Pistol barrels tilting up

[sally-bee]

Hi guys,

I've noticed this before in movies etc. just wanted to know what it's about.

You know how on a lot of pistols when you pull the slide back the barrel pulls back and up? Found a clear picture of what I mean.

walther_p99.jpg (13.16 KiB) Viewed 1941 times

Obviously that barrel is way out of line with the rest of the action.

What's the story?

[Baldrick314]

Semi auto pistols tilt out of battery as they recoil. This drops the receiver down so a new cartridge can be pushed up from the magazine into the chamber and then they're pushed back into battery by the slide

[Wheelbarrow]

Baldrick's nailed it.

Working as intended, though you could be forgiven for thinking something has come loose looking at it for the first time