Zombie Shoot….say again?

By R. Ted Jeo

April 25.  Minnesota.   By all rights, the weather could have, even SHOULD have been, still in winter mode.  Leaving the Twin Cities it was pouring a cold rain.  It didn’t look good.  And we were off to help the “outbreak” up there in St. Cloud.  An outbreak of….Zombies?

Yes, you read that right.  Zombies.  You see, St. Cloud based AR maker DPMS was hosting the second annual Zombie shoot, titled “Outbreak: Omega II” on that Saturday.  Think of it as a Renaissance Festival for us gun toting folk.  Upon arriving, we found ourselves in the midst of fellow shooters that really took the event to heart and got all their zombie wacking tactical gear in order.   There were folks there decked out head to toe in ACU garb complete with armor plate; there were the obvious SWAT  and police tactical members from various municipalities as well, and, of course, us plain old types in old fatigues, old jeans, and, well, one that looked like he just came in from an upland bird hunt, sans hunting dog.

Don’t get the wrong idea.  This wasn’t a fashion show.  It was a three gun shooting event hidden behind the theme of “zombie kill’n”.  There were 4 shotgun, 3 rifle and 2 pistol stages.  Whereas the rifle and pistol stages had targets rich in zombie lore, the shotgun events were the reactive target type, with falling plates, poppers, and moving clays.  We came armed with your basic pump and semi autos and as soon as we walked up to the range, we felt a wee bit under-gunned, as many of the other shooters had the extended magazine semi autos, able to handle 8 or more shells without a reload.  And the stages were 10 shots each.  But it was all for fun, so reloads were handled wherever and whenever you thought you needed them.  Birdshot was the only ammo allowed at each of the stages.

After our shotgun runs, which were REALLY fun, we went back to the vehicles and switched gear for rifle and pistols.  Filling up with loaded mags, holsters and slinging our black rifles we hopped on board the tractor and headed down the road to the rifle and pistol ranges….and to our first obstacle.   If there is a complaint to be said about the event, imagine if you would this.   Last year, there were less than 100 participants.  This year, there were nearly 500 participants.  There were long lines for all the stages, which was really too bad.  We got to shoot two of the three rifle stages and both of the pistol stages, and it was all fun, but there was a lot of standing in lines. 

As we were waiting in line, we had a lot of time to talk with other shooters, compare gear, discuss things etc.  I would guesstimate that AR rifles were in use 98% of the time, in all sorts of flavors, sizes, colors and decked out in every imaginable type of accessory possible.  If you wanted opinions on anything AR, this was the place to go.  Of course, EVERYONE had the best setup, that goes without saying.  One would expect that from this large a gathering of AR drivers. Only a few AK rifles were seen, a Garand, a couple of M1 carbines and a scant handful of odds and ends.  And one Golani, thanks to our group.  By the way, mine was an M4 clone made up of DPMS upper, Stag Arms lower, CAA stock, Vortex Strikefire sight, Brownell’s 360 series flip up rear sight,  Ergo fore end vertical grip (see review at :  www.surplusrifle.com/articles2008), a VTac sling and a set of NcStar Picatinny rails.  Oh, and I was using P-mags loaded up with Wolf polymer coated 55gr FMJ ammo.  You can read more about this below….after all, it was the best set up….

The first stage of rifle we tried was a run and gun event.  Here, the shooter sets out his locked and loaded rifle on a table, steps back onto a truck and when the timer goes off, picks up his rifle, does a double tap on five zombie targets from off hand position at about 10 yards, move to a kneeling position about 20 feet away and shoot from a hole in the wall at another set of five zombie targets double tapping each.  At this point, most shooters dropped their mag and put in a fresh 30 rounds and made their way another 25 feet or so to a prone position where we shot at a dozen or so more targets out 75 or so yards away, double tapping each of them as well.  Although the event was timed (as were all stages) times were not recorded and indeed there were no winners of the event (well, not the type of winners with trophies, but more on that later).   The second stage of rifle was a shorter sit down affair.  Sort of a smorgasbord of zombie targets.  You could shoot all day long there if you had enough ammo.  It was more along the lines of what you normally find at your own range.  Well, to be hones the word to use is…boring.  Well, actually, let’s amend that.  “Someone” brought along a SAW (M-249) that people could shoot and set it up on one end of the range.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get the time to shoot the third rifle stage, which was a long range attack on zombie targets.

There were two pistol stages that were at the shoot this year.  Both were very popular with the shooters, with long lines.  At this point in the game, it would have been a great idea to have rifle racks located near the pistol ranges so that all those AR’s wouldn’t have to be propped into corners or placed on the ground along the berms.  Something to think about for next year perhaps.  Unlike the rifle stages where the number one gun far and away was the AR, at the pistol stages it was a true mix of makes, models and calibers.  Most were the high capacity types of one kind or another.  My pistol d’jour  was a Taurus PT92AF with 15 round mags loaded up with Blazer 9mm ammo.  You noticed that I used disposable cased ammo for both pistol and rifle.  With the cost of reloading going through the roof, I did not want to have to mess with trying to pick up my brass and also I tried to save some money as well.  And on that note, I experienced no failures at all with either the Wolf .223 or the Blazer 9mm ammo all day long. 

The first pistol stage we visited was a move and gun affair.  Starting out with an empty gun and a full mag set to one side, the shooter loads, cycles and proceeds to shoot 26 shots at 13 zombies while moving through a maze of walls.  Of course there was (at least) one reload in the stage as well.  The last stage we played was another pistol round that consisted of falling plates, popper droppers and dueling trees.  Again, it was a shoot and move stage with at least one reload. 

Ah, all too soon (or perhaps finally?), the day came to an end.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but I’d actually gotten a sun burn during the day.   April in Minnesota and a sun burn.  Yet another surprise.  But perhaps the day ended on the best part of the event, the prize drawing!  You see, at each stage you dropped off one of your tickets ($5 each) which were later used for some really fabulous door prizes.  I’ll just mention a few to give you an idea…2 complete AR rifles (DPMS and CMMG), $1200 gift certificate for US Optics, 2 Glock pistols, reloading press and info and lots of other items.  (nope, none of us got any of the major prizes, bummer). 

DPMS made the announcement that they will go for a third annual event next year.  Next time, the intent will be a two day event to make sure that everyone will be able to do all the stages.  That will be a welcomed change for sure.  It was a great event, and we really had a lot of fun and were able to visit and jaw with a lot of good shooting people.  The Zombie part of it may seem a bit off the deep end, but really where else does one get to do the type of shooting such as run and gun and metallic poppers and such with shotguns, rifles and pistols and NOT have to pay high entry fees, and NOT have to deal with the being outgunned or out spent by someone else?  Not at any range I’ve been to lately.  The folks at DMPS (which by the way is located right there at the range) did a great job of hosting and I certainly hope to attend next year and do some more Zombie eradication.   Come on over next year and join the ranks and become a Zombie Hunter.

Some of the items on my M4 I found to be unique and helpful in quelling the Zombie hoards:

Brownell’s BUIS (Back Up Iron Sight).  360 Series Flip up rear sight.  (#080-000-510)

This is very unique BUIS.  Based on our favorite H&K drum rear sight, this sight is designed to be used on 16” barreled M4/CAR-15 type AR’s.  It is calibrated for a standard A2 front sight or similar A2 pop up sight using 62gr (M855) .223 FMJ type ammo.  The sight uses a drum that offers ½ MOA windage adjustment. 

There are 4 apertures on the drum, starting with an unmarked close range sight that has a 0.160” opening for ranges closer than 100 yards.  From there, the next three openings are clearly marked  “1” “2” and “3”, pre calibrated for 100, 200 and 300 yards respectively.   In all cases the aperture has a 0.070” opening.

I’ve always liked the H&K drum, found on the MP5 sub gun, it affords me easy and quick sight alignments.  This BUIS is designed to lock down in a low mode when not in use and then pops up and locks in place with a flip of your finger.  It co-witnessed with my Strikefire electronic sight with no issue. 

I did attempt to use the sight on a 24” barreled AR varmint rifle.  What I found is that at long range, the rifle fired high, which pretty much matched the idea that the longer barrel produced a higher velocity therefore shifting the point of impact.   

See Brownell’s web site at: www.brownells.com for more info.

Vortex’s StrikeFire red/green riflescope.  Similar looking to the Aimpoint CompML2, the StrikeFire has gotten rave reviews on the web by AR users all over.  It uses a 3V CR2 type battery to power a 4 MOA sized dot for upwards of 2000 hrs. The neat thing is that you can switch between red or green at a push of button.  The power controls and the brightness settings of the scope are rubberized type push switches mounted on the side and rear of the scope.  It even has a setting for use with night vision gear.  The scope comes with a 2x magnifier that can be screwed into the scope to afford some added help for longer distance shots.  As I was mounting the scope onto a flat top upper, I needed to get the extra tall scope ring option as well.  

The StrikeFire is offered by Vortex Optics out of Middleton, WI.  (www.vortexoptics.com)    Vortex specializes in high end optics for the shooter and out of doors person.  They sell all the major makers of optics but have developed their own line (Vortex) as well.  I’ve never had to deal with any issue directly with the company, but I’ve read again and again that the company stands behind their products with their customer service pledge of VIP Warranty.  As stated, it reads:  “Vortex pledges this Very Important Promise to you, a Very Important Person, and that's why we call it the VIP warranty. In the event that your Vortex product requires service, no matter the cause, Vortex Optics will repair or replace the product at no charge to you.”  That’s just about as straight forward as can be for warranties. 

After having done some research into the StrikeFire scope, the issue became trying to actually find one to buy.  There are several resellers that offered the scope, but none had them in stock nor did most of them afford any real news as to when they would be available again for sale.  Then I happened upon Liberty Optics out of Montana. (www.libertyoptics.com)  They also, at the time, did not have the StrikeFire in stock, but Scott from Liberty Optics gave me a real definitive time frame as to when the scope would be available, so I pre ordered one.  True to his word, the scopes were available as stated and were shipped pretty much out the same day they came into their shop.  Just like Vortex, Liberty Optics specializes in higher end optics from most of the big name makers.

Viking Tactics VTAC sling.  Unlike many of the tactical slings out there that you see when you surf along the web, the VTAC is very simple in design and use.  The VTAC allows quick adjustment for carrying your rifle slung across your front or back as well as quick support as you shoot.  If you intend on using it on a full stock AR, you will very likely need their stock adapter.  Also, to get the best use of the sling, I’ve found that a side mounted front sling swivel is needed.  In my case, I opted for a cheap “polymer” one until I could find the right adapter to fit on my rail system, which I had only recently installed.  Viking does make the LUSA (Lamb Universal Sling Adapter) which offers 4 different types of sling attachment brackets.  The best thing to watch is their video at:  www.vikingtactics.com

DPMS AR rifles and parts.  (www.dpmsinc.com)  In my case, you are looking at a Stag Arms lower and a DPMS 16”  barrel AP4 type flat top M4 (or Clone-4 or M Faux) model.  Anyone that knows AR’s knows DPMS as one of the leaders of AR rifles and assemblies.  My particular rifle has not failed me no matter what I’ve fed it, be it Wolf, Bear or handloads.  With the StrikeFire scope mounted and using the vertical fore end grip, shooting un supported offhand at a 50 yard IPSC  practice paper target, it is quite easy to continuously place headshots.  And, after all, headshots are the ONLY way to get rid of a Zombie, right? 

For more information and images go to:  www.dpmsinc.com/outbreak

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