More on Zombie

#1

I am at the Shot Show in Las Vegas and there are Zombie Targets, and other “Zombie” items in a surprising number of booths. I asked the Hornady guys why they decided to introduce their Zombie ammo and their reply said it all. It was just a trial ballon but they sold over a year’s expected sales in the first 60 days and they can’t keep it on the shelves. Capitalism is all about figuring out what customers want to buy, and there is a big market for Zombie stuff. Lightfield also has their Zombie shotshells because there is a huge demand. Lots of theories on why the demand is out there. Some think it is easier for people to shoot “people” targets if they are actually Zombie targets. Who knows but I heard in a couple of places today theat the Zombie craze is about a $2B market so people will continue to bring products to that market.

The Winchester guys told me they have no intention of bringing out a line of Zombie ammo or weapons!!! At least some good news.

Cheers,

Lew

#2

MTM also now has a special edition zombie ammo case:

http://www.mtmcase-gard.com/products/shooting/zombie-ammo-can.php

And the gunsmiths at Talo who make custom edition guns from existing models (usually by direct order of the manufacturer) have made a zombie edition from the Ruger LCP of all things:

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/11/01/Zombie-Gun-Marketing-110111.aspx

Aside from the custom coloring on both sides, they repunch the serial number with a “ZOM” prefix.

Those, among other things like zombie edition knives should perpetuate the craze for a while and spur on zombie ammo sales. I notice that Firequest also sells .410 rock salt loads (which are recommended for ghosts, zombies, and demons) to go along with their 12ga zombie killer ammo.

#3

DK, Lots of Zombie stuff at the Show. All chasing that $2B!!!

Lew

#4

Plus all the recent movies, and tv series that have been airing!

#5

A shame the mighty dollar means so much. All this stuff is, regardless, a blight on the fireamrs industry, if not for the ridiculous craze, than for the childishness it represents.

#6

Leupold VX-R Zombie Rifle Scope.

no comment on this one

Stonewall

#7

John, I would not blame the business. It rather sheds a poor light on the customers and reveals quite a bit of truth about people.

#8

AMEN TO THAT,

#9

Yes, That’s true, unfortunately. However, must business always pander to the lowest instincts of people? I suppose so. As I said, I admit to hypocrisy. As a serious student and collector of pistols cartridges, I was forced to purchase a box each of the pistol calibers of this ammo. Fortunately, the cartridges are quite normal, even though the boxes pander to the IQ of a pet rock. I will not even attempt to sell any of the duplicate cartridges.

#10

From something that a friend of mine who is studying script writing for film and TV told me, I think it is a sign of the times. Apparently during times of economic downturn, vampires have historically become more popular as a theme for TV, movies and books. I think the zombie craze of recent years could well be something similar.

Even so, I agree that firearms companies using this craze as marketing is playing right into the hands of the anti-gun liberals.

I saw a similar thing a few years ago on the front of a British gun magazine called Shooting Sports. There was a line which said something like: “Pimp your piece - we review the latest firearm accessories”. I thought to myself “is that really how low they need to sink to sell what is a supposed to be a serious magazine”.

#11

John, a big shot bank attorney told me this once: "The money is always right"
Keeping this in mind answered me many believed to be strange questions so far.

#12

I am still waiting for edible ammo. Make war AND feed the people. In Africa they mix gunpowder and cocaine. I guess that is a step forward.

#13

Capitalism has been proven over and over to be the most productive method of generating wealth by most effectively satisifying the needs and desires of those who have money to spend!

There are apparently lots of people out there who are interested in Zombies and who have money to spend.

Who are we to criticize them??? After all, we collect ammunition and spend both money and lots of time in the process…

I suspect there may be more people out in the world who think the Zombie guys are more sane than we are.

In any case, they are a much bigger market. We don’t represent $2B in potential business, nor do we have our own TV series!!!

Cheers,

Lew

#14

Here in Texas there is a plan to catch the Zombies and release them somewhere that they will not destroy the environment.Previously we were just shooting them as a sport----didn’t even need a license.

#15

Lew - you are right also. However, that doesn’t mean I cannot regret the image this portrays of an industry I gave my working life to, and loved. I consider it demeaning in the extreme, and just another excuse for our enemies, which are legion, to call us “kooks.” Frankly, the more I look at the four boxes in my collection, the closer I come to destroying them. That’s how strongly I feel about this slur on our profession. I simply wish we had capitalism, a form of economy I, too, favor over any, with a soul. We don’t! It is as blind as Justice.

#16

Here is another entrant into the Zombie ammo craze; RBS ammo:

http://www.rbsammo.com/product-details.cfm?zombie-ammo—pistol

There’s nothing special about it, and it is just ball ammo loaded by a small outfit that seems like one of the many recreational / competition outlets which loads thousands of their own, and sells generic commercial-component ammo on the side.

I’m going to have a table display at SLICS titled “Zombie Madness” which will attempt to display and explain all of the angles of this whole zombie ammo marketing phenomenon. Pros & cons explained with some history of anti-vampire ammo and it’s similarities to this anti zombie ammo thing.

#17

Matt, Hornady is now selling just the Z-Max bullets now too. Take a look at the packaging for the rifle bullets:

wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm? … 079%7C1121

#18

Wow, well at least a buyer of those will be ready for the Varmint “zombiegeddon” as the package implies. Nosler is also on this train with their aptly named “Varmageddon” bullets:

http://www.nosler.com/Bullets/Varmageddon.aspx

#19

Looks like Hornady is now also doing .300 Whisper in Zombie-Max. A few sellers are offering it, but I don’t see any reference on Hornady’s website yet.

#20

Hate to be honest here…but I bought some of the Hornady Zombie max ammo for my .380 and .40 last time I was at my local sporting goods store. I only bought it because of the zombie-related-ness not because I needed it.

But then again I am a big zombie TV and movie fan (Resident Evil, The Walking Dead(which in my opinion is one of the absolute best shows on TV right now!), etc)