The Superior Weapon in a Zombie Apocalypse

Misinterpretations Wielding While Running You are twisting my words. The phrases “used on the run” and “while travelling” are not equivalent. I literally meant running while wielding your weapons. The FM and the aluminum baseball bat are lightweight, easily maneuverable, and have perfect range for fighting while running. The billhook is too short (as I will discuss below) and the poleaxe is much too end-heavy for it to be efficient while running. FM Effectiveness As I stated in the comments, the effectiveness of the subject (the forearm machete) was never doubted and you could only question fringe cases such as surprise attacks. Holding the FM You misinterpret my refutation. For quick usage of the FM, the user would grab the handle and near the bottom of the shaft. Stabbing puts all the force onto the handle as normal while the back hand simply keeps the shaft linear with minimal force (as the strap would). NOTE: Pro now specifies the Morris-Devon Billhook of length 13.5 inches. If this is to be allowed, then it must also be allowed that my choice of the M9 simply be arbitrary choice of a 9mm semi-automatic pistol model (thus rendering pro’s cracking frame argument moot, but I will refute it regardless). The Morris-Devon Billhook has a blade length of 9 inches. The FM has a blade length of 18 inches. I’ve shown the FM doubles the billhook in range and is more versatile as the billhook cannot stab due to its blunted nose. “Thus, to bite someone they must essentially touch their head to the intended victim. Clearly, a shorter weapon is ideal in this situation when a zombie is reaching towards you. A sliced neck would kill a zombie and the billhook is perfect for that.” Incorrect. A shorter weapon greatly increases the chance of being bitten. Why even let the zombie get into range of biting you? Relying on decapitation requires that every time you try to kill a zombie with your billhook, you put yourself in danger of being easily bitten on the arm if you do not kill the zombie immediately. The FM does not have this problem as it can decapitate and impale the brain at double the distance. Baseball Bat Pro fails to view the big picture and uses incorrect physics to attempt to refute my point. A fulcrum is a point around which a lever pivots. There is no pivoting whatsoever in this situation. Thus, the fact that pressure is increased when force is focused on a smaller area stands. When striking with the handle side of a baseball bat, one would not keep both hands on the handle, rather one hand holds the opposite end and the bat is used as a battering ram would be. As a short-ranged weapon, the baseball bat then becomes an incredibly hard, blunt object at adjustable length as the back arm propels the bat forward. This battering ram action can easily strike the nose into the brain or fracture the skull itself if necessary. The above is a distinct advantage over the Venetian poleaxe as it literally cannot be used at very close distances. I will use Pro’s example of a surprise attack while you are wielding either a poleaxe or the baseball bat. The bat is easily changed to an effective close ranged weapon while the poleaxe becomes dead weight as there is no room to swing the head around and the shaft is useless other than to defend. Venetian Poleaxe Venetian refers to the Republic of Venice in Italy, which is why I used the Italian poleaxe as a rough estimate. The weight 5 pounds and 2 ounces refers to the head alone, apologies for any inconsistencies, but all arguments were made with this fact. Pro agrees the poleaxe cannot be wielded with one hand under any circumstance. The baseball bat can, if the situation calls for it. If the shaft breaks, how is one to replace the poleaxe? Proficiency with a weapon does not entail carpentry or metalworking. 9mm Slide/Frame Fracture Slide fractures occurred in old models of the M9 back in the 1980s and the problem was fixed. Even then, through the test firing of 3 M9 pistols, it was shown that “[f]ailure occurred at round number 23,310 on one weapon, 30,083 on another, and 30,545 on the last weapon”[1]. Frame cracking also occurred only in the 1980s and the “new frames did not display the cracking problem or any other problem during [tests] and were subsequently accepted by the military”[1]. This point is irrelevant in the 21st century. Sound Suppressors use a larger volume barrel to mask the gas propellant BANG, reduce recoil, and eliminate flash. Though they may not completely silence firearms, the remaining supersonic CRACK sound is incredibly difficult to pinpoint when fired near large, solid objects such as buildings and walls as the sound will ricochet several times[4]. Clearly one would not be standing the open with guns blazing in an apocalypse. When faced with several zombies, running is always the first choice. Firearms would be the last resort when you can't run and your melee weapons cannot deal with them all. A sound level of 120 dB is not enough to cause permanent ear damage because there is no prolonged exposure, at most this will cause ringing in the ears and even less with ear protection. Sound intensity varies inversely with the square of the distance from the source. Though it may be a "rock concert" at point blank, the sound quickly drops off, especially in a areas with dense matter around (e.g. buildings). Due to character restrictions, I will present this math in the next round. Dodging Projectiles English longbows are about 6 feet long with arrows with an average length of 30 inches[2]. Both are quite large and simply moving slightly after seeing the arrow released will mean a non-lethal blow if the archer has perfect aim due to the arrow’s slow projectile speed as demonstrated in Round 3. Availability As mentioned above, I allowed pro to redefine his choice of billhook model and length. I also mentioned that the M9 was an arbitrary model choice and that the weapon I chose is simply a Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol. It’s not as if one would walk into a police station and choose not to use any of the semi-automatic pistols simply because they are a different model. In essence they are equivalent as the arguments for and against either with respect to this debate are exactly the same. Pro suggests police stations have security measures for firearms and ammunition. Unfortunately for that claim, there happens to be zombie apocalypse going on, wherein laws are nonexistent and I am free to shoot or break down any locked door I may happen to encounter. “My opponent has provided no source for his assertion that a longbow would take years to produce, plus stores stock longbows.” I did source that “the traditional construction of a longbow consists of drying the yew wood for 1 to 2 years, then slowly working the wood into shape, with the entire process taking up to four years.”[2] I will admit the sources do also state that working the wood down when wet will speed up the process.[3] Thus, knowing the fact that an English longbow can take up to four years to create, it is ludicrous to suggest one could possibly create their own longbow in a zombie apocalypse. This advantage over firearms is refuted. Conclusion The forearm machete outranges the billhook, performs the same decapitating function at a longer range with less danger, and can impale the heart or brain of a zombie as well. The baseball bat is infinitely more available than a medieval Venetian poleaxe, can instantly switch to a close, melee-range weapon with respectable force while the poleaxe is useless due to its length and location of the striking end. The 9mm semi-automatic pistol, despite being louder than the longbow, is three times as effective in killing zombies and makes up for its firing sound through availability and portability. Due to combined superior availability, range, versatility, maneuverability, weight, and killing potential of my proposed arsenal of weapons, vote Con. References http://bit.ly... http://bit.ly... http://bit.ly... http://bit.ly...