Recoil operated
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In a recoil operated handgun, the barrel and slide are locked together during firing. After firing, the slide and barrel move together for a short distance until the barrel is disengaged either by a camming link, a falling block or a rotating block system. At this point, the barrel stops, but the slide continues rearward, ejecting the spent casing and stripping a fresh round from the magazine on its way back to battery. The timing is such that the breech cannot open until chamber presure has dropped to a safe level. This is also known as a "short recoil" system. It is typically used on most handguns firing cartridges 9mm Luger (9mm Parabellum, 9x19mm) and larger.