Zombie Apocalypse Guide

Ranged Weaponry

Ranged weapons provide a huge advantage in combat against both the undead and hostile survivors. Against the undead it provides an ability to eliminate them with the lowest risk of being infected. This chapter will discuss the advantages of different weapon platforms and bullet calibers. Despite the advantages and disadvantages of different firearms, the best firearm is often the one in which you know the best and is available.

(This chapter does not deal with grenades and other such throwable weapons as they are talked about elsewhere in the book)

First are prefered ranged weapons, (all lists are not ordered in any special way)

Carbines "Assault rifles" - Civilian semi-auto Ar-15s, Ak variants, and (if you can legally get your hands on one) military M4 or M16 service rifles and other rifles that have a fully automatic or burst option. These are the ideal weapon when fighting against either the undead or the living, as there is a multitude of reasons as to why they have eclipsed battle rifles and bolt action rifles as the service rifle of choice for most (if not all) militaries.

Their ammo is lighter than a battle rifle, but still has a significant range. Most can also accept bayonet attachments which turn them into spears. While some U.S States restrict magazine capacities, they can typically hold much more ammo than other options on this list when unrestricted.

A smaller caliber rifle round is more preferable then a larger caliber as a lot of ammo will be wasted trying to score headshots on the infected. Despite a higher caliber's increased lethality and range, a lighter rifle caliber will serve you much better. Ex: 556/223 is more preferable then 7.62×39. Additionally, a 556-chambered rifle is much more preferable to a 223-chambered rifle. As 556 and 223 can both be safely fired in a 556 rifle, but a 223 rifle can only safely fire 223. This is because the Military's 556 round has a higher pressure than 223 and despite its ability to be chambered in a 223 rifle, it can cause it to break or explode on you.

Bolt Action Rifles - While providing good accuracy and generally longer ranges than any other weapon on this list, they have a disadvantage of a slow rate of fire and a small magazine. They are only preferable if shooting long distance, but keep in mind that Long-distance shooting also requires ballistic calculations (such as accounting for wind speed and bullet drop over distance). A bolt action rifle with a detachable magazine is preferable to one with a strip-fed and built-in internal magazine.
For shooting long range you first need to know the minute of angle (MOA) per click of your scope. (Most adjust at 1/4 MOA or 1/8 a MOA). The formula you will use is 1 MOA = 1 inch / 100 yards. So if the target is 300 yards away and you are missing by 3 inches to the right. You would adjust your scope by 1 MOA to the left (3/300=1). So 4 clicks to the left with a 1/4 scope, or 8 clicks to the left with a 1/8 scope and record the amount of clicks you did and in what direction. Afterwards you will immedatly zero your scope by reversing the clicks. So if you did 2 clicks up and 1 click right, you zero you rscope by doing 2 clicks down and 1 click left, you should also record this change.

Battle Rifles - Rifles that are typically chambered in a higher caliber than carbines. This provides increased range and lethality, but at the cost of being able to carry less ammo and typically smaller magazines than carbines. The rifle itself also weighs more than carbines.

Machine Guns - Ignoring heavy machine guns such as those chambered in 50 cal or 20mm, a 7.62 or 556 chambered automatic machine gun will serve you well against both the living and the undead, assuming you are not traveling on foot and that you can spare the ammo it will eat through. Remember to fire in 7-round bursts (some people say phrases such as "die motherf#cker die" to time bursts) as it increases accuracy and reduces heat in the barrel. If firing for long periods of time a barrel change may be required in order to keep firing. Also, remember that machine guns are intentionally made to shoot without precision as it increases accuracy. Most machine guns do not have a semi-auto option, which can make it even more difficult to save ammo.