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Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is an Australian-owned, American manufacturer of
firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...
s and
ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...
located in Christiana, Tennessee. It was founded in 1982 by Ronnie G. Barrett for the purpose of building semi-automatic rifles chambered for the .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) ammunition, originally developed for and used in
M2 Browning The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered ...
machine guns. Barrett began this work in the early 1980s, and the first working rifles were available in 1982, hence the designation M82. Barrett personally designed every part of the weapon. He marketed the weapon and mass-produced it utilizing private funds. He continued to develop the rifle through the 1980s, and developed the improved M82A1 rifle by 1986. Barrett was acquired by the NIOA Group on 17 January 2023, solidifying the long-standing relationship between the two companies.


History

Barrett introduced the M82 in 1982 but did not have significant sales until 1989. These first large sales were to Sweden. Soon afterward, the M82 was purchased by the
United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
, and it was deployed in the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
. The company has since gained contracts with dozens of countries to supply sniper rifles. The success of the M82A1 led the company to develop several other models of .50 BMG rifles, including the M95, M99, and M99-1. These are lighter and lower cost bolt-action and single-shot rifles. An early customer of the M82 (or "Barrett Light Fifty") was the IRA, which conducted a sniper campaign against the British Armed Forces in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. An unidentified IRA volunteer, quoted by author Toby Harnden, said that:
What's special about the Barrett is the huge kinetic energy... The bullet can just walk through a flak jacket. South Armagh was the prime place to use such weapon because of the availability of Brits. They came to dread it and that was part of its effectiveness.
The US military uses the M82A3 and a newer version, the M107, as an
anti-materiel rifle An anti-materiel rifle (AMR) is a rifle designed for use against military equipment, structures, and other hardware (materiel) targets. Anti-materiel rifles are chambered in significantly larger calibers than conventional rifles and are employed ...
. It is used by
explosive ordnance disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are disabled or otherwise rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated fu ...
teams with special military HEIAP ammunition. Barrett also manufactured the REC7 upper receiver for the AR-15 style rifle, chambered in 6.8 mm Remington SPC, which was one of the weapons the US Army reviewed in 2008 while drafting requirements for a potential
M4 carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensively used by the US mi ...
replacement. In response to
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
's ban of civilian ownership of .50 BMG rifles, Barrett suspended sales and service to all
law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
in California. In October 2008, Barrett introduced the new M98B. The M98B was a bolt-action rifle chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum, which went on sale in 2009. On February 26, 2016, Tennessee named the Barrett M82 the official rifle of the State of Tennessee. In 2021, Barrett secured a $50 million contract for the United States Army Precision Sniper Rifle initiative. In January 2023, Barrett was acquired by Australian defense contractor NIOA. Long-serving Barrett Chief Operating Officer Bryan James became president. Barrett founder Ronnie Barrett said: "Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in the Barrett story. Rob and the NIOA team have great respect for the legacy Barrett has created as the leader in long range precision rifles. It's reassuring to know Barrett will be in good hands with a family-owned company that is focused on manufacturing and delivering world-class firearms and munitions to a global network."


Products

*Anti-materiel rifles ** Barrett M82/M107 ** Barrett M90 ** Barrett M95 ** Barrett M99 ** Barrett XM109 **
Barrett XM500 The Barrett XM500 is a gas-operated, semi-automatic, anti materiel/sniper rifle in development by the Barrett Firearms Company as of 2010. It is fed by a 10-round detachable box magazine situated behind the trigger in bullpup configuration. ...
*Sniper rifles **
Barrett M98B The Barrett Model 98B (also known as the Barrett Model 98 Bravo) is a bolt-action sniper rifle chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6×70mm or 8.58×70mm) and manufactured by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. The Model 98B was officially announced in ...
**
Barrett MRAD The Barrett MRAD (Multi-role Adaptive Design) is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed by Barrett to meet the requirements of the SOCOM PSR. The MRAD is based on the Barrett 98B and includes a number of modifications and improvements. The Barre ...
** Barrett MRADELR *Semi-automatic rifles ** Barrett M468 ** Barrett REC7 ** Barrett REC10 *Machine guns ** Barrett M240LW *Optics ** Barrett Optical Ranging System (BORS) *Ammunition ** .50 BMG M33 Ball ** .416 Barrett ** 6.8 SPC ** .338 Lapua Magnum


See also

*
List of anti-materiel rifles The following is a list of anti-materiel rifles: sniper rifles that fire large caliber ammunition used primarily for engaging materiel, rather than personnel. See also * .50 caliber handguns, Anti-material pistol * Lists of weapons * List of fir ...


References

{{Reflist


External links


Barrett Firearms Official Website
Manufacturing companies established in 1982 Firearm manufacturers of the United States 1982 establishments in Tennessee Manufacturing companies based in Tennessee