This is another draft article; as always, comments welcome.
John
The Barrett M82A1/M107 "Light 50" Rifle
This is probably the most expensive plinking rifle you could ever imagine. That is, if you want to plink at targets at a range of over a mile and in the process absolutely destroy them! Civilians know it as the M82A1 rifle, and in our military it’s the M107. Both camps often refer to it as “the Barrett Light Fifty.” Whenever employed or displayed, its “wow factor” is unmatched.
But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Here’s a bit of history first. In 1918, John Browning designed a .50 caliber machine gun that is still in use by our armed forces today. In 1967, legendary U.S. Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock discovered that by mounting a high power Unertl scope one of those enduring M2HB Browning .50 caliber machine guns, he could take out targets at incredible distances. With that specially-sighted “Ma Deuce,” he forthwith set a record for the longest sniper kill ever up to that time, killing a Vietcong guerrilla at a range of 2,500 yards. Although that record has since been broken, Hathcock’s feat initiated a lot of interest in and some subsequent employment of the .50 BMG (Browning Machine Gun) cartridge as a sniper round. This behemoth cartridge is essentially the .30-06 round scaled up to .50 caliber dimensions. It’s also known as the 12.7x99mm NATO cartridge. Its effect is devastating on enemy personnel and equipment at even amazingly long ranges.
Born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1954, Ronnie Barrett started out as a professional photographer following his graduation from high school. He was also a long-range target rifle competitor, and longed for an accurate rifle that could reach way out there. Noting the .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a gunboat he was photographing in 1982, he thought that he might be able to design a semiautomatic target rifle that would chamber the monster .50 BMG cartridge. He knew that taming the recoil of this round would be a challenge. Custom bolt-action rifles chambered for it could launch a 650- to 750-grain bullet at over 2700 feet per second, but the recoil was absolutely brutal. He reasoned that a semiautomatic could soak up a lot of rearward energy, and together with a proper muzzle brake, the recoil might be made almost tolerable. Although he had no engineering or manufacturing experience, he sketched out some ideas and showed them to some machine shops in his area. He began to collaborate with Bob Mitchell, a tool and die maker and machinist in Smyrna, Tennessee. The two of them, working in Barrett’s garage, got the basic mechanism worked out, and engaged a sheet metal shop to fabricate the upper and lower receivers. Harry Watson, one of the shop’s employees, helped out immensely. Inside of four months, the first prototype Barrett .50 rifle became a reality. A second prototype incorporated some needed improvements, and Ronnie displayed it at a Houston, Texas gun show. Three folks gave him deposits to make rifles for them. With this initial capital, Barrett set up a shop in his garage and crafted an initial batch of 30 rifles. After advertising his new rifle in Shotgun News, he was contacted by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, who purchased a number of them for use in Afghanistan by the mujahedeen, then fighting against the Soviet Union. The ball had started rolling.
Barrett’s “M82” rifle has heavy-gauge sheet-steel upper and lower receivers that contain the moving parts. These receivers can be separated for parts maintenance very much like on the M16 rifle. The gun operates on the short-recoil system. Both the barrel and the bolt assemblies move to the rear a short distance against two strong recoil springs on guide rails and a buffer assembly when the rifle is fired, absorbing a lot of the recoil by spreading it over a longer time. Then the heavy 3-lug bolt is rotated, unlocking it from the barrel by a cam slot in the upper receiver. The barrel is arrested in its movement, but the bolt continues to the rear to eject the spent cartridge. The twin recoil springs then move the bolt forward to chamber another round from the steel double-column magazine which holds ten rounds. The trigger, sear, hammer and safety switch layout is essentially a scaled-up AR-15 system. A massive double-baffle muzzle brake re-directs muzzle gasses about 45 degrees to the rear on both sides to pull the barrel forward when the gun is fired, further softening the recoil felt by the shooter. In addition, a very thick rubber recoil pad is employed. The combined effect diminishes recoil by almost 70 percent and the gun pretty much duplicates the felt recoil of a 12-gauge shotgun. The barrel length is optionally 20 or 29 inches. Overall length for the 20-incher is 48 inches, and with the longer barrel, it’s 57 inches. Weights, respectively, are 29.7 and 30.9 pounds. The operating handle works from the right-hand side, where it reciprocates with the bolt. The ejection port is on the left side. A Picatinny rail is employed on top of the upper receiver for various scope sights. 30mm steel scope rings are employed which are in themselves adjustable for both windage and elevation. This gives more available sighting latitude for longer-range shots. A levered magazine release resides in front of the trigger guard. Backup folding iron sights can be used in the event of scope failure, and the rifle incorporates a folding carrying handle. The bipod is very similar to that used on the M60 machine gun, but it can fold both forward and backward. The pistol grip is quite like the one on the M16A2 rifle and the M4 carbine, except that it has more rearward slant.
Because of the incredible noise and whopping shock wave generated by this gun, ear protection for both the shooter and those nearby is an absolute necessity. A helpful hint for those who are close is to stand directly to the rear of the shooter lest the side-directed muzzle blast play extreme havoc with one’s sensibilities.
The Barrett rifle was soon employed by the Norwegian army, which found it ideal for explosive ordnance disposal duties. Operation Desert Storm saw the first combat use of the rifle, when 100 of them were purchased by the U.S. Marine Corps. The rifles were used to take down hard targets, bunkers and vehicles. They also found use against light armor, with vastly improved range over rocket-based munitions. The Marines soon ordered 300 more M82s, and the U.S. Army adopted the M82A1, a slightly improved version, as the XM107 in 2001. The Army initially wanted a bolt action rifle, and samples were provided, but the troops really preferred the lessened recoil of the semiautomatic rifle and the accuracy was essentially equal. In 2003, the M82A1 was officially adopted by the Army as the M107. In Army-speak, it’s the “Long Range Sniper Rifle, Caliber .50, M107” or sometimes a SASR, or “Special Applications Scoped Rifle.” Standard optical equipment is the Leupold 4.5 – 14 x 50mm Mark 4 scope. Well over 2,000 of them were delivered over the next four years. These are provided with special hard or soft carry cases for transportation between locations, spare magazines and other accessories. M107s are currently being used in Afghanistan, where they have been found superior in precision to machine guns or rockets for stopping explosive-laden suicide vehicles. Personnel targets at very long ranges have been destroyed so impressively that the negative psychological effect on the near-standing enemy has been quite noticeable.
In 2010, Barrett ceased production of the M107, and in January 2011, the successor M107A1 was announced. Improvements include weight reduction, a new titanium muzzle brake and some titanium internals. These modifications allow the use of a sound suppressor designed by the Barrett Company. Barrett rifles have now been bought by government agencies in at least 30 countries. They are also used quite prolifically for civilian long-range rifle shooting competitions here in the U.S. and elsewhere. The rifle illustrated for this article is a commercial M82A1 topped by an optional Swarovski 4.5 – 14 x 40mm scope.
In Ronnie Barrett’s home state of Tennessee, the Barrett Model 82A1/M107 has been declared as the official State Firearm! His rifle has now been around for over 30 years, and has become an indispensable tool for military and police forces around the world. If you want to go plinking or target shooting with one, this modern classic will only set you back in the (rough) range of 9 to 13 thousand dollars, depending on being new or used, condition and optional accessories. It’s indeed a modern classic, albeit one that requires a very healthy bank account!
(c) 2016 JLM
John
The Barrett M82A1/M107 "Light 50" Rifle
This is probably the most expensive plinking rifle you could ever imagine. That is, if you want to plink at targets at a range of over a mile and in the process absolutely destroy them! Civilians know it as the M82A1 rifle, and in our military it’s the M107. Both camps often refer to it as “the Barrett Light Fifty.” Whenever employed or displayed, its “wow factor” is unmatched.
But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Here’s a bit of history first. In 1918, John Browning designed a .50 caliber machine gun that is still in use by our armed forces today. In 1967, legendary U.S. Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock discovered that by mounting a high power Unertl scope one of those enduring M2HB Browning .50 caliber machine guns, he could take out targets at incredible distances. With that specially-sighted “Ma Deuce,” he forthwith set a record for the longest sniper kill ever up to that time, killing a Vietcong guerrilla at a range of 2,500 yards. Although that record has since been broken, Hathcock’s feat initiated a lot of interest in and some subsequent employment of the .50 BMG (Browning Machine Gun) cartridge as a sniper round. This behemoth cartridge is essentially the .30-06 round scaled up to .50 caliber dimensions. It’s also known as the 12.7x99mm NATO cartridge. Its effect is devastating on enemy personnel and equipment at even amazingly long ranges.
Born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1954, Ronnie Barrett started out as a professional photographer following his graduation from high school. He was also a long-range target rifle competitor, and longed for an accurate rifle that could reach way out there. Noting the .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a gunboat he was photographing in 1982, he thought that he might be able to design a semiautomatic target rifle that would chamber the monster .50 BMG cartridge. He knew that taming the recoil of this round would be a challenge. Custom bolt-action rifles chambered for it could launch a 650- to 750-grain bullet at over 2700 feet per second, but the recoil was absolutely brutal. He reasoned that a semiautomatic could soak up a lot of rearward energy, and together with a proper muzzle brake, the recoil might be made almost tolerable. Although he had no engineering or manufacturing experience, he sketched out some ideas and showed them to some machine shops in his area. He began to collaborate with Bob Mitchell, a tool and die maker and machinist in Smyrna, Tennessee. The two of them, working in Barrett’s garage, got the basic mechanism worked out, and engaged a sheet metal shop to fabricate the upper and lower receivers. Harry Watson, one of the shop’s employees, helped out immensely. Inside of four months, the first prototype Barrett .50 rifle became a reality. A second prototype incorporated some needed improvements, and Ronnie displayed it at a Houston, Texas gun show. Three folks gave him deposits to make rifles for them. With this initial capital, Barrett set up a shop in his garage and crafted an initial batch of 30 rifles. After advertising his new rifle in Shotgun News, he was contacted by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, who purchased a number of them for use in Afghanistan by the mujahedeen, then fighting against the Soviet Union. The ball had started rolling.
Barrett’s “M82” rifle has heavy-gauge sheet-steel upper and lower receivers that contain the moving parts. These receivers can be separated for parts maintenance very much like on the M16 rifle. The gun operates on the short-recoil system. Both the barrel and the bolt assemblies move to the rear a short distance against two strong recoil springs on guide rails and a buffer assembly when the rifle is fired, absorbing a lot of the recoil by spreading it over a longer time. Then the heavy 3-lug bolt is rotated, unlocking it from the barrel by a cam slot in the upper receiver. The barrel is arrested in its movement, but the bolt continues to the rear to eject the spent cartridge. The twin recoil springs then move the bolt forward to chamber another round from the steel double-column magazine which holds ten rounds. The trigger, sear, hammer and safety switch layout is essentially a scaled-up AR-15 system. A massive double-baffle muzzle brake re-directs muzzle gasses about 45 degrees to the rear on both sides to pull the barrel forward when the gun is fired, further softening the recoil felt by the shooter. In addition, a very thick rubber recoil pad is employed. The combined effect diminishes recoil by almost 70 percent and the gun pretty much duplicates the felt recoil of a 12-gauge shotgun. The barrel length is optionally 20 or 29 inches. Overall length for the 20-incher is 48 inches, and with the longer barrel, it’s 57 inches. Weights, respectively, are 29.7 and 30.9 pounds. The operating handle works from the right-hand side, where it reciprocates with the bolt. The ejection port is on the left side. A Picatinny rail is employed on top of the upper receiver for various scope sights. 30mm steel scope rings are employed which are in themselves adjustable for both windage and elevation. This gives more available sighting latitude for longer-range shots. A levered magazine release resides in front of the trigger guard. Backup folding iron sights can be used in the event of scope failure, and the rifle incorporates a folding carrying handle. The bipod is very similar to that used on the M60 machine gun, but it can fold both forward and backward. The pistol grip is quite like the one on the M16A2 rifle and the M4 carbine, except that it has more rearward slant.
Because of the incredible noise and whopping shock wave generated by this gun, ear protection for both the shooter and those nearby is an absolute necessity. A helpful hint for those who are close is to stand directly to the rear of the shooter lest the side-directed muzzle blast play extreme havoc with one’s sensibilities.
The Barrett rifle was soon employed by the Norwegian army, which found it ideal for explosive ordnance disposal duties. Operation Desert Storm saw the first combat use of the rifle, when 100 of them were purchased by the U.S. Marine Corps. The rifles were used to take down hard targets, bunkers and vehicles. They also found use against light armor, with vastly improved range over rocket-based munitions. The Marines soon ordered 300 more M82s, and the U.S. Army adopted the M82A1, a slightly improved version, as the XM107 in 2001. The Army initially wanted a bolt action rifle, and samples were provided, but the troops really preferred the lessened recoil of the semiautomatic rifle and the accuracy was essentially equal. In 2003, the M82A1 was officially adopted by the Army as the M107. In Army-speak, it’s the “Long Range Sniper Rifle, Caliber .50, M107” or sometimes a SASR, or “Special Applications Scoped Rifle.” Standard optical equipment is the Leupold 4.5 – 14 x 50mm Mark 4 scope. Well over 2,000 of them were delivered over the next four years. These are provided with special hard or soft carry cases for transportation between locations, spare magazines and other accessories. M107s are currently being used in Afghanistan, where they have been found superior in precision to machine guns or rockets for stopping explosive-laden suicide vehicles. Personnel targets at very long ranges have been destroyed so impressively that the negative psychological effect on the near-standing enemy has been quite noticeable.
In 2010, Barrett ceased production of the M107, and in January 2011, the successor M107A1 was announced. Improvements include weight reduction, a new titanium muzzle brake and some titanium internals. These modifications allow the use of a sound suppressor designed by the Barrett Company. Barrett rifles have now been bought by government agencies in at least 30 countries. They are also used quite prolifically for civilian long-range rifle shooting competitions here in the U.S. and elsewhere. The rifle illustrated for this article is a commercial M82A1 topped by an optional Swarovski 4.5 – 14 x 40mm scope.
In Ronnie Barrett’s home state of Tennessee, the Barrett Model 82A1/M107 has been declared as the official State Firearm! His rifle has now been around for over 30 years, and has become an indispensable tool for military and police forces around the world. If you want to go plinking or target shooting with one, this modern classic will only set you back in the (rough) range of 9 to 13 thousand dollars, depending on being new or used, condition and optional accessories. It’s indeed a modern classic, albeit one that requires a very healthy bank account!
(c) 2016 JLM
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