Thank you very much for the lesson. It's always great to hear from someone with a firsthand experience.
It's really amazing that the wheel locks were only good for 10-15 shots and then had to be rearsenalled. But I guess the average engagement of the time did not require firing more shots than that - thus the 12-shot bandoleers worn by the soldiers. Still, the expense of maintaining these guns must have been tremendous!
But the fragility and expense of wheel locks only plays to confirm my theory that they were only meant to fire the first shot on the combination guns. The rest of the firing would be done by 2nd means of ignition.
The only real advantage of a wheel lock is that it could be kept loaded and ready to fire at moment's notice, while a match lock or a tinder lock had to be ignited first. So those people ordering wheel lock weapons might have been doing it not because of their fascination with technology, but rather to have an ability to shoot in unexpected encounters.
And of course it's a "dog", not a hammer. I was looking for the correct word at the time and it didn't come to me. Terminology is very important and I appreciate you correcting my mistakes.
Thanks again for your reply. It is thanks to enthusiasts like yourself that the knowledge gets passed on. I am really looking forward to reading more of your posts.
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