Well, you have certainly put more thought into it than I have myself. My hat off to you , sir. Those are all valid and well elaborated points that deserve to be considered with care.
Truth is, the cape with the emblem was created with only the intention to replace the absence of the banner and to give the unit some heraldry and colors.
The crossed pistols are the most common symbol of the pistolkorps, as is depicted in the heraldry book, but like you said, the cape, which is meant only to protect and hide the soldier from the enemy's eyes, isn't the very likely place to put heraldry on.
For the cape of the commander I made some research first and like you noticed with a keen eye, the design on the back was indeed influenced by the hystoric reference, namely the designs of the napoleonic uniforms, and that's why it looks more realistic and not wannabee at all. And you are correct in prefering the classy over the modern, which is also my first choice.
I will redesign the cape, probably erase the emblem and leave only the empire cross at the bottom. Thanks for the critics, it's been highly constructive.
