Poll: What weapons will you use in a zombie apocalypse?

[The Heik]

Bullets are easier and faster to make than arrows

No they're not. As I've said before, you need to know how to forge and do chemistry just to make a basic bullet (a la the civil war), and so much can go wrong with that if you're not aware of it. If you mix the components of the gunpowder wrong it could either make the bullet barely slide out the barrel or blow up the gun in your face. If the bullet or casing have a dent or errant edge the gun can jam or (again) blow up the gun in your face. Unless you have a lot of very specific and technical knowledge in regards to making a bullet (and hopefully a weapons factory that can make ammunition to the exacting standards of today's more refined weapons) it is completely inadvisable to do so.

As to the paint-ball masks, you must use a very different mask from me, I've never gotten so much as a fleck inside my mask. yes they are designed so you can breath but those gaps are small and if the incoming liquid is larger than the gap it will usually stick to the mask instead of landing on your face. Also remember, the paint from a paint-ball is moving with much more force than any blood from a zombie would, I doubt blood would get even into your mask. Also, any protection is better than no protection, I'm still advocating long range firearms as a primary weapon of choice.

Actually there is a psychological thing that occurs when a person has partial protection in that they think that they're fine. When you know that you have no defence against something you do anything possible to avoid such a situation, but when you have something that *might* work against it, the human brain sometimes assumes that it'll be alright against the threat, thereby increasing the actual likelihood of them getting into such situations and getting hurt anyways.

Also you need to remember that blood is not paintball paint. Paintball paint is designed to be heavy and viscous so that when it connects with something the full force of the ball hits and it leaves a nice consistent splat for easy identification in a game. Blood however needs to be fluid enough to move through a constantly shifting human body. That means when it comes out of the body, it tends to mist, so the splatter is far more fine and spread out. And given half a chance it will get through any hole in whatever face protection you have. The only way to ensure it doesn't get into your system is to ensure there's no direct way in ,so something that's waterproof is the way to go (and considering how many people can usually find something like that, it's the far more likely option)

Firstly, if you try to fire a modern rifle using black powder, it won't work, and you can't mis-mix black powder in a way that would make it blow the gun up in your face, if you had a muzzel loader to use black powder.

I meant civil war in terms of general quality of firearms. At that point weapons and ammunition were still being made by your average human being (automated manufacturing had yet to be invented), so the designs were pretty rudimentary in terms of exact specifications in order to compensate for human error. Modern firearms though are made to exacting standards (it's why their quality is much better, exact weapon design notwithstanding). Trying to use basic metalwork to make a bullet would result in very poor ammunition indeed as what you make would not match what a modern weapon is expected to have

Also making gunpowder from scratch (which I was implying in my previous post) is not an easy thing to do. You have to know what the proper mix of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate is for the weapons you're using, else it'll either be not enough actual force and too much flash (a firework) or too much force and not enough control (resulting in damage to the weapon or even the user)

You don't need a forge, where are you getting that?

When did I say that you needed a forge to make bullets? I said that you need to forge, a general term used in reference to metalworking. I know that may seem like a small distinction, but one word can mean a world of difference in language.

You can melt lead over a camp fire, and brass is reusable several times. You can also scavenge bullets from any caliber to get gunpowder and a similar caliber will provide you with primers. I have already admitted that once you run out of materials such as those arrows are easier, that wasn't the point I was trying to make.

But the issue I am discussing here is not that you'll run out of materials (though that is certainly true). It is that anyone who isn't a trained and experienced weapons and ammo manufacturer isn't going to effectively make a working round of ammunition.

Sure you can melt lead bullets at a campfire, but where are you going to cast them? Sticking a spare bullet into the sand isn't going to cut it, as I mentioned before the quality of the slug would not match the quality of the casing it's supposedly going into. And sure you can use gunpowder from other guns, but how can you be sure it's the right grade or amount? Ballparking it isn't going to solve your problem, as too much can cause the aforementioned face blowing off, and too little can throw the trajectory off or even prevent the slug from leaving the gun. There's simply too many variables to make a bullet capable of being properly fired by your average modern firearm.

Also good luck with finding brass casings in your average wilderness environment. To put that into perspective, the last time I saw my little cousins we had a nerf fight with guns that had darts with bright orange cartridges (Winchester style) the size of my entire thumb, and we still managed to lose half of them without leaving the house. Brass casings not even the size of couple of finger digits in a place overgrown with plants (especially when you aren't completely sure where they've landed) is going to be a herculean task to say the least, especially when compared with the fluorescently fletched 30inch long modern arrow which one tends to follow on trajectory to make sure it hit its target.

Also, blood is very viscous, several times more so in a body that is no longer living(like a zombie), as blood coagulates it becomes much much more viscous, almost like paste, a paint ball mask would provide decent protection in a form that is designed to stay on your head, instead of something that was cobbled together that might come untied or slide off your face once you start swinging a weapon around and getting all sweaty.

If blood is getting that viscous from coagulation, then that means that the zombies are decaying, as such why worry about the zombie apocalypse? The whole ordeal is going to be over in a month, as no dead body can survive in open atmosphere for 4 weeks without either freezing, desiccating, or just plain rotting away (depending on the climate, but the first two would happen in a matter of days at most in respectively cold or hot environments).

Hell, seeing as most dead bodies (even underground) usually are too rotted or dried after one year underground to function, the total zombie forces on planet earth would number at less than 50 million (as 56 million is the total amount of deaths per year, and I'm assuming that any body getting close to a year isn't going to last one day in open atmosphere, as such it's not a realistic threat), as opposed to the 6.7 BILLION of the living. At that point the only advantage zombies had ever had in your standard Z-apocalypse setting (numbers) is completely non-existent, and against the combined firepower of the world's military (which includes tanks, airstrikes and flamethrowers) the undead hordes wouldn't even scratch the proverbial paint of humanity before being curbed-stomped into oblivion. So why even bother with dealing with weapons? Just fill the bathtub with water, board up your windows and doors, and you can literally wait out the end of days!

So yeah, either zombie apocalypse is going to be a short one indeed, or the dead have some way of ensuring that the body is capable of functioning long after death, in which case basic blood splatter will still be in effect, as such a paintball mask isn't going to be a reliable defense against potentially ingesting whatever is doing the zombifying.

 

[exessmirror]

guns, to kill a zombie in melee you have to get uncomfortably close to their mouth. and an ranged weapon can fit an silencer and a scope in which no zombie can hear me if i am far enough. if they get to close i prefer an automatic weapon because if you are going to engage him chances are that he already told every zombie in a 500 meter radius where you are. when the zerg comes at me i just shoot. their muscle tissue will turn into paper and they will fall. if i actually have to use melee i will take a sharp machete because they don't need much maintenance(like a katana) and wont get easily stuck in zombie skull (like a crowbar or hatchet)

 

[Ian Fan]

I'd like to change my answer to my quick wit. Intelligence is always the correct weapon to turn other mundane things INTO weapons.

 

[JackandTom]

Well sadly I'm in the UK so guns aren't really an option. I have a baseball lying around somewhere and it's in pretty good condition, after all it's never been used for anything sport related. Another option could be to make some Dead Rising style makeshift weapons. With lawnmower blades and such...

 

[exessmirror]

Well sadly I'm in the UK so guns aren't really an option. I have a baseball lying around somewhere and it's in pretty good condition, after all it's never been used for anything sport related. Another option could be to make some Dead Rising style makeshift weapons. With lawnmower blades and such...

it is really easy to get firearms in any country, if i would play my cards right i could own a gun in the UK within a week. i dont even live there

I'd like to change my answer to my quick wit. Intelligence is always the correct weapon to turn other mundane things INTO weapons.

tell that to me when your plank with nails fail while i shoot those zombies up on 500 meters with silencer.

also to the ppl who say bows and crossbows have you ever used one, bows are really fucking hard to master, it takes me about 7 rounds from any firearm to give me the feel of. i used a bow once for a whole day and i couldn't hit a target 15 feet away. for crossbows do you know how long it takes to reload one. in the time you manage to get an other shot out of it i already am shooting out my second mag

 

[lokicdn]

Well if L4D has taught me anything, it is that zombies can't resist blinking red lights. So a few thousand red leds, audible count down timers and enough materials to make handmade bombs, thank you very much.

 

[Sevriux]

A sturdy metal bat, I know I wouldn't survive much but I would have a damn blast with the time I had. Just to kill one zombie with a bat to the head would complete me

 

[EeveeElectro]

Not sure if anyone ever thought about it, but how good are the zombie's senses? Because if they're average or lower.. I could blend in. Just tear my shirt up a bit, make an expression that fits right in with the zombies and follow them up in style. I could get anywhere and not draw attention to myself. However... if they're smart (how that is, I don't know) or have good senses, then-

Well it worked in Shaun of the Dead... lol.
Although in The Walking Dead they say the zombies can smell you if you're alive, so they cover themselves in zombie blood so they can go outside with the zombies...

OT: Considering I'm in the UK and getting near a gun will be pretty much impossible.
I'm better with melee anyway, and they're a lot quieter.
Get the broom and mop out!

 

[JackandTom]

Well sadly I'm in the UK so guns aren't really an option. I have a baseball lying around somewhere and it's in pretty good condition, after all it's never been used for anything sport related. Another option could be to make some Dead Rising style makeshift weapons. With lawnmower blades and such...

it is really easy to get firearms in any country, if i would play my cards right i could own a gun in the UK within a week. i dont even live there

In a zombie apocalypse finding a dodgy backstreet dealer to sell me a gun (not to mention ammunition) would be the least of my worries.

 

[Toy Yota]

Guns (more specifically, a sniper rifle for accuracy). Melee can be dangerous when fighting large amounts of zombies at once while guns allow you to maintain distance. Running out of ammunition won't guarantee danger since using guns as melee weapons aren't too bad. The only problem I see would be how to gain ammunition because I don't think people would be willing to share.

 

[ElPatron]

Ah for christ's sake can you just relax?

I'm chill as ice.

last time I checked the point of guns was to propel small pieces of metal to puncture major organs and arteries and cause severe bleeding but the wounds that it cause are usually small and precise unless you're lugging around a .50 cal.

Guns can be messy as fuck. We all know the stereotypes in movies. Either they punch gigantic holes in humans and kick them 3m in the air, or they pierce a small clean hole.


In real life it's a very complicated subject.

While it might cause enough pain to immobilize a normal Human

Nope.

Firearms are not very good man-stoppers if you're talking about handguns. Rifles will destroy the shit out of living tissue so they're a moot point.

Drugs, adrenaline... Most times it is needed more then one shot to bring a man down, and it's better to keep pulling the trigger until the target goes down.

Have you ever been seriously injured but without broken bones? Pain can be very slow at kicking in sometimes.

in most media, zombies don't feel pain, so shooting them in the gut might kill them. but in the meantime they can still kill you.

Just like real humans.

Yeah guns can cause damage to tendons, but as I said before, zombies don't care and will keep pushing their bodies to come after you until they are physically incapable of doing otherwise

I am not going to post the pics, but you should see what 5.56 does to a leg.

The X-ray shown that the bone was shattered, and the bullet didn't even touch it.

and I'd like to think that a sledgehammer smashing your arm in half is going to do more damage than a handgun bullet.

Bullets also break bones. Sledgehammers force you to be at arm's reach.

I don't know what kind of zombies you are thinking off, but if a scratch is enough to spread the virus/bacteria/parasite you're a goner.

Also a baseball bat counts as a good melee weapon, a single swing with it has been proven to be strong enough to shatter spines. If I have no training I shouldn't be holding a gun?...uh if the zombie apocalypse is around I'm using a gun if I have training or not

Have fun with your ND's killing other survivors. Anyway, as if baseball bats don't require training.

I never wielded one in my life. I seriously doubt I'll be able to learn how break bones in a jiffy.

Also last time I checked, guns weren't used to break bones while sledgehammers and baseball bats were.

I used guns to mash potatoes, so what?

Sledgehammers and baseball bats are only used for their originals purpose. We all know that things can't have more than one purpose.

(points if anyone knows the reference)

Also I like to call it a clip

I could say I liked to call you things that are not nice. Is that an excuse to insult people? No. It's still being rude.

You keep liking whatever you liked. The thing is, it was ignorant criminals that started that trend. Just saying.

 

[ElPatron]

the katanas you reference were from world war 2 btw,

Those were made for officers. I think I mentioned low-ranking soldiers, right? I was not talking about WW2.

With all due respect to swords, spears are a notch above swords when we're talking about old military doctrines. So the sword drew the short stick early into the argument.

Plus, the bone chopping ability of a sword depends on the mass of the sword. A heavier sword is more likely to chop limbs than a katana.

Again, let's face it:

Katanas only have one edge.
They were made for quick draws, which is useless during a zombie horde.
You have to cut trough bones for a load of time - that will tire any human.
You will need to be able to maintain it, while a proper firearm will run dirty if it was properly lubed.
It *will* rust during an apocalypse.

If you're crowded a single edge is a huge drawback, there's also the problem of the resilience of zombies (chopping a single arm or leg might not stop them from attacking) and the obvious issue:

Can you keep chopping bone after 2 minutes? I suppose it's a great cardio exercise, it will allow you to hunt for human brains even better.

Weapons... yes weapons are important... but what is also important is defense...

The best defense is the attack, and staying as light as possible is also a must. I wouldn't want to run with chain-mail on.

No they're not. As I've said before, you need to know how to forge and do chemistry just to make a basic bullet (a la the civil war)

lolno.

There's videos with literally less than 5 minutes explaining how to cast bullets. No forging, no chemistry. The only thing you need is lead, and even if you want to use different types of lead (if you prefer soft or hard cast) you don't need to know anything about chemistry.

You just need the molds and the press and dies to set the bullets after you are done with the casings. Tools that are not very expensive and that will be easily available during SHTF.

Hence the fact they are overalls not a vest, the vests go over the top of that.

I did not notice the "overall" part. My bad.

 

[The Heik]

No they're not. As I've said before, you need to know how to forge and do chemistry just to make a basic bullet (a la the civil war)

lolno.

There's videos with literally less than 5 minutes explaining how to cast bullets. No forging, no chemistry. The only thing you need is lead, and even if you want to use different types of lead (if you prefer soft or hard cast) you don't need to know anything about chemistry.

You just need the molds and the press and dies to set the bullets after you are done with the casings. Tools that are not very expensive and that will be easily available during SHTF.

I meant chemistry in terms of gunpowder. Too many people seem to forget that bullets don't just fly out on their own. They need propellant, and that's the part that is truly going to be difficult. Most people don't know what is in modern gunpowder gunpowder or how much is needed per round of ammunition, so even if they had the necessary sulfur, coal and potassium nitrate finding a correct mix is not going to be remotely easy. Mythbusters tried it, and even with the advantage of a plentiful supply of ingredients and scientific theory behind them they couldn't get it right. Your average schmuck in the Z-pocalypse is going to have a helluva time doing nailing it down (and potentially a quite a few busted guns and body parts if they get the mixture wrong).

Also you assume that the internet is going to last long enough for people to think of using it. Remember, ammo isn't going to run out immediately, so by the time ammo becomes an issue the world's power systems and net connections are probably going to be out by then, and I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that most people don't know a thing about how to forge, cast, or mix gunpowder off the top of their head or even have the tools necessary to do it.

 

[ElPatron]

I meant chemistry in terms of gunpowder.

Smokeless powder is cheap and plentiful. Plus, the people who stockpiled reloading materials will probably go into hiding and use ammunition to trade it for food.

 

[exessmirror]

No they're not. As I've said before, you need to know how to forge and do chemistry just to make a basic bullet (a la the civil war)

lolno.

There's videos with literally less than 5 minutes explaining how to cast bullets. No forging, no chemistry. The only thing you need is lead, and even if you want to use different types of lead (if you prefer soft or hard cast) you don't need to know anything about chemistry.

You just need the molds and the press and dies to set the bullets after you are done with the casings. Tools that are not very expensive and that will be easily available during SHTF.

I meant chemistry in terms of gunpowder. Too many people seem to forget that bullets don't just fly out on their own. They need propellant, and that's the part that is truly going to be difficult. Most people don't know what is in modern gunpowder gunpowder or how much is needed per round of ammunition, so even if they had the necessary sulfur, coal and potassium nitrate finding a correct mix is not going to be remotely easy. Mythbusters tried it, and even with the advantage of a plentiful supply of ingredients and scientific theory behind them they couldn't get it right. Your average schmuck in the Z-pocalypse is going to have a helluva time doing nailing it down (and potentially a quite a few busted guns and body parts if they get the mixture wrong).

Also you assume that the internet is going to last long enough for people to think of using it. Remember, ammo isn't going to run out immediately, so by the time ammo becomes an issue the world's power systems and net connections are probably going to be out by then, and I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that most people don't know a thing about how to forge, cast, or mix gunpowder off the top of their head or even have the tools necessary to do it.

ever made gunpowder? its really easy. i still have some printed copies on how to make military grade gunpowder. also making bullets is also very easy. the hardest thing would be the hull and the caliber. though you mention the chemicals. many chemicals are being used in everyday products. you just need to get them out of there. and you can learn that with high school chemistry. and making civil war gunpowder is even more easy. i can go to the store to make it right now.
my point being it is really easy.

Well sadly I'm in the UK so guns aren't really an option. I have a baseball lying around somewhere and it's in pretty good condition, after all it's never been used for anything sport related. Another option could be to make some Dead Rising style makeshift weapons. With lawnmower blades and such...

it is really easy to get firearms in any country, if i would play my cards right i could own a gun in the UK within a week. i dont even live there

In a zombie apocalypse finding a dodgy backstreet dealer to sell me a gun (not to mention ammunition) would be the least of my worries.

that will only be a small setback. 2 weeks max. also you can make your own weapons if you know the basics of how a gun works and basic mechanics.

 

[The Heik]

I meant chemistry in terms of gunpowder.

Smokeless powder is cheap and plentiful. Plus, the people who stockpiled reloading materials will probably go into hiding and use ammunition to trade it for food.

Oh really? And is that smokeless powder the same grade as what every weapon in the world? No, different guns have different mixes of gunpowder. If the wrong grade of propellant is put into a weapon it can really change the effects of the weapon discharge. You could have a mix that lacks the punch necessary to push the bullet properly, screwing the ballistics over (potentially making you miss and thereby waste ammo) or it could be too strong and actually damage the gun when fired (and a busted gun in a fight is a disaster, especially when it's likely the only one you've got)

And again, you're assuming quite a lot about the gun manufacturers. Even in America, one of the most gun-happy countries on the planet, the actual people who make weapons are a very scant percentage. Finding one who's survived is going to be very difficult, especially as the human population begins to drop and humanity's connection with one another begins to degrade. Unless you directly know someone who's in the weapons manufacturing business and know where they live, you'd be lucky to find them in your average situation.

Also, remember that though smokeless gunpowder is plentiful, it is not limitless. Eventually it will run out, especially given the classic zombie setting where there's 10000 zombies for every 1 human survivor, so you'll run out of ammo long before you run out of targets (which includes zombies, animals for food and other survivors)

 

[The Heik]

ever made gunpowder? its really easy. i still have some printed copies on how to make military grade gunpowder. also making bullets is also very easy. the hardest thing would be the hull and the caliber. though you mention the chemicals. many chemicals are being used in everyday products. you just need to get them out of there. and you can learn that with high school chemistry. and making civil war gunpowder is even more easy. i can go to the store to make it right now.
my point being it is really easy.

Not if you want to to work properly. I refer you to post number 198 as to gunpowder grade in terms of weapon effectiveness, but you also remind me about the other resources. So far we need the various gunpowder ingredients, a good chunk of lead as well as brass, bullet casts, basic forge tools for safe construction, and a basic chemistry set with all required ingredients. That is easily going to be twenty to thirty pounds of gear, not including the ammo you already have, your ranged weapon,your melee weapon, clothes for various weather, food and water, medical supplies, traveling gear, shelter, and so many other pieces of equipment. Unless your average person has pretty substantial endurance training, they are not going to be able to carry all that reasonably (this is under the assumption that any vehicle will eventually fail you, considering the industry for it's repair, and come to think of it the industry for harvesting weapons material as well, would have collapsed in the Apocalypse, thereby preventing any more from being made in any effective numbers).

 

[ElPatron]

Oh really? And is that smokeless powder the same grade as what every weapon in the world? No, different guns have different mixes of gunpowder.

Guns are made of steel and aluminium alloys, polymers and sometimes (ewww) "pot-metal".

Guns do not determine gunpowder.

Bad example, but have you watched Terminator 2? The guy can't just transform himself into a gun because he's just metal, and metal does not have anything to do with propellants.

i.e. stop saying things like that

If the wrong grade of propellant is put into a weapon

You mean casing.

it can really change the effects of the weapon discharge. You could have a mix that lacks the punch necessary to push the bullet properly, screwing the ballistics over (potentially making you miss and thereby waste ammo) or it could be too strong and actually damage the gun when fired (and a busted gun in a fight is a disaster, especially when it's likely the only one you've got)

Uh. No. You have different compositions but all of them are safe if you respect the reloading manual.

If you have a slower burning powder you can just go crazy on the powder because it won't exceed pressures in most rifle cartridges. And even slow burning powders are able to give enough velocity to the projectiles.

Just don't do the stupid things. If a barrel is supposed to only work with blackpowder, you don't put smokeless powder. If you're reloading a rifle casing, you don't fill it with pistol powder.

If you have any problems,

And again, you're assuming quite a lot about the gun manufacturers.

Same can be said about car manufacturers, but it's not everyday that a car spontaneously explodes/catches fire.

Even in America, one of the most gun-happy countries on the planet

Spoiler: I'm not even American, but oh well

the actual people who make weapons are a very scant percentage.

Reloading is literally very simple. People have been doing it for decades. Heck, more than a century. It doesn't require any gunsmithing skills.

And gunsmiths are not that rare.

Finding one who's survived is going to be very difficult, especially as the human population begins to drop and humanity's connection with one another begins to degrade. Unless you directly know someone who's in the weapons manufacturing business and know where they live, you'd be lucky to find them in your average situation.[/spoiler]

Yes, because the United States isn't a country with an area of almost 10 million square kms with a load of people living in the country side, far away from the original outbreak.

 

[The Heik]

If the wrong grade of propellant is put into a weapon

You mean casing.

Of course I meant casing. What, did you think I was talking about a musket? Because that's barely better than trying to chuck rocks at the zombies (with a worse rate of fire).

it can really change the effects of the weapon discharge. You could have a mix that lacks the punch necessary to push the bullet properly, screwing the ballistics over (potentially making you miss and thereby waste ammo) or it could be too strong and actually damage the gun when fired (and a busted gun in a fight is a disaster, especially when it's likely the only one you've got)

Uh. No. You have different compositions but all of them are safe if you respect the reloading manual.

If you have a slower burning powder you can just go crazy on the powder because it won't exceed pressures in most rifle cartridges. And even slow burning powders are able to give enough velocity to the projectiles.

Oh really? And is that smokeless powder the same grade as what every weapon in the world? No, different guns have different mixes of gunpowder.

Guns are made of steel and aluminium alloys, polymers and sometimes (ewww) "pot-metal".

Guns do not determine gunpowder.

And yet you said this:

Just don't do the stupid things. If a barrel is supposed to only work with blackpowder, you don't put smokeless powder. If you're reloading a rifle casing, you don't fill it with pistol powder.

Which was my point. There are different kinds of gunpowder and unless you know what you're doing (which though you clearly seem to know, the majority of the world's population won't) mistakes will be made and weapons (and potentially people) will be damaged.

To prove my point, I had a prior discussion with another Escapee on this thread, and they thought they could just swap powder from one casing to the next with no regard to type of weapon (The very thing you advise against in your post).

If you have any problems,

You'd be amazed at how many people don't. And considering the setting, I doubt the manual will be that easy to find.

And again, you're assuming quite a lot about the gun manufacturers.

Same can be said about car manufacturers, but it's not everyday that a car spontaneously explodes/catches fire.

Methinks you misunderstood me here. My quote was more in reference to the rarity of gun manufacturers and the skills required for their jobs (see my points below). My apologies though for the misleading syntax.

Even in America, one of the most gun-happy countries on the planet

Spoiler: I'm not even American, but oh well

I don't think that's relevant here. Statistically, America has by far the most guns (by both percentage of 90% of adult people in the country and by sheer number of 270 million guns in the country) over any other nation-state on planet Earth. Hell, the Second Amendment on their Constitution is the right to bear arms

Spoiler: And not these ones

Their reputation as a gun-heavy nation is not a stereotype.

the actual people who make weapons are a very scant percentage.

Reloading is literally very simple. People have been doing it for decades. Heck, more than a century. It doesn't require any gunsmithing skills.

Uh, ammunition is part of a gun, hence making it is a part of gunsmithing. You need one to make the other work, so they kinda go hand in hand.

Also, though how to make ammunition can be taught, it still needs to be taught. These aren't skills you just naturally pick up on. It needs to be shown, explained, and properly practiced like any other trade profession in order to be done correctly from the first few tries on. Your average person won't be able to do it on their own (mostly because they aren't even aware about what is generally needed in order to do it, and considering the circumstances, most resources on the matter aren't exactly going to be that easy to get)

And gunsmiths are not that rare.

They're rare enough that 99% of the people you meet will likely not be gun manufacturers, which was my point. You can't rely on one of them popping up out of the blue with a stockpile of weapons and ammo, or that they'd necessarily teach you how to make ammo.

Finding one who's survived is going to be very difficult, especially as the human population begins to drop and humanity's connection with one another begins to degrade. Unless you directly know someone who's in the weapons manufacturing business and know where they live, you'd be lucky to find them in your average situation.[/spoiler]

Yes, because the United States isn't a country with an area of almost 10 million square kms with a load of people living in the country side, far away from the original outbreak.

Now you're just arguing the logic of the Zombie Apocalypse.

If the basis of a Zombie Apocalypse were to actually work, we have to assume that whatever it is that is making the zombies is capable of moving from one host to the other with relative ease (the standard biting technique used in the movies wouldn't get past the first day, as the method of transferal is way too obvious to notice aka watch out for the biters, and easy to prevent aka shoot em inna head). Something like the transfer of fluids (eg saliva, blood, any bodily fluids) or such would still stick with the biting motif, but would work within how we know plagues work. Second it would have to have a fair extended incubation time, as again the "bitten to zombie in five minutes" thing would be way too obvious to last more than a day in the real world. That means it would likely be something akin to the common cold, which can get everywhere via sneezing and various other methods, and can stay in your system for days (or considering the end result of the Z-virus, even weeks, due to the extensive nature of the changes going through the host's body) before reaching maturation (the process speeding as the virus evolves and mutates in later hosts).

So with these kinds of parameters in mind, It'd be quite likely that by the time the zombie outbreak would have been noticed and responded to, A fairly major chunk of the world's population would be infected, and panic would ensue (even in the uninfected areas, as humans do tend to react rash in the face of such a threat). Most of the known world would cease to function properly, especially considering that the supply lines that the world's economy is based around would trickle to a halt even if there were uninfected parts of the world who were still operational. Whatever isn't infected from the plague would be too scared to leave their safe havens, and the few who survived their infected location wouldn't really know where to head to.