Original artwork, not a still
Remember, switching to your pistol is always faster than reloading.
— Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare • 2007
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the series' most useful piece of advice delivered in the most British way possible: a tutorial line so practical that players still quote it as a rule of thumb, and so memorable that it became shorthand for tactical common sense. It also doubles as a quiet game-design lesson, teaching the pistol swap before the first firefight in a game that is otherwise built around rifle play.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Call of Duty 4: Modern WarfareShow the scene
The line comes from F.N.G., the training level that opens Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), not from a loading screen. Gaz, the SAS sergeant instructing the recruit John "Soap" MacTavish, sends him to the armory for a USP .45 pistol, has him switch to his rifle and back, then tells him that switching to his pistol is always faster than reloading. He follows it with a bonus tip that using a knife is faster still, and has Soap slice a watermelon before sending him to meet Captain Price. Gaz is voiced by Craig Fairbrass.
Sources (3)
- Call of Duty Wiki: F.N.G. transcriptarmory sequenceReference checked
- Call of Duty Wiki: GazinfoboxReference checked
- Call of Duty Wiki: Handgungameplay paragraphReference checked
Context reviewed
