Hi Dennis,
Yes. The earliest wheellocks known had a manual pan cover like a matchlock. Next they installed a bar or stud that fit into a slot in the wheel that knocked the pan open when the wheel spun. That was very weak and makers eventually designed a sliding pan cover that was activated by the tumbler. Many later wheellocks had a push button pan cover. The shooter pushed the button to open the pan before shooting. You, Raszpla, Dale Shinn, and only a few other modern makers have built wheellocks of designs different from the Dutch or German design made popular by Lauber's book on building a wheellock. I believe all of the commercially made wheellocks today are of that design and it is the only design with which most folks today are familiar. It is a shame because there was a tremendous and rich diversity of wheellocks. The Lauber lock (I call it that for convenience) seemed to be used mostly on utilitarian and military guns. It is by no means the most sophisticated design and was probably merely adequate when compared to some of its other comtemporary designs. Because it was used on many military pistols used primarily by cavalry in the early 17th century, it was probably shot with the pan closed. That would certainly be an advantage on horseback. However, I'll bet that many wheellock shooters when desiring the highest accuracy and reliability from their guns, opened the pan before shooting.
dave
