And to great untapped gaming potential!
All those eras up to the development and widespread use of the rifle(d bore) are basically untapped, even though melee combat was still the most important part, at least for small number of men. Movies like "the patriot" with the ridiculous accuracy of pistols aren't helping either.
There's a scene in I think The Warhound and the World's Pain, by Michael Moorcock, in which the protagonist rides down on his enemies, fires each pistol then draws his sword and closes.
I love that feel, the characters fire then close for hand to hand, it feels gritty and deadly and is a much underexplored period.
That said, one of my players the other week said that playing Runequest had given him a new respect for missile weapons, which I also like.