[Nuke]

machine guns vs zombies == waste of ammo. zombies are slow enough that you can take the time and actually aim. heavy machine guns are often used for suppressing fire. the idea is that they would keep the enemy's head down long enough so that they could advance. zombies aint exactly going to duck like a soldier would. you could probably set up a kill zone at a prepared position, and youd probably tear those zombies to shreds, but rest assured those shreds would still try to eat you.

[Angelus]

if i was fighting zombies, i think i would want a shotgun with an extended ammo tube with a capacity of no fewer than 10 rounds, a 9mm with extended clip (or two extended clips taped together), and a few grenades and molotov cocktails. i would love a minigun, or a flame thrower, or even an artillery piece or fifty, but i think mobility is key to surviving a zombie apocalypse.

I'd prefer a Jackhammer for longer ranges and a Lightsaber and Force-push for close ranges. 

[Grizzly]

I'd ride an elephant.

[Scooby_Doo]

if i was fighting zombies, i think i would want a shotgun with an extended ammo tube with a capacity of no fewer than 10 rounds, a 9mm with extended clip (or two extended clips taped together), and a few grenades and molotov cocktails. i would love a minigun, or a flame thrower, or even an artillery piece or fifty, but i think mobility is key to surviving a zombie apocalypse.

I'd prefer a Jackhammer for longer ranges and a Lightsaber and Force-push for close ranges. 

I'd prefer to be the Neveraine, ungodly strength/int and zombie immunity 

[Kosh]

Problem is: Tanks will fail, too. Engine failure, overheating, running out of juice, zombies clawing out vital optics, etc. Combined with the fact that you will attract even more of them whichever way you use the tank, you'll be doomed eventually. On top of that: By attacking the zombies, you instantly put yourself on the defensive against a force you have no grasp of... there could be millions of them, they could be capable of alerting other zombies, and for all you know, they could bring a tank of their own as well! 

Brains before brawn when it comes to the undead, basically.

A zombie tank? Ha, now that would be something to see. Actually if you attract even more of them with a tank that means you'll wipe them out even faster. A good strategy is to use the tank to get a whole bunch of them in one place, then bomb that group with napalm. 

machine guns vs zombies == waste of ammo. zombies are slow enough that you can take the time and actually aim. heavy machine guns are often used for suppressing fire. the idea is that they would keep the enemy's head down long enough so that they could advance. zombies aint exactly going to duck like a soldier would. you could probably set up a kill zone at a prepared position, and youd probably tear those zombies to shreds, but rest assured those shreds would still try to eat you.

As long as they stay in one place then it doesn't matter. If you have to put down a bunch of them in a pinch, the machine gun is a good way to disable them, then you have napalm or flamethrowers come in for the mopup.

[Titan]

Problem is: Tanks will fail, too. Engine failure, overheating, running out of juice, zombies clawing out vital optics, etc. Combined with the fact that you will attract even more of them whichever way you use the tank, you'll be doomed eventually. On top of that: By attacking the zombies, you instantly put yourself on the defensive against a force you have no grasp of... there could be millions of them, they could be capable of alerting other zombies, and for all you know, they could bring a tank of their own as well! 

Brains before brawn when it comes to the undead, basically.

A zombie tank? Ha, now that would be something to see. Actually if you attract even more of them with a tank that means you'll wipe them out even faster. A good strategy is to use the tank to get a whole bunch of them in one place, then bomb that group with napalm. 

He's referring to the one type of zombie that is as big as a van, typically walks like a gorilla, and is musclebound to the absolute extreme.

[Scotty]

Oh, right, that kind of zombie that exists only where the pseudo-science used to justify zombies is even more convoluted and ****ty than normal.

Fact:  Zombies cannot get in the tank if you don't want them to.  If there is no one in it, they will leave it alone.  If there is, they will not be able to open it.  At all.

Fact:  Unless the zombie is someone who worked on the specific kind of tank you're using, at which point all intelligence is already gone, they won't know what the vital optics on a tank are (and since there are tiny slits in the front of most tanks used to fire and see out of, it doesn't matter)

Fact:  An Abrahms tank can travel 265 miles on a single tank of gas.  If you can't get somewhere to help get any errant zombies off, you're doing it wrong.

Fun Fact: An Abrahms tank can move at up to 70 mph (that I've seen) on a good highway.  Zombies will fall off.  Mythbusters has shown us this with much lower speeds and without a rotating turret.

The military base that gets overrun is overrun by bull**** and fiat.

[StarSlayer]

I think a few folks under appreciate how swift and nimble an modern MBT truly is. Its scary **** to see one of those things tearing up over hill and dale and while that 60 plus ton beast bounces all over the place its stabilized 120mm muzzle just stays perfectly sighted on you.

Musics a bit OTT but you can get the point.  Any organic matter that thing hits is going to be paste.

[Nemesis6]

Oh, right, that kind of zombie that exists only where the pseudo-science used to justify zombies is even more convoluted and ****ty than normal.

Fact:  Zombies cannot get in the tank if you don't want them to.  If there is no one in it, they will leave it alone.  If there is, they will not be able to open it.  At all.

Fact:  Unless the zombie is someone who worked on the specific kind of tank you're using, at which point all intelligence is already gone, they won't know what the vital optics on a tank are (and since there are tiny slits in the front of most tanks used to fire and see out of, it doesn't matter)

Fact:  An Abrahms tank can travel 265 miles on a single tank of gas.  If you can't get somewhere to help get any errant zombies off, you're doing it wrong.

Fun Fact: An Abrahms tank can move at up to 70 mph (that I've seen) on a good highway.  Zombies will fall off.  Mythbusters has shown us this with much lower speeds and without a rotating turret.

The military base that gets overrun is overrun by bull**** and fiat.

I like how we're dismissing tanks as unscientific, while giving zombies in general a free pass! 

Anyway, whether they're military or civilians, large groups of survivors in one place is a bad thing for everyone involved. Also, I'm aware that zombies wouldn't be able to get in the tank, and I'll concede the point about the optics, too. I still think they'll find a way, though. I'll put up another hypothetical - You're gonna find tanks in cities, right? I'm pretty sure even for a tank, traversing all those cars and possible barricades left behind will fail at some point, whether the tank gets stuck or simply cannot pass.

I'm sticking to my guns with the outpost scenario: Wouldn't work. Basta.

[StarSlayer]

Oh, right, that kind of zombie that exists only where the pseudo-science used to justify zombies is even more convoluted and ****ty than normal.

Fact:  Zombies cannot get in the tank if you don't want them to.  If there is no one in it, they will leave it alone.  If there is, they will not be able to open it.  At all.

Fact:  Unless the zombie is someone who worked on the specific kind of tank you're using, at which point all intelligence is already gone, they won't know what the vital optics on a tank are (and since there are tiny slits in the front of most tanks used to fire and see out of, it doesn't matter)

Fact:  An Abrahms tank can travel 265 miles on a single tank of gas.  If you can't get somewhere to help get any errant zombies off, you're doing it wrong.

Fun Fact: An Abrahms tank can move at up to 70 mph (that I've seen) on a good highway.  Zombies will fall off.  Mythbusters has shown us this with much lower speeds and without a rotating turret.

The military base that gets overrun is overrun by bull**** and fiat.

I like how we're dismissing tanks as unscientific, while giving zombies in general a free pass! 

Anyway, whether they're military or civilians, large groups of survivors in one place is a bad thing for everyone involved. Also, I'm aware that zombies wouldn't be able to get in the tank, and I'll concede the point about the optics, too. I still think they'll find a way, though. I'll put up another hypothetical - You're gonna find tanks in cities, right? I'm pretty sure even for a tank, traversing all those cars and possible barricades left behind will fail at some point, whether the tank gets stuck or simply cannot pass.

I'm sticking to my guns with the outpost scenario: Wouldn't work. Basta.

Tanks don't operate by themselves with no logistical support. 

[Scotty]

Which is exactly why the "military base overrun by zombies" scenario is bunk, bull****, inconceivable, impossible, <pick an adjective>, etc.

They don't operate without support.  There are more tanks.  There are helicopters.  There are artillery batteries.  There are regiments of infantry support.

[Mars]

Unless your military base is run by skynet, it should be susceptible.

[StarSlayer]

Unless your military base is run by skynet, it should be susceptible.

To what zombies?  Like honest to god shuffling dead or all the fancy variants invented for video games? Assuming you haven't had a mass outbreak inside the facilities all you need is a bloody fence with razor wire on top. 

[Mars]

There are many variations of zombies, and not all variations were invented by video games. Many books feature zombies that can aim and shoot. If a battalion of soldiers became zombies, you can imagine the base would fall rather easily.

[Nemesis6]

Unless your military base is run by skynet, it should be susceptible.

Zombies chewing on T-800s, now there's a nice mental image! 

Almost better than the one of a zombie fighting a shark! ...which you can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F3fin4MjVw

[StarSlayer]

Thats silly.  Sure, reanimated soldiers could probably take a base, but then thats simply a conventional battle, but quite frankly when people think zombie apocalypse that means shuffling dead not Universal Soldier.

[Mars]

My assumption would be that any training ingrained into the person would probably remain (firing down sights, driving a tank, etc.) but that anything involving higher thinking would be diminished, or non existent.

[Scotty]

Firing down sights means that a gun must be in one's hand.  Driving a tank means that one must be in a tank.  The higher thinking is involved when picking up or entering one of the above.  Zombies cannot get into a tank, so anyone in a tank will not be a zombie.  Having a gun is more likely, but still involves an amount of physical dexterity zombies simply don't have.

To be clear, I'm assuming zombies the likes of which feature prominently in World War Z and the Zombie Survival Guide, which the discussion started with.

[Bobboau]

yeah, once they can start shooting guns and operate machinery they become less zombie and more reaver.

[Mars]

Firing down sights means that a gun must be in one's hand.  Driving a tank means that one must be in a tank.  The higher thinking is involved when picking up or entering one of the above.  Zombies cannot get into a tank, so anyone in a tank will not be a zombie.  Having a gun is more likely, but still involves an amount of physical dexterity zombies simply don't have.

To be clear, I'm assuming zombies the likes of which feature prominently in World War Z and the Zombie Survival Guide, which the discussion started with.

In that case, the zombie threat would quickly be a non threat, because any sturdy locked door would be a complete barrier.