Tip-up barrel

Tip-up barrel on a .32 ACP Beretta pistol

Tip-up barrel on a .25 ACP Beretta Jetfire pistol

Tip-up barrel is a term used to describe semi-automatic pistols in which the first round in the chamber is not fed from a magazine, but is inserted directly into the chamber via a barrel which swings upwards to admit it. The particular advantage of the tip-up barrel is that it allows users to chamber a round who may lack sufficient hand/arm strength to rack the slide on a conventional semi-automatic pistol.^[1]

Tip-up pistols

• JO.LO.AR.
• Taurus PT22
• Beretta 3032 Tomcat
• Beretta 950
• Beretta 21A Bobcat
• Beretta Cheetah (certain models)
• Le Français (pistol)

References

1. Jerry Ahern (5 October 2010). Gun Digest Buyer's Guide to Concealed-Carry Handguns. Gun Digest Books. pp. 220–. ISBN 1-4402-1743-2.