zombie apoc weapons book 7

ZOMBIE APOC WEAPONS BOOK 7

Chapter Three

Melee Weapon & Blade

Technically, all blade weapons are melee weapons. The original four weapon categories call for rifle, pistol, blade and melee. To me, the difference between a pistol and a rifle is their tactical use. Both are firearms, but both are used differently. The same with melee and blade weapons ( which would have better been labeled knives. Because a sword is a melee weapon, even if it is also a blade. Basically, someone forgot semantics matter, or were just being too cute by half ). To me, a knife is a tool that can be used as a weapon, in a pinch.

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Yes, knives are ONLY used as weapons many times. If you can only carry a knife, it is your weapon. But if the other weapons you carry are superior, you knife can be kept for its tool use, and only needed as a weapon as a last resort. Knife bayonets can be both melee weapons and camp tools, but I dislike that practice. It is too easy to be using your knife in everyday use and it becomes dull. If you didn't get a chance to sharpen it ( because Murphy's Law ), and you suddenly need it, its ability as a bayonet diminishes. A separate knife to my mind is one of the few things worth the weight.

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Just as with a pistol, there doesn't need to be a prolonged discussion on the optimal knife. Like the pistol, it is whatever you are comfortable with. Me? I love the Swedish Mora. Number one, it ain't from China. Number two, it is affordable. If you stockpile one expensive knife, you are a moron. They break. They get lost. They are stolen. Mora's are $15, carbon steel blade. They are $10 for the stainless ( for stashing in higher moisture areas, like the bathroom. Just oil it as you would a carbon steel blade-it just doesn't need as heavy a coat ).

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If you don't mind Chinaman blades, you can buy Mora style knives for $5. If you are over at Bud-K, they have the “Wahoo Killer”. I don't mind stainless. Plenty of kitchen knives are stainless. But you can get either a good or a bad stainless. I just stick with carbon in Mora because the price is almost the same. The Mora is a great little knife for its price. I can buy them on a whim. I can have multiples, on a budget. I'm sure there are better knives out there. Apply the 80/20 rule. 80% of the performance at 20% of the price ( I know, that rule originally applies to group dynamics. It is still applicable here ).

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The Mora is small and light weight, handy for chores and unobtrusive while laden with gear. The one issue I have is the sheath. Great for a budget sheath, and much better wearing than leather ( which you don't even really see much anymore, for sheaths OR shoes. You'd think we ate enough hamburgers, wouldn't you? ), but it blows except for light clothing concealed wear ( the clip perfect for tucking into the waistband ). For tactical wear? Terrible sheath. That's okay. If perfection was possible you would all worship me as a god. Luckily for you, because I would be a vengeful god, I'm not perfect. Neither is anything else.

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Now, a word on melee weapons and weight, which to a smaller degree applies to knives. Melee weapons are tiring. Even men born to be warriors, well fed and well trained, have only so much endurance on the battlefield. You, who were born to surf ( serf ) a couch, have no training in melee weapons. Your diet probably sucks, a combination of GMO corn and hormone pumped meat ( which was fed on the same corn ). The only reason it works, after a fashion, is pure volume. You have excess calories.

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Come the zombie apocalypse, you can say goodbye to excess calories. If you do manage to get livestock going again ( will the starving humans and zombies leave any cows standing? ), the wall building and offensive patrols are going to consume a lot of calories. You may or may not have enough of them. I just wouldn't count on that. Choose your melee weapons ( and your knives ) carefully. I initially was going to go with a Gurkha Kukri, the improved machete hacker. But the weight was problematic. Both to carry and to swing about for any period of time.

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By the time a sword or sword like melee weapon has reduced your arms to limp noodles, the darn thing is dull as well. That is one issue with slicing weapons. A heavy sword can somewhat compensate with the weight, but some choose the blunt weapon to begin with to assure a functioning weapon through the fight. But then they fatigue you even quicker. If I had to choose between slicing and bludgeoning, I would forego the slicer. It is more prone to breakage, it requires more skill ( if nothing else, not cutting yourself ) and it works great, but then after losing its edge it works against you.

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I can hear a lot of you offer a spear or similar for consideration. Spears are cheap, are perfect for using salvaged metal, and can offer advantages over almost any shorter weapon. But like any muscle powered missile weapon, they don't work well against human adversaries who outclass you in weaponry. This isn't JUST a zombie apocalypse. Your enemies include most other men, not just the dead ones. And if not complete idiots wasting all their ammunition, they will be ambushing you with firearms.

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While your rifle is slung over your shoulder ( you really think you are going to use a spear with a carbine front slung? ). Now, I grant you, these issues are not insurmountable. You could have formations of rifles in the middle and spears outside. They hold off zombies until you can back sling your rifles. If humans attack, the middle defends as the outer ring drops the spears and gets their firearms deployed ( obviously, the terrain and the type of zombies matter. I always thought fast zombies were more “realistic” ).

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But it does beg the question if you are willing to handicap yourself with that weapon. IF you consider it a handicap, even. We continue this chapter next time.

( .Y. )

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