Days gone sawmill horde
The latter is definitely the best choice when going up against a horde. There are essentially three types of special weapons: your crossbow, sniper rifles, and heavy machine guns. Buy a heavy machine gun - Deacon contains a primary, secondary, and special weapon slot.
Simply take cover, place an attractor, and watch a group of freakers begin to form. Though this variant doesn't explode, it can be used in conjuction with explosive containers, gas cans, or your own mines to work to the same effect.
There are also pipe bombs (discovered relatively early in Days Gone), but they're low level as a result.
DAYS GONE SAWMILL HORDE FULL
Make sure your inventory is full of molotovs and materials to craft more of them.
You should be able to tackle a horde now, if you play it smart. Your health and stamina are higher, and you finally have some better guns. Get the Napalm Molotov recipe - Okay, you've leveled up at NERO Checkpoints and using XP.Deacon is armed with only a junk-condition pistol and rifle in the beginning, which maybe enough to kill 20 or so freakers before the swarm kills him. Hordes should be avoided at all costs until you are ready to tackle them. Avoid hordes early on - Though you may drive past a horde before Days Gone introduces them to you, don't get tempted.