Can a juggernaut be killed without the melee finishing move?

I’ve got a bounty mission to kill a juggernaut with a rifle. I’ve killed two with a rifle without getting mission complete. Not sure what I am doing wrong.

I’m using the right weapon type: D-BAR 7.62mm with the classification “Ranged Weapon: Rifle”.

It takes about 30 rounds to the head from my rifle before the juggernaut drops and I get the finishing move option.

I’m using the finishing move option because I read that that’s the only way to finish off a juggernaut. But after doing this twice without mission success, I’m starting to question if that’s true.

Before I keep wasting ammo, I’d like to find out definitively if I actually do need to just keep shooting it in the head even after it goes down to the ground and the finishing move option is available.


Yes, all juggernauts can be killed with conventional means. As somebody who’s play far too much Daybreak I can confirm that juggernauts, including plague juggernauts, can still be defeated via explosions, gunfire, or standard melee attacks.

With that said, it’s usually faster to use the execution, but headshots are an excellent substitute if there are other zombies too close to the incapacitated juggernaut. Try using higher caliber rifles, such as CLEO weapons for a better experience