Propane tank

The Propane tank can be found throughout the game. They can be picked up with the Use key (default: E or "X" for Xbox 360) and can blow up with an explosion similar to a Pipe bomb when shot. Like the Oxygen tank, this weapon is commonly used during finales in order to set up traps, and also shows up frequently in Survival Mode.

It has been speculated that this weapon does more damage at any one time than any of the other weapons. This weapon also allows one to beat Infected to death. The explosion radius allows the Propane tank to be used as a semi-last resort tool for finales. The effective radius of the Propane tank seems to have been increased in the Crash Course DLC.

While the Propane tank has serious explosive properties in the games, it's worth remembering that Propane tanks are not this explosive in real life. 9mm handgun rounds are completely incapable of piercing the tanks, much less detonating them. It takes at least a .223 round to pierce the tank, and even then this only causes the propane to be released in a violent spray, but it does not explode as in Left 4 Dead.

Tactics

 * The explosive power of the Propane tank is useful for making the Tank stagger and lose his balance. This gives Survivors more time to escape. Also, they are very useful when the Tank is on fire, and you want him to succumb to the flames.
 * For a finale, try placing a group of Propane tanks in a perimeter around the area you are guarding, this can be an extremely effective means of buying time when you need to heal or grab ammo.
 * Try placing these near the areas where the rescue vehicle shows up during finales, as it can clear the area before you reach the vehicle, giving you a better chance of reaching it on expert.
 * When shooting the Propane tank, try to keep your distance because of its large explosion radius.
 * If used as a trap, try to give yourself a clear shot at it. You shouldn't have to jump out of a good cover spot to shoot it or else you may get overwhelmed by the Infected and your friends might not be able to save you.
 * When a horde is moving around a Propane tank, be sure to time shooting the tank so that it is surrounded by the horde. Doing this will make a more efficient use of the Propane tank. This can make shooting the Propane tank harder with weaker weapons however, as the horde will block your shots.
 * On last two chapters of the No Mercy campaign, the Propane tank can be used to make a Tank fall off the edge. Propane tanks usually spawn in the unfinished part of the hospital, and sometimes the finale. When a Tank comes near an edge, the propane tank (if placed properly) can knock it off, instantly killing it. This tactic is useful on campaigns, especially when playing on Expert, and also Versus, when a Tank rushes.
 * If a Witch is attacking a player, and someone throws a Propane tank near her and shoots it, the Witch will lose a great deal of health, she will get stunned for a few seconds and be pushed back a couple feet. Additionally, the explosion hurts less than her clawing so this will spare that player a few health points and delay the Witch's attack.
 * If you place a lot of them near a Witch and set it off, the Witch can, rarely, remain undisturbed. It happens more frequently when the Witch hits a tree, a car, or when she falls off something.
 * The Propane tank, like the Gas can and the Oxygen tank, can be thrown with the "fire" button while holding it.
 * An extremeley useful tactic in Left 4 Dead 2 is to get a bile bomb and a propane tank (if possible) and put the propane tank down, then throw a bile bomb near it of somewhere close to it. Then shoot the propane tank. This will eliminate all surrounding infected and will draw any nearby zombies to it. This is extremely useful on expert, but try to be shooting the propane tank with a Magnum or a Hunting Rifle to prevent the zombies from blocking it. This is not effective on Left 4 Dead as the only horde drawing player item is a pipe bomb, which explodes by itself.