Dear Mr. Brigden, it is a pleasure and an honor to share with you this thread.
As I started this topic, I told that someone told me that German Cavalry used to use matchlock pistols to practise shooting in order to keep the wheelock ones for battle.
Appart of that "tale", which a friend told that he has read it on a book written by a Italian man, many people says that using a matchlock pistols is not proper for cavalry (I agree with that) but if you consider that someone shoot with some of this in battle
From
http://www.scribd.com/doc/27062968/The-Gun-and-Its-Development-1899A matchlock gun would be a little easier to shoot.
I am not focusing on battle field for a matchlock pistol, I am interested on their existance. No one is focusing on the training on an army or shooting as a sport.
Besides, I found this text on Google Books
http://books.google.com.ar/books?id=GmQVan-M3ykC&pg=PA134&dq=matchlock+pistol%2B...Where there is an interesting statement:
Quote:"It is true that the cavalry found a need for the wheel-lock to be applied to their pistols and carbines because of the difficulty of handling the matchlock mounted"
So I wonder: Before wheel - lock what kind of system did these gentlemen use?
In the other hand, Portuguese people who got in touch with Japaneses and brought gun powder power to that land, as far as I know they took with them obsolete matchlock pistols and Japaneses copied them.
So in somewhere in Portugal may be a specimen of those antique guns.
My aim is to clarify the matter about western matchlock pistols, to give the little piece of History they deserve, not changing any sport rule of nowadays.
I hope your experience and knowledge could help me. Thank you so much in advance
MLAGB 
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