The musket most commonly used during the civil wars was the matchlock a gun, which had a barrel length of around 4½ feet and was fired by touching off the priming charge with a piece of burning        slow-match. The match was a length of cord soaked in saltpetre attached to the trigger mechanism. The matchlock had a range of about 300 yards but with no hope of accuracy above 50 yards. Owing to its weight, a "rest" was used in battle, which was a pole with a U-shaped end to support the barrel. Use of the rest steadily declined as muskets became lighter.

 

Ammunition was carried in a leather bandolier from which 12 of  wooden tubes hung, each containing a measured charge of gunpowder. The bandolier also carried an additional powder flask, bag of bullets and length of match.

 

Although cheap and robust, the matchlock musket was useless if the match became damp. The necessity of keeping match alight also meant that it was impractical in situations where a quick response might be needed. Consequently, the more expensive firelock musket was often issued to sentries and lifeguards of high-ranking officers. They were also used by artillery guards, where a stray spark from  slow-match could be disastrous. Specialist fowling pieces, usually associated with gamekeepers, were sometimes used by snipers.

 

In battle, musketeers usually lined up in six ranks. After firing, the front rank stepped to the rear to reload while the second rank moved up to take its place,  followed in succession by the other ranks, to maintain a continuous fire for as long as the ammunition lasted.  Sometimes a massed volley or salvee would be delivered by three ranks at once, either to precede an assault or to receive one. Like  pikemen, musketeers were usually armed with a short sword or "tuck", though the butt end of the musket itself was frequently used as a club in close-quarter combat.