Arquebus
The Arqebus was the predecessor to the musket. IT was lighter and more accurate than the hand cannon and was invented in in the 1200's in China. It was effective against cavalry and plate armor and was given to most infantry. It used a matchlock fuse which is a flammable match that was lit. when you pulled the trigger the lock brought the mach down into the power and ignited it, sending the bullet flying out the barrel. The Arqebus had standard issue bullets, which were made from melted lead in molds the soldiers carried. The bullets were round and were fired at a faster rate than the hand cannon due to it's size.
Hand Cannon
The hand cannon was the earliest portable firearm. It was a single shot weapon that could be carried on the back of infantry, then set up on the battlefield. It was crude, consisting of a single metal pipe and a wooden stand. The hand cannon required outside flames to ignite the gunpowder rammed down the barrel. Each shot fired was inaccurate and the entire setup weighed about fifty pounds, not including any other things the soldier may carry. Luckily the hand cannon could fire anything put into it, rocks, sand , sticks anything that wouldn't break from the pressure could be fired.