Quote:
Originally Posted by Sindri
Ignoring for the moment issues of resolution is this more fragile in the sense of worse Malf or worse HT?
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Not sure if they failed more often, but if the doohickey breaks on a flintlock, you're replacing a spring. On a wheellock, you're sending it to be rebuilt. I'd say lower HT.
Wheellocks competed well with matchlocks, because they didn't require a burning string (a plus when in rain, or hunting an animal with a good sense of smell, or surrounded by kegs of powder, or stuffing a pistol in your trousers). Once flintlocks truly became established enough to overcome cultural inertia, wheellocks were left as curiosities. Cultural inertia is stronger in the personal-sidearm market (i.e. the wealthy) than it is in the weapon-we-need-ten-thousand-of-by-next-month market (i.e. the military).