Accuracy vs. "Stopping Power" and how it relates to the undead.
After reading many posts I have noticed somethings that really concern me. The main one is the fixation many people have with large caliber firearms. The term "stopping power" is thrown around when describing these weapons. It has become apparent to me that most people that use this term have no real idea what it means or how it relates to the undead. Hopefully I can clear this up and most likely save some lives in the process.
First I will start with "stopping power". Stopping power is simply the ability to stop your target. How this is achieved is this. A bullet enters the body damaging blood vessels and rupturing organs. Hydrostatic shock send waves of energy through the fluid of the body along the path of the wound. This further ruptures delicate organs such as the spleen and blood vessels. This in turn causes massive hemoraging. The result is rapid loss of blood pressure. Without proper blood pressure the muscles and brain do not receive adequate oxygen. This results in colapse and unconscienceness. Further blood loss causes the heart to increase pace in an attempt to compensate for the lack of blood. With the lowered oxygen available, lowered blood pressure decreasing the efficiency in which oxygen is transfered, and increased demand on the heart, cardiac arrest is likely. Larger calibers can inflict larger wounds and therefore cause these effects at a faster rate. This is stopping power.
The movies like to show people who are shot flying back from the hit, This is absolutely untrue. One of Newton's laws of physics says for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. If people were sent flying from a firearm the person firing it would be thrown the same amount. This simply does not happen. This not stopping power.
With stopping power defined we now must look attack how it relates to the undead. All of the effects that would prove lethal to you or I have absolutely no effect on a G. They will not bleed out, they will not suffer cardiac arrest, they will not go into shock. In this case a .22 and a .50 will have the same effect (albeit the .50 will be messier which is not a great thing when you consider the spray of infected blood and matter). To have any meaningful results the brain must be the target. This brings us to accuracy.
The head is a small target and the brain smaller still. Look at someone standing 50, 75 or 100 yards away. At these distance the head appears to be 1/4 inch tall or smaller. This is your target. Add in movement, possibly poor lighting, and fear/stress and you can get an idea of how difficult scoring a head shot can be. The accuracy of your firearm is crucial. Rifles with flat trajectories are ideal. Hand guns are not accurate enough at anything but close range. This however leaves very little margin for error.
To sum things up, it doesn't matter how much damage a bullet can inflict if it doesn't land home. When choosing a firearm look for one that is accurate. Power of the round is secondary. Even a .22 can penetrate the skull if fired into the eyes or sinuses.
First I will start with "stopping power". Stopping power is simply the ability to stop your target. How this is achieved is this. A bullet enters the body damaging blood vessels and rupturing organs. Hydrostatic shock send waves of energy through the fluid of the body along the path of the wound. This further ruptures delicate organs such as the spleen and blood vessels. This in turn causes massive hemoraging. The result is rapid loss of blood pressure. Without proper blood pressure the muscles and brain do not receive adequate oxygen. This results in colapse and unconscienceness. Further blood loss causes the heart to increase pace in an attempt to compensate for the lack of blood. With the lowered oxygen available, lowered blood pressure decreasing the efficiency in which oxygen is transfered, and increased demand on the heart, cardiac arrest is likely. Larger calibers can inflict larger wounds and therefore cause these effects at a faster rate. This is stopping power.
The movies like to show people who are shot flying back from the hit, This is absolutely untrue. One of Newton's laws of physics says for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. If people were sent flying from a firearm the person firing it would be thrown the same amount. This simply does not happen. This not stopping power.
With stopping power defined we now must look attack how it relates to the undead. All of the effects that would prove lethal to you or I have absolutely no effect on a G. They will not bleed out, they will not suffer cardiac arrest, they will not go into shock. In this case a .22 and a .50 will have the same effect (albeit the .50 will be messier which is not a great thing when you consider the spray of infected blood and matter). To have any meaningful results the brain must be the target. This brings us to accuracy.
The head is a small target and the brain smaller still. Look at someone standing 50, 75 or 100 yards away. At these distance the head appears to be 1/4 inch tall or smaller. This is your target. Add in movement, possibly poor lighting, and fear/stress and you can get an idea of how difficult scoring a head shot can be. The accuracy of your firearm is crucial. Rifles with flat trajectories are ideal. Hand guns are not accurate enough at anything but close range. This however leaves very little margin for error.
To sum things up, it doesn't matter how much damage a bullet can inflict if it doesn't land home. When choosing a firearm look for one that is accurate. Power of the round is secondary. Even a .22 can penetrate the skull if fired into the eyes or sinuses.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by streetwise on -
In my experiance .223 (5.56MM) is a solid round with good preformance and its a common enough round that finding or buying a large amount shouldn't prove hard.
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Permalink Reply by Zombie Exterminator on -
Thats why I'm sticking with my .22 pistol for close range and any rifle I can get my hands on for long range.
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Permalink Reply by CrapBob on -
You make a good point but dont overlook the man v man conflicts that WILL arise and I for one want to be the victor in any confrontation I may have wether that means killing the undead or the soon to be dead. That being said large caliber weapons still do a pretty good job on the living.
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Permalink Reply by J,M. on -
thats the trick isn't it, finding that round that is good for dealing with both the dead and living.
my vote... going on how easy it is to find (or buy if before the zombocolypse), is a proven round, and quality
... its a toss up between the 5.56 or the 7.62
(be mindful, this is for preparing for the inevitable, not during)
5.56 is a very fast round and accurate, but quality rifles that shoot it can be hard to come-by on the civi side
7.62 is has a little more power (so you can shoot through thin walls/doors) , and is slightly less accurate at longer distances. But the ammunition is cheap to buy, and an AK (or an SKS) can be found for just a few hundred bucks (just be sure to buy an Eastern Bloc or Russian made... stay away from Chinese, goes for ammunition and rifles)
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Permalink Reply by emclean on -
5.56 is the same as .223 rem. it is in most any store that sells ammo.
7.62 is in fact the diameter of three commen calabers.
7.62X39 (i guess this is what you were talking about) witch is carred by gun stores, and less so by the few department stores that have firearms.
7.62X51 witch is .308, one of the more common calabers for huntung
7.62X54R witch is used in eastern block machene guns, eastern bolck 'sniper' rifles,and some surplus bolt action rifles.
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Permalink Reply by Alex Kalac on -
Ok... a .50 caliber round doesn't need to hit the head to have any effect, a hip shot, or a lower spinal shot can slow a zombie down dramaticly. I suppose a shot to the spine can disable a zombie to some extent. Not all shots have to be kill shots. Just enough to get away is fine.
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Permalink Reply by J,M. on
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yeah, but given the rarity of ammunition and rifles.. as well as the weight vs carry capacity ratio, and the noise, and the recoil... its just not really worth the consideration
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Permalink Reply by J,M. on
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im not doubting its power at all, Im just saying it wouldn't be very practical for fighting the undead... not saying that I would not use one if i found one (and depending on the type of weapon, know how to use it properly)... I would not seek one out
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Permalink Reply by Kurofur on -
Thanks for the info.
I know very little about guns, so it looks like I'm stuck with hand-to-hand combat for now.
I've never even held a gun.
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Permalink Reply by streetwise on
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5.56 is a good round for less than 500 meters odds are you shouldn't even be taking the shot if he is 500 meters away. The Velocity of a 5.56 causes all the tissue around where the round strikes to accelerate in the same direction o that the round is traveling. If this is a head strike that would mean that the brain tissue around where the round strikes will go from 0 to around 1200 fps in less than a second destroying the brain If you use FMJ 5.56 it will also have good penetration as well. (The 5.56 travels much faster than 1200fps but some of the energy will be lost of course.)
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Permalink Reply by Grim Proteus Verum on -
Greets All! All following statements are IMHO, I mean no disrespect to any other member. I might be terse, only as to attempt from posting a huge reply. :)
5.56 is an acceptable round, as is 7.62 IMHO. The only problem I have with 5.56 is the price jump after the D.C. sniper events in comparison to the 7.62. I have a friend that deals in military surplus and where as before D.C. he could purchase 5.56 ball and AP munition by the thousands and never spend more than pocket change back then. Now it's just economically feasible to purchase 7.62 get more for the money in a more robust reliable platform IMHO. (I.E. M4A1 Vs CETME, AK-47,74)
Even if the price was not prohibitive, (if compared to average retail before D.C.) going to Wal-Mart for example and asking the clerk if they sell CorBon match 5.56 in 3,000 round ammo cans gets you looked at in a new light. ( I have done this to see their reaction, FYI.)
The average human head is 8 inches in width. Even a sporting goods store sells hunting rifles that possess at least a 1.5 MOA (minute of angle) pedigree. For those framilar with ballistics and firearms; 8 inches is quite a large target to hit as far as the RIFLE'S capability is concerned. I now quote Ghoul, paragraph 4, line 3:
This is your target. Add in movement, possibly poor lighting, and fear/stress and you can get an idea of how difficult scoring a head shot can be.
The Human Condition: Mindset. No matter how well built the weapon, how stalwart the stronghold, how firm the firing position, how well stocked the larders, how well the odds favor (or lack there of); the loss of mental discipline are harsh in retribution when Zeds are concerned. If you lose your head, you will lose your head.
Conclusion: Stopping power only becomes an issue when fellow survivors (that might have Level IIIA body armor) decide that you have something they should. Accuracy is only attainable as long as the operator can utilize the weapon efficiently in a stressful enviroment, this is the factor that cannot be resolved no matter how much time is spent researching drag coefficients, CNC prototypes, or range time consumed.
P.S. I seriously had no idea this post was this long, I apologize and accept any and all rebukes.
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Permalink Reply by emclean on
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accuracy vs stopping power comes down to one thing, weather for zombies, or self defence.
USE THE BIGGEST CALABER YOU CAN HIT WITH CONSTINTLY!!
.22 is great, no recoial, cheap, anyone can shoot them all day, but they are most likly to deflect off the thicker parts of the skull.
.500 mag will not deflect, but not everyone can handle the recoial.
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