@ShoggothOnTheRoof the accuracy of muskets is much better than you think. When well loaded with tight fitting balls, they were roughly as accurate as modern shotguns firing slugs, and more accurate than bows while demanding less training.
The Japanese were very impressed by the accuracy of the matchlock firearms the Portuguese showed them, and started copying them until they became a mainstay of their armed forces. Then, they invaded Korea and won nearly every land battle against Korean and Chinese forces thanks to these matchlock muskets (the Koreans and Chinese would then start copying them, recognizing their superiority to their bows and black powder weapons).
That being said, the typical soldier was not a well trained shooter, they were not given much chances to train shooting the gun (which had no iron sights beyond a bead... sometimes), they were trained to load it more than to fire it, furthermore, military loadings had smaller balls that were less precise to be able to keep working despite fouling, and combat engagements were frequently past 100 yards.
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@ShoggothOnTheRoof the accuracy of muskets is much better than you think. When well loaded with tight fitting balls, they were roughly as accurate as modern shotguns firing slugs, and more accurate than bows while demanding less training.
The Japanese were very impressed by the accuracy of the matchlock firearms the Portuguese showed them, and started copying them until they became a mainstay of their armed forces. Then, they invaded Korea and won nearly every land battle against Korean and Chinese forces thanks to these matchlock muskets (the Koreans and Chinese would then start copying them, recognizing their superiority to their bows and black powder weapons).
That being said, the typical soldier was not a well trained shooter, they were not given much chances to train shooting the gun (which had no iron sights beyond a bead... sometimes), they were trained to load it more than to fire it, furthermore, military loadings had smaller balls that were less precise to be able to keep working despite fouling, and combat engagements were frequently past 100 yards.