Even those "mouse guns" really use the tipping barrel because they have light slides and thus heavy recoil springs. To get the picture, compare the mass of the slide of a Colt Vest Pocket to that of the slide of a Beretta 950. To get the little pistol as light as possible, Beretta did just what the OP suggests but resulting in the complications of the tipping barrel. Also, it is worth noting that the Astra pistols (600 and 400) have hammers that impose a mechanical disadvantage in cocking, thus helping retard the slide movement. (The 800, not having that hammer style, has a sharper recoil.)
Jim
