Pair of Wheellock Pistols ca. 1590 German, Nuremberg After the wheellock ignition mechanism was devised around 1500, it was first applied to firearms used on horseback. In fact the appearance of pistols--weapons handled with one hand--was due to the invention of the wheellock, and by the middle of the sixteenth century they became part of the equipment of middle and light cavalry, not just weapons available exclusively to men of high rank as had initially been the case. Since an ordinary pistol could deliver only one shot and had to be reloaded to fire the next round, pistols were commonly made in pairs and carried in leather holsters, one on each side of the saddle. A large pommel, often ball-shaped, on the pistol grip made it easier to retrieve from the holster and also helped to conterbalance a heavy barrel.. Pair of Wheellock Pistols. German, Nuremberg. ca. 1590. Steel, wood, ivory. Nuremberg. Firearms-Pistols-Wheellock