Barrett M82 | |
---|---|
Type | Anti-materiel rifle |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1989–present |
Used by | See Users |
Wars | |
Production history | |
Designer | Ronnie Barrett |
Designed | 1980 |
Manufacturer | Barrett Firearms Manufacturing |
Produced | 1982–present |
Specifications | |
Mass | 29.7 lb (13.5 kg) to 32.7 lb (14.8 kg) |
Length | 48 in (120 cm) to 57 in (140 cm) |
Barrel length | 20 in (51 cm) to 29 in (74 cm) |
Diameter | 16 mm |
Cartridge | |
Action | Recoil-operated rotating bolt |
Muzzle velocity | 2,799 ft/s (853 m/s) |
Effective firing range | 1,969 yd (1,800 m) |
Feed system | 5- or 10-round detachable box magazine |
Sights | Iron sights or various optics on MIL-STD-1913 rail |
The Barrett M82 (standardized by the U.S. military as the M107) is a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle developed by the Australian-owned company Barrett Firearms Manufacturing and produced in the United States.
Also called the Light Fifty (due to its chambering of the .50 BMG 12.7×99mm NATO cartridge), [2] [3] the weapon is classified in three variants: the original M82A1 (and M82A3) models, the bullpup M82A2 model, and the Barrett M107A1, with an attached muzzle brake (designed to accept a suppressor, and made out of titanium instead of steel). The M82A2 is no longer manufactured, though the XM500 can be seen as its successor.
Despite being designated as an anti-materiel rifle, the M82 can also be deployed as an anti-personnel system. [4]
Barrett Firearms Manufacturing was founded by Ronnie Barrett for the sole purpose of building semi-automatic rifles chambered for the powerful 12.7×99mm NATO (.50 BMG) ammunition, originally developed for and used in M2 Browning machine guns. The weapon was first sold to the Swedish Army in 1989. In 1990, the United States armed forces purchased the M82A1 during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Kuwait and Iraq. About 125 rifles were initially bought by the United States Marine Corps, and orders from the Army and Air Force soon followed. The M82A1 is known by the U.S. military as the SASR—"Special Applications Scoped Rifle", [5] and it was and still is used as an anti-materiel rifle and explosive ordnance disposal tool. [5]
In 2006, Barrett completed development of the XM500, which has a bullpup configuration similar to the M82A2. [6] Barrett M82 rifles were bought by various military and police forces from at least 30 countries, such as Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, the Netherlands, [7] and others.
The Barrett M82A1 rifle was used in 2002 as a platform for the experimental OSW (Objective Sniper Weapon) prototype. This weapon was fitted with a shorter barrel, and fired 25 mm high-explosive shells developed for the 25×59 mm OCSW (Objective Crew Served Weapon) automatic grenade launcher. The experimental OSW showed an increased effectiveness against various targets, but the recoil was beyond human limitations. This weapon, also known as the Barrett "Payload Rifle", has now been designated the XM109.
The Provisional IRA smuggled a number of M82s into Ireland from the United States in the 1980s, apparently made and sold by a gunsmith and former Barrett Firearms employee in Texas. One of the M82s was shipped from Chicago to Dublin in pieces, where it was re-assembled. [8] The IRA equipped two sniper teams with the Light Fifties, [9] later reinforced with a couple of M90s bought in the United States from an arms dealer in 1995. [10] The IRA snipers killed five soldiers and a constable with .50 rifles from 1992 to 1997. [11] The snipers usually fired on their targets from a distance of less than 300 metres (980 ft), despite the 1,800 m (5,900 ft) effective range of the weapons. [12]
In 2021, Barrett and nine other U.S. gun manufacturers were named in a lawsuit brought by the Mexican government in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, seeking $10 billion in damages. [13] The Mexican government claimed that the Barrett M82 is one of the weapons of choice for drug cartels. According to Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, an expert interviewed by Reuters, the M82 has disrupted the balance of power between criminals and poorly-equipped police forces. [14]
The XM107 was originally intended to be a bolt-action sniper rifle, and the Barrett M95 was originally selected by the U.S. Army in a competition between such weapons. However, under the trials, the decision was made that the U.S. Army did not, in fact, require such a weapon.[ citation needed ]
Then the Army decided on the Barrett M82, a semi-automatic rifle. In summer 2002, the M82 finally emerged from its Army trial phase and was approved for "full materiel release",[ citation needed ] meaning it was officially adopted as the Long Range Sniper Rifle, Caliber .50, M107. The M107 uses a Leupold 4.5–14×50 Mark 4 scope.[ citation needed ]
The Barrett M107 is a .50 caliber, shoulder-fired, semi-automatic sniper rifle. Like its predecessors, the rifle is said[ according to whom? ] to have manageable recoil for a weapon of its size owing to the barrel assembly that itself absorbs force, moving inward toward the receiver against large springs with every shot. Additionally, the weapon's weight and large muzzle brake also assist in recoil reduction. Various changes were made to the original M82A1 to create the M107, with new features such as a lengthened accessory rail, rear grip, and monopod socket.
The Barrett M107, like previous members of the M82 line, is also referred to as the Barrett "Light Fifty". The designation has in many instances supplanted earlier ones, with the M107 being voted one of 2005's top 10 military inventions by the U.S. Army. [15]
The U.S. Army and Marine Corps plan to field another Barrett rifle, the Mk22 MRAD, in 2021 to replace the M107. The Mk22 is a bolt-action multi-caliber rifle that is powerful enough to replace the M107 when chambered in .338 Norma Magnum. [16]
The M82 is a short-recoil semi-automatic firearm. When the gun is fired, the barrel initially recoils for a short distance (about 1 inch (25 mm)),[ citation needed ] while being securely locked by the rotating bolt. After the short travel, the lower part of the accelerator arm, held by the receiver upper part, is already hinged in the bolt carrier and the middle portion strikes it back to the barrel by a rod placed in the bolt carrier, transferring part of the recoil energy of the barrel to the bolt to achieve reliable cycling and unlock it from the barrel. The bolt is unlocked by turning in the curved cam track in the bolt carrier. Then the barrel is stopped by the combined effect of the accelerator, buffer spring, and the muzzle brake and the bolt continues back, to extract and eject a spent case.[ citation needed ][ clarification needed ] On its return stroke, the bolt strips the fresh cartridge from the box magazine and feeds it into the chamber and finally locks itself to the barrel. The striker is also cocked on the return stroke of the bolt. The gun is fed from a large, detachable box magazine holding up to ten rounds, although a rare twelve-round magazine was developed for use during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.[ citation needed ]
The receiver is made from two parts (upper and lower), stamped from sheet steel and connected by cross-pins. The heavy barrel is fluted to improve heat dissipation and save weight, and fitted with a large and effective reactive muzzle brake. The muzzle brakes on the earlier models had a round cross-section; later M82 rifles are equipped with two-chamber brakes of rectangular cross-section.[ citation needed ]
M82A1 rifles are fitted with scope mount and folding backup iron sights, should the glass scope break. The U.S. military M82 rifles are often equipped with Leupold Mark 4 telescopic sights.[ citation needed ] The M82A1M (USMC M82A3) rifles have long Picatinny accessory rails mounted and US Optics telescopic sights.[ citation needed ] Every M82 rifle is equipped with a folding carrying handle and a folding bipod (both are detachable on the M82A3). The M82A3 is also fitted with a detachable rear monopod under the butt. The buttpad is fitted with a soft recoil pad to further decrease the felt recoil. M82A1 and M82A3 rifles could be mounted on the M3 or M122 infantry tripods (originally intended for machine guns) or on vehicles using the special Barrett soft-mount.[ citation needed ] The M82A1 can be fitted with a carry sling, but according to those who carried it in the field, the M82 is too uncomfortable to be carried on a sling due to its excessive length and weight. It is usually carried in a special carry soft or hard case.
The M82A2 differed from M82A1 mostly in its configuration; the pistol grip along with trigger was placed ahead of the magazine, and the buttpad placed below the receiver, just after the magazine. An additional forward grip was added below the receiver, and the scope mount was moved forward. [5]
The M107's maximum effective range is 1,830 m (2,000 yd),[ citation needed ] while can hit targets past 2,000 m (2,200 yd). Although being accurate to 2.5 MOA[ citation needed ] means it would hit within a 25 in (640 mm) area at 1,000 m (1,100 yd). The maximum range of this weapon (specifically the M107 variant) is 4,000 m (4,400 yd), as quoted in the owner's manual.[ citation needed ] Fifty-caliber (and larger) rounds have the potential to travel great distances if fired in an artillery-like fashion (with a high angle, which creates an indirect-fire situation), necessitating the observance of extensive safety margins when firing on a range.
On February 26, 2016, the U.S. state of Tennessee named the Barrett Model M82 as its official state rifle. [49] [50] [51] [52]
The .50 BMG, also known as 12.7×99mm NATO, and designated as the 50 Browning by the C.I.P., is a .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber cartridge developed for the M2 Browning heavy machine gun in the late 1910s, entering official service in 1921. Under STANAG 4383, it is a standard service cartridge for NATO forces. The cartridge itself has been made in many variants: multiple generations of regular ball, tracer, armor-piercing (AP), incendiary, and saboted sub-caliber rounds. The rounds intended for machine guns are made into a continuous ammunition belt using metallic links.
An anti-personnel weapon is a weapon primarily used to maim or kill infantry and other personnel not behind armor, as opposed to attacking structures or vehicles, or hunting game. The development of defensive fortification and combat vehicles gave rise to weapons designed specifically to attack them, and thus a need to distinguish between those systems and ones intended to attack people. For instance, an anti-personnel landmine will explode into small and sharp splinters that tear flesh but have little effect on metal surfaces, while anti-tank mines have considerably different design, using much more explosive power to effect damage to armored fighting vehicles, or use explosively formed penetrators to punch through armor plating.
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 to eliminate equipment such as engines and unarmored or lightly armored targets. Although not originally designed for use against human targets, the bullet weight and velocity of anti-materiel rifles gives them exceptional long-range capability even when compared with designated sniper rifles. Anti-materiel rifles are made in both bolt-action as well as semi-automatic designs.
Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is an Australian-owned, American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition 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 ammunition, originally developed for and used in M2 Browning 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.
The Barrett XM109, originally known as the Objective Sniper Weapon (OSW) and now called the Anti-Materiel Payload Rifle (AMPR), is a prototype anti-materiel sniper rifle. It is chambered for 25 × 59 mm grenade rounds and was developed by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. It was designed in accordance with a requirement set out in 1994, and is capable of defeating light armor and equipment out to 2 km.
The Barrett M95 is a bolt-action rifle chambered in .50 BMG (12.7×99mm), and manufactured by Barrett Firearms Company. It has been adopted by a number of militaries around the world.
The Steyr HS .50 and the Steyr HS .460 are single-shot anti-materiel rifles manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher and chambered in .50 BMG and .460 Steyr, respectively. Unlicensed variants of the HS. 50 include the AM-50 Sayyad produced by Iran, the Golan S-01 produced by Syria and the Al-Ghoul rifle produced by the Al-Qassam Brigades.
The Gepárd anti-materiel rifles are a family of Hungarian weapons manufactured by Sero International Kft. designed to destroy unarmored and lightly armored targets. These long-range large-caliber rifles have high accuracy and muzzle velocity. In 1987, the Hungarian People's Army sought to obtain a compact, mobile weapon that could damage lightly armored targets. The project, led by Ferenc Földi, culminated in the creation of the Gepárds.
The Barrett M90 is a bolt-action, bullpup rifle chambered in .50 BMG. It was designed and manufactured by Barrett Firearms Company. In 1995, Barrett stopped production of the M90, and replaced it with the M95.
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.
The OSV-96 is a Russian semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle chambered for 12.7×108mm.
The DSR-Precision DSR-50 is a bullpup bolt-action anti-materiel rifle developed and manufactured by DSR-Precision GmbH and chambered in .50 BMG. It is essentially an upscaled DSR-1.
The WKW Tor (Thorium) or Wilk (Wolf) is a modern anti-materiel and/or sniper rifle produced in Poland by the Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów factory. The nickname "WKW Tor" stands for Wielkokalibrowy Karabin Wyborowy or Large Caliber Sniper Rifle. Its military designation in the Polish army is known as the Tor. This rifle was developed between 2000 and 2004 and the first selected units in the Polish army apparently received Wilk/Tor rifles in around 2005 onwards.
The Mambi-1 AMR is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle designed and manufactured in Cuba. It was named after the Mambises, who were rebel soldiers that fought against the Kingdom of Spain during the Cuban War of Independence (1895–1898).
The ZijiangM99 is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle first introduced in 2005. It has since seen use by the People's Liberation Army Navy and Marine Corps in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, and has been seen in the hands of various rebel groups involved in the Syrian Civil War.
The Desert Tech Hard Target Interdiction (HTI) is a bullpup bolt-action sniper and anti-materiel rifle designed and manufactured in West Valley City, Utah, United States by Desert Tech.
Arash is an Iranian 20mm semi-automatic anti-materiel sniper rifle. This weapon is used by Iran and Hezbollah, and is named for the mythical Arash the Archer.
The QBU-10 or Type 10 sniper rifle is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle designed and manufactured by Norinco. First introduced in 2010, it has since seen use by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force, People's Liberation Army Navy, and Marine Corps.
'If you have a Barrett, it means that any non-special forces such as the local police and the municipal police cannot fight you,' Grandmaison said.
The Barrett .50 resolution passed the House in 2015 sponsored by Rep. Micah Van Huss, R-Johnson City, a former Marine who carried it while serving in Iraq from 2006 to 2010.
Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Jeff Yarbro of Nashville cast the lone dissenting vote against making the Barrett rifle the state's official gun.