Zombie Fighting Tactics - Using Firearms Against Zombies

When it comes to fighting Zombies, it's natural to assume that you'll prevail if you have a firearm.  You'll reason that you can use a firearm to deliver precision shots to the head that will put Zombies down permanently.  Firearms also offer a powerful advantage in that they can be used to dispatch Zombies from a distance.

Key Numbers to Know When Using Guns Against Zombies

However, the advantages of firearms in a Zombie fight can be deceiving.  You have to consider firearms use by the numbers.  Here are some of the numbers that you'll want to consider:

1) Your firearms magazine capacity.
2) The number of accessible and loaded magazines.
3) The number of Zombies in sight.
4) The distance to the Zombies.
5) The effective range of your weapon.
6) The time it takes to bring your weapon to bear.
7) The number of accurate head shots that you can make per second.
8) The time it takes for you to reload your weapon.
9) The number of Zombies within earshot of a gunshot.

A Zombie Horde - By Martin SoulStealer from London, England (The Horde) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Firearms Use Scenario - Zombie Apocalypse

Let's say you are in a developed urban area.  You have a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol with 15 rounds load and two additional loaded 15-round magazines.  You encounter a group of 30 zombies who are about 100 feet away from you.  Each zombie can cover 50 feet in 5 seconds.  It takes you two seconds to change magazines.  You can get off one accurate head shot per second.  In ten seconds you can kill 10 zombies, but 20 remaining zombies reach you.  If you double your rate of fire, you kill 20 zombies, but 10 zombies remain to kill you.

Zombie Math  - Why People Lose Against Zombies

The math gets even worse.  Once you start shooting, you might attract the attention of all the zombies in a 1000 foot radius.  Even if you attract 90 more zombies from 1000 feet away, if they move at you, they can reach your location in only 1 minute and 40 seconds!  Even if you survived the first assault, you now have to face a second wave with less ammunition.  Each shot is a beacon for more zombies to come your way.

Firearms Tactics Against Zombies

Here are a few tactics that may help you avoid being overwhelmed by Zombies:

1.  Concentrate Firepower.  When using a guns against Zombies, it doesn't pay to take on Zombies alone.  If you have multiple shooters, you have a higher rate of fire and a better chance of dropping the Zombies before they reach your firing position.

2. Shoot and Scoot.  Once you start shooting in an urban or suburban area, you are going to attract more and more Zombies.  To avoid getting swarmed, have a plan to rapidly exit the area to avoid being ovewhelmed.

Spartan APC SWAT Team Vehicle - By Jamesw007 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

3. Fire to Redirect Zombies.  Since Zombies are going to be attracted to the sound of gunfire, consider fighting them at a location away from your home base.  If you are going to shoot at Zombies, pick a battle location that will draw Zombies away from your camp.

4. Use Sound Suppressors.  Anything that you can do to minimize the sound of your firearm will help to minimize the number of Zombies that will be drawn into the fight.  You can pay the applicable taxes and get the permits needed to own a sound suppressor or you can improvise by sound proofing shooting positions.