The 10 Bullet Rule and Compulsive Reloading in Call of Duty 4

Posted date: June 19, 2008 In: Strategy, Weapon Tips | comment : 18

One of the most common reactions to getting a kill in Call of Duty is to reach for the reload button. It doesn’t matter if you only expended a single round from your P90 or unloaded your whole magazine, your instinct is to reload the weapon. Usually you will be able to reload safely but sometimes just as you reload the enemy will come around the corner and put a shotgun to your face. This of course makes you look like a complete freakin idiot because you had 49 rounds left in the clip and could have easily taken down the enemy if you hadn’t been reloading.

So how do you know when to reload in Call of Duty 4? By my estimate the average kill takes 5-10 bullets, obviously not including sniper rifles. Lets also assume you usually only kill one enemy at a time. Using those general numbers you should only reload if you have less than 10 bullets left in your magazine and are in a safeish place. I have found this rule to be useful and accurate not only in theory but in real in game situations. This rule is also somewhat dependent on your location, if I have time, am behind cover in a well defined allied area I will pretty much reload no matter how many shots I have left. If I am in any place where there is even a remote chance of getting shot I will apply the 10 bullet reload rule. If you apply this rule I can guarantee you that it will virtually eliminate deaths while reloading.

Breaking the reloading habit in Call of Duty can be a difficult process. If you are a compulsive reloader your brain is hardwired to complete this action every time you finish shooting. As a former compulsive reloader myself I was able to break the addiction by only playing with Light Machine Guns. The insanely long reload time of a Light Machine Gun means you can catch yourself and correct your reloading mistake. Once you have stopped your compulsive reloading you simply need to apply the 10 bullet rule which will turn you into a reloading pro. Compulsive sprinting is another bad habit similar to compulsive reloading but is much more difficult to break. I may do an article on compulsive sprinting in the future if there is an interest in it.

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Anonymous

lol nice ive had too many deaths when i was reloading my p90 and BOOM rpg to the nuts
Anonymous

I think you missed a really important part. Why does everybody develop compulsive reloading and sprinting? I can’t imagine that EVERYONE does the same thing when there is no reason for it…
http://cod4source.com cod4source

I should have mentioned what I perceive as the causes. Compulsive sprinting occurs because people are always in a rush to get into the action as fast as possible and shoot some people. Compulsive reloading is just obsessive compulsive tendencies. Meaning you are overly paranoid about running out of ammo and want all aspects of your situation to be perfect, and a half full magazine prevents that. I also think being hyperactive or hopped up on energy drinks contributes to spastic impatient play and compulsive reloading.
REDNECKTERROR

Reload huh! If you are caught between a rock and a hard place while reloading and you still have those five bullets left, I suggest this, HIT THE RUN KEY OR ALSO YOU CAN STILL USE YOUR KNIFE. By hitting they sprint key you have bound it will stop your reload and the knife does the same. I have been owned while reloading and i am an avid reloader after the first kill it is really hard to change but once you realize you can shave your score by keeping track (counting the bullets in your head roughly)
then you will be able to adjust to the reload issue.
Anonymous

The poster above has a good point but there would still be a delay and all weapons can kill in under 2/10 second (stopping power at close range.) The 10 bullet rule is nice but the average players accurracy on Xbox Live is only about 15%.
laker

u people over complicate things….just reload whenever u can…thats all u need to know…i have a 2.85 k/d ratio on ps3 w/ 60,000+ kills. it was as low as .60 my first 10,000 kills but i brought it up
Anonymous

the main reason why i reload all the time is because i never want to be caught in a position where i am facing multiple (>2) enemies and i only have ~15 rounds left. i would rather go into any situation knowing i have a full clip for anyone who wants some
tyranasorusmex

same. i just cant help myself *reload*
.iKe

hay laker i played u once… you kicked my a**… and ORD (obsessive reloading disorder) (from some movie i saw once) anyway ORD is so hard with a barrett it takes him fukn 4 seconds or so to reload the thing and just prone out or crouch b4 u reload and have your knife ready
Anonymous

I have both conditions and fail at the game hard at times, but in a very rare case, I can rape with this habit, and trust me, I have the sprinting much worse than the reloading.
Anonymous

If you play hardcore mode you can trade out stopping power for slight of hand. A quick MP5 reload has saved my life more than once. You should always look for cover or a hiding spot to reload anyway. Drop behind some cover around a corner, reload, and let the people chasing you have it as they sprint around the corner to catch up. (remember this works best in hardcore where you don’t need stopping power)
Tazer

I do think that is what they made slight of hand for. I used to have the same problem (and still do at times) so i tried using slight of hand with a p90 and it helped a lot. Even if you cant break the habbit you can at least make it shorter.
KingJames

The way I play: choose my sniper class run around/behind everything with my pistol saying LEEROYYY JINKINSS!!! And Knife everyone in the back of the head, its very effective most of the time. but yeah you look pretty stupid when for some reason you run around the corner while hitting the reload button, and then get shot in the face

Good thing i broke that habit (and got the slight of hand perk)

haha Nah… im usually a pretty tactical player but when i get bored i like to have some fun
Zeex

Yeah I had this problem a lot when I began playing: Kill a guy, hit reload, get messed up as a guy comes around the corner… Only way I broke this habit was experience. After it happened what felt like a hundred times, I started to stop reloading.

Too bad I didn’t see this a long time ago though…would have definitely helped.
thesink

i have ord and i reached lvl 41 in 1 DAY! Yall fail.
Tourniquette

No sir, you fail. You wasted an entire day of your life getting to lvl 41. That’s just sick. You’re also apparently a wayward cowboy. Night yall.
Asgaro

It’s nice to see I’m not the only one with this STUPID obsession xD
gt= ENVY FUSION

i was the first one on this website to use the term ORD lol and its because i have ORD and OSD but i have to say the sprinting problem is my biggest problem