If the shtf .. grab your semi auto rifle ..load your 44 with what ever ammo you have and use it for a back up weapon. A good magazine fed rifle is what you will need to stay alive . Just my thoughts

Well, I've given it some thought too, and here are my thoughts:

1. Any ammo is better than no ammo,
2. Full power ammo is better than weak ammo,
3. Flat meplats are better than rounded
4. Quality hollow points are better than most anything, but
5. I'd rather have accurate, consistent, deep penetration than cheap hollow points.

This means, that I either stock up on top of the line hollow points known to meet standards, such as FBI loads, or I load SWC or DEWC bullets at full power. I keep a .30 cal ammo can roughly full for each caliber I have.

To be honest, I don't like either of your choices available, and would opt for a DEWC or SWC at full velocity for shtf stock--probably only available through handloading.

I must assume you are not in Alaska where the bear are really BIG. If in Alaska I have read the smallest you want to carry is as 44 with 310 grain Hard cast rounds. But anything found in the lower 48 then any round in 44 magnum would be satisfactory. As for the hog shot in the head comment the hog has a sloped forehead and anything as small as a 9mm with not penetrate that skull. My $.02 worth.

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Retired Marine Gunny

A .22lr Zombies are easy to put down with head shots.

My take on the subject is that buying less effective ammo is a fools errand. Why even have it if it's ****? The same is true for gun quality, and anything else that your life may depend on. Is your life only worth $10.00/box less than the good stuff?

Drew,
Not to take anything away from the exceptional .300 H&H, but you lost me with the "heavy rifle" part...

That would be a varmint/plinking round compared to my go-to .375 H&H, the most useful and all-around world cartridge....

Of course, I use it as a warm up to my 458 Lott for range use...

Just funnin ya know, they are all good, but my choice for the floor of "heavy" would be a bit higher on the scale than the .300 H&H.

Enjoy.

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.............SmithNut

Well, one issue is that there is no consensus on what is the "good stuff".

Look at some of the 38 cal defense ammo discussions recently.

Some like Silvertips, some like Gold Dots, some like Critical Defense, and others like the old FBI SWCHP load.

Some say old fashioned SWCs are best, some love flat pointed full wad cutters.

Some want nothing less than full boat 357 mag, others can barely handle the recoil of standard pressure 38 special.

And there is always a place for cheap target practice ammo.

I'm glad there are so many choices available in the popular calibers.

My concern, living in California, is that soon we won't be able to buy ammo mail order and then we will be left with whatever LGS's stock.

Or we drive over the hill to Reno.

Dave

as long as it hits its target and drops it, im good to go.

I would prefer a self-defense load to hit the target with some enthusiasm, and carry a good quality bullet with a proven track record in self-defense situations and not be a watered down target load. I agree that any loaded gun is better for self-defense than no loaded gun, but we're getting pretty close to the old arguement that no cat has eight tails. A cat has one tail more than no cat. Therefore, a cat has nine tails. Buy what you like, shoot what you like, it's all the same to me. My choices are made, and I'm comfortable with them.

Just some comments... back when we played cowboys, it was cowboys and injuns. We weren't too interested in killin' other cowboys, only the injuns.

Then the above poster who made the comments about smellin' the bear before you see him, or he sniffs you. OK. I've lived a very sheltered life and have only seen zombies on TV and the internet. All the ones I've seen (except the 60s singers) seem to have rotting flesh hanging off them. So back to the stuff I do have some experience with. Anytime I've see a dead or better still, a very dead critter with rotting flesh, he smelled to high heaven. Even worse than the few bears I've stumbled across. Maybe I should restate that to say I've "smelt" a lot more bears than I've seen. I've even smelled my share of bars! Regardless, I'm going to assume that zombies are even worse than bears.

Now on to Boolits. The smart thing to do is reload. Yep, there really are some of us old fools who still do that. And if you worry about the $2.00 a shot jobbies, just buy an extra box of them one time. Then build some loads that the manuals say imitate the same velocity (and bullet weight). You use some of that to verify the same point of impact. Then practice with your low cost reloads, and pack your factory loads. I know that's old fashioned advice, so I'm sorry for it.

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Dick Burg

"Ammo choice - If the SHTF, does it REALLY matter?" In my opinion, if the SHTF, that is when ammo choice matters most.

Isn't overpenetration a common problem with shooting zombies? Especially after they've been walking around a few days and really start to stink and soften up.

I have all sorts of guns and plenty of both hollow point and FMJ ammunition but I do know that any gun is better then no gun and with no ammo any gun just becomes a club.

All I can say is, if you live near a cemetery better move now while you can -- before the zombie attacks start.

I use a 1911 with 200 gr swc (Hensley & Gibbs no. 68) loaded to about 1,000 fps - the same ammo I use for everything. Always shoots to the same point of aim and I've shot it a lot (since 1979).

For me, it's more important to feel like I will hit what I shoot at than that I'm using the latest, greatest, thing the ammo manufacturers are pushing.