Is there any way to easily switch ammo? The gold powder was an interesting idea, but it is hard to use. As far as I can tell, I have to set the first space with a handful of the gold bullets (to account for my poor aim), then when that runs out, it goes to the standard ammo. (Cursed, at present.)

But then you run into a stinking bat or something and have to switch to a different missile system entirely (magic or bow) so you don't waste all that expensive ammo on something that won't drop much money anyway.

This may not help but I usually only use ranged weapons that require ammo when going after a boss. When I'm being attacked by all sorts of baddies I love having a boomerang, even a shit one, and have gotten out of lots of jams with it. Of course finding one isn't always so easy. :(

Well you can always craft the Thorn Chakram(6 jungle spores and 15 stingers) if your having bad luck finding a boomerang be it the basic one, the enchanted version or even the ice boomerang. It does more damage then the non-flame versions of the boomerang and can inflict poison debuffs on mobs. The Bee gun also helps in a pinch pre-hardmode.
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I didn't know that one; THANKS. :D

no problem and just in case you didn't know this. You can upgrade a enchanted boomerang to a Flamerang with hellstone bars which are crafted with hellstone ore+obsidian(created by mixing water and lava) at a hellforge which can be taken from the buildings in hell.

Honestly I've never gotten that far. I have severe ADD with this game and usually end up starting over right around when I enter the dungeon. :P

Well if you finally do get that far make sure you craft a few obsidian skin potions and gill potions they make mining hellstone alot easier.

Good suggestions, for pre-hardmode. I suppose I should have made it more explicit than saying I was using cursed ammo (and gold dust? I didn't recall that before WoF) that I was in hardmode at present. True enough, Flamarang and Thorn Chakram are great, even a while into hardmode, but defenses have become tough enough they are rotting in a chest somewhere in World 1. Even the Uzi is barely worth using anymore with just basic bullets. And, of course, there's no point in changing ammo when using Marrow or the Ice Bow

I'll cross my fingers that 1.3 gives ammo switching, somehow, to give a tactical edge to guns.

Incidentally, I had finished off much of the underworld before starting the dungeon. I tried Skeletron too early and got toasted so badly that it hadn't occurred to me that going after him with full molten gear would make it pretty easy...

Light Disc (stacks to 5) and Bananarangs (stacks to 10) are the boomerang weapons for mid-hardmode.

Yes.
"it's done when it's done." - Red(Andrew Spinx) and Cenx(Whitney Braid)

Gee, thanks. :P

hey don't shoot the messenger, Red and his girlfriend Cenx are the ones who said it over on the official Terraria boards. They will give a set time once Red and the team are close to finishing the update but since it's Red's final update I am sure they want to make this update feel special. Now that doesn't mean there will be no more updates just Red/Andrew the guy who made the game will be moving on to new projects instead work will be carried on by the guys they hired to continue work on the game