I hope you find this guide useful, remember to favorite, rate and tell your friends if you liked the guide.

Most firearms of this era are of the flintlock breed, with the exceptions of outdated wheelocks and air guns used by some Austrian light infantry. They work by a muzzle loading a musket ball and gunpowder. The hammer is then pulled back and when the trigger is pulled, the hammer snaps forwards colliding with a piece of flint causing sparks. The sparks then ignite the powder that effectively explodes sending the musket ball out of the muzzle of the musket at large velocities. This is not an accurate weapon, nor does it provide fast and efficient reloading times. Because of the flaws in this weapon, infantry tends to stand together in lines, to mass their firepower. A well trained fusilier could fire 3-4 times a minute, in Napoleonic Wars, the reload times are accelerated slightly for more interesting gameplay.

Infantry Musket
The basic Infantry armament is an infantry musket. It's effective at all ranges but struggles to hit targets at longer ranges. The infantry musket was a weapon used by line infantry and some light troops. In this game it features a faster reload time than other standard weapons with about 14 seconds yet much slower than most cavalry firearms. One of the main capabilities of the infantry musket is its attached bayonet, this is the melee weapon of choice for a lot of infantry men and it is arguably the most effective weapon in close quarters. It is because of this bayonet that the infantry musket is a remarkably balanced weapon, effective at both medium ranges and close quarter as well. This weapon is exclusive to "footsloggers," it cannot be used on horseback.

Rifle
By the time of the Napoleonic Wars, most Major powers in Europe had realised the potential of rifles and equipped their elite light troops with rifles. Historically it featured vastly superior accuracy to its musket counter-parts, in this game however rifles are more accurate than muskets but not to the same extent as historically. Because of this superior accuracy, rifles are superior at longer ranges to every other weapon. This superiority at medium and longer ranges comes at a price however, it features a longer reload time of 16-17 seconds. The main drawback however is its venerability in close quarter melee. The rifle butt becomes a club, with shorter range and far less damage the user is put at a distinct disadvantage against a line infantryman in melee. This weapon can be fired on horseback but cannot be reloaded on horseback.

Cavalry muskets and carbines were used by light cavalry and dragoon regiments. As a general rule, cavalry firearms are generally less accurate than the weapons used by the "footsloggers," as they are sometimes referred to. In the hands of a light infantryman the cavalry musket does out preform the infantry musket, carbines however are less accurate. Because of this limited accuracy, cavalry muskets and carbines cannot engage in long range fire fights, they are limited to short ranges where they excel. Something worth mentioning is that the faster the rider is going, the more the accuracy decreases. They do however have a faster reload speed, muskets reload in 12 seconds and carbines in 11. Many dragoons either dismount or stop to fire, thus increasing their accuracy and allowing instant reloading. In the game Napoleonic Wars, no ranker firearms can be reloaded on the move. Cavalry of this era used firearms as more of an axillary armament rather than a primary means of engagement. They were used to wear the enemy down and harass them before charging with sabres. Cavalry muskets are also used by light infantry and militia forces in the Napoleonic expansion.

A musketoon is a shotgun of sorts. It serves the same purpose as a modern shotgun but has an even more limited range. The maximum range a user can expect a kill at is about the length of two horses and a half. This extreme limitation in range is made up for in brute firepower. You only have to aim in the direction of the enemy and the shards of shrapnel will do their bloody work. It can also kill multiple enemies with one shot, unlike every other firearm, its bullets don’t stop after shredding one opponent but they continue. With a speed of 16.5 seconds, the musketoon suffers the longest reloading time of all weapons. It is however the weapon of choice in close quarter but its lack of an effective melee mode makes it more effective for firing and retreating rather than entering a prolonged melee. This weapon is also used by Austrian Grenzers as an infantry weapon.
Pro tip!- Do not attempt to use a musketoon at any type of range, although watching noobs attempting this is usually hilarious
Pro tip!- NEVER EVER EVER, fire into a melee with this weapon. It will shred both your enemies and your team mates. Even if you are not bothered about butchering your team mates, it will get you hated and you will look like a troll/hopeless noob

The top left gun is a musketoon, top right is a Russian short musketoon, bottom right is a cavalry musket, bottom left is a cavalry carbine

Pistols are not devastatingly effective weapons. They do not strike fear into the hearts of enemies but they do have some very interesting characteristics. They have the shortest reloading time of all firearms by a long shot, 7 seconds. The user can also move whilst reloading. The pistol is a hugely inaccurate weapon though, the effective range of a pistol is about 3-4 horses length. If you do manage to hit anything with a pistol, it deals rather limited damage. It takes about 3/4 of a man’s health at close range, however for a skilled shooter, a headshot guarantees a kill every time. Even though this weapon is the most ineffective firearm there is, it does have its uses. In close range, its speedy reloading and movement can be a huge advantage over conventional weaponry. This is the only officer firearm available and is issued to all officers except artillery, who don’t have firearms.

If you want detail about classes follow this link. http://www.fsegames.eu/forum/index.php?topic=1108.0
But here is just a quick overview of infantry, I strongly sugest taking a look at the link, most of the stuff on there I didnt even know about.

Line infantry are the standard infantry class, they stand in closely packed lines to mass their fire power.. They feature regular accuracy and regular health.

Light infantry and riflemen are skirmishers, they have improved accuracy in comparison to the other infantry classes. However this accuracy comes at a price, they have reduced health meaning they suffer greater losses to enemy small arms fire and melee attacks.

Foot Guards were the elite troops of the army. They are better at melee, slightly faster attacks and slightly more damage. This is only a small differance.

These effects are small, although it is worth thinking about when you are chosing your class.

Written by TheSnowHindu
Some Newbish help by PrideOfNi
Images by Affjoris
Thanks for taking the time to read this, i hope it has helped you. Feel free to comment and rate. If you are interested in joining an active and skilled regiment that trains its recruits, feel free to add me. Thanks.