diff --git a/source/src/command.cpp b/source/src/command.cpp
index d7e44b66..c0e83f68 100644
--- a/source/src/command.cpp
+++ b/source/src/command.cpp
@@ -328,6 +328,7 @@ void writecfg()
     if(!f) return;
     fprintf(f, "// automatically written on exit, DO NOT MODIFY\n// delete this file to have defaults.cfg overwrite these settings\n// modify settings in game, or put settings in autoexec.cfg to override anything\n\n");
     fprintf(f, "name %s\nteam %s\nskin %d\n", player1->name, player1->team, player1->nextskin);
+    extern Texture *crosshair;
     fprintf(f, "loadcrosshair %s\n", crosshair->name+strlen("packages/misc/crosshairs/"));
     extern int lowfps, highfps;
     fprintf(f, "fpsrange %d %d\n", lowfps, highfps);
diff --git a/source/src/main.cpp b/source/src/main.cpp
index 39db8492..b6629e09 100644
--- a/source/src/main.cpp
+++ b/source/src/main.cpp
@@ -325,8 +325,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     initlog("gl");
     gl_init(scr_w, scr_h, colorbits, depthbits, fsaa);
     
-    crosshair = textureload("packages/misc/crosshairs/default.png");
-    if(!crosshair) fatal("could not find core textures (hint: run AssaultCube from the parent of the bin directory)");
+    notexture = textureload("packages/misc/notexture.png");
+    if(!notexture) fatal("could not find core textures (hint: run AssaultCube from the parent of the bin directory)");
 
     initlog("console");
     if(!execfile("config/font.cfg")) fatal("cannot find font definitions");
@@ -489,13 +489,5 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     return EXIT_SUCCESS;
 }
 
-void loadcrosshair(char *c)
-{
-	s_sprintfd(p)("packages/misc/crosshairs/%s", c);
-    crosshair = textureload(p);
-}
-
-COMMAND(loadcrosshair, ARG_1STR);
-
 VAR(version, 1, AC_VERSION, 0);
 
diff --git a/source/src/md2.h b/source/src/md2.h
index 99cffc45..6eab03d2 100644
--- a/source/src/md2.h
+++ b/source/src/md2.h
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ struct md2 : vertmodel
         Texture *skin;
         loadskin(loadname, pname, skin);
         loopv(mdl.meshes) mdl.meshes[i]->skin  = skin;
-        if(skin==crosshair) conoutf("could not load model skin for %s", name1);
+        if(skin==notexture) conoutf("could not load model skin for %s", name1);
         loadingmd2 = this;
         s_sprintfd(name2)("packages/models/%s/md2.cfg", loadname);
         if(!execfile(name2))
diff --git a/source/src/md3.h b/source/src/md3.h
index 36c309d2..8300b0ee 100644
--- a/source/src/md3.h
+++ b/source/src/md3.h
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ struct md3 : vertmodel
             Texture *skin;
             loadskin(loadname, pname, skin);
             loopv(mdl.meshes) mdl.meshes[i]->skin  = skin;
-            if(skin==crosshair) conoutf("could not load model skin for %s", name1);
+            if(skin==notexture) conoutf("could not load model skin for %s", name1);
         }
         loopv(parts) parts[i]->scaleverts(scale/16.0f, vec(translate.x, -translate.y, translate.z));
 
diff --git a/source/src/protos.h b/source/src/protos.h
index 5afdc099..2aebb693 100644
--- a/source/src/protos.h
+++ b/source/src/protos.h
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ struct Texture
     int xs, ys;
     GLuint id;
 };
-extern Texture *crosshair;
+extern Texture *notexture;
 
 extern void createtexture(int tnum, int w, int h, void *pixels, int clamp, bool mipmap, GLenum format);
 extern Texture *textureload(const char *name, int clamp = 0);
diff --git a/source/src/renderhud.cpp b/source/src/renderhud.cpp
index 4bf493b0..08c00797 100644
--- a/source/src/renderhud.cpp
+++ b/source/src/renderhud.cpp
@@ -69,11 +69,22 @@ void drawscope()
     glEnd();
 }
 
+Texture *crosshair = NULL;
+
+void loadcrosshair(char *c)
+{
+    s_sprintfd(p)("packages/misc/crosshairs/%s", c);
+    crosshair = textureload(p);
+}
+
+COMMAND(loadcrosshair, ARG_1STR);
+
 void drawcrosshair(bool showteamwarning)
 {
     glBlendFunc(GL_ONE, GL_ONE);
     static Texture *teammatetex = NULL;
     if(!teammatetex) teammatetex = textureload("packages/misc/teammate.png");
+    if(!crosshair) crosshair = textureload("packages/misc/crosshairs/default.png");
 	glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, showteamwarning ? teammatetex->id : crosshair->id);
     glBegin(GL_QUADS);
     glColor3ub(255,255,255);
diff --git a/source/src/rendermodel.cpp b/source/src/rendermodel.cpp
index 5b22b6c9..830de009 100644
--- a/source/src/rendermodel.cpp
+++ b/source/src/rendermodel.cpp
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ int findanim(const char *name)
 
 void loadskin(const char *dir, const char *altdir, Texture *&skin) // model skin sharing
 {
-    #define ifnoload if((skin = textureload(path))==crosshair)
+    #define ifnoload if((skin = textureload(path))==notexture)
     s_sprintfd(path)("packages/models/%s/skin.jpg", dir);
     ifnoload
     {
diff --git a/source/src/texture.cpp b/source/src/texture.cpp
index e06c029f..b0ee5192 100644
--- a/source/src/texture.cpp
+++ b/source/src/texture.cpp
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 #include "cube.h"
 
-Texture *crosshair = NULL;
+Texture *notexture = NULL;
 hashtable<char *, Texture> textures;
 
 VAR(hwtexsize, 1, 0, 0);
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ Texture *textureload(const char *name, int clamp)
     if(t) return t;
     int xs, ys; 
     GLuint id = loadsurface(pname, xs, ys, clamp);
-    if(!id) return crosshair;
+    if(!id) return notexture;
     char *key = newstring(pname);
     t = &textures[key];
     t->name = key;
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ COMMAND(texture, ARG_2STR);
 
 Texture *lookuptexture(int tex)
 {
-    Texture *t = crosshair;
+    Texture *t = notexture;
     if(slots.inrange(tex))
     {
         Slot &s = slots[tex];
diff --git a/source/src/vertmodel.h b/source/src/vertmodel.h
index 371a71ba..ccc60994 100644
--- a/source/src/vertmodel.h
+++ b/source/src/vertmodel.h
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ struct vertmodel : model
         GLuint statlist;
         int statlen;
 
-        mesh() : name(0), verts(0), tcverts(0), tris(0), skin(crosshair), tex(0), dynbuf(0), dynidx(0), statlist(0) 
+        mesh() : name(0), verts(0), tcverts(0), tris(0), skin(notexture), tex(0), dynbuf(0), dynidx(0), statlist(0) 
         {
             dyncur.fr1 = dynprev.fr1 = -1;
         }