What would your playstyle be as a ranged battlesmith

Quote from StonyMac >>

Quote from Sequilonis >>

One thing to keep in mind - a Repeating Shot Pistol ignores the Loading property and creates its own ammunition, but there is nothing in the description that allows you to ignore the Ammunition, which says that you need a free hand to load a one-handed ranged weapon. This means that RAW you can't hold a shield in your other hand while using your pistol. You'll need to talk to your DM to make sure they will let you hand wave that restriction based on the magic item's description of its magically created ammunition. I would think most would be fine with it, but I recommend you double-check just to be sure.

I mean I see what you are saying that it does not explicitly say it ignores that property and part of the ammunition property is that you need a free hand to load ammunition. However, that is a very stingy reading of the RAW. Repeating shot does say that if the weapon lacks ammunition the weapon automatically makes its own ammunition when you make a ranged attack so there is no reason you need a free hand to load ammunition in it. I think the reason that the repeating shot weapon is worded that way is so that you could load magic or special ammunition if you wanted to instead of the magically generated but generic ammunition. It might not be possible to load your own ammo if it totally ignored the ammunition property.

Repeating Shot EFA p112: This magic weapon grants a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it when it's used to make a ranged attack, and it ignores the Loading property if it has that property... If the weapon lacks ammunition, it produces its own, automatically creating one piece of magic ammunition when the wielder makes a ranged attack roll with it. The ammunition created by the weapon vanishes the instant after it hits or misses a target.

Ammunition PHB'24: You can use a weapon that has the Ammunition property to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire from it. The type of ammunition required is specified with the weapon's range. Each attack expends one piece of ammunition. Drawing the ammunition is part of the attack (you need a free hand to load a one-handed weapon). After a fight, you can spend 1 minute to recover half the ammunition (round down) you used in the fight; the rest is lost.

 I agree with you that it is a stingy reading. But the weapon DOES have the Ammunition property and no given way to ignore it. Even the Gunner feat does not wave this restriction. A DM could interpret that it produces a piece of ammunition that you then still have to load into the weapon. I was just suggesting you check with your DM to make sure. 

I'm gonna be playing a battlesmith (though starting at first level) soon as well. My question is, I rolled for stats and (after background bonuses) I have 17 int and 16 dex. I too want to do a ranged martial build (when possible) so I was wondering if I should take war caster (for the int bonus) or sharpshooter (which would bring me to 17 dex)?