CoD MW3 Handgun Tyr
Image via Activision

How to Pistol Swap Faster in Modern Warfare 3 (MW3)

Don't bring a knife to a gunfight. Bring an ultra super duper quick drawing handgun.

Pistol Fastdraw is a mechanic in MW3 that enables players to pull out their secondary weapon while still holding their primary in the other hand, allowing for rapid switching and firing of your handgun. We’re here to break down how to use it to pistol swap faster and on which weapons it is available with.

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MW3 Pistol Fastdraw, Explained

CoD MW2 Handgun .50 BS
Screenshot by Twinfinite

To use Fastdraw in MW3, you will need to equip a pistol grip attachment to your weapon that has the Perk.

In MW3, you can check which grip you need by opening the weapon progression page and checking which one has that Perk. In MW2, FTAC Siege was the only handgun without any grips with that perk, and there is still no information about Tyr from MW3.

While in-game, you will be able to quickly pull out your pistol while holding your primary weapon. You can’t do it while running, but you can do it while walking or aiming down sight. Switching back to your primary will have the same speed boost.

Pistols With Pistol Fastdraw Perk

Activision revealed in a blog post all of the new weapons available at launch, as well as some balancing details. Pistol Fastdraw could be added and removed from some pistol grips. Weapon progression levels also seem unbalanced compared to new weapons, so you can expect Activision to change them at or following launch.

We’ve listed all the weapons which can currently make use of Pistol Fastdraw down below.

  • 9mm Daemon – Daemon Hand Grip unlocked at weapon progression level 16
  • Basilisk – SO RO-99 Grip unlocked at weapon progression level 21
  • .50 GS/GS Magna – GS .50 Wood Grain Grip unlocked at weapon progression level 21 of .50 GS
  • X12/X13 – Cronen Lima-6 Grip unlocked at weapon progression level 8 of X13
  • p890 – Bruen RSH-80 Grip unlocked at weapon progression level 23
  • Renetti – EXF Eclipsor Grip unlocked at weapon progression level 2
  • COR-45 – Tactical Grip Cover unlocked at weapon progression level 4
  • WSP Stinger – WSP Tac-20 Grip unlocked at weapon progression level 4

That sums it up on how to swap to your pistol faster in MW3. If you are interested in the guns available in MW3, read our article on What Are the Best Guns in MW3 to stay at the top of your game. There are more guides and news about MW3 available on the links below, so be sure to check them out as well. 


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Author
Aleksa Stojković
Aleksa is a full-time League of Legends solo queue grinder and a passionate killer sudoku player. He has also been moonlighting as a staff writer on Twinfinite since late 2023 so he can finance his mobile gacha addiction.