If the zombie apocalypse were to occur tomorrow, do you know what weapons you would want to have at your disposal?
Tech Insider spoke with John Sanders, the property master of AMC's smash hit "The Walking Dead." Sanders has overseen all the props on the show since it began in 2010. Over the show's six-year history, survivors have used guns, knives, grenades, tanks, and even rocket launchers in their unending battle against the dead.
So what is the best weapon for taking down walkers?
Sanders says it's the long-range rifle with a noise-dampening silencer. Sasha, Aaron, and Maggie have all used similar weapons at different points in the show.
"That's where you really would be in the best position — a long-range rifle with a long silencer on it," Sanders tells Tech Insider.
Sanders says the silencer, which muffles the sound from firing shots, is key to staying safe because "walkers are attracted to noise, and people are attracted to noise." Silencers offer stealth in addition to the range and power of a rifle.
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Carl has also used a silencer on his handgun, but Sanders estimates that the smaller weapon is accurate up to only about 50 feet. Compare that with when Sasha uses her rifle in season five to pick off walkers from atop Alexandria's watchtower.
"Long-range rifles and hand guns where you can shoot things at a decent range [and] you can get away from where you were fairly quickly is also ... very helpful," he said. "Long-range rifles in towers and you know treetops are ... the best way to conceal what you're doing."
There's one major caveat, though. You're probably not likely to just stumble across military-spec weaponry in a zombie apocalypse.
"Who has one?" Sanders said. "They aren't readily available ... you wouldn't think you could find too many of those around."
They're undoubtedly rare, but if you can get your hands on one, you'll have the stealth, range, and power to survive in the hostile world of "The Walking Dead."
Out of ammo?
Sanders says to grab close-range weapons like Michonne's katana, Morgan's staff, and the improvised spears the survivors used to clear the prison in season three. As ammunition becomes more scarce, the survivors will have to rely more on melee weapons.
"We're going to see a lot more ... melee weapons, and they've done that all along, you know, at the prison they cull at the fences with [improvised weapons] and things like that," he said. "Bullets are a finite instrument in our world, and we need to make sure that each character can only use so many."
