Zombie Ammo: Night of the Living Undead

by Robert W. Hunnicutt • October 21, 2011 • 17 comments

Zombie Ammo: Night of the Living Undead Who Walk Among Us

As a seasoned citizen, I have gotten used to the notion there are transient social phenomena that are simply off my radar screen. My wife, for example, recently had to inform me that the concept of wearing hose is now completely beyond the pale among women outside convents or retirement homes. If that means frostbite, so be it.

So I was not completely shocked to find a whole subculture has developed around “zombie shooting.” Since my last horror movie was either The Exorcist or Rodan vs. Mothra, the appeal of the whole undead thing escapes me, though I still like The Dead, especially the early albums.

Dave Fortier had patiently to explain to his boss that apparently there are many ranges that frown on your shooting at, say, an NRA B-27 police silhouette, but are perfectly OK with you perforating representations of the living dead, the more decayed the better.

Now Hornady, well-known for innovations like the A-Max bullet and Superformance ammunition, has introduced a line of Zombie Max ammo in popular calibers. The bullets (and shotshell case) sport a distinctive putrid green color scheme that I presume must be especially effective on grave escapees. Their website even features a theatrical-quality video depicting an intrepid Hornady user holding back a horde of the legions of darkness. (http://www.hornady.com/ammunition/zombiemax).

I am solidly in favor of just about anything that sells guns and ammunition, but this particular craze has me stumped. What about you?

1. Love it! Bring on the undead!
2. Hate it! Keep ‘em in the ground where they belong.
3. Don’t care. Just clean up your zombie targets before leaving the range.

In Ammo, Culture & Politics, Featured • Tagged ,

17 Responses

  1. Jeremy

    It’s cute, but way too pricey to be training ammo, and I hate to think about the scene in court/legal repercussions if used in a self-defense shoot. A box or two for gag purposes is about as much as this gimmick will sell.

    I say this as a zombie enthusiast and member of Zombie Squad.

    On October 21, 2011 at 1:51 pm • Reply
  2. Gerald Johnston

    It just goes to show that if a market exists, someone will fill it.

    On October 21, 2011 at 1:55 pm • Reply
  3. Curtis Estes

    I belive in being prepared , I mean who knows ? Besides if it puts people to work making ammunition , that helps the economy , right ?

    On October 21, 2011 at 2:47 pm • Reply
  4. Bri

    Lmao!! Now lets see which manufacturer comes of with the official "Zombie Shredder shotgun" complete with custom finish, graphics and must have zombie accessories bolted on!

    On October 21, 2011 at 3:31 pm • Reply
    • Jeremy Guyet

      Well Bri, Ruger has already released the Zombie Slayer edition of their LCP… 'cause a .380 is exactly what you need against hordes of mindless undead…

      On October 23, 2011 at 10:53 pm • Reply
    • Andrew

      Mossberg did it with the pistol grimp

      On April 21, 2012 at 9:57 pm • Reply
  5. JCostin

    Pretty nifty!

    On October 21, 2011 at 11:33 pm • Reply
  6. bobanyman

    hilarious! i will buy a few boxes just to have the box! i am a huge fan of the Zombie thing, but dont think special ammo is needed. only the upcoming rise of the undead will tell!

    On November 11, 2011 at 7:53 am • Reply
  7. Samuel Phillips

    #3 Zombies are a trend . My gun club range does frown on human silhouette targets.
    Just pick up after yourself.

    On December 6, 2011 at 2:11 am • Reply
  8. GeezlePuss

    Great Marketing ploy. But why the heck don't they tell us what it will really do?

    On December 6, 2011 at 2:29 am • Reply
  9. PPLkillPPL

    It's a heavy +P round. that's it….don't waste the money. The winchester box of +P JHP 124gr are the same thing and same price….it's just a picture on a box. Yeah, I would be scared of the legalities after using this round in a defense situation as it would tear a HUGE hole in whatever you hit with it. I usually stack my 9mm with 124gr. JHP, these should suffice if need be. As far as Zombie rounds go….a machete would be the most formidable weapon…if over-run, be packing a .22 pistol and aim for the face. Anything else is just too loud and ammo is heavy.

    On December 7, 2011 at 10:42 pm • Reply
    • Rusty Shackleford

      LoL, being scared of the legalities means being afraid of your government.

      On January 5, 2012 at 9:23 pm • Reply
  10. son of a gun

    I think it would be cool just to have some a the shotgun loads just on the floor, ya know, jes' rollin' around. lol, other than that I guess I'll stick to my normal lead

    On February 8, 2012 at 6:19 pm • Reply
  11. chris

    Legalities lets see whats better 1 hole with a big bullet or ten shots with a 22. prosecutor to MR murderer can you explain why you had to shoot the poor victim ten times. MR murderer to prosecutor yes sir i had to because he wouldnt die. Prosecutor oh so you meant to kill him ? Why not stop when he fell on the ground and begged for his life ? Well mr prosecutor i was scared that he would hurt me. ………….. OR prosecutor to the man that defended his home with one shot and killed the bad guy.Im sorry your family had to go through this we wont be filing charges against you sir your actions were justified in protecting your family oh by the way can you hook me up with some of them zombie killers. my self i wouldnt by any i feel i have sufficient home defense system in place but the less times you are forced to shoot an intruder the better off you are in court. The same with a leo having to beat a man with a baton hit him as hard as you have to the first time because the more times you strike him the more explaining you may have to do in court.

    On February 13, 2012 at 1:07 pm • Reply
  12. Heretic

    The ammo is exactly the same as the Critical Defense, minus nickel plated cases and the little red plug is slime green.
    And zombies are everywhere. I see them all the time. They can usually be found staring slack-jawed at football games, american idol, and soap operas.

    On February 24, 2012 at 4:59 am • Reply
  13. Bret Smith

    The zombie thing isn't actually about zombies. "Zombie" is the stand-in, politically correct word for the seething, desperate, glassy-eyed, drug addicted losers that keep breaking into houses all over America. Around here, it's the prescription drug addicts turning to heroin, and the meth addicts stealing everything that isn't nailed down out of garges, parked cars…heck, even cars stuck in traffic are swiped with a quick shot of pepper spray and a punch to the face. About 20 miles from here, 3 carjackers drove themselves to court in a stolen car, and got…get this….18 months. Down the street from me, a guy heard a young punk screaming profanity at his elderly neighbor, so he set his AR-15 next to the front door, and yelled, "Hey! Leave her alone, and get the hell out of here!". Well, bneedless to say, the zombie came over into his yard, yelling death threats, so the fellow drew up with the rifle, and told the scumbag to LEAVE…the guy ran off, but called the police anonymously to report 'a nut waving a rifle and screaming profanity'…so the Police came and questioned the man, and took his rifle from him as "evidence". His lawyer is trying to get his weapon back now….so no, zombie rounds aren't for zombies. They're for drug addicts who won't stop when shot ball ammunition.

    On March 1, 2012 at 1:03 pm • Reply
  14. Conrad

    Haha, that's probably true. Drug addicts are crazy and those Georgia Meth Project commercials are scary. Sucks for what happened to your neighbor though.

    On April 21, 2012 at 10:25 pm • Reply