Hand-held firearms have been a feature of warfare from the 13th Century in China and the 14th in Europe. This is well within the "mediaeval" period previously mentioned.
With a few rare (and not necessarily reliable) exceptions, they were very similar to each other in that they were single-shot muzzle-loaders. Although double-barrelled "fowling-pieces" were known.
From the 1830s, reliable multi-shot firearms began to be mass produced. This spelled the end of the "swashbuckler" and the rise of the "gunslinger".
Consequently, any style of gun reminiscent of those produced before the development of the "pepperbox" pistol or the percussion revolver, is in keeping with a fantasy mediaeval setting.
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