Hornady Introduces Green-Tipped Zombie Max™ Ammunition
Our friends at Midsouth Shooters Supply have announced that Midsouth is now taking orders on Hornady’s much-awaited Zombie Max™ (Z-Max) loaded ammo. Hornady is marketing this stuff as “Zombie-killing” ammunition. Hopefully buyers will read the warnings and understand that the new Z-Max ammunition is 100% lethal and deadly. This is NOT some kind of paintball ammo or less-than-lethal substitute. The Z-Max line includes jacketed rifle ammo with bright green polymer tips, hollow-point pistol ammo with bright green polymer end-plugs, and conventional 00 Buck shotgun ammo in a special black (with green lettering) shotshell. Currently, Hornady plans to sell the following types of Zombie Max ammo: 9mm, 40SW, .45ACP, .223 Rem, 7.62×39, .308 Win, and 12 gauge (2 3/4″ shotshell).
| Commentary: Maybe Not Such a Great Idea?
For some folks the notion of blasting zombies is an amusing fantasy. But it is only that — a fantasy. It is merely “make-believe”. We’re not so sure that associating fantasy zombie-killing with the use of actual, lethal ammunition is a very good idea. Frankly, we have serious misgivings about this entire Zombie Max marketing effort by Hornady. The product graphics and supporting advertising make Zombie Max ammo seem like something used for Halloween fun and games. Hornady’s product flyer declares: “Supply yourself for the Zombie Apocalypse with Zombie Max™ ammunition…. Remember. . .only head shots count!“. Is that really wise? Hornady is even distributing a video featuring an anxious shooter apparently firing live Zombie Max rifle and pistol ammo at persons dressed like zombies. How that got past the lawyers we’ll never know. Hopefully people will realize that Zombie Max ammo should be treated like any other 100% lethal ammunition. Read Hornady’s warning: “This is Live Ammunition. This is not a toy.” Then follow all basic firearms safety rules when using Hornady’s Zombie Max products. And hopefully, this Halloween, no moron will try out his Zombie Max rounds on some grade-school trick-or-treater in a zombie costume. |
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Tags: ammo, Ammunition, Green Tip, Hornady, Z-Max, ZMAX, Zombie Max
What marketing genius thought this up?
Editor: I share your concerns. I’m sure the Zombie ammo will sell like hotcakes. I pray it is not mis-used out of ignorance.
The first death resulting from misuse of this ammo will be the end of Hornady, pretty stupid on their part.
Very bad idea.
Very bad idea…very disappointing as well.
This marketing campaign is totally inappropriate. Hornady should pull it immediately. What were they thinking?
This is a product that should be boycotted by all reasonable and sane retailers. I will be disappointed in Midway and others should they stock this item. And to Hornady I say “man-up and pull the product and re-brand”.
Very poor taste in this. Also it should be Available Cartridges not “Available Calibers”. Don’t they know the difference.
Unbelievably bad judgement.
I can’t wait to pick up one of each! These are going to be worth a ton after all the lawsuits!
Who does hornady think there marketing to? zit faced teenagers? wanabee tactical experts? Zombie overrun meth heads?
Hornady get a clue. Fire the guy with the glossed over eyes and dialated pupils. If his skin is falling off plant a Z-max between his headlights…
You have got to be kidding? the marketing does sound like Hornady is turning the whole ‘leathal force’ concept into a game…
I guess on the bright side (one of the VERY few with it comes to shooting sports) of being in Australia, there is ZERO chance the marketing will be allowed here!
This Marketing campaign is very odd… I can not understand why Hornady Sr. Mgmt would allow such an immature marking plan.
I hope for the future of the company they will pull this ad….
sincerely,
Mature gun owner
Zombies are extremely easy to kill with normal ammunition; I don’t see what sets this ammunition apart in terms of effectiveness.
I love Hornady products but this is a joke! Hope this is not the “Apocalypse” for the Hornady Company!
WTF! I think the entire Hornady Marketing Team need a reality check!
What next? Will Hornady be loading silver bullets for Werewolves?
Let’s see, is it possible Hornady is now being controlled by the Brady anti gun crowd? That can be the only reason for being this stupid!
Maybe they know something we don’t no?
If the department of disease control center has put up a plan of attack of a zombie apocalypse maybe they are trying to tell us something?!
As the comments suggest, overly serious people won’t be buying this. More relaxed folk will see this as what it is, a cute marketing scheme to capitalize on us zombie fans and Halloween. If anyone should use this ammo to injure another person, just remember the ammo is inanimate and therefore not inherently evil. It’s not the ammo’s fault. It’s not Hornady’s fault for how they paint the box. It is solely the fault of the person pulling the trigger. Please, don’t fall into the gun grabber mindset.
It seems kind of silly, but everybody knows “zombie” is just slang for “bad guy trying to harm you or take your rights away”. They are trying to appeal to the AR15.com crowd. Hell, they’ll probably have a group buy. I can’t blame the company for that…just like Toyota makes the FJ Cruiser and the Prius. Two completely different market sects within the same industry.
I really think Hornady will come to their senses. They have some really sharp people there but the marketing angle on this is a lot over the top.
“It’s not Hornady’s fault how they paint the box”. First question: Who is “they”. Some unknown entity that provides the packaging for products made by Hornady, and Hornady has no control over it? Approval for the dumb idea had to come from Hornady & whoever came up with this brainstorm should be fired yesterday & this crap taken off the market. The anti-gun crowd must be having a field day over this. NRA Life member since 1965.
I dont see the harm, its just a little fun around Halloween, nothing to get all hurt over.
Quote (by Tanner): “Zombies are extremely easy to kill with normal ammunition; I don’t see what sets this ammunition apart in terms of effectiveness.”
Well this is “Certified Zombie Ammunition”. Says so right on the box (more silly marketing):
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/pdf/Zombie%20Max%20Sell%20Sheet.pdf
I’m not surprised that this crowd doesn’t get the whole zombie thing. It’s really just another fun way of spending some time at the range. Kudos to Hornady for having a sense of humor and being quick to react to market demands. I imagine every place that sells this ammo won’t be able to keep it on the shelves and will take tons of backorders. And to those commenter’s who are talking down to those interested in this as “immature” “irresponsible” or “just for the ar15.com crowd” just remember you are the minority, there are more “modern sporting rifles” being sold in a month than single-shot bench guns in the entire year. Matches and Fun-Shoots with the Zombie theme are popping up all over the map and selling out. When was the last time a regional Benchrest /F-class match that drew 100+ shooters? The DPMS Zombie shoot did. And to the people who are afraid the ammo with be “miss-used out of ignorance” could you please explain how the miss-use of florescent green tipped V-Max ammo is any different than the miss-use of red tipped V-max ammo? Idiots with guns will still be idiots, regardless of the ammunition they’re using.
Can’t wait to see what they offer up for Valentines and St. Patricks Day…
**WE didn’t complain like this when tactical everything came out.
Have you ever been to the range where there are three people out of the whole range that know what they’re doing and the rest (upwards of 10 -15 others) are just banging away making scope adjustments without a rest or letting the barrel cool a bit after? They wear Marpat Digital camo yet have only been to the nearest tactical store and never in the Marine Corps. They waste ammo going from the one hundred yard line to the four hundred yard line after three shot on a 10″ steel plate? And as you’re watching you just shake your head and say that’s stupid or what waste of a firearm? You know what as stupid as they seem to be or rediculous the look wearing fresh digi camo they are going to keep our small caliber lifestyle alive due to their support of the firearm industry and if that takes a gimick like Z Max ammo I am all for it. Those that say this is a stupid idea and will hurt the firearms indutry and because it says Zombie on the package, I can look up right now at least two dozen youtube videos that would make the shooting community look like a bag of ass’ compared to Zombies being printed on a box of ammo. It took me a real long time to realize I am a minority in the shooting community, a micro niche’. Without Z Max ammo or Tacital this and that my hobby dies. Don’t cut of the nose to spite the face. Adam
I’ve wondered for awhile now why companies aren’t more creative with the names of loaded ammo and projectiles. This may be a bit over the top, and seems a bit outside the most large age demographic for these products, but the basic premise is probably a good one. Too bad they didn’t figure out that creative doesn’t have to mean childish. That being said these WILL sell.
Funny. Who cares if the box is a cartoon? Hornady is having some fun, why don’t we all join in. There are still lawyers attatched to every one of those rounds, so let personal responsibility rule, o.k.? I just hope they glow in the dark.
This forum must be full of grumpy old men. I don’t see anything wrong with this product. Hornady has made it clear, these rounds are lethal and just a fun marketing ploy. Aren’t you all tired of the being socially correct?
Lighten up you old zombies.
P.S.
I would buy this stuff by the case just to show Hornady my support for thinking outside the box.
Hornady is an unethical company.. They’ll stoop to any level to make a buck, including pandering to the delusional among us.
This will spin to Joe Camel..
And for this crowd:
http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/guns/2011/07/10-best-uniforms-dpms-zombie-shoot
Oh. My. God. The majority of you people need to [lighten up]. Feel free to give your dollars of disapproval to Winchester and Federal; in the meantime, Hornady will be laughing at you all the way to the bank. This is a fun, cute, INTELLIGENT ad campaign!!! Bravo to whomever thought it up at Hornady!!! I’m preordering a case of this stuff in 9mm and .45 ACP!!!
While this will be a very good marketing tactic to irresponsible gun owners, it is going to leave a black mark on the rest of us. Hornaday, I love your products, but i think im going to switch to Black Hills until you fix your thinking. employing a weapon is serious business and your making it seem like a joke
I’m not sure the immaturity is with hornady. I’m a little disappointed to read so many obtusely prude comments. Are you not aware that thy make 3D zombie targets now? They appear “life like” (although I must admit I have never ran into a real zombie, or vampire or werewolf). There is marketing for “home defense” “personal protection” etc which is specifically for use against live HUMAN BEINGS. Where is the outcry for those types of amunition? Just because those rounds are meant to kill real life people doesn’t mean people put on a ski mask to pretend they are a bad guy and have a friend shoot them just to see if “personal protection” rounds really kill bad guys. Really guys? Give me a break. How many PD’s use buck shot as the carry round for shotguns? Wait isn’t that meant for deer only? After all It is labeled “buck shot”…. Grow up and let the zombie killers have their fun against their 3D targets. Or heaven forbid there is a zombie outbreak and then we will all be wishing we had a safe full of this stuff.
lighten up. Every state has laws against selling ammunition to minors whether they define that at 18 or 21 years old is up to them. So only ADULTS will be buying this.
wow, need some vagisil / metamucil combo packs for all the heartburn among the nay sayers out here.
good grief.
more shooters at the ranges the better. sounds just like benchrest – a bunch of old angry men chasing off everyone they can who does not confrom to their ways.
i travel to many matches all over the country, and in 10 years this sport will be half the size it is today with this kind of belly aching.
maybe this is why i see 7 guys tie up a range to hold a benchrest match, yet 100 at a 3 gun match.
get a life.
The issue here is not what shooters think of this concept but how the anti-gun crowd and MSNBC, ABC NEWS, CNN, etc will use this as an example of “classic gun owner irresponsibility”. Somewhere in their argument will be a reference to “the children” and how they may be manipulated, maimed, intellectually crippled, or outright killed by the idea. Watch the news. It won’t be pretty.
Wake up folks, Can you not tell the difference in advertising and reality?
Don’t worry, we’ll eventually wine ourselves into shooting death because we can’t stand behind our companies because we can’t think outside of the box. I can see it now,
** DUE TO LACK OF SUPPORT BECAUSE OF OUT OF THE NORM AMMO AND PINK TIPPED BULLETS GUN INDUSTRY DIES**
We are doing the anit’s jobs for them and doing damn well. This is akin to a marrige, for better or worse. Adam
“Hopefully buyers will read the warnings and understand that the new Z-Max ammunition is 100% lethal and deadly.”
Wow! It seems like this commentary and the comments have been taken over by the Brady Bunch. “Hopefully buyers will read the warnings….” Really? Hopefully they will? Because most people that shoot, are not very intelligent, and routinely buy what they think is just “plinking the neighbors kid” non-lethal ammo, and shoot it at the neighbors kid and other human targets, presumably just to scare them? I don’t know any of these people.
It’s a good thing we have the smart people out there to be sure that the rest of us not only read the warnings, but also that we also understand what we have just read. I’m guessing that understanding what they have read is something that most knuckle dragging folks who shoot, would have problems with.
I bet Gene Weingarten, an obviously anti 2a columnist, would agree with you I’m sure. Apparently you both see the general populace of gun owners similarly, he writes:
“I am no fan of the Second Amendment, inasmuch as it tends to be the refuge of bumpkins and yeehaws who like to think they are protecting their homes against imagined swarthy marauders desperate to steal their flea-bitten sofas from their rotting front porches.”
It’s interesting that this article pulled in so many comments. I don’t think I’ve seen this many comments on any other article posted in the daily bulletin.
The article is biased due to the editor’s position on the subject. He obviously doesn’t like the marketing campaign. I think a lot of people read the article, and jumped on that bandwagon.
To be honest, I’m not sure what to think about it. Zombie ammo sounds ridiculous, but I can’t picture someone buying this to justify shooting at trick-or-treat’ers, or using it as an excuse when asked ‘why’d you shoot that person?” Maybe I’m giving ‘people’ too much credit though… there are A LOT of dumb people out there!
I am a big fan of Hornady products. I hope I will never have the misfortune of having to defend my home or family with lethal force. If I did, the last thing I would want is a hot shot attorney holding up box of ZOMBIE MAX (seemingly spelled with blood) to the Judge and jury. “Mr. home owner, what exactly did you expect to encounter when you bought these?” This Hornady product will never be in my possession. Re-brand, it is probably good stuff. like the rest of your products.
Chill out guys, alot of people sound like the gun grabber crowd on here. If people wanna play make-believe and buy stuff like this, who cares. If it gets more people involved in the sport im all for it. I think the fact that this stuff is flying of the shelf speaks for itself.
WOO HOO! What a great product! I just ordered mine for my AR-15 (.556) Today! Bring on thoze zombiez baby!!! LOL!!
You people need to lighten up. We are all enstowed with the knowledge to treat all ammunition as the same. It is the shooter that dictates how dangerous it is. The fact that people are getting bent out of shape because a company wants to market it as a zombie use is fine. YOU as a shooter obviously know that this is the same as every other cartridge and Hornaday knows you are not moronic enough to use it inappropriately just because it has a green tip and a marketing spin. It’s like getting mad at Red Bull because it claims to give you wings and the guy clearly flew off the cliff unscathed. You don’t see people getting mad when you see zombie targets at the range.
I plan on getting the .223, and 9mm personally. As expensive as they are I have no intention of shooting them but they are awesome from a novelty sense. Certainly a great conversation starter at the range or with friends. The zombie sensation has been very popular and it only makes sense to blend the two all in good fun. As a hypothetical situation it is every shooters dream come true to be able to blast the living dead. We get to do this all day long in video games and movies which is fine. This is just a slight nod to the genre itself.
I have shot 300 rounds of A max Hornaday ammunition and the stuff is flawless and a testament to their quality control. I am happy to see Hornaday thinking out of the box and being one of the first to experiment with ammo marketing in a fun new way.
I really hope all the ney Sayers will chill out and appreciate a great round for what it is and not for how it’s marketed. Once again it is not as if some dementia induced MW3 retard is going to get ahold of it and start a zombie columbine just because the commercial had zombies in it.
Apparently these products have zombies afraid by most of the comments above. If you don’t like it don’t buy it. Really people, now people are going to kill others because its “zombie” ammo. Do you know how uneducated that sounds?
Seriously, this is all in good fun. You would have to be 21 to buy this ammo, and have bought a gun in order to shoot someone with it, and if you can’t figure out that these are real while you’re loading them thats a bigger problem than the box these come in. I guess we’re trading “the Ugly Gun Law” for “Ugly Ammo Box emplaning”. Zombie Ammo boxes don’t kill people, people kill people.
This ammo shoots extremely well through my Remington 700 5R milspec.
it not hornadays fault that some uneducated idiot will buy this and try to shoot zombies i think that hornaday just raised the bar on this
I love it cant wait to buy some dont understand why alot of people have a problem with it.
Marketers prey on your insecurities and offer a solution. You may think a zombie apocalypse is a ridiculous notion, but the bulk of humanity fears the scenario. The entire zombie genre is popular for a reason. It is genius to offer zombie ammunition. It is clearly a parody, and will move units. Hornady will only pull the campaign if it is no longer selling product. They are a business after all.
Anyone trying to blame ammo for injury needs to realize that stupidity and accidents are there despite green tipped bullets. If you want to blame Hornady for an incident involving their ammunition, then you need to blame every munitions manufacturer for every incident involving their weapons.