I've recently been reading SmilingWolf's Zombie Apocalypse guns page, and was inspired to make my own. I'll be following similar criteria to him, but I will not limit myself to guns just on PMG. However, every gun will either be from PMG, or created via PMG. If I want an RPG-7, I'll have to make an RPG-7. Accurately. If anyone wants to help, or suggest guns, stick them in the comments. If you have any accurate PMGs of guns not in PMG already, post them down below too, it would be very helpful.
I will be writing this from the view of someone picking weapons pre-Zombocalypse, so issues such as availability may not be included. At the end I will choose loadouts for a 5-man team, based upon the guns themselves.
I will also be rating the guns out of 10 for Necessity, do you really need one of these?; Survivalism, once the war is over, will this gun keep you alive?; Badassery, this is a Zombie-Apocalyspe, you have to look good; and finally General Use, is this a good gun to be using throughout the Zed invasion?. Plus an overall rating. My basic rule is, if it's over 20/40, it's worth getting one of these should the Zombocalypse strike.
Primary Weapons[]
These are weapons I consider to be Primary, guns which will be used at least 50% of the time in a Zombocalypse scenario, for defence, offence, or survival. These guns are usually going have to be automatic, relatively high capacity, and have a medium-long range.
AK-Pattern Rifles[]
AKM and AK74
The AK series of Assault Rifles have been in production for decades, and are well known for their reliability. With over 100 million units produced, including clones, The AKM-Pattern rifles are easy to come by, simple to use and maintain, and hit reasonably hard with a 7.62x39mm round. Same with the AK74, but it's lighter, meaning you sacrifice stopping power for penetration and the ability to carry more rounds.
My Perfect AK[]
I would go for an AKM with a 40 round RPK magazine. I'd put on a lightweight top folding stock for easy storage, and keep the gun light and bare. I'm familiar with AK/SVD style iron sights, so mounting an expensive red dot or hologaphic is pointless. I'd swap out the wooden furniture with polymer If possible, my focus here is trying to get the lightest AK possible. I would also consider drilling holes into the handguard to quicken heat loss after few rapid-fire bursts. I'd also grab a Romanian 75 round drum for the gun, further increasing magazine capacity. For me, an AK is about putting lots of lead into the enemy, quickly and possibly recklessly.
Advantages []
- Common (100 million+ units)
- Very Reliable.
- 5.45mm has good penetration, 7.62x39mm has decent stopping power.
- Lots of magazines available, the USSR produced thousands of surplus magazines, many of which can be shipped to the US cheaply. Aftermarket polymer magazines are available too.
- No buffer tube, folding stocks are possible.
Disadvantages[]
- No rails for customisation.
- Not ambidextrous.
- Not the most accurate weapon, AKs were built to be mass-produced cheaply and easily.
- 7.62x39 and 5.45 lack in power compared to their NATO counterparts.
- 5.45 isn't the most common ammo in the US and Canada, although you can get a modification so your AK will fire 5.56 from an AR15 STANAG. This is permanent though.
Rating[]
Necessity - 8.5/10 An AK is a simple, standard assault rifle. If you don't have a gun firing 7.62x39, you'll only be disadvantaging yourself.
Survivalism - 5/10 An AK has a good set of iron sights, the 7.62x39mm won't obliterate medium sized game. However, if AKs are still plentiful, they won't make good bartering items.
Badassery - 6.5/10 There's nothing like firing off 30 rounds from an AK while shouting 'Power to the People!'
General Use - 6/10 The AK is easy to maintain and easy to use. However, it's limited modularity, not exactly great accuracy and lower stopping power than .308 mark it down.
Overall - 26/40
AR-15s. Gas Piston[]
AR-15 Style rifles - Gas Piston
The AR-15 series of rifles was the American answer to the AK47. The modern group of AR15s are tactical, modular, and fire the 5.56 or .223 round, which is available all across the US. This round has a much higher muzzle velocity than the AK, and has a stabler trajectory out to its effective range, meaning it is much more accurate than an AK, especially with all of the scopes you can fit to it.
My Perfect AR15[]
The AR15 rifle of my choice would be an M16A4 (3 round burst is very good for the Zed), with a gas piston upper reciever instead of the direct impingement system. This would increase reliability dramatically, and also increase the dust and dirt resistance, and also increase the number of rounds fired through the gun before excess fouling needs to be cleaned out. I would put on an ACOG (Hopefully around 1-4 zoom), some decent BUIS, a Magpul AFG, or similar, and a tactical light of some kind. If possible, I would switch out the stock for a skeletal or collapsing one, and the birdcage for a Noveske or very short supressor to remove muzzle flash. A barrel length of 20 inches is long for CQB, but a collapsible stock and a side-arm will solve that problem.
Advantages[]
- The AR15 series of rifles are very modular, and you can fit nearlly anything you want to 5 total rail surfaces.
- The AR15s fire the common 5.56mm, and will also fire 2.23 with ease.
- Magazines are widely availble, any North American military centre, police department, gun store, and many civilians have hundreds of thousands of magazines.
- Parts. If you can't find a good replacement part for an M16A4, just grab a civilian AR15, or a police M4. All AR15 parts fit all AR15 rifles.
- Versatility. You can get 24.5 inch DMR barrels, right down to 10 inch SBR SOCOM types, making your AR15 perfect in CQB and long-range engagements.
Disadvantages[]
- Direct Impingement, the AR15's standard gas system, is vulnerable to dust and debris, making the gun less reliable. It is less of an issue on A3 and A4 models, but the AR15 still requires regular, and complicated cleaning.
- 5.56 stopping power. It's not the best round to use on the undead, rounds pass through, rather than smashing massive holes in things.
- If a piece of Bamboo can shatter an M16's round, there's a problem. I'm calling Disadvantage.
- The more attachments you add, the heavier the gun gets. And as this is not a bullpup, that means the gun is increasingly front heavy.
- That pesky buffer tube is a necessary part of the AR15, without it, the gun will not function. It means that folding stocks are not a possibility, and collapsible stocks can only go so far down.
Rating[]
Necessity - 8.5/10 Same as an AK, this is a staple weapon of armies worldwide. And ignoring the 5.56 can be a death sentence.
Survivalism - 5-7/10 The .223 is a good round for hunting, plus all the scopes will aid that too. If your AR has enough attachments, it will give you some hefty leverage in a bartering situation, otherwise, if ARs are still common, their prices will stay low.
Badassery - 5.5/10 ARs work best with some attachments. However, this makes the gun less Manly-Militant, and more Nerd-Tech Computing Rifle.
General Use - 5.5/10 This is an excellent rifle for sharpshooting, but the long and complex cleaning sessions do this rifle no good, especially without a gas piston upper.
Overall - 24-26.5/30, depending on attachments.
H&K G36[]
G36C (Top) MG36 (Bottom)
The H&K G36. This section will be completed shortly.