In honor of Halloween...Zombie Ammo

[Big Boss]

I've always said that gun humor is hit or miss, and I do intend an awful pun there. A lot of it is just really stale or asinine. But, every once in a while, you come across something that is gold.

Or in this case, maybe its grey. Brain matter grey.

Just in case...Hornady Zombie Max

Now, the whole zombie thing has been gradually building steam in the gun and survivalist communities, at first slyly using a zombie apocalypse as a euphemism for some scenario that involves having to resort to drastic means to survive. But then, people started to take the "zombie" thing a bit too far, focusing specifically on what to do during an actual zombie apocalypse. Like...grown men actually discussing how to fight off hoards of the undead as if it were inevitable. I thought it was clever when it was tongue in cheek, but at some point it seemed to have been hijacked by lunatics.

Of course, fueled by both these strange, eccentric people and the popularity of AMC's The Walking Dead and other zombie media (which is actually healthy for the industry as its gotten more young people interested in firearms), it was only a matter of time before the industry itself started to pick up on it and capitalize on the trend.

Hornady is actually late to the table, as various zombie targets and guns marketed as "zombie killers" have been around for a while. Still, its a strange sight to see Hornady, of all ammo manufacturers, take this route. Hornady is an upscale ammo brand that prides itself on high quality. I myself carry Hornady Custom Critical Defense .45 ACP in my daily carry pistol, so I already had a high opinion of them. I'm just befuddled as to why they'd "go low" and breech their own reputation for such a cheesy marketing gimmick, especially when this stuff carries the usual Hornady price tag (a DOLLAR per cartridge, people).

Maybe I'll buy a box just as a conversation piece. Or, maybe I'll keep it "just in case", but I seriously doubt I'll actually use this stuff at the range. At the very least, the kitschy box art is worth holding on to.

What a weird world we live in.

Happy All Hallows Eve, kids. Watch for razor blades.

[Spark Mandrill]

I've actually become a zombie buff after years of playing Resident Evil and Nightmare Creatures, so this got a rise out of me. Funny thing is, I just got through reading an article saying that zombies are worth $5 billion at least when you factor in zombie movies, video games, comics and crap like that. But it doesn't mention ammmo manufactuers jumping on this band wagon. Maybe these guys can add a couple million bucks to that pot.

[Gauntlet101010]

Everyne loves zombies. Even EC couldn't resist and made a huge event around it.

[Benjamin]

Wait, the same EC Comics that published Tales From the Crypt and Vault of Horror? But I thought they were dead!

*The reanimated corpse of William Gaines appears*

Oh snap! Hope you got some ammo to pass around Rich, cuz we got a zombie apocalypse on the board!

[Gauntlet101010]

Sorry, I meant DC and Blackest Night. It was last year, but it was still pretty big. And really out of the norm for DC.

[Benjamin]

Oh G, you know I'm just messing with ya. XD

[Byron]

Zombies are pretty damn cool, although I guess I don't exactly like them to much? I just find apocalypse stories to be fairly depressing in general, and I guess I have a preference for 1) bizarre elderitch abominations like something out of a nightmare and 2) robots or genetic chimeras or other man-made constructs as part of that 'man's own pride ends up destroying him' sort of them.

Although a zombie virus could technically be man made, so there's that...

Anyways, I hope that everyone had a Happy Halloween, whether or not they were paranoid about the 'zombie apocalypse' and the like.

[Big Boss]

What frightens me is that a lot of these zombie apoc nuts seem to genuinely desire a lonely, lawless period where you happen to be on the run constantly and shooting human shaped monsters. They can't wait until they can just run out their front door, guns blazing as they blaze through a ruined city towards the countryside. These are the guys that give everybody the wrong ideas on the typical American gun owner being a cowboy, when most enthusiasts are far more sound in mind than they're given credit for.

So, I have mixed feelings on products like this. I understand its supposed to be in good humor, with even the warning label being very specific as to its use. However, it also feeds the bigger public misconception that "survivalists" and enthusiast gun owners in general are all nut jobs. I usually don't care about what others think of me, but these are times where a certain contingent would love to be able to disarm Americans in order to be less afraid of exerting control over them.

As one commenter said, if some kid shoots up a mall or school with a bunch of this stuff, it'll look even worse for the industry and the individual. Every rampage, as rare as it is, and they are indeed rare despite massive media coverage suggesting otherwise, looks bad enough for the normal gunnie, but when stuff like this happens to be used in such attacks it amplifies the argument used against us. Every shooting is tragic, but equally tragic is the political aftermath, where each side of the debate shamelessly uses it as an excuse to further their agenda, and the victims become background players.

That said...I still might buy a box of this stuff just as a conversation piece. The box art looks cool, and so does the ammo, with that green/yellow false tip and the nickel plated brass.