Abstract: A pistol having a pistol slide with apertures for receiving finger grips. The finger grips have an attachment scheme for slideably securing a striker housing inside the pistol slide. The striker housing retains a striker and a striker block, such that intricate machining is no longer required on the interior portions of the pistol slide to hold the striker or striker block. The striker housing has a planar protuberance that forms a ridge for being slidably received by corresponding wedges on the finger grip interior portion.

Abstract: A pistol has a bolt with a surface that contacts the cartridge in the magazine to next be chambered. The bolt is mounted within the slide. As the bolt moves with the slide out of battery the surface exerts a force on the cartridge in the direction of motion of the slide. The force counteracts inertial forces on the cartridge imposed by recoil of the pistol.

Abstract: A firearm with tilting barrel-receiver assembly includes a frame and a barrel-receiver assembly pivotably mounted to the frame. The barrel-receiver assembly is movable between an open position and a closed position. A latching mechanism includes a latch that selectively engages the barrel-receiver assembly. The latching mechanism may be disposed in the frame in one embodiment. The latching mechanism is movable between a locked position wherein the barrel-receiver assembly is held in the closed position and an unlocked position wherein the barrel-receiver assembly is movable to the tilted open position. The latch may be spring biased into the locked position. The barrel-receiver assembly may be configured for complete removal from the pistol in some embodiments. An interlock mechanism formed by a movable safety may be provided which prevents the barrel-receiver assembly from being unlocked when the firearm is in a ready-to-fire condition.

Abstract: A shot counter includes a firearm with a loaded chamber indicator and a striker status indicator. A first switch operates with the loaded chamber indicator and a second switch operates with the striker status indicator. When the loaded chamber indicator moves it activates the first switch and when the striker status indicator moves it activates the second switch. If one of the first and second switches is activated, an electrical signal is sent to a processor and the processor interprets the electrical signal as an indication that a shot has been fired. If the electrical signal is from the first switch, the processor actually counts a number of cartridges going in and out of a chamber of the firearm, and if the electrical signal is from the second switch, the processor actually counts a number of times the firearm was cocked.

Abstract: A method including sensing movement of an existing non-shot-indicator of a handgun, and interpreting a sensed movement of the existing non-shot-indicator as a shot fired from the handgun so that the sensed movement serves as a shot counter for the handgun.

Abstract: A method including sensing movement of an existing non-shot-indicator of a handgun, and interpreting a sensed movement of the existing non-shot-indicator as a shot fired from the handgun so that the sensed movement serves as a shot counter for the handgun.