Wouldn’t a 22 rifle be the best gun?

In this edition of “Ask Bast”, Tomas asks: “Wouldn’t a 22 rifle be the best gun because it’s light and you can find ammo easy?”

Answer:

That’s a great point, and one thing that’s important to remember about firearms, they only work if you have ammo! While having readily available ammunition is a great benefit of the .22 rifle, I wouldn’t call it the BEST gun for dealing with the Dead Zeds. I mention in one of my articles that the .22 rifle is a fantastic weapon for beginners to familiarize themselves with firearms (safety, cleaning, etc.), but there are a couple of drawbacks that would stop me short on labeling the .22 the best. The thing about stopping zombies is that you’ve got to hit them in the head. A .22 rifle, while light and reliable, does still require a significant amount of skill in order to hit a quickly moving target. For lightweight reliability and readily available ammo AND zombie dispatching ease, I’ve got to give the award for best gun to the 20-gauge pump or semi-automatic shotgun. The 20-gauge typically offers a shot pattern about the size of a volley ball, without the kick of a 12-gauge or the accuracy required for a rifle. While the shotgun does have a shorter effective range, keep in mind we’re not training to be snipers, we’re trying to find reliable methods for survival. With all that being said, the most important thing you can do is to be prepared with whatever weapons you have at your disposal. The best gun will be the one that you have when you need one!