Patent ID: 8505227

Claim:
A firearm with barrel interlock system comprising: a receiver; a barrel assembly rotatably coupled to the receiver, the barrel assembly defining a longitudinal axis, a forward muzzle end, and an opposite rearward breech end; a bolt carrier slidably disposed in the receiver and axially movable forward into and rearward out of battery with the barrel assembly; a bolt carried by the bolt carrier and engageable with the barrel assembly for forming a closed breech; and a barrel interlock system comprising a first barrel anti-rotation locking element disposed on the barrel assembly and a mating second barrel anti-rotation locking element disposed on the bolt carrier, the first and second locking elements being complementary configured and mutually engageable to form a meshed relationship in a locked position and having an unmeshed relationship in an unlocked position, the second locking element being axially movable into and out of the locked position with the first locking element via movement of the bolt carrier; wherein when the bolt carrier is in battery with the barrel assembly, the first and second locking elements are in the meshed locked position and operative to prevent rotation and removal of the barrel assembly from the firearm; wherein the first anti-rotation locking element is a locking protrusion disposed on the barrel assembly and the mating second anti-rotation locking element is a complementary configured locking recess disposed on the bolt carrier; wherein the locking protrusion is configured as a cantilever that projects axially rearward from the rearward breech end of the barrel assembly and the locking recess is disposed in a front end of the bolt carrier.