Best Zombie Defense Guns

Yeah I know, this sounds a little immature for a lot of you looking for more serious content. But there's no reason we couldn't have a little fun sprinkled in to our "what if" scenarios.

When you search the internet for "Best Zombie Defense Guns" you'll get one of three articles:
Article One is written by a guy that thinks that everyone has immediate access to the most powerful and expensive weapons on the planet (flamethrower, Barrett 50, grenade launcher, and a mini gun). Article Two written by the guy that is just a Glock or Springfield XD fanboy who just lists different models of similar pistols (Glock 17 & 19). Article Three is written by the guy who doesn't realize that the zombie apocalypse will involve walking and thinks that an all wood and steel Mosin Nagant with attached bayonet is a great choice.
I've had enough! Now I'm going to try to do this the right way. I'll be listing off items that you can actually purchase easily and will adequately protect you if the dead do indeed begin to rise.
Here are the important traits I'm looking for in my zombie firearm guide:

1. Reliability
2. Capacity
3. Firearm Availability & availability of spare parts
4. Weight

First, let me lay out the type of zombie that we're up against. In usual undead fashion, the zombies are...well... dead. Which means that hitting them in the torso is just a waste of time since the only thing that seems to be functioning are basic motor skills. You have to aim for the head. These "realistic" zombies will be slow moving and attracted to noises. If you've seen the Walking Dead, I'm going for that style zombie.

As for the firearm choices; nobody expects you to have each one of the ones that I list. This is just a compilation of some of what I think are the most useful firearms in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

Rifles

Ruger 10/22 Takedown - .22 Long Rifle
You need a .22 Long Rifle weapon. While dangerous, the undead are very frail creatures.
A one-shot stop can be achieved with the smallest and most common of rounds. And .22 ammo is easy to find and almost any outdoor store. You NEED a 10/22.  It's an extremely popular and lightweight rifle. Spare parts can be found everywhere. Plus, you can get a magazine to hold at least 30 rounds of .22 LR. With a Ruger 10/22 Takedown, you can field-strip it in a matter of seconds if you have a problem. Some people usually add the Marlin Survival Rifle to this list because it can be folded up in to one easy-to-carry package, but I disagree. Why would you need to fold up your rifle in a zombie apocalypse? Keep it out and ready at all times!

Remington 700 - .308 or larger caliber
Some people concentrate on ONLY the killing of zombies when making their survival weapon list, and standard bolt-action rifles rarely make the cut. But a Remington 700 in a large caliber will be a

necessity if you want to harvest food. The 700 is known worldwide as one of the most reliable bolt-actions available and can be acquired without too much hassle. Not only do you need to have a good rifle, but you need it in a large caliber. The last thing you want is to hit a deer with a .243 and have it run for a mile in the woods before it dies. Odds of survival are slim in the woods and there is a chance that the undead will find your kill before you do. Keep a .308 or larger on hand when hunting. Deer are good at avoiding trouble (except for cars) so you can count on there being plenty of them around during a zombie apocalypse.

Bushmaster Carbon 15 - 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington
Since the world has turned upside down in this theoretical zombie-infested hellscape, there are no laws that anyone needs to follow. You need to be ready for ANY threat, living or not. That's where

the AR-15 comes in. It is a solution to most problems that you may encounter. It can be used for hunting or self-defense. Ammo and parts are inexpensive and abundant. One overlooked feature of the AR-15 is that you can teach anyone to use it. It's lightweight and low-recoil nature is perfect for someone who wants maximum defense, but is recoil sensitive; someone small in stature or possibly even injured. I'm going to use my own AR-15, the Bushmaster Carbon 15, as a good example. Since the upper and lower are made from a carbon composite, it weights a mere 5 pounds.

Pistols

Ruger 22/45 Lite - .22 Long Rifle
I don't think there's another pistol out there that is more perfect for a zombie apocalypse than the Ruger 22/45 Lite. As stated in the name, this gun weighs-in at around 22oz and can hold 10 or more
rounds of .22LR depending on the magazine. This low weight can be attributed to the polymer frame and lightweight aluminum upper receiver. Some variants of the 22/45 comes with rear adjustable target sights and a HiViz optic front sight. You can also add a Picatinny rail to the top if you want to have an additional pistol optic. However, the most important feature is that you can get it with a threaded barrel to accommodate a suppressor. Could it possibly get any better than that??

Walther PPQ - 9mm
There will be a time when you need self-defense at a moment's notice. When you're taken by surprise with your back against the wall, you need a weapon you can count on. You need a light, reliable, hi-capacity, 9mm pistol to keep with you at all times. That's when the PPQ comes in.

You can bet that after 17+1 rounds of zombie headshots, you'll be able to clear your way out of most situations. So why the Walther PPQ as opposed to a Glock or other polymer pistol? Mostly because of ergonomics. You might lack the ability to find an abundance of spare parts, but the PPQ is known for having the best feel of any polymer pistol on the market. Because of this, it can be picked up by someone with little experience and used effectively. It doesn't have an external safety to worry about, just that one on the trigger to prevent accidental discharges if dropped. I chose a polymer gun purely because of weight. However, if you happen to have a Glock already or come across one in the post-apocalyptic world, get it! Police stations can be a great place to find some spare parts if needed.

Glock fanboy: "But Glocks are invincible and you shouldn't need any spare parts!" - Shut up.   

Why 9mm? Capacity primarily, but also because .22LR is a rimfire cartridge that isn't always reliable. There's no denying that .45 ACP is a good round, but as stated earlier, zombies are frail creatures. You don't need to put a large hole in your target if a small one will do the same job. When it comes down to human self-defense, I'll still choose 9mm over .45 ACP - but I've already written about that in another post.

*Optional - Pocket Pistol - 9mm or .380 ACP
It can't hurt to have a small backup pistol inside your waistband or on your ankle in case you need to drop everything and run. If all your other weapons are out of reach, your little pocket pistol is at your service. Again, caliber is not too important as long as you have reliability and the highest capacity possible. Gun pictured is a Sig Sauer P238 Rosewood model in .380 ACP.

Shotguns

*Shotguns are not ideal for a zombie apocalypse. They're usually large, heavy, and loud with low capacity magazines. But shotguns are relatively inexpensive firearms and their shells are some of the easiest to come by, so I'm including one. They also can serve as wonderful hunting tools.

Mossberg 500 - 12 Gauge
After walking a day in ZombieLand, you find a great abandoned house to stay the night. But before you can relax, you need to sweep the area. A reliable pump-action shotgun is the perfect tool to clear a building. The Mossberg 500 is a great and inexpensive choice for this. Be sure to get one with an extended magazine! *electronic earmuffs are recommended, especially if using it inside.*

Revolvers

None.
Of course any firearm is better than nothing, but unless you have a tiny revolver as your *optional* pocket gun, I would advise you to stay away from revolvers if possible. They might be reliable, but they're usually very heavy, very loud, have low capacity, and they take longer to reload than the average semi-automatic pistol. That being said, if a revolver is your only weapon, then by all means have it with you. But be warned, ammo will be more scarce and you will really need to choose your shots carefully. 

Honorable Mentions

Beretta Cx4 Storm - 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP
Here's one I REALLY wanted to add to my zombie gun list. Just like most other pistol caliber carbines, the Cx4 can accept magazines from the pistol in the family lineup, the Px4 Storm. I didn't add the Px4 to the list because I feel that a striker is a quicker responder in an emergency situation, but if you happen to have both weapons, you've got a great setup. Throw a magazine into the carbine and you have a super accurate, shoulder-mounted zombie destroyer that won't eat up all of your precious high-powered ammo and it weighs less than most other Modular Sporting Rifles. Only reason it was omitted from the list is because spare parts will be very tricky to find. Also, if you happen to be running only one magazine (bad idea to only have one) between your carbine and pistol, and you accidentally break the mag, you're automatically down two weapons instead of just one. Too many variables to add to my list.

Lever-Action rifles
I love lever-action rifles. They're usually not too heavy and they can hold a decent amount of ammo in the tube magazine. I excluded them from the lineup because there are simply better options. Why choose a Golden Boy if you can pick an AR-15 with a 30 round magazine? Ammo can also be tricky to find. Heck, it took me several months to find .45 Long Colt ammo where I live, and the apocalypse hasn't even happened yet! Lever-action rifles are a Jack-of-all trades, master of none. That being said, if you ONLY have a lever-action and a decent ammo supply when a zombie apocalypse occurs, then I'd say you're pretty well off.

Of course nothing can truly prepare us for a hypothetical situation like a zombie apocalypse, but this is something that comes up in firearm message boards pretty frequently. And let's be honest with ourselves, it's not like it hasn't crossed our minds at some point.