I have beend experimenting a bit with various missile units and I came to a conclusion that the best unit is - Genoese Crossbow Militia.

This came as a suprise since I would rather expect English to lead the way, maybe with French Aventurier as follow up.

Meanshile I have done some testing, all on flat ground, Medium difficult and on still, not rainy day. Both sides deployed in loose formations, firing on long/medium ranges. The results below show the final numbers in units (starting 60) after depleting ammo by both sides:

Gen. Crossbow Mili. vs Longbowmen
36 - 20

Gen. Crossbow Mili. vs Yoeman Archers
33 - 6

Gen. Crossbow Mili. vs Aventurier
56 - 5

Gen. Crossbow Mili. vs Pav. Crossbow Mili.
42 - 25

Gen. Crossbow Mili. vs Musketeers (just to see how they do vs gunpoder unit)
0 - 41

I have also tried on Hard setting and i got
Gen. Crossbow Mili. vs Longbowmen
44 - 7
51 - 6
These all seem to be amazing results, especially since it is a Militia unit! And an early one! Add to this a decent melee skill and low price.
The main disadvantage is longer reload time, but if used correctly this doesnt hurt that much.

Anyone has other experiences?