Could a airgun specifically a high end pcp be good for a zombie apocalypse? And if so what would be the minimum caliber and energy level you would recommend.
Airguns for shtf
- Thread starter Jayjay.22cal
- Start date
@Jayjay.22cal , actually answering your question is categorically not allowed on this forum - any discussion of use of air guns for self-defense. There, I had to get serious for a moment - sorry.
I appreciate your levity in your responses so good on you. If you actually wanted to ask about air guns for survival / subsistence hunting, then that is a different matter and frequently discussed. The energy and bore size generally goes up with the size of the animal you want to hunt. You can make your own inferences and comparisons based on that.
Regards and Happy New Year,
Feinwerk
I appreciate your levity in your responses so good on you. If you actually wanted to ask about air guns for survival / subsistence hunting, then that is a different matter and frequently discussed. The energy and bore size generally goes up with the size of the animal you want to hunt. You can make your own inferences and comparisons based on that.
Regards and Happy New Year,
Feinwerk
Last edited:
Upvote 0
I’m a horror/fantasy writer. I’ve written books, screenplays and for TV. Some of that has involved zombies. This probably makes me the closest thing to an expert on the zombie apocalypse you’re going to find on this forum. Given how many veterans, law enforcement, and wilderness survival experts hang out on AGN, this says a lot about the relative threat of zombies, which is to say there is zero.
Given all that, and seeing as my family is still asleep and I’m not working today—and because I enjoy speculating about made up stuff—here’s my attempt at an answer to the question of how air guns could play a role in surviving a zombie apocalypse.
And hey Mods—this is all make believe. Happy new year.
The first thing to consider is what kind of zombies we’re dealing with. If we’re talking about original Dawn of the Dead or Walking Dead zombies, which sort of limp around at the speed of smell, are weak enough to be shoved away, are in some state of decomposition, and possess no problem solving or organizational skills, then the rate of survival is going to be higher. In fact, the likelihood of an initial outbreak spreading into a pandemic will be low (depending on location; see below). In this scenario, even bolt action PCPs may play a role in staving off slow moving zombies that wander into your jurisdiction, and semi autos will probably be sufficient in dealing with small to medium sized hordes—assuming you have enough cover to gas up and are physically fit enough to use a hand pump or otherwise have access to longterm backup power.
If on the other hand we’re talking about 28 Days Later/Dawn of the Dead remake/I am Legend type zombies, who can sprint as fast as Usain Bolt, charge through double-thick panes of glass, climb or otherwise navigate obstacles and coordinate their attacks, I’m afraid it matters very little what kind of gun you have or how many—air or otherwise. You’re simply going to be overrun (again, depending on location) and probably don’t survive long enough to get to the long phase of slow survival that airguns would be most useful for (more below).
Which brings us to the second point, which is location. The folks who survive the initial zombie outbreak are those who live in rural areas. It truly is just a numbers game on population density. If you live in a city or a highly populated suburb, 1) your movement is going to be severely restricted which will make it harder to escape hairy situations, 2) the sheer number of zombies encountered will be higher, which increases your odds of being bitten, 3) these urban/suburban areas are entirely depended on transportation infrastructure to receive resources like food, water and medicine, which will add 4) an increase in encounters with other desperate non-zombie people for control of those dwindling resources, and additional risk factors.
On the other hand, if you live in a rural area, you really have a decent shot of making it through the initial outbreak. This will be increased or decreased depending on one major factor: your relationship with your neighbors. If you’re on good terms with the people and families who border your land, and can organize watch parties, defenses, resource sharing and just general socialization, you’re in good shape. If you’re truly isolated, or have been a dick to your neighbors in the past, then you might be in trouble; let’s say you run out of something, or injure yourself, or get sick—who is going to provide that missing item or watch your back while you recover if you’re not on good terms with your neighbors? At that point it doesn’t matter how many airguns or powder burners you have. You’re screwed.
But assuming you don’t live in a densely populated area and survive the initial outbreak, are secluded but not isolated, and the zombies themselves obey the classic zombie prototypes of slow movement and death by brain destruction, then we’re finally talking about how airguns might be useful. After the first year or a zombie outbreak, the focus of survivors is going to shift away from panic and triage into long term survival. This will include in order of importance from most to least: access to clean water, access to clean food, access to medicine, shelter, defenses again non-zombie marauders and, lastly, defenses against zombies. If you noticed there, dealing with zombies at that point is dead last on the order of importance. Before that is dealing with non-zombie people who will want to take your stuff, who—if they’ve survived that long—will be exceedingly cut throat and dangerous. Of course so will you. Now without violating forum rules, I will say that the role of airguns in that particular department is limited though not entirely zero. However, they will be useful in avoiding encounters with marauders to begin with due to their quietness. You can hunt—especially small game—without drawing attention, and even pick off wandering zombies from your property in relative silence. This is important because once those bands of blood thirsty marauders start to form after the first year, your only real shot at surviving them is to avoid them altogether. They are going to be profoundly heavily armed, and will include almost entirely young, family-less men, who are, while not necessarily the most dangerous type of person (I personally think the most dangerous type of person is a parent whose child is in danger) undoubtedly the most unpredictable.
So airguns for perimeter maintenance and small game hunting in rural areas for the long term is really all we’re looking at here. If we’re talking about Walking Dead-type zombies in some state of decay, with soggy skulls and who seem to be stopped just by poking them in the brain, then even a good springer could pick them off. If we’re talking about 28 Days Later-type zombies whose skulls are healthy and intact, and who need their brains completely destroyed in order to be killed, you’ll need a more powerful PCP ideally .357 putting out 150+ FPE, and even then you’re taking a risk.
Being able to cast your own slugs/pellets is a plus. As the years unfurl—turning into decades—access to powder bullets will dwindle, and airguns may in fact become a tactical advantage over bows and arrows—assuming you can maintain their functionality. This will mean springers over PCPs in the long term. More likely, trapping for both game and errant zombies will become the more efficient strategy.
Eventually, larger communities will start to re-form, but by then whoever is left will be highly sufficient in using and maintaining their weapon of choice. For some this may be airguns, but will far more likely be arrows, spears or swords.
I also suggest learning how to enjoy reading books if you don’t already, since without unlimited access to electricity, a good book will be the only thing standing between you and complete boredom-induced insanity.
Given all that, and seeing as my family is still asleep and I’m not working today—and because I enjoy speculating about made up stuff—here’s my attempt at an answer to the question of how air guns could play a role in surviving a zombie apocalypse.
And hey Mods—this is all make believe. Happy new year.
The first thing to consider is what kind of zombies we’re dealing with. If we’re talking about original Dawn of the Dead or Walking Dead zombies, which sort of limp around at the speed of smell, are weak enough to be shoved away, are in some state of decomposition, and possess no problem solving or organizational skills, then the rate of survival is going to be higher. In fact, the likelihood of an initial outbreak spreading into a pandemic will be low (depending on location; see below). In this scenario, even bolt action PCPs may play a role in staving off slow moving zombies that wander into your jurisdiction, and semi autos will probably be sufficient in dealing with small to medium sized hordes—assuming you have enough cover to gas up and are physically fit enough to use a hand pump or otherwise have access to longterm backup power.
If on the other hand we’re talking about 28 Days Later/Dawn of the Dead remake/I am Legend type zombies, who can sprint as fast as Usain Bolt, charge through double-thick panes of glass, climb or otherwise navigate obstacles and coordinate their attacks, I’m afraid it matters very little what kind of gun you have or how many—air or otherwise. You’re simply going to be overrun (again, depending on location) and probably don’t survive long enough to get to the long phase of slow survival that airguns would be most useful for (more below).
Which brings us to the second point, which is location. The folks who survive the initial zombie outbreak are those who live in rural areas. It truly is just a numbers game on population density. If you live in a city or a highly populated suburb, 1) your movement is going to be severely restricted which will make it harder to escape hairy situations, 2) the sheer number of zombies encountered will be higher, which increases your odds of being bitten, 3) these urban/suburban areas are entirely depended on transportation infrastructure to receive resources like food, water and medicine, which will add 4) an increase in encounters with other desperate non-zombie people for control of those dwindling resources, and additional risk factors.
On the other hand, if you live in a rural area, you really have a decent shot of making it through the initial outbreak. This will be increased or decreased depending on one major factor: your relationship with your neighbors. If you’re on good terms with the people and families who border your land, and can organize watch parties, defenses, resource sharing and just general socialization, you’re in good shape. If you’re truly isolated, or have been a dick to your neighbors in the past, then you might be in trouble; let’s say you run out of something, or injure yourself, or get sick—who is going to provide that missing item or watch your back while you recover if you’re not on good terms with your neighbors? At that point it doesn’t matter how many airguns or powder burners you have. You’re screwed.
But assuming you don’t live in a densely populated area and survive the initial outbreak, are secluded but not isolated, and the zombies themselves obey the classic zombie prototypes of slow movement and death by brain destruction, then we’re finally talking about how airguns might be useful. After the first year or a zombie outbreak, the focus of survivors is going to shift away from panic and triage into long term survival. This will include in order of importance from most to least: access to clean water, access to clean food, access to medicine, shelter, defenses again non-zombie marauders and, lastly, defenses against zombies. If you noticed there, dealing with zombies at that point is dead last on the order of importance. Before that is dealing with non-zombie people who will want to take your stuff, who—if they’ve survived that long—will be exceedingly cut throat and dangerous. Of course so will you. Now without violating forum rules, I will say that the role of airguns in that particular department is limited though not entirely zero. However, they will be useful in avoiding encounters with marauders to begin with due to their quietness. You can hunt—especially small game—without drawing attention, and even pick off wandering zombies from your property in relative silence. This is important because once those bands of blood thirsty marauders start to form after the first year, your only real shot at surviving them is to avoid them altogether. They are going to be profoundly heavily armed, and will include almost entirely young, family-less men, who are, while not necessarily the most dangerous type of person (I personally think the most dangerous type of person is a parent whose child is in danger) undoubtedly the most unpredictable.
So airguns for perimeter maintenance and small game hunting in rural areas for the long term is really all we’re looking at here. If we’re talking about Walking Dead-type zombies in some state of decay, with soggy skulls and who seem to be stopped just by poking them in the brain, then even a good springer could pick them off. If we’re talking about 28 Days Later-type zombies whose skulls are healthy and intact, and who need their brains completely destroyed in order to be killed, you’ll need a more powerful PCP ideally .357 putting out 150+ FPE, and even then you’re taking a risk.
Being able to cast your own slugs/pellets is a plus. As the years unfurl—turning into decades—access to powder bullets will dwindle, and airguns may in fact become a tactical advantage over bows and arrows—assuming you can maintain their functionality. This will mean springers over PCPs in the long term. More likely, trapping for both game and errant zombies will become the more efficient strategy.
Eventually, larger communities will start to re-form, but by then whoever is left will be highly sufficient in using and maintaining their weapon of choice. For some this may be airguns, but will far more likely be arrows, spears or swords.
I also suggest learning how to enjoy reading books if you don’t already, since without unlimited access to electricity, a good book will be the only thing standing between you and complete boredom-induced insanity.
Upvote 0
That was an excellent read.
I believe there are very few that can survive very long term scenarios, even without mythical zombies. I’m happy to go in the first wave.
Upvote 0
Never said anything about airguns for self defense the topic is shtf witch could be zombies, rabbid animals etc it’s nothing to do with killing humans.
Upvote 0
Thanks for the read that was by far the best response and it’s all hypothetical and just a cosplay question honestly lol so I don’t understand why the one guy commented saying airguns can’t be talked about for self defense when in reality zombies aren’t real so it’s just a what if question nothing about using airguns for “self defense” as self defense applies to a human or rabbid animal attacker and that was never brought up.
Upvote 0
They so the killer rabbits like on South Park don't exist. By I utilize self defense against those crazy things all the time......lol
Upvote 0
I’m always hearing a mix of things and a lot of the firearm community believe in fpe per every pound of an animal needed for an ethical dispatch but I’ve taken raccoons with sub 12 fpe airguns and we don’t get hogs here in my state so I watch the videos of them being hunted and seen some big hogs took with just a 22 springer so what is your take on that?
Upvote 0
Big hogs with a 22 springer? Post a link.
I saw Keith Warren shooting small ones with springers but he is one of the paid by companies y-tubers. How many did he wound to get his video? One other guy I saw it was more about his own ego and the said he will shoot a big hog with a springer, never happened.
Upvote 0
Upvote 0
If that .177 springer can drop that 300 ib pig I’m sure it wouldn’t have much trouble out to 15-20 yards with a single headshot on a hog.
Upvote 0
Jip, Keith Warren. He shot a small one there, not more than 20 pound as he said in the video if I remember correctly, it was more than a year since I saw it.
The last one is the guy with the ego I talked about. Also a small one.
The domestic pig I saw before as well, it was with the muzzle against the pig's head, not a hunting wild hog scenario and not very ethical in my opinion.
The last one is the guy with the ego I talked about. Also a small one.
The domestic pig I saw before as well, it was with the muzzle against the pig's head, not a hunting wild hog scenario and not very ethical in my opinion.
Upvote 0
Only having an air rifle is a quick way to become a member of the horde. If we go by fictional representation, 99% of us are horde and not survivor. Just the facts.
My planning is to have the right costume on to be a ridiculous looking member of the horde.
My planning is to have the right costume on to be a ridiculous looking member of the horde.
Upvote 0
He doesn’t even say what they weighted in at why are you so pressed bun? And seemed pretty ethical to me the pig let out the death croak and was completely gone not even a slight nerve reflex and even than it would have still been ethical and the guy with the “ego” is just showing it can be done and was a decent sized hog I would go as far to say that was a medium sized hog there’s definitely bigger hogs out there but that wasn’t no baby my guy
Upvote 0
Like I said, it was more than a year ago I saw that video of Keith, and the other one. There are other videos of him shooting hogs with air rifles as well, could be one of those he mentioned the weight.
I don't think it is ethical to do something on video just to show it can be done to get viewer count. I am hunting since the 1970's, in fact my first impala I shot in 1973. Since then I was taught the ethical code in hunting and bringing down animals and that is what I teach forward. I will not do anything else and don't expect others to do it. We get enough badmouth from the anti hunt community and should do things in a way that they cannot point fingers. Bragging rights on stupidity is not part of it.
Upvote 0