I appreciate it... but I get to be serious on average of 14 hours a day between work and my side businesses... I post here to have fun. I will be serious on a topic that is appropriately serious.... like zombie hunting threads
Really, the essence of zombie hunting is quite similar to the essence of hunting a living being. When hunting the living, weapon choice comes down to three things: Accuracy, power, and firepower. To that effect, those three qualifications are all desirable when hunting the dead.
However, this is where the parallel splits. When hunting a living being, say a bear, you want to choose a firearm that fires a large, deeply penetrating bullet with a structure that precipitates controlled expansion. Nosler Partitions are a good example of this. But a .338 Winchester Magnum shooting 220 grain Nosler Partitions will have no great advantage in disposing of a zombie over a normal autoloading rimless handgun round, say for example the 9mm Parabellum.
Why do you ask? Because the only way to properly terminate a zombie, is to put a hole in his (or her!) head. Now, while shooting a caliber as large and destructive as a .338 may be a confidence booster it is not a very practicle ZDF. (Zombie Defense Weapon) Over penetration, excessive recoil, hard to find ammunition, and the fact that you won't find many high capacity autoloading rifles chambered in such a caliber make the .338 and other hunting cartridges a poor choice for your ZDF.
Personally, in my ICOZA Bag (In Case of Zomebie Attack Bag) I've chosen three weapons that combine Accuracy and Firepower, without going over board in actual power(generated kinetic energy in foot lbs.)
1. 16" barrel AR15 carbine. Short, light, quick handling and accurate to ranges exceeding 300 meters. A fast shooter with an easy to procure ammunition caliber, and takes high capacity magazines (20, 30, and 40 round, with rare availability of 90 round drums).
2. 18" barreled Benneli M1 12 gauge shotgun. Also fairly short and lightweight, the shotgun is an essential to any zombie hunters ICOZA bag. Short range, but with a cylinder bore and the correct shot (#4) you can expect to take out 2 or 3 closely grouped zombies per shot. This ZDF really isn't so much for me, as it is for those less fortunate souls I meet up with during my travels who wish to join forces with me. Most people in the country today are not proficient with firearms, so an autoloading shotgun is the only choice when you don't have time to teach a large breasted blonde how to accurately dispense fire with a rifle.
3. Berretta 92F 9mm semiautomatic handgun. This is what I consider to be the perfect INCOZA handgun on the market today. Easy to shoot, light recoil, high capacity, and 140 grain FMJ's will put a hole in any zombies rotting forehead. Also, like the AR15, ammunition and magazines are very easy to come by.
In short, when you're gearing up for the imminent legions of zombies that will come to take your children away, plan your ZDF's accordingly. Lightweight, fast shooting, accurate enough for headshots, and high capacity.
Godspeed.