Ammunition

Ammunition is fired from projectile weapons. The Dead Linger features many different weapons, including everything from pistols to crossbows and fully automatic machine guns. Most weapon types have a unique form of ammunition that can only be used with that weapon type, but in some cases dissimilar weapons may use the same ammunition. Because the game's HUD is minimal, players do not see numbers on the screen indicating how much ammunition they have left. There is ongoing discussion as to how players would be able to see their remaining ammunition in a realistic way.

Bullets
As of May 2012, there is no information on specialized types of ammunition such as incendiary rounds, armor piecing rounds, and so on. Potentially, specialized bullets could offer advantages and disadvantages in certain situations. For example, full metal jacket bullets would realistically do more damage to players wearing armor. (But they would not be more useful against zombies, who die only if the head is destroyed. There is no information available on how differing calibers or magazines will be implemented. The ammo boxes themselves are color coded and shaped in different ways to help in distinguish between them.

Arrows
A silent yet powerful killer, the arrow has been used since dawn of civilization as a means of ranged combat. Indeed, the first known man-made ranged weapon was a sharpened stick. Bows and crossbows can be used to kill at short to medium ranges; a skilled archer can be accurate at distances rivaling that of many firearms. As of Build 13a players are unable fletch their own arrows. It is unknown whether there will be more than one type of arrow.

Reloading
section Reloading in The Dead Linger is different from many games in that it uses a magazine system. Each weapon has a set amount of magazines, and a certain amount of bullets fits in each magazine. For example, the Mediator Handgun has five magazines, each of which can hold 13 bullets. Firing empties a bullet from the current magazine, and players can quickly switch from one magazine to the next. However, actually reloading the bullets in a magazine is a lengthy and precise chore. A "Design of the Dead" blog post suggested reloading a 30-bullet magazine could take up to 30 seconds. Hence, it is recommended to do this in a safe place. Clip-loaded weapons, such as the Vintovka Mosina Rifle, work the same way as magazine-fed weapons. Single-shot weapons such as the Farmington Double work differently, in that the gun is considered the sole magazine; the gun can only be reloaded directly with bullets from an ammunition box.

When switching magazines, an exact ammo count is not shown on-screen. Instead a quick splash appears, giving an approximation of how full the magazine is. (E.g. "Empty" at 0%, "Very light" from 1-10%, "Light" from 11-49%, "Medium" from 50-74%, "Heavy" from 75-99%, "Full" at 100%.) It is up to players themselves to count rounds fired, adding extra challenge. It is possible a perk will be available to players, allowing them to get a more specific ammunition count for magazines.

List of Ammunition
{| class="wikitable" ! Name !! Used by !! Special effect
 * .22 LR || Rifles, Pistols || N/A
 * .44 Magnum || Pistols || N/A
 * 9 mm || Submachine Guns, Pistols || N/A
 * 12 gauge || Shotguns || N/A
 * 5.56 mm || Rifles, Assault Rifles || N/A
 * 7.62x39 mm || Rifles, Assault Rifles || N/A
 * 7.62x54 mm || Rifles, Assault Rifles, Machine Guns || N/A
 * .308 || Rifles || N/A
 * .357 Magnum || Pistols, Rifles || N/A
 * 5.56 mm || Rifles, Assault Rifles || N/A
 * 7.62x39 mm || Rifles, Assault Rifles || N/A
 * 7.62x54 mm || Rifles, Assault Rifles, Machine Guns || N/A
 * .308 || Rifles || N/A
 * .357 Magnum || Pistols, Rifles || N/A
 * .308 || Rifles || N/A
 * .357 Magnum || Pistols, Rifles || N/A
 * .357 Magnum || Pistols, Rifles || N/A
 * .357 Magnum || Pistols, Rifles || N/A