Recoil locking system for a firearm

Claim 1

In a firearm having a receiver, a barrel slide mounted upon the receiver for reciprocating movement relative thereto between forward and rearward limits of travel, a sleeve-like portion depending from a muzzle end of said slide and reciprocatably received within said receiver, a barrel positioned within the slide, a barrel bushing interposed between the slide and the barrel for movement with the slide during reciprocating movement thereof, a recoil spring connected between the receiver and the slide for urging the slide to its forward limit of travel and a recoil spring plug interposed between the spring and slide so that forces utilized to shift the slide toward its rearward limit of travel are transferred from the slide to the recoil spring and wherein the recoil spring plug is movable forwardly and rearwardly to a limited extent relative to the slide between a rearward position at which disassembly of the firearm is facilitated and a forward position, the improvement comprising: means defining an aperture that extends transversely of and fully through said slide, said aperture being disposed at a junction of said sleeve-like portion and the muzzle end of said slide, means defining a slot extending transversely of said barrel bushing and opening outwardly of an outer circumference of said bushing, means defining a further slot extending transversely of said recoil spring plug and opening outwardly of an outer circumference of said plug, lockplate means adapted to be received in said aperture, said lockplate comprising elongated body portion of generally rectangular cross-section, means defining a first arcuate cutout disposed centrally of a length of said lockplate and in one side thereof, means defining a second arcuate cutout disposed concentrically of said first output, of larger radial dimension than said first output, and extending less than fully through a full dimension between opposite surfaces of said lockplate, whereby there is defined an arcuate shoulder between said cutouts, said lockplate, when disposed in said aperture, receiving in said first cutout a portion of said recoil spring with said spring being slidable with respect to said lockplate so that said lockplate does not interfere with compression or expansion of said recoil spring, and receiving in said second cutaway one edge of said further slot defined in said recoil spring plug, a side edge of said lockplate opposite said first arcuate cutout being substantially linear and being received in said slot defined in said barrel bushing, thereby releasably interconnecting said recoil spring plug and said barrel bushing one to another for simultaneous reciprocation of the recoil spring plug and the barrel bushing with said slide and its sleeve-like portion in response to firing of said firearm.