Call of Duty 4: Pistols

In depth CoD4 Pistol stats.

The game doesn't give stats for pistols, so we had to guess based on in-game descriptions, experience, and our understanding of how the game tends to balance damage and clip size. Pistols constitute your default secondary weapon if you aren't using Overkill; they have the advantage of giving you a quick draw, so you pull them out faster than with any other weapon. Snipers who forego Overkill in favor of UAV Jammer or some other Tier 2 Perk will rely on pistols to take out nearby enemies. They're also what you'll be using when your Last Stand perk activates when you take fatal nonexplosive damage, so a certain element of conscious choice is necessary. Of course, you can always drop the pistol in favor of a better weapon you found on the ground...

M9

This Italian-made U.S. Military 9mm pistol is undoubtedly the weakest of the bunch, but can also fire the most shots before reloading, which is important if it's all you have to rely on against multiple enemies until you can find a better dropped weapon (or in Last Stand). Aim for the head to make the most of your large clip.

Stats:

• Weapon: M9 (Beretta 92FS)
• Accuracy: low/medium
• Damage: low
• Range: close
• Fire Rate: n/a
• Mobility: 12 / 12
• Clip Size/Reserve Ammo: 15/30
• Recoil: very low cluster
• Reload Time: 1.6 Seconds / 1.9 Seconds Empty

Damage: 40-20
Range: 250-500 / 150-350 SD
Rate of Fire:1200 RPM single
Penetration: Small / Small Bullet
Location Damage Multiplier: Head (1.4) / Neck: (1.0) / Torso: (1.0) / Stomach: (1.0) / Limbs (1.0)
Hip Accuracy: Stand (3-6) / Crouch (2.5-5) / Prone (2-4)

USP .45

You may remember this pistol from Half-Life 2 and CounterStrike. A favorite of special forces, the USP gives you decent clip size and good accuracy. Consider silencing this one, since you'll retain decent damage while gaining the benefit of silenced shots.

Stats:

• Weapon: Heckler & Koch USP .45
• Accuracy: low/medium
• Damage: medium
• Range: close
• Fire Rate: n/a
• Mobility: 12 / 12
• Clip Size/Reserve Ammo: 10/20
• Recoil: low vertical
• Reload Time: 1.6 Seconds / 1.9 Seconds Empty

Damage: 40-20
Range: 450-1000 / 250-650 SD
Rate of Fire:1200 RPM single
Penetration: Small / Small Bullet
Location Damage Multiplier: Head (1.4) / Neck: (1.0) / Torso: (1.0) / Stomach: (1.0) / Limbs (1.0)
Hip Accuracy: Stand (3-8) / Crouch (2.5-8) / Prone (2-8)

M1911 .45

The second throwback to Call of Duty's WWII years (but still in active military and law enforcement service worldwide today), this pistol has a smaller clip than the USP but better grouping. Decide for yourself which one suits your needs. (Note: The M1911 is unlocked at Rank 16 Gunnery Sergeant)

Stats:

• Weapon: Browning M1911 .45
• Accuracy: low/medium
• Damage: medium
• Range: close
• Fire Rate: n/a
• Mobility: 12 / 12
• Clip Size/Reserve Ammo: 8/24
• Recoil: very low cluster
• Reload Time: 1.6 Seconds / 1.9 Seconds Empty

Damage: 40-20
Range: 350-900 / 250-500 SD
Rate of Fire:1200 RPM single
Penetration: Small / Small Bullet
Location Damage Multiplier: Head (1.4) / Neck: (1.0) / Torso: (1.0) / Stomach: (1.0) / Limbs (1.0)
Hip Accuracy: Stand (3-6) / Crouch (2.5-5) / Prone (2-4)

Desert Eagle

This .50 caliber hand cannon made for Magnum Research is used mainly for competition and sport. Because of its considerable recoil and small magazine, real-life militaries and law enforcement tend not to use it, despite what CounterStrike may lead you to believe. Also, the .50 caliber Action Express pistol round, only slightly smaller than the average thumb, is overkill for a human target. Given that, every soldier in the CoD4 world must have bionic wrists to be able to fire the Deagle as quickly and accurately you can in multiplayer. Use this pistol if you like to go for pistol kills frequently instead of using the pistol as a second or last resort. It's very loud and not silenceable, so don't use it if you favor stealth. To account for the recoil, aim at your target's middle or lower torso and fire as fast as you can; they should go down in short order. You'll get a separate golden Deagle when you hit rank 55; there's no performance difference between it and the normal gun.

Notes:

• The regular Desert Eagle is unlocked at Rank 43 Brigadier General
• The Gold Desert Eagle (Shown in the picture below) is unlocked at Rank 55 Commander

Stats:

• Weapon: Israel Military Industries Desert Eagle
• Accuracy: medium
• Damage: high
• Range: close
• Fire Rate: n/a
• Mobility: 12 / 12
• Clip Size/Reserve Ammo: 7/14
• Recoil: moderate/high vertical
• Reload Time: 1.96 Seconds / 2.1 Seconds Empty

Damage: 50-30
Range: 350-1200 / No Silencer
Rate of Fire:1200 RPM single
Penetration: Small / Small Bullet
Location Damage Multiplier: Head (1.4) / Neck: (1.0) / Torso: (1.0) / Stomach: (1.0) / Limbs (1.0)
Hip Accuracy: Stand (2-4) / Crouch (1.5-3) / Prone (1-2)