In the first decades of the 19th century, the shortage of light infantry in the Russian army was very acute. In the line infantry, coordination of actions and discipline were key. While the dense volleys of a whole unit were important, the individual ranged combat skills were not.
On the battlefield, the light infantry was to fight the enemy from a distance, which required soldiers to be accurate in shooting, quick and effective with maneuver. Such skills were obtained via lengthy training. Drilling a line infantryman was much cheaper than training accurate, enduring and quick thinking soldiers at public expense.
Therefore, Russian chasseur regiments would typically enroll experienced hunters and serf chasseurs, as opposed to raw recruits. Recruited chasseurs had been expert riflemen well before joining the army, as they honed their skills through hunting.
Those who became officers and NCOs of chasseur regiments were frequently from the upper class and had been keen on amateur shooting. They chose to put on a uniform and to use their skill to protect their homeland. The French soon noticed the courage and effective combat skills repeatedly demonstrated by Russian chasseurs, and so treated these units with high esteem.
The armament of chasseurs was quite diverse, ranging from smoothbore muskets of various calibers to carbines. When enrolled to a unit, newcomers typically never left their favorite weapon behind. Instead of bayonets, Russian chasseur rifles had daggers.