Sights From the 5th Annual 'Outbreak: Omega' Zombie Shoot
July 6, 2012
Face it. Zombies have already invaded. They are here and it looks like they're going to stay for a while. The fifth annual Outbreak: Omega 3-gun zombie shooting event took place on June 23 in Morristown, MN. This year's attendance adds another underscore to the fact that shooting sports are growing as quickly as they are thanks, in large part, to zombies. More than 1,400 people attended this year's event. They're called zombie enthusiasts, according to the event sponsor DPMS Firearms. Of the 1,400, about 800 were shooters.
A silencer-equipped shooting stage was added for the first time this year in addition to 26 other shooting stages for pistols, shotguns and rifles. There's even a "Zombie Safari" course that lets people shoot zombie targets with a shotgun from a moving vehicle. According to Adam Ballard, the product manager for DPMS, most of the attendees range from 25 to 40 in age and that having fun is really the focus of the event.
"Zombie shooting, it's just plain fun. We don't emphasize times, scoring or divisions or classes. Everyone is just there to shoot," Ballard says. "The stages were almost entirely setup as basic mulligan, rifle, pistol and shotgun. A few stages were specific, and some were product based. We had a Versamax Tactical stage, and we had a Machinegun/Silencer stage. AR's are still the predominant firearm at Outbreak Omega. But since it's not required, we do see a fair number of AK's, FAL's and even bolt actions and lever action rifles."
And, from these photos, it looks like a lot of people really just want to show off their gear. You know what I say to everyone who is into this kind of stuff...go for it. Rock on. Bolt a chainsaw to your AR. Wear pink camo pants. Tuck a broadsword into your backpack. Just keep shooting. Get better. And maybe, one day, a lot of you will trade the SWAT black for camo and come hunt something. --DMKeep clicking for more interesting characters from Outbreak: Omega 5.
