I'm wondering to what extent Swedish forces used carbines during the 17th century. I have observed (or misunderstood) the following:
1) Gustavus Adolphus seems to have equipped his Reiters with swords and pistols, and as far as I understand with no or few carbines. This seems to fit the tactics he advised; closing with the enemy cavalry with pistols fired at very short range and then attacking with sword. After Lützen Wallenstein ordered the removal of carbines among the Imperial harquebusiers, probably because carbines could encourage non-aggressive behavior on the battlefield that he had noted in the battle. I'm not sure what happened just after Gustavus' and Wallenstein's deaths.
2) On the copperplate of the Battle of Warsaw (1656) based on Erik Dahlberg's drawings, who had just arrived at the site, there is clearly carbines at the backs of the Swedish riders on the left, see link. I'm wondering though if this is representative for the period.
3) In the Scanlan war (1675-1679), before the battle of Lund (1676), it was ordered that the cavalry should attack in similar way to Gustavus' model, with pistols and swords. The use of carbines in battle was actively discouraged. It seems however to suggest that carbines were fairly to very common in the cavalry. Otherwise there should have been little point in giving the order. There exist samples of Swedish carbines from this period, though I don't know for certain how common they were.
4) In the Great Northern War (1700-1721) the cavalry got famous for even more aggressive tactics than earlier, closing sword in hand at high speed without firing their pistols prior to contact (however pistols seem to have been used before contact at least sometimes). They were however issued with carbines, which to my mind doesn't fit perfectly with the logics of Gustavus Adolphus and post-Lützen Wallenstein.
Did carbines get more common in the Swedish forces gradually, or when do you think the change happen? What about the later thirty years war, or during the Deluge in Poland? Why do you think carbines seemed a more logical priority in Swedish Great Northern War forces than it did for Gustavus Adolphus and post-Lützen Wallenstein?
/Isac