Thirty Years War Wheel Lock Pistols
 

Hello everyone,
I am a new member and would like to introduce myself and convey how honored it feels to be a part of such a knowledgeable community that shares my enthusiasm for history and historical arms and armor! Though I am interested in many historical periods, I tend to focus on the Thirty Years War and French & Indian Wars, and I am always seeking to build up my knowledge of these conflicts and the weaponry that was used.
This is my first post and as such I would like to bring up a question I have had for some time. That is, what are the characteristics to help differentiate between wheel lock pistols of the first and second half of the Thirty Years War? That is to say, how did the pistols evolve from the beginning of the war (1618-1634) to the end of the war (1635-1648).
From my research I think I have a couple of characteristics that highlight wheel locks of the different periods of the war, for example:
- The earlier pistols have straighter stocks than the later examples with
more curved handles.
- Earlier pistols have a simple band around the butt.
- Later pistols have more rounded locks and earlier locks are flatter.
- Octagonal barrels are usually found on earlier pieces.
If my assumptions are wrong please feel free to enlighten me, and I would like to know if there are any additional characteristics to help identify such wheel locks.
Regards,
Paul

Welcome to the forum, Paul :) .
Regretfully one of our members who is rather well within this area is ill and will be absent for a while. But hopefully other members will come around to comment on your query.