Tip-up barrel

Not to be confused with Revolver § Tip_up, or Top-break.
Tip-up barrel on a .32 ACP Beretta pistol
Tip-up barrel on a .25 ACP Beretta Jetfire pistol

A tip-up barrel is a type of semi-automatic pistol design in which the barrel can be swung up and away from the firing pin, pivoting around a hinge set into the frame near the muzzle. Such a design allows a round to be inserted directly into the chamber, rather than from a magazine. Shooters who lack the hand/arm strength needed to chamber the first round by racking the slide on a conventional pistol can take advantage of the tip-up barrel to begin firing.[1]

  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.