The Event organizers, producers and coordinators rules for firearms pertaining both to safety and to all uses, if any, and their standards for authenticity must be adhered to.
It is a stated goal of this group to encourage increased acquisition and use of appropriate firearms by the group, within the constraints of safety and the standards of authenticity.
Although the longbow and various types of crossbow remained in use in the Borders region throughout our period, the borderer adopted firearms early and with great enthusiasm. Early handgun type weapons were in use in the Borders from the at least as early as the Wars of the Roses. The arquebus was known by the beginning of the Sixteenth century. At the time of Flodden, in 1513, the French supplied the Scots with 1,000 of these weapons, the use of these in that battle was not noteworthy, some of these pieces must have been showing up in various castle armories and on raids for the rest of the century. The matchlock musket, which succeeded the arquebus at mid-century while somewhat large and heavy for use in the saddle in the full-sized version, showed up for dismounted use immediately. Reduced size versions, smaller and lighter, began to appear by the 1560s, these are sometimes referred to as "bastard" muskets.
The caliver, a smaller, lighter, matchlock weapon, which was the direct descendant of the arquebus, was used both on foot and from horseback. The use of the "twelve apostles" chargers for muskets was common. Also used was a large flask, with a spout to measure the charge directly into the weapon, with a smaller flask for priming. This is the more common method for the caliver. Early versions of paper cartridges were known at this time, however these were mostly experimental and unlikely to be seen in our area.
The common tactics for use of such weapons, in large masses, fired in volleys (this is greatly simplified!), of course, did not apply to a group of reivers or a few scouts, in our case, such weapons would be used at need or opportunity presented itself.
The pistol, originally designed as a cavalry weapon to begin with, was popular on the Borders from it's introduction. The first of these weapons was the wheelock, which were in use by around 1530 and continued through the century and beyond. These were made in several styles, often with distinct patterns for the various European countries where they originated. They were also made in a variety of lengths and caliber. Again these were designed for use by formations of horse, such as the German "Reiters", to fire in volleys. In the hands of the Borderer, such weapons were used on a more individual basis, for defense or taking "pot shots" as needed. Developed slightly later, the "snaphaunce" pistol was the first type of flintlock weapon developed. These were known by 1550 in Holland and were not a replacement for the wheelock, but rather a parallel development. Both types of pistol would be known to our troops, both in the reiver context and as military weapons.
From the 1560s on, another type of weapon, specifically made for use by horse troops, began to appear; the " petronel". This was the direct ancestor of the carbine that was developed in the next century for cavalry. Troops using this weapon were also called "petronells", and were new in England at this time. Such troops were used in as both mounted light horse and also in a dismounted mode, such as the dragoons developed in the next century. Such pieces would be less common in our unit, but not unknown.