most advanced militaries in the world (European militaries from 1300 onwards) didn’t stop using dedicated melee infantry until 1700. Only then could one confidently say that ranged combat was as powerful as melee combat with the emergence of flintlock muskets loaded with paper cartridges, a weapon an order of magnitude more capable and lethal than the crossbows, slings and bows the left is so enamoured of. Even then, there were exceptions such as the Swedish Caroleans who lasted another generation, while melee cavalry didn’t stop being a thing until the last third of the 19th century which brought about the mass usage of breech-loading firearms.