity in the civilian sport-shooting and hunting aspect that rivals that of the .30-06 and you can understand why I would select this as being an appropriate sniper round.

As for a weapon, there are really 2 I'm going to suggest, either the M1A/M-14 Battle rifle or variant thereof, or the Remington 700. The first is the classic infantry weapon and a direct descendant of the legendary M1 Garand of World War 2 fame, and while it had a relatively short service life due to the quick adoption of the 5.56 NATO as the new infantry standard round, the simplicity of operation, long-range effectiveness, the sheer number produced and the fact that even after 50 years, the M-14/M1A series of weapons is getting a new lease on life as the accurized M-21 Sniper Weapon System used by the US Army, and also as the USMC Designated Marksman Rifle & M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle, the Navy SEAL' s Mk 14 Mod 0 (and on and on I go). There is also a short-barreled version of the M-14 called the SOCOM 16 which allows for a rifle the size of an M-16 or M4 but with the power of a full battle rifle. The maneuverability in close-quarters is definitely an advantage but the recoil and controllability for such a heavy round in such a small rifle may be a point of discouragement for those of small stature.

It's hard to turn away from. the latter rifle mentioned, the Remington 700 is another very solid choice and strong contender in the "reach out and touch somebody" crowd. Probably the most popular .308 civilian hunting and shooting rifle, it's been produced continuously since 1962 in a variety of calibers, and it is found with police departments all over the USA (about 90% of all departments to be exact) and indeed the world called the 700P, and also is used by the US Military as the M24 Sniper Weapon System in the US Army and the USMC's M40. The simple bolt-action design is extremely reliable, very accurate and the sheer abundance of weapons and variants thereof is a foregone conclusion as a fine addition to anyone's arsenal.

Shotguns / Scatterguns

Now, here come's everyone's favorite section, the "up close and personal" selection. For a shotgun and scattergun, I believe very firmly in the Remington 870 or the Mossberg 500 series. Both are pump guns, produced for long periods which means they're easy to find, simple to operate and parts and interchangeability is a cinch. 12-gauge is so common it's disgusting and is easy to reload spent shells, both the 500 & 870's pump-action is extremely reliable, and a large magazine and light weight as well as being used again by many military and police units around the world it'll do the job well and you'll have enough ammo and spare parts to last a lifetime. Truthfully though any 12-gauge shotgun would be an excellent choice, as long as it's 12-gauge just due to the sheer abundance of ammunition.

Handguns, Revolver

For handguns, things get a little more murky here. There are thousands upon thousands of handguns in the world, and narrowing it down isn't an easy task. What is easy to narrow down though would be the ammunition choice. For wheelguns (revolvers) there are really 2 different ammunition types to consider, the .357 Magnum and the .38 Special. The first is by far my preferred selection, because most .357 revolvers can fire both .357 and .38 Special. The diameters and dimensions of the casings are identical, the naming is different because of where they're measured. the .357 is the actual dimension of the bullet and while a .38 is indeed a .357 caliber, it gets the name from the .38 diameter of the rim at the bottom, but the .357 is longer and is more powerful, but the .38 Special is just as prolific and many families depend on the .38 Special for home defense and it was the round of choice for many police departments until the popularity of the 9mm overtook it, but it's still wickedly popular. I would again suggest getting a .357 revolver due to the fact that it could fire both types of ammunition, and unlike automatic pistols revolvers are simpler to maintain, and never jam. As for an exact model to go with, I would discourage any modern-day Smith & Wesson since they all have the integrated internal locking mechanisms that require a key. It's one more thing that could break or you have to do in order for your weapon to fire, although the S&W 625 or Model 60 for something small & concealed would work wonders. Another excellent choice would be a Taurus model 608 but truthfully I'm stretching here, you can't really go wrong with a .357. For those of you that just HAVE to have a bigger bang or feel the urge to say "you feelin' lucky, punk?" and want to get a .44 magnum or .500 Magnum just because you want the biggest stick, nevermind ammo is much rarer in the larger and less-produced categories, the Taurus Raging Bull would be the weapon of choice.

Handguns, Semi-Automatic

As for autoloading handguns, again, hundreds of different types of rounds, thousands of models, gotta narrow it down some. When it comes down to it, there are really 2 rounds that are prolific enough to warrant mention here, the 9x19 mm parabellum, or .45 ACP. The first is a NATO standard catridge that is rivaled and indeed only exceeded by the .45 ACP as being the most common handgun round in the world, but not by much. It is a lighter and smaller round than the .45 ACP, but the lower power means less recoil and greater accuracy, and going for headshots against a moving target with a handgun while scared for one's own life you want every bit of accuracy. Considering that there are multiple handguns made and new ones every day for this round, it is ensured that the popularity will only rise, but without a single handgun that anyone will get behind (NATO uses most the Beretta M9, but many other police departments and some armies use Glocks) the lack of a single iconic model and the questionable reliability of the M9 if not constantly lubricated and maintained keeps this from being my favored choice.

The .45 ACP is another round that you really can't go wrong with either and as you guess it, is my selection. It's big, fat, leaves a huge hole and the stopping and knock-down power is legendary and while it might not be quite as ideal as the 9mm for headshots against zombies due to the greater recoil and in general lower magazine in exchange for a bigger bullet, the effectiveness against marauding and roving bands of gangs is absolutely unquestioned. The other advantage it has over the 9mm parabellum is that the Colt M1911 pistol, a weapon coming up on it's 100th birthday, has seen more action than any other handgun, and there have been more models and variants produced than any other handgun in the world, and the sheer glut of parts, accessories and actual handguns themselves over any other firearm produced along with its overbuilt and rugged nature make it tough to beat. Other upstarts though like the Springfield XD or Glock 21 with larger ammunition capacities and more comfort to the shooter may win over the hearts for some, but nothing can truly challenge the popularity of this weapon as it is to handguns what the AK series is to assault rifles, and for the foreseeable future they will continue to be made. A third choice for a round for those that don't like the first two would be the .40 S&W. An up and coming round it's designed to be a compromise between the 9mm and .45 ACP and while it does this role remarkably well and even though many police departments have adopted this round, the fact it is far younger than its progenitors (.45 ACP & 9mm have been around since the early 1900s, .40 S&W was developed in the late 1990) and a lack of commonplace adoption in the civilian market again with a single iconic firearm that shoots this particular cartridge at this point in time and therefore less availability make this a mediocre third choice, but at least far more common than .45 GAP, .357 SIG or .38 ACP/.380/.38 Auto.

The final point I want to make is the .22 LR, the most common bullet ever produced. Cheap, effective, very low recoil and with a host of other advantages it's a tough customer to not talk about. Anyone who's ever fired a gun before probably trained on a .22 firearm, be it for plinking or small game hunting. The low recoil means you can empty a lot of rounds very accurately on target real fast, and you can carry a LOT, and I mean a LOT LOT for marginal weight. a Ruger 10/22 semi-auto rifle with a few 10 round mags with these and you have an absolutely lethal close to even mid-range headhunting firearm. Another great alternatve is the Ruger Mark II/III series of automatic pistols. For human opponents, spend the extra $0.25 on your box of 100 rounds and get the Hi-Power Hollow-point rounds and see how your target is doing after you empty half a dozen into them. Even though it is far outclassed by other rounds in terms of power, there's another aspect to consider of the .22, barter. The .22 is a rimfire round, basically meaning, once it's shot there is no primer that you can replace so you can't reload the ammo which means unlike most other ammunition types you can't reuse spent brass and casings. This aspect, along with the other redeeming qualities of the round make it a most acceptable and indeed very valuable barter medium, never hurts to have something to trade.

PICTURES OF FIREARMS LISTED
Here's a list of most of the firearms discussed. Some are close to stock in appeaerance, others have some accessories but it should give you an idea at least.

AR-15 Series 5.56x45 NATO/.223 Remington


M1A/M-14 Battle Rifle 7.62x51 NATO


SOCOM 16 7.62x51 NATO whit "Red Dot" style optics


Remington R700P Sniper Weapon 308/7.62x51 NATO


AK-47 7.62x39 Soviet

Remington 870 12-Gauge shotgun with added barrel shroud & bayonet lug accessories


Mossberg 590 12- Gauge Combat Shotgun with camo paint & baynet


Smith & Wesson 625 & Model 60 both in .357 Magnum


Taurus Model 608 .357 Magnum & Taurus Raging Bull in .44 Magnum


Beretta M9/92FS 9mm


Colt M911 .45 ACP


Springfield XD .45 ACP


Glock 17 .9mm


Ruger 10/22 .22 LR


Ruger Mk. III .22LR with accessory rail