The Smashing Coconut Test V: FX Wildcat MK2 .25

Behold, the quietest and most accurate lead-slinger in our collection. 

The  FX Wildcat Mark II is a  pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air rifle. It can fling a .25cal pellet weighting 25.39gr at 895 feet per second. This compact and lightweight rifle wins gold for benchrest accuracy and hunting small to medium sized game.

Real-world stuff? I could make nearly single-hole groups at 50 meters and pellet on pellet hits at anything closer.

I ordered a suppressor from a local gunsmith and it matches the performance of imported designs. The OEM moderator was adequate but I got something that would make it inaudible from outside my window.

This belongs at the highest-end category for air rifles. It contrasts greatly to my break-barrel Gamo Whisper IGT in terms of price and performance.

At 45.15 Foot Pounds Energy, it is a little over half the power of a subsonic .22lr.


Accessories: 

• Coupled with a Vortex Ranger 1000 range finder and the Hawke Sidewinder 8-32x56 Mil Dot scope,  we could land all of our first hits out to a maximum of 200 meters. 

• Ammunition featured is the JSB Exact Kings Diabolo airgun pellet. Made in the Czech Republic, these are the gold standard for airgun pellets.

• I added a bipod and rifle sling to enhance its versatility in field conditions.

-----------------------------------

Can it kill a zombie? Let's find out!

I brought along our young Zombie Hunter so she could do all of the shooting.

A. Target: 

Three fresh coconut shells with the husks removed for consistency. These simulate the hardness of a zombie skull.

B. Distance: 35 and 50 meters

C. Results: 

Zombie brains destroyed!

There were no exit holes at either distance. All pellets expanded completely flat inside the coconut for maximum damage and energy transfer.

The Wildcat is a certified zombie killer.

It has zero recoil and its laser-accuracy lets us hit any eyeball under 100 meters with ease.

As mentioned earlier, the suppressor is a major contributor to this weapon's effectiveness.

Imagine being able to silently eradicate hundreds of walkers without being noticed.

My daughter enjoys shooting this rifle. It is a bit large for her but she is growing very fast and that will cease to be an issue in a year or two.

Click the video to watch the test!

We shot all kinds of things so check out the video for the surprise at the end!

This was tremendous quality time.

Who knows what else we would yeet together?


Stay vigilant!


(Click here to check out to all previous Smashing Coconut Tests starting all the way back to 2011)

Smashing Coconut Test IV: Marlin XT-22 YR (Youth Rifle)

press "play" to watch the video

The humble .22LR, its the smallest, cheapest, and most readily available cartridge worldwide. We also put it in one of the smallest rifles you could buy. Is it up to the task?

Dear friends, I present to you the Marlin XT-22 YR. I got this for my daughter, and on her first day she was landing hits on 2 inch targets at 35 meters. She was 5 years old at the time. I bought it at PB Dionisio. 

Features:

• Caliber: .22 Long Rifle

• Capacity: 7 shot detachable magazine, compatible with Marlin's 10 round magazines

• Pro Fire Adjustable Trigger

• 12 Inch length of pull suitable for children

• 1:16 twist rate, 16 1/4 inch Micro-Groove barrel 

• Weight: 4.5 pounds 

• Adjustable open rear sights, ramp front sights, receiver ready for scope mounting 

Objectives: 

• Will a youth rifle loaded with subsonic ammo take down the UNDEAD??

• How does it perform with a suppressor?

• Compare loudness between high velocity and subsonic ammunition.

The targets: FOUR coconuts. husk removed. ripe for maximum shell strength

Introduction

Click to zoom

The effective range of .22lr is traditionally between 50 to 100  yards depending on the sighting system or riflescope being used. For this test, we are using the Leapers UTG 4-16x. This is a popular choice for airguns.

Our best groups with Armscor Super Quiet, Standard Velocity, and High Velocity ammunition were a little above 2 inches. Velocities of these averaged 840, 1010, and 1250 fps respectively.

I just used a bipod and these are pretty cheap ammo.  I'd expect to subtract a whole inch off with Eley, CCI, RWS, and other high-quality brands.

I'd love to make a comparison of those sometime.

                      

Bonus: When using our suppressor the groups were slightly tighter and the velocity went up by at least 50 fps. Cool!

Our can is made of T6 Aluminum and CNC machined. In the Philippines, accessories such as suppressors are not regulated by the government. 

that's the semi-auto Kel-Tec SU22 beside the Marlin.
Its accuracy was just below .5 inches compared to the bolt-action rifle

Noise Levels & Accuracy

The loudest and the quietest went head to head: High Velocity VS Super Quiet. The suppressor was not able to mask the supersonic crack of the hot ammo.

Humans and the undead will hear it from beyond 200 meters or more. Unacceptable. 

Bullet drop was also a major consideration between the two. At distances over 100 meters, the drop was measured at 4 inches. It increases dramatically further than that.

The best quality of Armscor Super Quiet is... its quietnes and it works as advertised.

I got a bolt-action rifle so that we could have the stealthiest firearm possible in our collection and I was not disappointed. With the suppressor it was a soft "pop" completely hearing safe. Even Remington "CB" ammo was louder.

Unfortunately it was less accurate. Hey its bulk ammo.

With this round I could make 1/2 inch groups with this at distances below 50 meters, and 2 inches at 100. This tells us from how far we could plant a bullet into a zombie's eye socket.

To put this into perspective, a match-grade bolt action rimfire rifle and good ammo can easily land same-hole shots at 50 meters and 1/2 inch  at 100 meters. That's easily twice as accurate as our rifle. 

Conclusion:

What we have is one of the best zombie hunting weapons around: virtually noiseless, deadly, and accurate firearm that could take out countless brain-eaters with mountains of cheap ammunition.

It is really satisfying when the concept of this platform proves itself in the real world.

"shhhh"

As you will see in the video montage, the photographs were from 2015. My daughter has come a long way since then and is now handling larger firearms. This is her first gun and its great to know that it can help her take down countless hordes with it all by herself. 

Stay vigilant!

The Smashing Coconut Test III: GAMO Silent Stalker Whisper Air Rifle (.177)

I've had my Gamo Silent Stalker Whisper air rifle for nearly a year now with over a thousand rounds shot through it. With the Gamo Pro Magnum pellet I can group under 2 inches at 26 meters (or 28 yards) from the standing position. I'm a happy guy.

Why an Airgun?

This break-barrel air rifle is using a new IGT gas piston system that does not have the recoil and sensitivity that spring systems have. Unlike other airguns, it does not need to refill by a hand pump or CO2 tank.

This thing is no toy, it could shoot 7.8 grain .177 caliber pellets at an average of 970 feet per second. Ammo is cheap and lightweight, and you can use this to hunt small game and train your family very affordably. The sound moderator or silencer on the rifle is also quiet enough to do all these without attracting unwanted attention.

This is an ideal survival tool, but can it kill zombies?

Equipment:

• Gamo Silent Stalker Whisper (.177)
• Gamo Pro Magnum pellets
• a spoon 

Target: 

• 3 coconuts, husk removed (needs to be "ripe" for maximum shell strength)

The Test:

• Can an air rifle penetrate a human skull?

Technique:

We will most likely employ this weapon from an elevation so I shot at the coconut from my balcony at approximately 40 degrees and then from ground level.

The Results:

Coconut 1

Coconut 1 was fired upon from my balcony from 28 yards away five times. You could see in the photo that there are 3 holes on top and then two hits below that did not penetrate. This shows that you can punch through the shell if you hit it squarely.

The white stuff tasted good. I didn't eat the lead, don't worry. 

I cracked the coconut open with my United Cutlery M48 Tomahawk and was pleased to see three pellets inside. They were deformed flat and took out decent-sized chunks.

Coconut 2

The second coconut was a lot more interesting. I must have landed my shot at a certain spot that caused it to split open. Crack! Coconut juice flowing out! Gnarly.

I don't expect to split a zombie skull like that, but the impact was quite convincing.

The third coconut was a larger sample and had already gone stale. The shell is nearly twice as thick as the others but the pellet also punched through.

Check out the video below, note that from 26 yards away you could barely hear the rifle, good to know that the silencer works.

Conclusion:

I am very pleased to report that this air rifle chambered in .177 caliber pellets can punch through a coconut and do significant damage to the brain. With good aim, these are likely to penetrate a zombie's skull. I hope that destroying them would require less than two well-placed shots. 

 

I'm limited to relatively short distances with this weapon, but I'm good enough to hit a zed's eyeball at around 30 yards. That would definitely take them out.

This weapon is now part of my survival gear. My family can practice marksmanship and hunt small critters. With 2000 pellets easily stored in my pants, a comfy chair, and a cold drink with me on top of my hidden post at my roof, I could whittle down zombies that come close to my fortification.

The white coconut meat was my rewarding afternoon snack. Tasty!

*****

For my next round of tests I need to acquire a pig's skull for me to shoot at. Why a pig's skull? Because they can be readily obtained from our local butcher. These are thicker than human skulls but should prove to be a definitive penetration test. 

Stay vigilant!

The Smashing Coconut Test II: Arrows

Today we determine the effectiveness of standard flight arrows against the evil brain-eating coconut.

Why Archery?

A zombie hunter proficient in archery is an important asset to your team. 

He or she can take out the living dead quietly using ammunition that could be manufactured more easily than those used in firearms. 

Stealth missions, hunting for food, or just simply thinning down the horde a few zeds a day are important to long-term survival.

Equipment:

• SF Archery Recurve Bow, limb poundage is at 28 lbs.
• Easton Platinum shafts
• Saunders 145 grain field points (arrow points)

*My bow's draw weight is 28 pounds. This is determined by the limbs. This is what are lot of beginners start with. When I graduate to intermediate or advance-level proficiency, I can upgrade to 40 pounds or higher. 40 and above is the minimum standard for bowhunting.

Target: 

1 ripe coconut (juice suitable for drinking & salad) 

The Test:

• To find out if a flight arrow using field points (heavier tips) shot from a recurve bow with a 28 pound draw strength could destroy a zombie.

• To determine overall penetration or deflection against a round surface that is shaped like a skull.

with home-made silencers

Technique:

I was worried about the arrow deflecting in odd angles so the coconut was set on the ground to be shot at from my 2nd floor balcony at a distance of 15 meters & approximately 45 degrees or higher.

Bowhunting is most commonly done at steep angles. This is also ideal for Zombie Hunting.

15 meters is my usual practice distance, mostly because my yard only goes as far as 18. I've been working on hitting a head-sized shape at least 2x a week. So far it has taken me about a month to maintain a grouping of 6 arrows out of 10 in the zombie-killing head shot zone.

Results:

I shot a regular flight arrow (red & green fletching) using regular target points. It only penetrated through 5 inches of the coconut. This was deep enough to make it into the empty space that contains the meat and juice.

The second arrow (green & black fletching) quipped with the heavier field-tip points made it all the way through the coconut. Penetration measured at 8 inches, entering through one side and exiting through the near-middle portion of the coconut. Perfect zombie-kabob!

There was a neat sounding thunk! sound when each arrow landed. Killing a zombie this way will be very satisfying. 

No shot deflected, even if they landed slightly off-center. Awesome.

Conclusion:

You CAN destroy a zombie with a "trainer-strength" 28 pound bow with simple field-tips. I can't wait to upgrade to 40 or 50 pound limbs so I can take zeds out at longer range!

Quite interesting that the arrow dug in as far as it did. By comparison, my best attempt using a hand axe with my left arm only chopped into the middle.

I ate his brain. Yum.

Success is sweet, and so was the coconut salad! A happy ending for all.

Stay vigilant!

The Smashing Coconut Test: Hand Axe

Prepare to get messy. You will inevitably engage in hand to hand combat with the walking dead, and there will be many situations calling for it.  You may be trapped & surrounded, trying to save ammunition, attempting a stealthy kill, or all of the above.  

We will need effective weapons and the right technique to succeed.  Whatever your weapon of choice, we must agree that we should be able to destroy a zombie with a SINGLE blow.  If you are not sure of your own, give this a try.

Fellow survivors, I present to you:

THE SMASHING COCONUT TEST (SCT)

Why the SCT:  The only sure way of destroying a zombie is to smash its brain. To do that, we should test what works and what does not.  Effectiveness is measured by the amount of effort needed to achieve brain destruction.  

$0.12 each

The Coconut:  Buy a few fresh coconuts, ask the vendor to get you one which is about to harden. At this stage, it has a similar density and toughness of a zombie's head.  Do not get a brown or dried coconut.  The fibers will be too tough for an accurate simulation.  

Preparation: Place the coconut on top of a stable platform.  Be sure that there is nobody near you while you are conducting this test!  Make a few practice swings of your weapon.  Attempt to simulate an actual swing that you will use in combat. Big outlandish swings are not practical.

The Weapon:  I have selected a hand axe manufactured by Creston purchased at Ace Hardware for Php 350.00 ($8.00).  It has a two pound head and durable haft.  I plan to keep this as my melee weapon once my shotgun is out of ammo.  I can draw my pistol with my right hand and keep the axe on my left.  With this I can engage the maximum number of undead at close range.  

The Test:  I need to be able to destroy a zombie with one blow using my left hand.  I will use an overhead strike with that hand and see how much damage I could do. My right hand is holding a toy pistol to simulate my combat technique.  

Technique: I drew it with my left hand from my belt, raised it up above my head in a smooth circular motion, and smashed it in a downward motion.  A zombie will be coming at me with both arms stretched, so my striking arm should be able to go right between theirs.

Results:  I have successfully destroyed the menacing coconut with one blow!  I am very pleased with the results. As you could see, the wedge shape of the weapon splits the round object in two.  I took another swing at a second coconut and also had the same results.  To complete the test, I shot the third coconut (not shown) with the toy gun.

Conclusion:  I am confident that the Creston hand axe is an effective close-quarters weapon.  It is light enough to wield with one hand while the other uses a firearm. I could even double the fun by using a second axe on my right hand.

After the test, I was rewarded with a pitcher of fresh juice and a nice coconut salad c/o Mrs. Zombie Hunter.  Ain't she the best?

Stay vigilant!