Someone said that the weapon used had to have BULLETS.
This does not seem to me to be essential.
Blunderbusses do not use bullets.
Muskets do not need bullets.
They used a powder charge, which was tamped down with a ramrod and lead ball, which was also tamped down.
During the US Civil War, the Union had repeating rifles only for the last part. The Confederates mostly used muskets.