Locking magazine

A magazine for a pistol having a magazine well, a slide operable to reciprocate between a forward battery position and a rear loading position, and a barrel with a barrel block movable with respect to the slide between an elevated engaged condition in which the barrel prevents movement of the slide to the rear loading position and a lowered disengaged position in which movement of the slide to the rear loading position is enabled, the magazine comprising:

• an elongated body configured to be closely and removably received in the magazine well;
• the elongated body defining an ammunition passage configured to receive a supply of ammunition;
• the elongated body having feed lips at an upper end configured to retain the supply of ammunition;
• a locking mechanism connected to the elongated body and having a locked condition and an unlocked condition;
• a follower within the ammunition passage;
• the locking mechanism being below the follower;
• the locking mechanism having a user interface operable to enable a user to select between the locked condition and the unlocked condition;
• a block element operably connected to the locking mechanism;
• and
• the block element operable to move between a first position when the locking mechanism is in the locked condition in which movement of the barrel block to the lowered disengaged position is prevented, thereby preventing movement of the slide to the rear loading position beyond the feed lips, and a second position when the locking mechanism is in the unlocked condition in which movement of the barrel block to the lowered disengaged position is enabled.