They were functional but finicky: in wet weather, maintaining a lit match was a challenge.

Priming powder that got wet would not ignite.

The ball and powder had to be loaded in the correct sequence and quantities.

A misfire was a real possibility, and in a situation where a missed shot might mean a bear charging rather than retreating, a misfire was potentially fatal.

The accounts mention that Marguerite killed bears with the gun, and this is one of the most consistently reported details across different early versions of the story.

If we take this at something like face value, it means she learned — during her time on the island — to load, aim, and fire a sixteenth-century firearm accurately enough to kill large animals.