Your cantaloupe test may be flawed. I understand a medium watermelon wrapped in three layers of glass-strand packing tape reacts almost exactly like a cadaver head in ballistic tests, though.
Indeed, Cherry PIE good. Flamethrower bad.
I think we’ve all forgotten an essential last-resort weapon.
The red crowbar.
Well, given that the overwhelming majority of zombies are disabled only by destroying the brain, it’s almost always going to be an advantage.
Unless we get one of your bizarre liver-zombies. In which case, I guess we’d better start stocking up on acetaminophen.
You don’t have this problem with flame throwers…
:rolleyes:
Uh, no, flamethrowers means you have ambulatory pillars of flame. A zombie isn’t going to go into shock or flee screaming in pain and horror, it’s just going to keep shambling until you destroy the brain/liver/whichever seat of consciousness your particular flavor of zombie prefers.
A flamethrower is a terribly. bad. idea.
So an RPG still works, right? Zombie chunks are harmless. Rather hard on the immediate engagement area, I’ll admit.
Wuss.
Assuming we’re dealing with the Romero/Brooks “Destroy the Brain” type, and not the “Burn the body and all the pieces” O’Bannon type…
As long as no contaminated zombie pieces land on any open cuts or mucous membranes, you should be okay, problem is, an RPG or any other explosive…
1: is LOUD and will draw more zombies to the area of engagement
2: creates an equal amount of torso damage, so you’ll have the additional step of clearing “Draggers” and other “Undead Shrapnel”
3: is not guaranteed to disable the brain on all targets in the area of effect
4: has the potential to toss “draggers” and other high-risk remnants (like a still-able-to-bite head) into the shooters/rocketeers area, putting them at high risk for bites
Assuming the .22LR is capable of breaching the zombie skull and not exiting the skull (as posited in the ZSG, and shows a high probability of working in actual practice) the advantage of a small-caliber rimfire round (a conventional lead/copper jacketed bullet, not the fictional PIE) over explosives is;
1: much quieter than any other firearm/explosive, especially if the shooter has a suppressor mounted, far less chance of drawing more Zacks (aside from the moan, that is)
2: easier cleanup and less risk of Solanum contamination (one small entry hole in the skull, no messy exit wound)
3: no recoil, followup shots are quick and easy
4: the firearm is generally short (carbine length) and quick to move around and get on target for the next shot
5: Ammo is light and easy to carry, and with a magazine-fed rifle like the Ruger 10/22 and a steady supply of loaded mags near-continuous fire is possible and easily achievable, tube feeders are almost as good, but take longer to load, a tube-fed rifle like the Marlin Model 60 takes almost twice as long to load as a 10/22 (assuming you have someone handing you loaded 10/22 mags)
A better setup for both rifles would be to have a designated person do the loading, assign two rifles per shooter, once rifle one is out, they swap for the loaded rifle two, and rifle one is reloaded and ready, in this type of situation, the Marlin would actually have the advantage in reloading speed, especially if a simple “speed loader” tube was used (a piece of plastic tubing filled with 15 cartridges, remove the plunger tube from the rifle, dump in the rounds from the speed loader tube, and replace the plunger tube
That said, explosives would be more fun though, a lot more impractical, but more fun nonetheless.
Get yourself a copy of the documentary Night of the Living Dead, the first and best primer on zombie neutralization.
A .22 rifle is great for destroying a zombie brain. It makes a clean entry wound, and immediately disables the ghoul. The lower kick of a .22 makes it easier to aim in a stressful situation, and the minimal skull fragmentation makes for easy cleanup.
Just make sure of two things - first, that you don’t act overly slow and zombie-like (that’s covered in the film, albeit late), and second, that it’s a true zombie uprising and not the raising of all Christian believers as described in the prophecy of the Revelation to John. Because, you know, that could get embarrassing to explain, loving/forgiving God or not.
Depends on the type of zombie you’re dealing with.
An RPG is a good idea if **all **of the following are true:
1.) Only bites are infectious.
2.) Dismembered body parts cannot move independently.
3.) Decapitation will kill the zombie.
An RPG is a bad idea if **any **of the following are true:
1.) Zombie blood is infectious.
2.) Dismembered body parts can move on their own.
3.) The brain must be destroyed, not just separated from the body, to kill the zombie.
I’ll be a wuss with a pile of zombie corpses sprawled in a circle around me. You’ll be a Manly Man who is simultaneously burned alive and eaten alive.
I win. 
If I ever get to make a zombie film (not likely, and not an ambition) I would include a scene where every pudgy imbd-surfing zombie fan marches out of their house with their ludicrously bragged-up katana, halberd, spear, chainsaw, etc. and is promptly swarmed and eaten.
The other thing that bugs me in zombie films and comics is the wardrobe. I know, it wouldn’t look at all interesting on screen, but a leather motorcycle jacket, leather pants, gloves, and a full helmet have to be the best bite-resistant clothing that’s WIDELY available - especially if you’re trapped in, say, a mall. It really bugs me that people who’ve had time to change dress in t-shirts and jeans.