Questions about playing an Archer

So I started playing an archer and have a few questions that I'm hoping experienced archers can answer.

1. Free Attack vs Auto Attack? I have been trying to use free attack but find I miss a lot and when fighting in a group I don't get enough shots off and seem to level much slower. When I use Auto Attack I seem to pull aggro quite a bit. Since we seem not to be able to assist through the main tank I get myself it trouble this way.
2. Is the main ranged skill increased by free/auto attack, skills, or both? It seems like it only goes up when I use auto attack.
3. How many arrows do you carry with you at one time? I carry a lot so I don't have to run back to town all the time, but this causes me to be encumbered all the time. Going back to free/auto attack, I again try to stick with free attack to save on arrows, but leveling seems to slow down so I switch to auto attack and mow through arrows but at least I am doing some damage and leveling a bit faster.
4. I use Aimed Shot, Blinding Shot, Disabling Shot, and Piercing Shot. I am focusing on Aimed and Piercing. I also have the Ammo Scavenger. What supporting schools are recommended? I stopped leveling the Air skills since they didn't seem to help much as was trying to reduce the number of skills I am leveling at one time.
5. Do any archers try to level a melee school as we for when they run out of arrows?

Thanks in advance for any help the community provide!

I'm Roland in game from PoT Bastion's Point and the Sacrifice guild.

 

I'm a nub archer but I can answer #1. FREE! Auto is just a waste of arrows.....



*watch someone correct my opinion*

 

And I will say Auto since they are CHEAP and easy to get and it raises the base skills FAST.

1000 arrows

Schools are your choice all different all work different in different areas and skills

If oyu want mele skills for close range fightin go for it again your choice templates are easy to try and adjust at low level, and no one is right it is all very VERY personal.