Best Legally Available Zombie Weapon
If you had to choose the best legally available zombie weapon you could think of, what would you choose? I would personally choose an Ak-74; cheap, lightweight ammo, ideal for headshots, and extremely reliable and durable. Don't need to clean it much, and there's a lot of accessories and commonality with it. It's also easy to clean and care for. Although the 5.45mm is very weak, it's got a range of 600 yards, is armor piercing, and has at least more power than a .22. It's sufficient to pierce a human skull, despite having low stopping power, but it can reach out and touch someone, meaning it's not completely useless, and the Russians and lots of other organizations use it, so it's likely not all bad.
I would personally prefer an Ak-47, however, due to the increased stopping power it has against other people; the ability to stop people will be important since, most likely, real life zombies aren't going to be slow moving idiots, but likely infected or drugged people, or perhaps even crazy people, and the laws of physics will still likely apply, so a bullet to the chest will be just as effective (unless the drugs make them not feel pain, or something). However, there';s also the simple fact that zombies aren't likely to be the primary threat, but rather bandits, such as other survivors. People who kill and rob and pillage, such as roving gangs, with weapons and who are much more intelligent than zombies, so I'd prefer some kind of back up weapon, at least to take them on.
On the other hand, guns will run out of ammo. Comparing guns to other weapons is difficult, but they are best since they have range and are convenient to use, with just a flick of a trigger; good marksmanship determines the rest. Still, when they inevitably run out, the question is, what next? I imagine, personally, that a machete, tomahawk/hatchet, solid knife, or gladius would be best. While some of these may be impractical to own in general, a gladius would still, in my opinion, be the best zombie weapon, since it's heavy and built like an axe, but has a sharpened edge over it. Useful for stabbing, hacking or slashing, and well weighted to make it easy to use, especially with a single hand. If zombie blood is a problem, than a shield or some way to cover your body with armor would be best to avoid the blood infecting you.
That, and/or a spear. While spears are far from the most effective weapons, and their length alone would make them cumbersome, out in the open they could be quite useful, and would be convenient to keep zombies away. Strong enough one's could even be used from cars, so you could pick off zombies if need be, assuming your car was tall enough and zombies couldn't climb on top easily.
A bow and arrow would be nice, since it's relatively quite, as would a crossbow, but they're heavy and hard to use, and you're still likely to run out of bolt. It's easy enough to make a wood arrow, but they generally are ineffective, and thus like bullets, it would be best to have a complicated way of making more. However, arrows would still be easier to make.
I suppose, if even the blood was infectious, than range or body armor would be important. No melee weapon would be useful unless you could do I personally would prefer a cutting tool compared to a bludgeon, as the ability to get right down to the brain would be easier, and something like an axe is just as heavy and has just as much momentum as say, a club, and is also more useful for getting through walls and stuff, like a firefighter's axe. A great, generally versatile tool, also to get through doors. A fiberglass one is best, but any will do. Since melee weapons are basically our only options in the UK and other such countries, this will be important, but since there's also a good chance you'll run out of ammo, you also would want to look into a good melee weapon, regardless. A khukri comes to mind as well, as a good weapon, if you're really interested in spending money.
150-450 rounds is about practical for all you could carry in a typical combat pack. It's not only the equivalent of the U.S., but, 9mm and 5.56mm cartridges are approximately 12.5 grams each, and the 7.62mm x 51mm NATO is 25.5 grams, or roughly double, with the .45 ACP falling around there, as well. So, 300 rounds is about 10 pounds, while the guns are around 5-10. While 15-25 pounds may not sound like much, you also have to factor in food, survival equipment, and other things, such as melee weapons. Maybe double the ammo, if you're willing to take extra weight, or if you can cut out some military stuff.