What is locked breech?

A locked breech refers to a type of firearm mechanism where the barrel and slide are locked together during firing, which helps to improve accuracy and reduce recoil. In a locked breech system, the barrel and slide are held tightly together until the moment of firing, at which point the recoil generated by the gun's discharge is used to unlock the two pieces and allow the slide to cycle back and forth, ejecting the spent casing and loading a new round. This design is used in many modern handgun and rifle designs, including the Glock pistol, and is favored for its reliability and accuracy.