Zombie round: .45acp vs .357mag

[CDFingers]

So, which makes the best choice against zombies astride rabid saber toothed wildebeests or against the other predators during the red state revolt? Is it the .45acp, heavy, slow, depositing all its energy in the target, or the .357 mag, able to penetrate clothing easily while we risk over penetration, wasting that expensive energy?

I know this has never been discussed, as we can't find .45 vs .357 with our primitive search functions. Inquiring minds and all.

CDFingers

[K9s]

I love both, but I would pick 45 ACP for this specific (and so realistic!) scenario. Capacity (mine has 13 rd mags). And easy, fast reloads.

In such a scenario, I would prefer 9mm because of magazine capacity.

[featureless]

Zombies? 22 is the answer you seek. Otherwise agree with a bottom feeder over wheel.

Bitchin picture!

[senorgrand]

Yeah...22 mag or 9mm for head shots.

357 is what I use. Wwekd?*

* what would Elmer Keith do?

[K9s]

Good "new" caliber war thread, BTW. In a zombie apocalypse, use what you have.

No one brought up 22 TCM? Good call on the 22mag, though.

[senorgrand]

Suppressed kel tec 22 mag suppressed carbine.

To the op...45 inside, 357 outside

[bajajoaquin]

..... In a zombie apocalypse, use what you have.
.....

Wow. The Zombie Apocalypse retort to my “no new calibers” rant. Instead it should be “don’t buy two guns of the same caliber: you never know what you’ll scrounge”

[K9s]

..... In a zombie apocalypse, use what you have.
.....

Wow. The Zombie Apocalypse retort to my “no new calibers” rant. Instead it should be “don’t buy two guns of the same caliber: you never know what you’ll scrounge”

Or... buy it cheap and stack it deep and stay home.

[YankeeTarheel]

For a zombie apocalypse, I'd prefer a rechargeable plasma phase 1.22 gigawatt rifle capable of continuous fire .

[K9s]

For a zombie apocalypse, I'd prefer a rechargeable plasma phase 1.22 gigawatt rifle capable of continuous fire .

With matching sidearm and a particle beam sabre - just in case.

[YankeeTarheel]

For a zombie apocalypse, I'd prefer a rechargeable plasma phase 1.22 gigawatt rifle capable of continuous fire .

With matching sidearm and a particle beam sabre - just in case.

And, for backup, an ultra-hypersonic hand-carried rail gun capable of penetrating 3' of hardened steel.

[K9s]

For a zombie apocalypse, I'd prefer a rechargeable plasma phase 1.22 gigawatt rifle capable of continuous fire .

With matching sidearm and a particle beam sabre - just in case.

And, for backup, an ultra-hypersonic hand-carried rail gun capable of penetrating 3' of hardened steel.

If those were cheaper, I would get one.

[CDFingers]

Yeah...22 mag or 9mm for head shots.

357 is what I use. Wwekd?*

* what would Elmer Keith do?

He would invent a new caliber using a .50BMG necked down to .17 using CO2 from the air and stardust as propellant. I mean, this is zombies, right? Astride their rabid saber toothed wildebeests, swinging rusty scimitars trailing bits of the last victim, eh. Nothing less than a 15.5 grain titanium spire point raised to .8 light speed. And a recoil pad for the shooter.

CDFingers

[lurker]

so many questions. fast or slow zombies?

i would expect that the sound of gunfire will bring zombies to my doorstep from miles around, so i'd be looking at ways to muffle the report. even so, i think i'd just barricade myself in my home and plink them from the porch roof with whatever i have, starting at long range with the rifles: 30-06, 30-40 krag, 5.56, 45-70, 7.62nato, on to 45acp, .380, being careful to save the last couple of rounds for myself. i assume .22 would be useless against zombies, but i'd certainly try it.

[bajajoaquin]

Are we going to make our way back to the 9mm Gatling gun?

[AndyH]

Run what you brung. Just make sure you have cats for back-up. And a boom box.

[tonguengroover]

LOL Andy

[K9s]

Are we going to make our way back to the 9mm Gatling gun?

I am thinking a 357 mag Gatling gun (given the thread topic) would be fine with 357 carbine and revolver backup. Good idea on the Gatling gun.

And some remote control cars with radios to make noise and distract?

[DufusMcGhee]

i assume .22 would be useless against zombies, but i'd certainly try it.

Since a screwdriver or knife thru the eye is effective, a properly-placed .22 should do just fine. (Head-shots, lurker. Head-shots.)

I'm just seeking the 1.21 gigawatts needed to jump-start the DeLorean...

[Stiff]

Every documentary that I watched said you need headshots to kill zombies. This means a round small enough to be controllable for easy headshots, but large enough to reliably penetrate the skull 100% of the time from any angle. My choice would be the lowly 9mm, preferrably in a carbine. The military, the FBI, and many police departments use it, so finding ammo would be easier.

[cooper]

Wait, wasn't this question already answered.

Rick Grimes.jpg (16.79 KiB) Viewed 494 times

[wings]

Wait, are we shooting the saber-toothed wildebeests first? I'm presuming that they're dangerous too. This also speaks to the fast vs. slow zombies question, as saber-toothed wildebeest have to be faster than even your worst-case-scenario runners. In this case, .357 magnum is probably a better choice than .45 ACP. Flatter trajectory, better range - important in this case.

I'm less worried about the wildebeest indoors, because you can only cram them through the stairs one at a time, and corpses pile up. As soon as one of the rusty scimitars comes available, grab that for backup. In CQB, blades > guns, but even then a scimitar needs a lot of free space to swing for proper effect. Zombie lore suggests that decapitations > deep thrusting wounds, but any CNS hit should count.

Now, if we're allowed to deviate from the OP calibers, I cannot believe that you left out the venerable .45 Colt, CD. Ideal for the wildebeest, not bad for controlled headshots either. Unfortunately, reloading single action under zombie siege isn't ideal. Your original calibers allow moon clips in double action revolvers, so there's that. But high capacity semiauto sure has advantages.

I suspect this might be the best application for the 5.7x28, all things considered. While the noise may attract zombies, a high-velocity, small caliber round might be ideal for headshots, and screw the penetration. Honestly, that might be the best application for it in any defensive situation.

[CDFingers]

Y'all thought this was just your normal zombie round thread. Oh, ye of little faith. Truth be told, technically this thread is a zombie thread.

No one has yet discovered the medieval crossbow that fires wooden bolts.

Confession: I laughed too much at the cat vid.

CDFingers

[wings]

That works better on vampires. But center-of-mass shots work nicely.

Silver tips are ideal.

[DufusMcGhee]

That works better on vampires. But center-of-mass shots work nicely.

Silver tips are ideal.

If we're still talking zombies, everything I've ever seen or read says that the only injury that'll stop them is the destruction (or removal) of the brain. The rest of the body is already dead, after all. The kinetic energy of center-of-mass shots into said dead body just slows them down a bit.

Silver bullets will drop werewolves, and a wooden stake (or wooden arrow shaft) into the heart does for vampires.