Yes, I realize I’ve been lax on blogging for quite some time, and I owe y’all another installment of my Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse series, among other things. However, this time I have a legitimate excuse for my non-posting!

First, a little bit of backstory. About eighteen months ago, George “The Mad Ogre” Hill started posting a story over on WeTheArmed.com. He called it ‘Uprising’ and it was about him and his family during a theoretical zombie apocalypse. Well, it didn’t take long for the thread to take off: multiple members began contributing to the thread, and others started their own spin-off threads. It got so huge (over 1200 posts) that George started up a new thread to continue his part of the story. The two “main” threads have accumulated nearly 2,000 posts and over 61,000 individual hits. So, yeah, it’s pretty huge over on WTA.

Anyway, I’m not sure of exactly how this went down, but last year George re-wrote his story in the first two threads and got them published by a small publishing house (Uprising USA and Uprising UK are both available on Amazon and through B&N, btw) and as I understand it, they’ve been huge hits. George is presently under contract for two more books in the series.

Now, the publisher knows that the stories started as threads on WTA, and he knows that many people have written their own stories in George’s universe. So, and again I’m not 100% sure how this came about, George and his publisher are going to put out an anthology of short stories set in the Uprising universe. And, as you’ve probably guessed already, I’m going to submit something.

So that’s the long and short (mostly long) of why I haven’t posted in a while. My short story, which is a major re-working of the two aborted storylines I posted on WTA a while back, is eating up a good chunk of my free time and nearly all of my creative juices. But I will get a post up soon. Probably the next installment in the STaZ series, maybe a few other things. Got something that’s been bugging me for the last few days; I’ll probably write on that as well. I know, I’ve said that before, but I’m serious this time. This thing just won’t let go.

So, until next time, peace.

-Raptor

As before, the standard disclaimer applies:  I am not a trained professional and offer this advice only as a thought exercise, not to be taken seriously. Unless, of course, the dead do actually rise. Actual results may vary, call your doctor if the condition lasts more than four hours, etc.

First and foremost, I’m gonna go against the grain (I think) and suggest staying away from military style MREs. Yes, they are nutritious, if not exactly delicious. Okay, some are right down nasty. The problem is that they can plug up your digestive system if you’re not used to them. Surviving the undead is hard enough with out massive constipation. Plus, they have gotten somewhat expensive and hard to find: genuine military MREs cannot be legally sold to civilians. Civilian versions do exist, but they usually don’t have as many carbs as their military counterparts, and they can get expensive. And while there are apparently ways to acquire “real” MREs, I strongly advise against it. When the stuff hits the fan, one place you do not want to be is on the government’s bad side.

Okay, so MREs are pretty much a no-go. What then? The answer may surprise you: regular canned goods. They’re cheap, legal, and readily available. Look for products that have a long shelf life and, if possible, come pre-cooked, though that last one isn’t really a necessity. And when you do use ‘em, save the cans. You never know what you might need an empty can for. Ordinary pasta also works, so long as you have a way to boil water. I’d go so far as to say that pasta is an excellent survival food: long shelf-life, easy prep (so long as you have a way to boil water), you can make as much or as little as you want/need, it’s relatively light weight, and above all, it’s high in carbohydrates. Carbs = calories, calories = energy, and energy = survival. Wait, what’s that? You don’t eat carbs? You don’t want to get fat? Tough cookies, sweetheart. The zombies don’t care if you look like a supermodel, they’ll eat you anyway. You wanna live? Eat the pasta!

Oh, ah, ahem… moving on…

So, canned goods and pasta, check. What else? I’m probably gonna surprise y’all with my next recommendation: salami. Yes, you read that right. Now, I don’t mean the salami slices you get from your local supermarket: I mean a whole salami, still in its casing. Salamis stay good literally for years: if you keep them in their casing, they can stay fresh for, and I’m not kidding here, up to ten years at room temperature. That could save your life, or at least your sanity, in any long-term survival situation. Once distribution networks break down, meat is going to be very hard to come by. Heck, salami might become the ultimate luxury food. Plus, it’s a fairly good source of protein.

One minor note of caution: while the salami will stay good for years, the taste does change over time. The longer a salami sits, the more “off” the taste gets. And it will only stay good if the casing remains completely intact. If the casing gets even a small tear, consume the meat within a week or it’ll go bad.

Okay, moving on. I know I said MREs are not my first choice, if you do insist on something “tactical,” I suggest Tactical Bacon and Tactical Sammiches from CMMG. The sandwiches are actually pretty nutritious, and let’s face it, who wants to survive the zombies if you can’t have bacon? Not I! Oh, and if you have little kiddies, check out these Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches in a Can. Yummy and nutritious with a (purported) 1 year shelf life, and what little kid (or kid at heart) doesn’t like a good PB&J sandwich?

(DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affiliated with CMMG, ThinkGeek.com, and/or whoever makes the Canned PB&Js)

But what about water? If your water supply gets contaminated, or if you find yourself mobile without ready access to water, what do you do? There are little gizmos that use ultraviolet light to purify canteens full of water, but I’m going to recommend against them solely because they run on batteries. No, check that, they will work just fine, but make sure you’ve got plenty of water purification tablets to back them up. Or if you’re out of batteries and tablets, you can always boil water to kill off any germs or parasites in the water. A warning about the tablets: they can make water taste pretty funky.

Wow, short post. At least compared to my mega weapons rambles. If I think of anything else, I’ll put up an addenum.

Part 3 will be up soon…ish. Haven’t quite decided what I’ll cover in that section. I’m leaning towards Picking a Survival Team, but that may change.

Until next time, peace.

-Raptor

It’s sad because it’s oh so true.

I’m strongly considering doing a post or series of posts about the sad state of modern society. No, not just because of this picture. Couple things, both on the intrawebz and In Real Life (IRL) have gotten me… well, pretty worked up. Okay, that’s an understatement: I was so pissed earlier that I think I almost gave myself a heart attack and/or stroke. But I’m gonna get my thoughts in order first, lest I go off on a rambling, incoherent rage-fest of a rant. So look for that in the next day or two.

And no, I haven’t forgotten about my Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse series; I’m doing research for Part 2: Food. Look for that in a few days as well.

Until then, peace.

-Raptor

NPR recently ran a story about an upcoming book on the Top 100 Cult Films of all time. Having looked over the list, I find some of the selections to be… questionable… and certain films that should be included are… not, but it’s still an okay list.

With that aside, here are the top 100 cult films according to this book. The ones in bold are the ones I’ve seen:

2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick, 1968
Akira, Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988
Angel of Vengeance, Abel Ferrara, 1981
Bad Taste, Peter Jackson, 1987
Baise-moi, Virginie Despentes, Coralie Trinh Thi, 2000
Begotten, E. Elias Merhige, 1991
Behind the Green Door, Artie Mitchell, Jim Mitchell, 1972
La belle et la bête, Jean Cocteau, 1946
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Russ Meyer, 1970
The Big Lebowski, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, 1998
Blade Runner, Ridley Scott, 1982
Blue Sunshine, Jeff Lieberman, 1978
Brazil, Terry Gilliam, 1985
Bride of Frankenstein, James Whale, 1935
The Brood, David Cronenberg, 1979
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, Robert Wiene, 1920
Café Flesh, Stephen Sayadian, 1982
Cannibal Holocaust, Ruggero Deodato, 1979
Casablanca, Michael Curtiz, 1942
Un chien andalou, Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí,1928
Coffy, Jack Hill, 1973
Daughters of Darkness, Harry Kümel, 1971
Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero, 1978
Deadly Weapons, Doris Wishman, 1974
Debbie Does Dallas, Jim Clark, 1978
Deep Red, Dario Argento, 1975
Dirty Dancing, Emile Ardolino, 1987
Django, Sergio Corbucci, 1966
Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly, 2001
Don’t Torture a Duckling, Lucio Fulci, 1972
Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton, 1990
Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, Aristide Massaccesi, 1977
Emmanuelle, Just Jaeckin, 1974
Enter the Dragon, Robert Clouse, 1973
Eraserhead, David Lynch, 1977
The Evil Dead, Sam Raimi, 1981
Fight Club, David Fincher, 1999
Flaming Creatures, Jack Smith, 1963
Freak Orlando, Ulrike Ottinger, 1981
Freaks, Tod Browning, 1932
Ginger Snaps, John Fawcett, 2000
The Gods Must Be Crazy, Jamie Uys, 1981
Godzilla, Ishirô Honda, 1954
The Harder They Come, Perry Henzell, 1972
Harold and Maude, Hal Ashby, 1971
Häxan, Benjamin Christensen, 1922
Hellraiser, Clive Barker, 1987
The Holy Mountain, Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1973
The House with the Laughing Windows, Pupi Avati, 1976
I Walked with a Zombie, Jacques Tourneur, 1943
Ichi the Killer, Takashi Miike, 2001
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh, 2008
Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Don Siegel, 1956
Invocation of My Demon Brother, Kenneth Anger, 1969
It’s a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra, 1946
The Killer, John Woo, 1989
Lady Terminator, H. Tjut Djalil, 1988
The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, 2001–3
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, George Miller, 1981
Man Bites Dog, Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde, 1992
Manos, the Hands of Fate, Harold P. Warren, 1966
The Masque of the Red Death, Roger Corman, 1964
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, 1975
Near Dark, Kathryn Bigelow, 1987
Nekromantik, Jörg Buttgereit, 1987
Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero, 1968
Pink Flamingos, John Waters, 1972
Piranha, Joe Dante, 1978
Plan 9 from Outer Space, Ed Wood, Jr, 1959
Re-Animator, Stuart Gordon, 1985
Reefer Madness, Louis Gasnier, 1936
Repo Man, Alex Cox, 1984
Ringu, Hideo Nakata, 1998
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jim Sharman, 1975
Rome Armed to the Teeth, Umberto Lenzi, 1976
The Room, Tommy Wiseau, 2003
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975
She Killed in Ecstasy, Jesús Franco, 1971
Showgirls, Paul Verhoeven, 1995
Soul Vengeance, Jamaa Fanaka, 1975
The Sound of Music, Robert Wise, 1965
Star Wars, George Lucas, 1977–2005
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, Todd Haynes, 1988
Suspiria, Dario Argento, 1977
Tank Girl, Rachel Talalay, 1995
Tetsuo, Shinya Tsukamoto, 1989
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tobe Hooper, 1974
This Is Spınal Tap, Rob Reiner, 1984
Thriller: A Cruel Picture, Bo Arne Vibenius, 1974
Thundercrack!, Curt McDowell, 1975
El Topo, Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970
The Toxic Avenger, Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman, 1984
Two-Lane Blacktop, Monte Hellman, 1971
Two Thousand Maniacs!, Herschell Gordon Lewis, 1964
The Vanishing, George Sluizer, 1988
Videodrome, David Cronenberg, 1983
The Warriors, Walter Hill, 1979
Witchfinder General, Michael Reeves, 1968
Withnail & I, Bruce Robinson, 1987
The Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming, 1939

Wow. Only 8. I need to step my game up. That said, those 8 are the only ones I’ve seen in their entirety; I’ve seen clips or large portions of several others.

So… how many of NPRs films have you seen? And which ones do you think are sorely lacking from the list? Personally, I think that Red Dawn, The Way of the Gun, and Army of Darkness (along with Evil Dead II) are conspicuously absent.

Okay, picking up from where we left of in StZA Part 1a, we now come to the second area of anti-zombie weaponry, the sidearm. Now, with the sidearm, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is my criteria for the ideal sidearm are not as specific as they were for the primary weapon. Bad news: the selection process is much more difficult as a result.

The ideal Z.A. sidearm, in my opinion, is a semi-automatic pistol in either 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP (9mm being preferable) with as large a magazine capacity as possible. I say go with an autoloader over a revolver for two reasons: a) you can reload an autoloader faster than a revolver with a minimum of practice, and b) autoloaders almost always hold more ammunition to a similarly-sized revolver. Yes, revolvers are theoretically more reliable, but a modern autoloader of decent quality that is in good working condition and fed decent ammo (basically, any non-junk gun that isn’t abused and fed crap cheapo ammo/overpowered or underpowered handloads) will function at near 100% reliability, and the majority of malfunctions can be cleared quickly and easily.

Now, caliber: There are other rounds out there besides the 9mm, .40, and .45, many of which are arguably as effective or more effective than those cartridges, but the 9, 40, and 45 are the three most common pistol rounds out there, which means ammo will be widely available and relatively cheap pre-Z.A. (though .45 has gotten pretty expensive) and will be easier to scrounge up post-Z.A. I mentioned that the 9mm is preferable because, while it is the least powerful of the three, it also has the least recoil, and pistols chambered in 9mm have a higher ammo capacity than either .40 or .45. And going back to stopping power for a moment, while it is true that the 9mm is inferior to the .40 and .45 when loaded with Full Metal Jacket bullets (AKA ball rounds) all three rounds perform about the same when loaded with modern hollowpoints, so IMO, you aren’t losing a whole heck of a lot by opting for greater mag capacity.

Now, here’s where the selection gets tricky; you need to find the pistol that you shoot best. Despite what the gun rags and internet commandos say, there is no ‘best’ handgun or a ‘one-size fits all’ pistol. You need to find the pistol that feels most comfortable in your hand and that you can shoot the best. For some, that might be a Glock 19 for Tom, a SIG-Sauer P226 for Dick, a 1911 for Larry, and a H&K P30 for Mary Sue. Roll with the gun that you shoot best with. This is going to mean trying out a whole bunch of guns before you buy one. Find a range that will let you rent different pistols, or borrow some from a friend/guy on the range. Keep trying until you find the right pistol for you.

Oh, and a quick note on pistol caliber carbines: if you decide you want to roll with one as your primary weapon and want to be able to use the same magazines as your sidearm, pick the handgun before you buy the carbine. I know it seems like common sense, but having a job that forces me to work with people on a daily basis, you’d be amazed at just how many people seem to completely lack common sense when it comes to things like that.

Okay, back on topic, my only real piece of advice when it comes to particular brands/models of handguns is to stay away from anything that is either brand-new on the scene or else very uncommon. Guns like the the CZ-75 and Browning Hi-Power are excellent firearms that just haven’t caught on with the American shooting community, so finding spare parts and magazines for them, both pre-and post-Z.A. can prove problematic. The same goes with brand-new models with the added bonus of the model possibly not having all of its teething problems worked out yet. Just look at Ruger: I don’t mean to pick on them, but it seems like every single model they’ve put out recently has been recalled to correct some safety issue or design flaw within months of its initial release. Pick a model that’s been on the market long enough to have had all those issues worked out.

Also, don’t even bother with handguns like the Kel-Tec PMR-30, FN Five-seveN, and the Desert Eagle. As far as the first two go, yes, they hold lots of ammo and have very little recoil, which makes headshots easier, but they have minimal stopping power, even with hollowpoints. Yes, I know said stopping power isn’t a primary consideration, but it shouldn’t be ignored entirely. The fact of the matter is, and I know I mentioned this in the last post but it bears repeating, you won’t be dealing solely with zombies. There will be other survivors out there, and not all of them are going to be friendly. You’re going to find yourselves confronted by survivors who will want nothing more than to kill you, rape your women, and steal everything you have (and if you’re very,very lucky, they’ll do it in that order). If you want to survive, you’re going to have to shoot it out with them. You’ll need a pistol that can put a pissed off 300 pound biker (Dawn of the Dead again) down hard. And incredible as it may seem, the 9mm has a proven reputation as a man-stopper. The .22 WMR and 5.7mm… don’t.

And per the Desert Eagle: don’t. Just, please, don’t. It’s heavy, bulky, has low ammo capacity, fires uncommon ammo (except the .357 variant, and we both know you ain’t thinkin’ about that one) had recoil ranging from unpleasant to brutal, has reliability issues, and is ammo-sensitive. Avoid at all costs. Or don’t. Your choice as to whether or not you want to be zombie food.

Again, just buying the pistol and ammo isn’t enough. You need to train your brains out. Even moreso than you did with your long gun, because shooting a pistol is a whole different animal.

Now, moving on to Melee Weapons. I’m gonna go against the grain here and say to avoid blades and use blunt instruments. Why? Well, two reasons. First and foremost, blades can stick in wounds. You don’t want to get your katana stuck inside a zombie’s torso, ’cause then your at bad-breath distance without a weapon. Basically, you’re lunch. Second, a lot of bladed weapons, such as swords, require a good deal of training to use correctly. Yes, I did say to train your brains out with the guns, but bladed weapons require literally years of dedicated study to wield effectively. Guns, not so much. Besides, how much training does it take to bash someone’s head in with a baseball bat or crowbar? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Now, a melee weapon can be pretty much anything. You’ll want it to be light enough that you can carry it with you without too much effort, but hard enough to literally crush skulls and durable enough to hold up to a whole lot of abuse. Oh, and long enough that you’ll be able to keep at least some distance from your target zombie. After that, it’s up to you. You can use a Louisville Slugger, a sledgehammer (if you can lift it), a crowbar, a tire iron, big tree branch, whatever. Me, I’m probably gonna roll with one of these:

It’s a Gunstock War Club from Cold Steel. It’s based on the gun stock clubs the Native Americans first used in the 16th Century. Let me tell you, these things are brutally effective. Remember the last fight scene in Last of the Mohicans, the one between Magwa and Chingachgook at the edge of the cliff? That’s a gruesomely accurate depiction of just how much damage one of these babies can inflict.

So, that finally does it for Part 1 of my StZA series. Part 2 will be along soon. Until then, peace.

-Raptor

All right, now that that’s out of the way, we’re going to start off with what is probably everyone’s favorite topic of discussion when prepping for the Z.A.: weapons. Let’s be honest, pretty much all zombie preparedness plan discussions eventually devolve into an argument over the ideal anti-zombie gun/sword/club/whatever. So, this seems like a logical place to start. I’m going to cover three ‘main’ weapons: the primary weapon, sidearm, and melee weapon.

First off, the primary weapon. This will probably be one of the few times I name a specific weapon or tool, but it is my belief that an AR-15 rifle or carbine chambered in 5.56mm NATO is the ideal zombie-apocalypse weapon. Now this isn’t just some arbitrary I-like-this-gun-the-best decision, I do have some logic behind this choice:

• 5.56mm NATO/.223 Remington ammunition is relatively lightweight and nearly universally available, and despite what you read on the Internet, has more than adequate stopping power, particularly when loaded with non-FMJ rounds.
• The AR-15 itself is a very light and handy weapon, provided you don’t go overboard and put a ton of accessories on it, with very moderate recoil, allowing for rapid follow-up shots.
• Again, despite what you read on the web, the AR is a very reliable weapon.
• It is a nearly-universal weapon, so finding accessories, magazines, ammo, parts, etc. pre-Z.A. is stupid simple. Similarly, because the M16, is issused by all branches of the military and most of the country’s police departments, so scrounging replacement parts, magazines, accessories, and ammunition should not prove terribly difficult.

Yes, I know Max Brooks says that the M1 Carbine is ideal, but take a look at his ‘research.’ He appears to base his support for the M1 off of a single incidents, which occured in the 1950s. Back then, the Carbine and it’s ammunition, the .30 Carbine round were readily available. Today, not so much. When was the last time you saw either an M1 or a box of .30 Carbine on the shelf of your local gun store, let alone at Wal-Mart? I rest my case.

Back to the AR now: there are some caveats. First, make sure the rifle is chambered in 5.56mm NATO rather than .223 Remington. The rounds are nearly identical, but there are some slight differences in casing and chamber specifications which cause the rounds to not be 100% interchangeable. Basically, you can safely chamber and fire .223 Remington in a 5.56mm NATO weapon, but while 5.56mm will chamber in a .223 weapon, it can cause the weapon to jam or even fail catastrophically (i.e. blow up in your face). Ammo you scavenge from an overrun military checkpoint will be 5.56mm NATO, and you’ll want to be able use that ammo in your rifle safely.

Second, don’t go overboard on accessorizing the rifle. Yes, there is a buttload of tacti-cool stuff you can slap on an AR, but too many accessories means too much weight, which compromises the AR’s advantage of being lightweight and handy. Two must-have accessories, in my opinion, are a good flashlight and an optical sight of some kind. There are literally hundreds of weaponlights  out there, and which one you pick is ultimately up to you, but I’d recommend either a new-generation Aimpoint red-dot sight or a Trijicon sight. The new Aimpoints have a battery life that lasts, depending on the model, anywhere from 3 to 8 years of continuous use (i.e. not ever turning the optic off), and the Trijicons don’t need battereis at all as they are powered by tritium, which will stay luminous for about ten years.

Also, if they’re legal in your area, you’ll want a sound suppressor. While this will prevent the zombies from honing in on your position, it will also mask your location from other survivors (not all of whom will be friendly, I guarantee it. Remember the bikers from Dawn of the Dead?) and most importantly, they’ll protect your hearing. Gunfire, particularly rapid semi- or full-auto gunfire, can permanently damage your ears, and you’re almost guaranteed to suffer at least temporary hearing loss if you fire a gun without ear protection on.

That said, if an AR-15 isn’t your thing, my next recommendation would be another type of semi-automatic rifle or carbine in 5.56mm, preferably one that either accepts or can be adapted to accept AR-15 magazines. While you loose the advantage of the near-ubiquity of the AR-15, and therefore nearly-universal spare parts, you retain the advantage of having readily available ammo and magazines (f the rifle takes AR mags), as well as light-to-moderate recoil.

If 5.56mm isn’t powerful enough for you, next on the list is either an AK-47 clone in 7.62×39 or a semi-automatic rifle in .308 Winchester. The AK and the 7.62x39mm cartridge are almost as common as the AR amongst civilian gun owners, though you won’t be finding spare parts or ammo at a military base. Make sure your AK is of good build quality, as many of the lower-end imports (Century Arms and Lancaster, for instance) have a history of spotty quality control. .308 Winchester is also a very common round, though more expensive than either 5.56/.223 or 7.62×39. There are a number of different semi-auto platforms available in this caliber, and 7.62mm NATO, which can be found at any military base, will chamber and feed safely in a .308 caliber rifle. Bear in mind, however, that the 7.62×39 and the .308 are larger than the 5.56/.223, which means you won’t be able to carry as much ammunition, and they have noticeably more recoil than the smaller round. Again, you’ll want a flashlight, optical sight, and suppressor (if legal) for your long gun.

Next on the list would be a pistol-caliber carbine of some sort. Examples include the Beretta CX4, AR-15s (yes, they come in pistol calibers) Kel-Tec SUB-2000, and the Sterling (especially the ones that Crusader Weaponry is putting 0ut). If possible, get one that uses the same caliber and magazine as your sidearm. Again, light, optic, and silencer (if legal) are all musts)

I realize I appear to be ignoring the venerable shotgun here in favor of the rifle/carbine. Don’t get me wrong; I think that shotguns are a useful weapon, and I’ll never debate their stopping power. That said, they have some inherent disadvantages when compared to a semi-auto rifle or carbine: they are very loud and darn-near impossible to suppress, most have a relatively low-ammunition capacity (about 8 rounds maximum), all have heavy recoil, and they are slow to reload (the Saiga-12 being the notable exception to that last point). Furthermore, shotgun shells are much heavier and bulkier than rifle or pistol ammunition, so you won’t be able to carry nearly as much ammo. If you are staying in a fortified position, then a shotgun would probably be much more ideal, but as a general-purpose weapon, in my view it falls short of a semi-auto carbine.

I also haven’t mentioned lever-action, bolt-action, or pump-action rifles or carbines. These will work adequately in a ZA, and any gun is better than no gun, but in my view they share many of the same shortcomings as the shotgun (low ammo capacity, low reload time, slower follow-up shots).

However, don’t feel like using an AR or other semi-auto rifle is the only way you’ll survive the zombies. It isn’t. Like they say, any gun is better than no gun. If all you’ve got is Daddy’s old .30-30 lever gun, learn how to run that gun as best you can. Any gun is better than no gun.

One more very important point: simply buying a long gun and stocking up on ammo won’t be enough. All the guns and ammo in the world won’t do you one iota of good if you don’t know how to use it safely, let alone effectively. So learn how to use it. Find someone, preferably an NRA-certified instructor, to teach you. Take classes. If it’s feasible financially, take some advanced ‘tactical’ courses like the ones offered by Front Sight and Magpul Dynamics. But above all else, LEARN HOW TO USE THE DAMN GUN!

One last thing on firearms, and all weapons in general: despite what George Romero says, headshots are not the only effective hits on zombies. Yes, for many types of zombies (28 Days Later-style ‘infected’ zombies being the exception) headshots are the only guaranteed way to kill a zombie, but they are not the only way to stop one. Bullets don’t magically not work on a zombie’s body, they will do damage. A round into the hip will break a zombie’s pelvis and knock it down, a round through the spine will more than likely sever the spinal cord. Body shots will slow a zombie down, and in some cases they may do more damage against the undead than they would on a living person. Since the zombies are all corpsified and dried out, their tissues lack the elasticity of normal human flesh, which means larger permanent wound cavities, which basically means the bullet does more damage. So if you can’t nail the headshot, don’t panic. Center-of-mass shots can slow a zombie down long enough for you to either leave the area or finish the zombie off.

Wow. This post is now 1600+ words long and I’ve only covered primary weapons. I’m gonna have to split this topic into two posts. Part 1b: Sidearms and Melee Weapons will be up ASAP. Until then, peace.

-Raptor

Besides work, I have been writing. Not as much as I’d like to be, but writing nonetheless. My novel, which I am no longer calling Dead Reckoning  is on hold, partly because it turns out that’s also the title of one of the True Blood books, and no way is my novel sharing the name of a vampire romance book. Mostly it’s because I’m working on grad-school applications (rather halfheartedly, I must confess) and some short stories. I’ve done some research, and it’s my understanding that getting a short story published in a periodical or anthology is much easier than getting a novel published, and publishing houses are more likely to consider a submitted manuscript if the author already has several works in print. The one piece I’m working on right now I’m going to submit to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, so I’ll let y’all know how that turns out.

On a more blog-related note, I’ve recently developed a… fascination, for want of a better word, with zombies. Specifically, the zombie apocalypse and how to survive it.  Some of you long-time readers (if there are any left…) might remember last year when I became briefly involved with George Hill’s Uprising thread over on We The Armed. Incidentally, Uprising USA and it’s sequel, Uprising UK are both available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions, but I digress. Between that thread and playing Humans vs. Zombies on campus, I’ve become more and more intrigued by zombies and the zombie apocalypse, and getting back to my original point, I feel a series of posts coming on about Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness. Weapons, supplies, strategies/tactics, etc.

This will be happening, I give you my word. Look for the first post, which will probably be weapons-related, to go up in the next few days (probably tomorrow, as that’s my day off this week.) Until then, peace.

-Raptor

There are many who hold you in contempt. From the halls of  government to suburbia to college dorms, many citizens of this nation are, at best apathetic and at worst openly resent and mock you and your service.

But not all of us are like that.

We get it. We understand what you have gone through, what you continue to suffer through. We know what you and your loved ones have sacrificed for us. And we know why: so that we, people you have never met — and in all likelihood will never meet — can be free.

We thank you. From the bottoms of our hearts and with every fiber of our souls, we thank you. And we will never forget you. May God bless you and yours.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Philadelphia area, we usually don’t get snow until late January or early February. The local meteorologists sometimes predict snow as early as November, but if we get any, it’s never anything more than a few flurries. We haven’t had any snow accumulate on the ground in October since the 1940s.

So… Global Warming/Climate Change… the Earth’s temperature is increasing… uh huh… melting ice caps and dying polar bears…. right, sure… no more snow, ever… *snort!*

Al Gore can come up here and kiss my… *examines posterior* …okay, if I had a fat ass, Al Gore could come up here and kiss it.

The show was a lot smaller this time; it was down on the lower level of the convention center, which is smaller than the main concourse. So there were fewer retailers this time. Took 40 minutes to go through all the tables instead of the hour and a half plus to took back in April.

Didn’t handle as many firearms this time, either. No handguns at all. Long guns; a whole mess of AR-15s including a pre-ban Colt SP1, some AR-10s, a few AKs, some Mossberg 500/590 shotguns, a Remington ACR, an FN FS2000, and an FAL of some kind.

I actually ran into a few friends from school, which surprised me because I thought they weren’t coming. It was great to catch up with them, especially since we haven’t seen each other since I graduated in May. My one friend is doomed, though; he brought his girlfriend to the show, and while she’s kinda into guns, she got pretty bored after a while, and he was having her hold rifle after rifle to find one that would be a good fit for her. So, anyway, the point of that story is that when they were leaving, one of the other guys in our group said as a joke that he should take his girlfriend to DSW and buy her some shoes. Girlfriend perked up and said “I love DSW!” Last I saw of them, the rest of the guys were helping her make a list of all the shoes she wanted/needed.

Yeah, like I said, he’s doomed.

Anyway, I actually bought something at the show this year! No, I didn’t get a gun (Mama Raptor told me straight up, “If you buy a gun, don’t come home. We will throw you out of the house.) but I did get a pocket knife. Specifically, a Benchmade Mini-Griptilian, Model 556 (modified drop-point, satin stainless blade, black handles). It’s a sweet little knife, I really like it. And I got a great deal on it too; MSRP is $95, but the seller had them marked at $62 and change. Came to about $68 after taxes. Of course, he was selling the real cheapo knives for $25+, so he could afford to sell the expensive knives at a loss.

Joined the NRA while I was there too. Got myself a one-year membership. I know some people dont’ think too highly of the NRA, but when it comes down to it, they are the 800 pound gorilla in the pro-gun rights lobby, so I figure it was worth it. Got myself a nice had and a subscription to American Rifleman out of it too.

Anyway, thoughts:

• The FS2000 and ACR are surprisingly solid-feeling guns.
• The PS-90 would probably be the ideal anti-zombie rifle if the ammo was more common.
• If I ever custom-build myself an AR-15, I’m going to put the old A1 style stock and triangular handguards on it. I love the look and feel of them, and that Colt AR-15 SP1 I handled was really light, handy, and maneuverable.
• On the same topic, I want an AR-15 with at least mid-length handguards. And polymer ones, too: the railed guards are really heavy!
• Seattle-manufactured Detonics Combat Masters = Sexiest looking handgun ever. And I will own one someday!

I was kind of sad when I left the show, as this will be the last Valley Forge Gun Show ever. The show itself isn’t going away, but the venue is: the Valley Forge Convention Center is closing down, and a casino is being constructed in its place. The show itself is relocating to Lancaster County, which means my chances of going decrease tremendously. Not that Lancaster County is very far away from me, but I live literally ten minutes from the soon-to-be-a-casino Convention Center, so it was incredibly convenient for me. Alas, no more.

Anyway, that’s all for tonight. I’ll see about getting a review of my Benchmade up in a few days. Oh, and I’ll do one of my NOOK too. Got one of thoss on Wednesday as a much-belated graduation gift.